The night was dark and cloudy, the moon barely visible in the sky. A perfect time for sneaking around. Among the tall buildings lining the town, one particular shadow moved, racing across the rooftops towards one specific building a little taller than the others. It came to a stop at the edge of the roof and pulled out a bow and quiver. A quick glance around showed no guards nearby. With a swift movements, an arrow was nocked, aimed, and fired, striking the wall of the building with a line attached to it.
The end of the line was tied firmly before the figure moved the bow over the line, and jumped off the edge of the roof. The bow caught the line and held the figure up riding the line until they struck the wall feet-first to absorb the impact.
From there, the figure was able to stand on a tiny ledge and maneuver over to a window. With a twisting of the lock, it was opened and the figure carefully hopped down into what appeared to be the kitchen, the large tables, appliances, and various equipment making that obvious.
After taking second to contemplate, the figure moved, ducking down a hallway before stopping and hiding behind a corner as two guards passed by.
"…tightened security. How does this keep happening?"
"I don't know, but the boss sure isn't happy about it. It's setting things back. I heard…"
The voices trailed off and the figure moved again, running quickly down the hallways. All of them familiar, all of them walked down at one point or another these last few weeks. The figure had to stop and let several more guards pass before eventually reaching their destination. Flipping out a mirror, the figure held it carefully around the corner, spotting four armed guards in front of the door. More than last time but none of the headliners. Not yet anyway. A sigh of relief came out before the figure nocked several arrows at once.
It has been getting more difficult these last few months. The first time was easy. A barely guarded room, a barely locked door. But since then, they've been stepping up their security. The figure has attacked caravans, couriers, rooms, it didn't matter. Even hiding it among the Marines hadn't worked. They always tried something else and the figure always pulled it off anyway, stealing their gold and escaping.
A rumor had passed down to them that the top brass would be away for a night, giving a perfect opportunity to strike. Too perfect. That had been last night. The figure had chosen to wait until just before the brass returned, when the guards would be the most relaxed. That is, if anyone had left at all. Still, no one would expect an attack right now.
Stepping out, the figure launched three arrows, striking the furthest guards who all gave short cries of pain. The figure didn't give them another chance, running forward to hit the uninjured guard hard, knocking him to the ground. The other three were recovering, so the figure twisted, sweeping a leg beneath theirs to remove their footing. From there, it only took a few well-placed strikes to knock them out as well.
The figure rose and approached the door. It didn't take much before it was opened, revealing the vault inside, filled to the brim with gold, jewels, and money. The figure pulled out several bags and began filling them with the loot, moving as quickly as possible. Time was key here. It wouldn't be long before mire guards came or worse.
As soon as the third bag was as filled up as possible, the figure rose and went back towards the kitchen, passing over the unconscious guards.
There were no guards as the figure went and the reason why soon became apparent as shouts of "the captain is back! The captain is back!" filled the halls of the building. The figure cursed, knowing time was almost up and went even faster, only just managing to make it to the kitchen and close the door silently before more guards were heard.
A breath of relief and the figure took a few steps towards the window before stopping suddenly, slowly turning back to the door. It had closed silently. No click, no thud, no nothing.
As if it had been muted.
Shoot, the figure muttered, dropping the bags. As suspected, they landed without a sound despite the clanging nature of their contents. The bow was drawn, an arrow nocked, and the figure stepped carefully trying to predict where the attack would come from.
A slight rustle of wind and the figure moved, just dodging the blade that came from above.
The second figure was a large woman dressed in black with dark, curly hair. One of the headliners for the Longbow Pirates. The Silencer.
The first figure hissed even though it couldn't be heard. This was too much. The Silencer was too powerful to take on and time was running out. Pretty soon, the others would be here and then the window to escape would be closed, literally and figuratively.
Thinking fast, the figure fired off the first arrow which dispersed a cloud of smoke on impact with the floor, giving time. The bags of treasure were snatched up and the figure leapt for the open window, grabbing hold of…open air.
The line was gone.
An instant of hesitation and then the figure was falling to the cobblestoned ground below. Acting on pure instinct, another arrow was pulled out and fired. On impact with the street, it erupted into a large inflatable bubble that absorbed the figure's landing.
"What the hell?"
"Who is that?"
At the guard's voices, the figure fired off two more arrows before running fast. Two bags of treasure were collected, the third left behind after a knife thrown above nearly performed a dismemberment. More guards were coming and with them, more heavy hitters. The figure dashed off into the side streets, running past all the twists and turns. The voices became dimmer in the background until they had vanished completely. These streets had been the figure's home long before these pirates came. They were known to the figure.
After a minute-break to catch one's breath, the figure moved on, winding quickly through the remaining streets until arriving carefully at one particular building, slipping carefully through the back.
"Quite the commotion," the young man waiting said.
"I know," the figure replied, removing the hood to reveal a young woman with cropped black hair. "Just barely escaped the Silencer."
"A headliner?" the man gasped. "You weren't followed."
"No, you dimwit. You think I would be dumb enough to lead them back here? We're fine. Here," she handed over the two bags. "It was much as I could get. Distribute it carefully."
The man gave her a look. "I've done this plenty of times before, I know what to do."
"Just returning the favor," she replied cheekily, making him roll his eyes.
"How long you going to keep this up?" he asked seriously, making her pause. "They're growing in power every day and you're just one person."
"I know," she said. "But he wouldn't give up, so neither can I. No matter what."
"So you just plan to keep robbing them until you die?"
"No. I plan to keep robbing them until there's nothing left to rob!" she snapped. She knew the impossibility of that statement but she didn't know what else to say. He was right. It was a hopeless battle. She had no real chance against Richard and the Longbow Pirates. But she had to keep trying. For her home.
"You know Roy's coming back tomorrow, right? If he hears about all this, he won't be happy."
The figure sighed. "Yeah, I'll deal with that when it happens. I'm going to get some sleep now. Be safe, Henry," she said as she slipped back outside.
"You too Emiko," he sighed. "You too."
"Zoro, scooch over!"
"You scooch!"
"Will both of you can it!" Sabine snapped, nearly dropping the new smoke bombs she was working on thanks to Luffy and Zoro's squabbling.
"He's taking up too much room!" Luffy argued.
"I can't help it! This boat's too damn small for me!"
"Then go over to Nami's boat!"
"Hell no!" Nami cried. "After what you pulled last time, there's no way any of you are coming anywhere near my treasure!"
Shang-Chi sighed. He was doing his best to fish at the back of the boat but had been at it for the past hour with zero luck. He was beginning to suspect his crewmates' loud arguing might be scaring the fish away. Not that he could blame them. They were doing their best with the accommodations but four people to a small boat like this was too much. Luffy was now sitting at the head of the boat, giving Zoro more room, but even that wouldn't last.
Abandoning the fishing, he turned to face the others. "We need to plan our next move here."
"What next move? We're going to the Grand Line, aren't we?" Luffy asked.
"As if!" Nami snorted. "There's absolutely no way we'll make it to the Grand Line in this condition."
"Agreed. These ships won't last getting through the entrance, much less the sea itself," Shang-Chi said.
Luffy nodded as he swallowed an apple. "You're right. We're also going to need a lot more meat. Eating fruit every day is for the birds."
"We'll also need some booze," Zoro added as he lay back, though his pleasantries were interrupted when an apple struck him in the face.
"Shut up you boneheads!" Nami told them as Luffy caught the apple and gobbled it up. "That's not what I mean, the Grand Line's a dangerous place. We'll need more than beer and meat to survive there. Not to mention the place is crawling with pirates who are also in search of the One Piece. And they all have ships that are way better than this."
"I bet they let their crewmates get on the other ships though," Sabine muttered.
"I said no!" Nami snapped at her.
"She's right," Shang-Chi said.
"Which one?"
"Both. But mainly Nami. About the ships. We need a better one now."
"And we don't have a crew," Luffy added, still chewing.
"We don't have a crew, we barely have any equipment but someone refuses to share it anyway." She gave Sabine a pointed look who just rolled her eyes.
"This is my equipment for my stuff. If you want some, go get your own."
"Yeah, we're all gonna die," Shang-Chi muttered.
"Like Shang-Chi said, we don't even have a real ship. There is no way we'll ever make it like this."
"Yep. We'll need a cook. And maybe a musician to keep us entertained," Luffy said.
"A musician?" Zoro laughed.
"So stupid," Nami muttered.
"Actually, many pirate ships have musicians for that exact purpose," Shang-Chi told her, prompting her to glare fiercely at him. "What?"
"Exactly!" Luffy agreed. "Aw man, Shanks's crew had the best musicians ever. I remember whenever Uta sang, it was like being taken to another world. And Dinah's singing was great too. Always made me want to get up and dance."
"Right," Shang-Chi nodded, still in shock that Luffy personally knew Red-Haired Shanks. "Well, besides a musician and a cook, the latter of which is more important, we would also need a doctor. Probably a shipwright as well if we can find one. And you did say you wanted a bender."
"Oh yeah, a waterbender would be great to fish me out of the water if I ever fall in."
"Huh?" Sabine looked up. "Why is that important?"
"Anyone who eats a Devil Fruit loses their ability to swim," Shang-Chi informed her.
"Yep. All my energy drains away and I just sink to the bottom."
"Oh that's why Nami kept trying to drown you."
"And I'll do it again even he takes any more of my treasure!"
"However," Shang-Chi interrupted, trying to get back on topic, "there aren't many waterbenders around here. There are more earthbenders than any other."
"That works too. As long as they're strong!"
Nami sighed and looked back at the map. She wasn't sure how long she was going to stay with them. She knew eventually she'd have to leave and return to Cocoyashi Village. But they were good people, so the least she could do for them after what happened with Buggy, even if Luffy had given back half her treasure, was try and give them a fighting chance on the Grand Line before she went. And to do that, they needed a ship.
"Well, there are two places we could go," she said. "A little to the south is an island with some settlements on it but nothing big. However, to the east is an island with a pretty large town that should have a ship and all the supplies we'd need there. Only thing is it has a Marine base there."
"Meaning we'll probably have to ditch your boat if we go there," Sabine said, looking up at the Buggy-colored sail.
"So it's agreed, we go to the settlement."
"No," Shang-Chi said firmly. "That's up to Luffy. Hey Luffy, which one should we go to?"
"I don't know? We need a ship and supplies right? Which one has that?"
Shang-Chi gave Nami a look who sighed in disappointment. "The town," she said reluctantly.
"Great. Fresh meat at last!" Luffy cheered.
"Lots of booze as well," Zoro added, sitting up.
"Is that all you think about?" Nami demanded. "Ugh, what am I going to do with you two?"
"Just ignore them," Shang-Chi advised.
"Yeah, that sounds good. Alright, let's head east then towards the town."
"What's the name of the place anyway?" Shang-Chi asked.
"Oh, um, it's called Star Island."
"Huh." Shang-Chi scratched his chin, trying to recall why that name was familiar but he couldn't place it. "Alright, set course."
"How much was taken?"
The five pirates gathered around their captain, a large one, one wearing red clothing, a bulky one, a one wearing wings, and the Silencer.
"About ten million sir," the red pirate said.
"What the hell?" the large pirate growled. "What kind of security do we have here? How the hell does one lone archer keep managing to break in?"
"One very good archer," the red pirate hissed. "Whoever it is, they're highly trained."
"Or we just have bad security," the large pirate replied, glaring over at the Silencer who met his gaze with stoic silence.
"Hey, I was also on watch and I didn't see anything," a winged figure argued.
"Proving how useless you are as well."
"Hey!"
"Enough."
The one word brought an end to all conversation as the pirates turned to their leader who was still looking at the vault door. They thought he would be furious but were surprised when he turned and revealed the smile on his face.
"Don't worry. Everything is going to plan."
"It is? Oh good, I'm in the clear," the winged pirate commented.
"Oh do shut up," the red pirate told him.
"The people have begun to put a lot of faith in this archer of theirs," the captain interrupted, drawing their attention. "The mysterious Green Arrow who takes from the wealthy and gives to the needy. A folklore legend. It has given them hope. So we need to take that away."
"So what's the plan captain?" the bulky pirate asked, smashing his fist into his hand. "Want us to go out there and squeeze some more folks? Get them to pay for this one's crimes?"
"That'll do for a start," the captain acknowledged. "The archer only steals so far. Whoever they are, they're scared to attack us head on. Knows they'll lose. So we'll strike at the weak spots. Turn up the heat, if you will. Turn everyone against them. Make them the enemy. Then, they'll grow desperate and sloppy and seek to end this. That's when we'll finish it."
"Ha!" the large pirate cheered. "Great plan!"
"Sounds like fun!" the red pirate grinned.
"Brick, Kodiak," the captain turned to the bulky and large pirates respectively. "Round up some men and begin the shakedowns. No exceptions."
"On it."
"Red Dart," he turned to the red pirate, "go clear things up with the Marines. Tell Captain Broderick we'll give him a generous cut."
"You got it."
"Silencer, I want you to move all our money into different locations. At least five. But leave the same amount of guards around the vault. Just put a handful around the new places. That should throw this archer off."
Silencer merely nodded back.
"Moth," he turned to the winged pirate, "I have a special task for you."
"Yes boss?" the pirate asked eagerly.
"Dig up whatever information you can on the previous Green Arrow. Like, exactly when they left and what else might have happened at the same time. Major arrivals and departures from the island. Understand?"
"Crystal. I'll get right on it."
As they filed out of the room, Richard looked out the window at the small town he'd taken over. It had been an arduous process but he'd managed to rally up the local scum into a somewhat substantial fighting force with the help of his own crew. From there, he'd taken the city's government and the nearby Marine base. Now, he ran everything. One step closer to his main goal. He could see them right now, at the harbor. The row of ships that were all his. The ones that would help him conquer the East Blue.
As long as he got rid of that blasted archer. He gritted his teeth thinking about it. Already too much time had been wasted. Now even more would be to track down and kill that do-gooder. He'd already heard tell of the fabled Green Arrow when he'd arrived here but had heard that he'd disappeared a while ago. Now, apparently, he was back and causing Richard problems. Well, so far whoever it was, they were just a thorn in his side. But they were smart. He had pretended to leave last night with some of the others in hopes of drawing the archer in. But they had never shown up. The attack had only come when he'd announced his return. Then the alarms were called out. They had known exactly when to strike. Waiting them out like that would no longer work. This new plan though…yes. This would surely crush their spirit.
Once he found them, he would swat them like the insignificant pest they were. After that, he would take over the whole East Blue and rule it all.
He just had to be patient for a little while longer.
"Land ho!"
"Oh good, we finally made it," Nami muttered, stretching. "I'm getting kind of sick of this."
"Yeah I bet you are," Zoro glowered over at her boat and all the open room. He could barely even fully stretch out.
"Perfect timing too," Sabine said, looking up at her handiwork. "What do you guys think?"
"Think of…Gah!" Zoro gasped, following her gaze to the former Jolly Roger of the Buggy Pirates. Instead of a skull and crossbones, it was now…well, it was hard to tell. Sabine had added a whole bunch of colors and designs that it looked like a rainbow had thrown up while walking all over it. The white skull and crossbones now were painted over with purple and orange undertones, all of it turning into one spiral that led to the large red nose which she had decided to keep. Surrounding it were a bunch of other spirals and checkers of various colors. "What the hell?"
"That's certainly…colorful," Shang-Chi commented.
"Isn't it? One of my best works I think."
"Wow. So pretty," Luffy muttered, taking it in. "What is it?"
"A disguise," Shang-Chi said. "Now no one will see us as pirates when we arrive. Should keep the marines off our backs."
As they made their way to the shore, Shang-Chi began to pick up on a few of the features. The island stretched far across the horizon, forming a sort of U-shape with two long strips of land meeting the main section. One side had several buildings all along the coast with one large building in the center with the word MARINE emblazoned on the side. Clearly the Marine base. The other strip was clearly the harbor with boats lined up all along it. In the middle was obviously the town, square shaped buildings lining the area with roads cutting through. Towering above them was one large tower that Shang-Chi guessed was where whoever was in charge lived.
"I'm guessing we want to avoid the left side," Zoro said, glancing at the Marine base.
"Yes, that would be wise," Shang-Chi commented.
"So why's it called Star Island anyway?" Sabine asked.
"Because it's shaped like a star," Nami replied.
"Really?" Luffy asked curiously. "Looks more like a piece of meat to me."
"It does?" Shang-Chi asked, peering at it. "What kind of meat are you eating?"
"Kind of looks like two swords jutting out if you ask me," Zoro commented.
"You guys really just have one-track minds, don't you?" Sabine sighed.
"We're only seeing one part of the island," Nami explained, laying out the map so they could all see. From there, the island was clearly shown to have one main, roundish section in the middle and five peninsulas jutting out, forming the shape of a star. "We're here right now, between these two strips of land," Nami pointed at a spot in the sea.
"Anything we need to know about the place?"
"The name sounds vaguely familiar but I can't place it," Shang-Chi said, thinking.
"Well, as we can see, it does have a Marine base so we'll need to be careful."
"That means you don't go around telling everyone that we're pirates," Sabine told Luffy with narrowed eyes.
"What? Why not?"
"Because we don't want the Marines after us, you moron! At least not until we get everything we need."
"Well, judging from those ships over on the other side, it shouldn't be too much of a hassle to find a ship for us," Shang-Chi said. "First thing's first, we'll need to head to the bank and exchange Sabine's gold for Berries. The amount I have won't cover what we'll need."
"Hmmm. How much does a ship cost?" Luffy asked, chewing on another apple.
"Depends on what you're looking for. See those galleons? Those probably go for hundreds of millions of Berries. Smaller boats will probably be a little less than a hundred million so we'd probably want one in between that. Especially if we want to survive on the Grand Line."
"Whoa, you know your stuff. Think you'll be able to pick out a good one for us?"
Shang-Chi stroked his chin. "Perhaps. I'm no shipwright by any means. But I'll do my best." Gauging ships themselves had never really been part of his training. "The thing to look out for is to make sure we don't overpay for a ship or get swindled into a crappy one."
"Oh I can help you there," Nami grinned at them all. "I promise to get you the best deal ever, so much so that it might as well be for free."
"That…doesn't seem likely."
"Wahoo! We're getting a ship!" Luffy cheered.
"We'll need to get other supplies as well. Food and water are most important."
"And booze," Zoro added. "There won't be much point if I can't drink."
"Aren't you like seventeen?" Sabine asked with her eyebrow raised.
"What's your point?"
"And meat. So much meat. We'll fill the boat full of meat!" Luffy's eyes shone as he talked, licking his lips.
"I think you might have a slight addiction," Sabine commented.
"Only slight?" Nami asked.
It took them another half-hour before they were able to make landfall. As they approached the docks, Shang-Chi began to notice something curious and he apparently wasn't the only one.
"Hey, why are all the ships so big?" Luffy asked, tilting his head. Everyone followed his gaze as they noted that all along the harbor, every single ship was large in size, each easily a galleon that could fit over a hundred men. Though most of them were still being built, some almost finished and others only having the keel and ribs lined up. Workers scurried around doing something or other. Chopping up wood, hammering away, or loading up crates. As they watched, the final cannon was placed in its row on one of the ships.
"It's like they're preparing for war or something," Zoro commented.
"Yeah," Shang-Chi said, his eyes narrowing. A sense of unease was starting to come over him and even though Zoro was still lying back with his arms behind his head, he could tell it was affecting the swordsman as well. Something was stirring in the back of his mind about this place and it wouldn't be long before it broke through.
"Huh, I guess I'll need a much bigger crew if I'm going to sail in one of those things," Luffy said as they passed by one of the completed ships.
"Yeah, I don't think we can operate one of those things given our current crew size," Sabine said. "We definitely need something smaller. Strange that there aren't any around though."
"This doesn't really look much like a dock," Nami added, curious. "More like a workplace. But this map is pretty new and it says this is where the docks are supposed to be so-"
"Hey!"
They all looked up at the sudden cry and spotted a man in an official uniform waving them down from one of the nearby work towers.
"What the hell do you think you're doing here? You can't dock here, this is private area!"
"It is?" Nami questioned. "But the map says-"
"Are you questioning me? I am the harbor master here! And if you even think of sailing your dinky vessels any closer, I will charge you with counts of trespassing, defying an officer, blatant insubordination…"
"Aren't those the same things?" Sabine asked, eyebrow raised.
"Whatever, let's just turn," Nami sighed, already doing it with her boat while the harbor master kept on ranting.
"Hey what's your problem?" Luffy suddenly called out, startling them.
"Uh oh," Sabine muttered.
"Oh brother," Nami added.
"All we want is to stock up on supplies and meat and get a new ship!"
"I don't care!" the harbor master yelled back. "This harbor is off limits to you. It's all private property. As are all these ships, so don't even think about stealing them!"
This time, Nami leapt up. "Hey, what's that supposed to mean! I'll have you know we plan on buying ourselves a ship. We're not thieves!"
"Uh, you kind of are Nami," Sabine reminded her quietly.
"Whose side are you on?"
"Do I look like I care?" the harbor master yelled back. "Just get your ugly boats away from these docks. Right now!"
"Fine! We're leaving!" Luffy barked back. "Don't want to be anywhere near you anyway! You're too loud!"
"You're one to talk," Zoro complained next to him, rubbing his ears.
They swiftly turned the ships around, sailing away from the docks, the harbor master continuing to yell at them with Luffy occasionally yelling something back. "What the hell is that guy's problem?" Zoro asked.
"Power," Sabine replied, shaking her head. "Apparently the position of harbor master got to his head a little too much."
"Oh yeah? Well next time, my fist is going to his head a lot!" Luffy declared.
"That…almost made sense, in a way."
"Whatever, we just need to find another place to dock now," Shang-Chi said.
"On it," Nami said, looking at the map again. "Well, this map doesn't give too many details on the island itself, but I think the next land strip over should have some docks as well. But it doesn't seem like it'll be as big."
"Well, we should make it fast," Shang-Chi said, eyes locked on the docks. "I'd rather not spend any more time in this place than necessary."
They all looked over at him after he said that. "What makes you say that?" Nami asked curiously.
"I don't know, just a feeling. All those galleons…did you happen to notice their top flag was missing. Since this island has a Marine base, one might assume those ships would be for the Marines. But they'd fly their flags with pride, just like the ones docked near the base did. And yet not a single ship at the harbor had one. That leads me to two conclusions: one, that those ships are meant for another buyer, and two, that whoever's building those ships doesn't want to fly the flags yet as they might give away something important. Like the fact that they're pirates."
They all continued to stare at him. "Whoa," Luffy said after a few seconds. "That's crazy."
"I think you're overthinking it," Nami said nervously, though inside she was shaking. If what he said was true, they might have just wandered into a bigger pirate den than the one they just left.
"I certainly hope so. But I've gotten used to noticing things. Like the fact that there were plenty of guardsmen around."
"There were?" Sabine questioned. "I didn't see any."
"Because they didn't look like guards," Shang-Chi explained. It had taken him a few minutes but it had become clearer the closer they'd come. "Not Marines or even town militia. They'd likely wear uniforms and such. No, these people looked like ordinary citizens at first glance. But the areas they walked looked like predetermined routes. And there were several just standing near several places that looked important. As well as that, they all had a weapon of some kind. Besides, it's not just all that. The way they carried themselves, strutting around and pushing others aside. It's like what Sabine said. They let a little power get to them."
"Damn, you noticed all that?" Nami asked, bewildered.
"Not bad," Zoro chuckled. He wasn't really the type to notice the small details like that but he too had sensed something off about the area.
"The ships. The guards. All that adds up to the fact that a private armed force has taken hold of the island, or at least this section. Given the ships, it's mostly likely to be pirates though we can't rule out bandits or organized crime either. But, if I was a gambling man, I'd place all my money on pirates."
They all blinked as one as he finished. "You got all that just from the few minutes we were over there?" Sabine asked.
"It was part of my training," Shang-Chi shrugged, not understanding their expressions. "My father taught me how to be aware of my surroundings, to observe even the smallest details. With that level of perception, one is able to pluck the tiniest bits of information from all over and form a picture with them."
"Your dad sounds hardcore."
"Yes…he is," Shang-Chi said hesitantly. While he would always be grateful for the training, he still wasn't able to forgive his father for what happened. Or himself. "Anyway, this might change things. If a pirate crew has taken over the island as I suspect, that means that, like Buggy, they will not take kindly to our arrival. So it is even more imperative that we maintain a low profile and not give away the fact that we are pirates as well."
"Oh, why not?" Luffy complained.
"Dummy!" Nami shook her fist at him angrily. "We don't want any more trouble! We just got out of one horrible situation a little while ago, now you want to just leap into another one?"
"That's the only way to get stronger," Luffy argued. "How am I supposed to become King of the Pirates if I don't beat the strongest pirates out there?"
Shang-Chi blinked in surprise. That actually did make sense. If he wanted to help Luffy achieve his goal as well as achieve his own, they would have to fight. And his recent battle with Pulver had proven he was out of practice. He knew how tough it would be to survive on the Grand Line and they would need everything they had to do it. He could see Zoro nodding along as well, fingers caressing his sword handles.
Still…
"Luffy, allow me to amend my statement. We don't want to go looking for unnecessary fights," he said. As soon as he did, he saw Luffy's eyes widen in understanding. "That would just be more trouble. Besides, we know nothing of these individuals or even if they are pirates. We should at least find out more about them first."
"Yeah, that makes sense. Alright, we don't go looking for a fight," Luffy nodded, swallowing another apple. "Just for meat and a new ship. Onward!"
Nami visibly sighed in relief. She had been worried there for a second but it seemed Luffy actually could be reasoned with. She had no interest in dealing with another crew of dangerous pirates. However, her money senses were tingling. If these apparent pirates really had taken over the island, then that meant they had to be pretty powerful which also meant they had to be pretty rich. Especially if they were building all those ships. The money had to come from somewhere. Maybe this was how she replenished the treasure Luffy took from her. She grinned to herself, imagining all that treasure just waiting for her.
"Uh, Nami? You ok?"
Nami blinked, snapping out of her daze. "Sorry, what?"
Sabine stared at her. "You had a weird look in your eye just now. Also, I don't know if you've noticed but we're kind of drifting."
Nami looked over and gave a small shriek as she saw Sabine was right. She'd been distracted and let themselves start moving on another current. Thankfully, it was a weak one and she was able to get them back on course with little problem. They carefully maneuvered around the docks, keeping their distance, until they sailed right past the tip of the land. As they did, Nami looked ahead and spotted the next peninsula just ahead. Fortunately, even though it was still a few miles away, she could make out the shapes of buildings and even a few docks scattered about.
"There we are," she told the others. "That should hopefully work out."
"Unless we run into another crazy harbor master," Sabine said.
"If we do, I'll just kick his ass!" Luffy declared.
"You can't kick everyone's ass Luffy."
"Of course I can. Just watch me!"
Shang-Chi ignored the squabbling, focusing on the approaching strip of land. As they got closer to it, he began to pick up some details like before. He had noticed beforehand that the main part of the island, the center of it connecting all the peninsulas, had been where the town was located with many buildings that looked clean and homely. Like any other ordinary town out there. This one, however, was clearly what was commonly referred to as the ghettos. Most of the buildings looked worn down with many crumbling in areas and others already half destroyed. The streets were filled with dirt and grime and the docks looked mostly abandoned except for a few ships here and there that looked in even worse shape than the ones they were sailing in.
"What a dump," Zoro said honestly as they sailed closer.
"The dregs of the city," Sabine said sadly. "Where the poor and homeless live, I bet. We'll find the more wealthy the closer we get to the city."
They made their way to one of the docks. As soon as they got close, Luffy jumped right off and threw his arms to the air. "We made it! Whoo! Now to get us a ship!"
"Yes, that would be good," Shang-Chi said as he stepped off, tying up their boats firmly. "But first thing's first, we need to trade all that gold," he nodded at Sabine's sack of treasure, which they'd transferred it from the helmet, "into Berries. So we need to find a bank."
"Oh, I'll handle that part," Nami grinned, hefting her own bag of gold. "Might as well trade mine in while we're at it."
"Yeah, I think I'll stick with her," Sabine said, holding tightly to the sack. "Just to make sure."
"What, you don't trust me?"
"With money? Hell no. I've known you only a little while and I can already tell that much about you."
"Great," Shang-Chi nodded. "You two take care of it. If that's the case then-"
"Hold it right there!" They all stopped, turning to see a man in an official looking suit swaggering over to them with several large men behind him. "Just what do you think you're doing?" he asked, sneering at them.
"Docking our boats," Luffy replied easily.
"Not without paying the fine you won't," the official said. "It's a hundred Berries per day."
Shang-Chi coughed while Sabine gasped in surprise. Nami's eyes widened and she looked ready to charge the official.
"Whoa, that's a lot," Luffy commented.
"That's a ridiculous amount!" Nami cried, marching over. "I've never heard anything so ridiculous in my life."
The official just smirked at her. "That's how things work around here. Now pay up or ship out, your choice."
Shang-Chi could tell this wasn't going to help so he just sighed and stepped forward, pulling out a wad of Berries. "Here you are," he said, handing over a hundred.
"Ah, but you have two boats," the official pointed out, still smirking. "That's double."
"You have got to be kidding me!"
"Nami!"
"Hey, that's going too far now!"
Shang-Chi grimaced inwardly but nevertheless handed over another hundred.
"We'll also need your names and for you to state your business."
"Well, my name is Monkey D. Luffy and we're-"
"Adventurers," Sabine swiftly interrupted, already knowing what Luffy would say next. "We're an adventurer crew, always traveling about. As for why we're here, well, we're here to buy a ship of course."
The official scoffed, taking a look at their boats and then at them, eyeing them up and down. "I don't know what kind of ship you expect to buy when you walk around dressed like that. You'd be lucky to find anything better than those two rowboats there. And don't even think about selling that one," he jerked his head to the boat with the painted over sail. "No one would ever consider buying it with that ugly sail."
This time, it was Nami who had to hold Sabine back as the Mandalorian girl scrambled at the official. "Ugly?" she cried. "That's some of my best work right there! I'd like to see you do any better!"
"Please. A child could do better than that. I'd wager a dog could do better."
"Say that again! I dare you!"
She finally broke free of Nami's grasp but hadn't made it two steps before the guards on either side jumped to attention, dashing forward to block her path. As soon as they had, the rest of the crew leapt forward as well, Zoro's hand on his sword, Shang-Chi readying his fists, and Luffy cracking his knuckles.
"Careful," the official warned them all, still smirking. "You're dangerously getting close to aggravated assault charges which would cost you, oh I don't know, the rest of your money."
"Then don't threaten my crew!" Luffy said firmly, eyes flashing dangerously.
"I believe it was the young lady who threatened me first."
"That-"
"Luffy, stop," Sabine said, putting a hand on his shoulder. "He's right. I acted first. Let's not make this worse."
Luffy didn't like it but he backed down. He didn't really know why this guy was acting the way that he was but he was upsetting his crewmates and him. He really wanted to punch that guy right now but he recalled Shanks's words from when the bandits came into Patty's Bar. "It's not worth getting bent out of shape."
"Well, we told you who we were and why we're here. Are we done yet or do you have any more questions for us?" he asked the official.
The official gave him a look he didn't like, sighing a little, before holding up his hands. "Do try to keep yourselves out of trouble during your stay. And I'd say good luck with your endeavors but that would just be cruel at this point. And remember, those boats had better be gone by tomorrow morning or else you'll rack up another day's fine."
With that, he left, his guards trailing behind him.
"What a jerk," Luffy growled.
"Still, you handled that pretty well Captain. I'm impressed," Shang-Chi said.
"Yeah, well, Shanks taught me how to deal with stuff like that. Doesn't matter now anyway. Let's just get a ship and get out of here."
They split up after that, Nami and Sabine heading off to find a bank to trade in all the gold while Luffy, Zoro, and Shang-Chi went off to see if they could find any ships to buy. However, it quickly became obvious that it would take much longer than they'd hoped.
"Do they have any ships here?" Luffy complained as they left yet another dock house that only had small sailing boats. "I feel like we've been walking for hours."
"Well, maybe if someone didn't keep getting lost, this wouldn't be a problem," Shang-Chi, said glaring at Zoro.
"I don't get lost!" the swordsman argued.
"You walked up and down the same flight of stairs 3 times! And somehow managed to get to the end of a dock that we weren't even walking on!"
"That's because you suck at giving directions!"
"Fine, follow this direction! Just go where I go and don't wander off!"
"Don't tell me what to do!"
"You are unbelievable!"
Luffy couldn't help but chuckle as the two kept arguing. Even if they were wandering around aimlessly right now, he still had the same good feeling inside. For so long he'd waiting to set out to sea with a loyal crew by his side and now it had finally happened. They were on their way to the Grand Line where he could achieve his dream. Life was pretty good right now.
Still, it would be a little better if they could find a damn boat to sail on.
"You're doing it again! Why are you going that way? We're going this way!"
"Well why didn't you tell me that?"
"I told you to follow me! It doesn't get more simple than that!"
"Well next time-"
CRASH!
They all instantly leapt to attention at the sound, turning to where it had come from. A little ways away they could see a small group of what appeared to be thugs standing in front of a young girl who was cowering on the street.
"But we already paid you!" she cried out.
"Yeah well, thanks to that archer going around stealing the boss's stuff, the fine's just gone up. So pay up…or else!"
"But…we don't have any more to give! We need the rest t-"
"Do I look like I give a damn what you need it for? Because of one you scumbags, running around with your bow and arrow, the boss lost a good deal of money. So, to make up for it, all of you have to pay the price. You got a problem with it? Take it up with the damn archer!" The man slammed his fist into his palm and cracked his knuckles menacingly. "Now, hand over the money now or els-"
"Hey!" Luffy cried out, marching over. "Leave her alone!"
"Huh?" the man glanced over. "Mind your own damn business kid."
"Three guys ganging up on a little girl," Zoro scoffed. "How pathetic is that?"
"What'd you say?" the man asked, face twitching.
"It appears he might be deaf as well," Shang-Chi said. The girl was looking at them all warily as the men all turned towards the pirates now, glaring at them hard.
"I have no idea who you punks think you are, but you just made a big mistake."
"We're pirates of course."
Zoro and Shang-Chi instantly groaned. They should have known better than that.
"Pirates?" the man chuckled. Then he started laughing hard, the two men beside him following along. "That's the funniest thing I've ever heard."
"How come?" Luffy asked, not getting it at all.
"Well, kid, I don't think you know what a mistake it is to go around playing pirate on an island like this. You see, this is our turf. All of this belongs to the Longbow Pirates. So why don't you make yourselves scarce before you get hurt, ok?"
Shang-Chi hissed at the name. Now he knew why the island had seemed so familiar. It seemed they had landed themselves in a whole new batch of trouble. Still, nothing they could do about it now.
"Sorry, but we're not leaving until we get a ship," Luffy said. "Actually, you wouldn't happen to know where we could buy one, do you?"
The other pirates all laughed again. "This kid is ridiculous," the leader chuckled. "The only ships around here all belong to Dragon Richard."
"Great, so I'll go talk to him then. Where can I find him?"
"Uh, Luffy?" Shang-Chi attempted.
"Ok, now you're starting to get on my nerves," the leader stepped forward, smile gone. "Why don't you just beat it kid. After, of course, you hand over the new fine on all citizens here."
"What? No way!" Luffy complained. "We just paid too much for that stupid docking fee. And we don't even live here. We're leaving as soon as we get a ship. So we're not paying any other fine!"
The man's face took on a sick grin. "Well then, I guess we're doing things the hard way."
He moved, his fist rising up to strike at Luffy. But he was far too slow. Luffy easily could have dodged it but instead he stepped forward to meet the man, bringing his own fist up to meet him at a much greater speed, striking the man right across the face and sending him flying down the street.
"Scott!" the other men cried.
"You'll pay for that!" one growled, reaching to grab a knife. But he never made it, Shang-Chi attacking first, delivering a kick that had him crashing into the wall. The other stalled halfway between drawing his weapon and gaping at the scene which was his mistake as Zoro took him on, not even bothering to unsheathe his swords as he just used his fist to knock the man down.
"Well they were weak," Zoro growled, annoyed. "I was honestly hoping for a good fight."
"You do realize you're still injured right?" Shang-Chi said, looking at the swordsman's abdomen. The wound may have healed over the last couple days but he had seen his crewmate move gingerly about.
"It's not that bad!" Zoro snapped back.
"Well, it's bound to get worse if you keep moving around like that."
"Why don't you-"
"Thank you."
The small voice surprised them as they turned to see the little girl they had just helped looking up at them shyly.
"You shouldn't have done that," she said. "Now they'll just come after you instead. But thank you."
"No problem!" Luffy grinned. "Hey, maybe you can help us. Do you know where we can get any ships?"
The girl looked surprised by the question. "So…you really are pirates then?" she asked a little worriedly.
"Yep!" Luffy nodded cheerfully.
"We're not like them," Shang-Chi gestured to the unconscious men on the ground. "I promise. We don't really attack people unless they attack us first."
"Yep!" Luffy nodded again.
"Oh…ok," the girl nodded. "Well, there aren't really any ships that don't belong to Dragon Richard. He says he needs them all for his armada."
Shang-Chi hissed at the name. "Damn, so he is here. That'll be a problem." Both Zoro and Luffy looked up at him and he sighed. "Seriously?" he asked. "You, the guy who claims to be the next pirate king and you, the so-called pirate hunter, don't know about Dragon Richard?"
"Should we?" Luffy asked, picking his nose.
"I told you, I never gave myself that name."
"Right," Shang-Chi sighed. "Look, there are several pirate captains considered the worst of the East Blue. Buggy was considered one of them. Dragon Richard is another with a bounty of 16 million Berries. There was a rumor that he'd holed himself up on Star Island. Guess that rumor was true."
"Yeah," the girl chimed in. "He took over the town a few years ago and now runs the place, making us pay taxes to fund his armada."
"Huh," Zoro looked out to where the fleet was on the neighboring peninsula. "What does he want with that many ships?"
"A fleet that size would only serve two purposes," Shang-Chi said. "Conquer the East Blue, or sail into the Grand Line. Another of the East Blue worst, Don Krieg, did the latter a little while ago, sailing with a whole fleet right into the Grand Line."
"Aw man," Luffy complained. "A whole fleet? I wish we had that."
"We only have five crewmembers," Zoro reminded him.
"So how dangerous is this Dragon guy anyway?" Luffy asked. His fight with Buggy had been bugging him because it was honestly a little lame. And his fight with Alvida had been a single punch. Not really the challenges he was expecting as the future Pirate King. But maybe this guy could give him a real fight.
Shang-Chi scratched his chin, trying to recall what he knew about the man. "He's a bit of a recluse so I'm not entirely sure. Have you seen him?" he asked the girl.
"N-no," she said a little shakily. "He doesn't come out much. We mostly see his crewmates around and they're scary enough."
"Hey, how come a pirate crew's managed to take over an entire island with a Marine base on it?" Zoro asked. "We saw it when we sailed in."
"The pirates pay off the Marines. The Marine captain, Broderick Cyrus, is in league with them," the girl said angrily. "The Longbow Pirates here keep other pirates away and don't go attacking people so he tolerates them. But he's no better than them. Most of the inner island belongs to them where the rich and powerful live, pushing most of the rest of us out to either the jungle strip or here, the Glades."
As he heard that, Luffy couldn't help but recall the time of his youth, hanging with his brothers in the Gray Terminal, a place on the outskirts of the Goa Kingdom where the homeless and poor lived. Where Sabo had escaped to as he couldn't stand his own rich home. A place that had gone up in flames because of the rich and powerful.
His fists clenched just thinking about it. All those memories all led to one thing, of Dogra coming back to tell them the awful story of Sabo's attempt to leave.
"None of that helps us with a ship though," Zoro said, reminding them why they came here in the first place.
"Right," Luffy said, snapping out of his musings. "Wait, didn't Nami say there was another island. Maybe if we go there, we can-"
"Well…"
They all turned back to the little girl. "Yeah?"
"There is one person with a boat. He's a bounty hunter so he uses it to sail out and track pirates away from the island since he can't take down any of the ones here. Because of that, he's away often. He actually left a few days ago."
"Aw man!" Luffy complained again.
"Well maybe he'll be back soon," Shang-Chi said. "You know where this guy lives?"
The girl nodded. "It's an inn a down that way," she pointed. "Just take a left after three blocks and then the second right and it'll be right there. It's called Verdant."
"Verdant," Shang-Chi repeated. "That's good. Actually, since it seems we may actually be staying here longer than we anticipated, an inn is a good place to stay for sleep and food."
"Food!" Luffy cheered and just like that he was suddenly charging down the street.
"Luffy, wait!" Shang-Chi called but his captain either couldn't hear him or wasn't listening. Probably the latter.
"I got him," Zoro sighed, chasing after.
"Thanks," Shang-Chi told the girl.
"It's ok," she replied, smiling. "You took care of them," she gestured to the fallen men.
"Oh right. Probably should do something about them." Shang-Chi swiftly hoisted them up and then tossed them down a side alley. "There, that's that. Oh hey, we didn't catch your name."
"Oh, it's Zoe. Ramirez Zoe."
"Nice to meet you Zoe. Now I'd better go catch up with my crewmates." Shang-Chi took off down the street and instantly slapped his forehead at the sight in front of him. "Zoro, that's the wrong way! She said three blocks!"
"Huh? Are you sure?"
"Yes I'm sure! Just follow Luffy, he's right in front of you! No, not that way! Ugh, what is wrong with you?"
It took Shang-Chi a little while to get Zoro in the right direction and even more time to keep him moving in that direction but they finally made it to their destination, seeing the blockish building in front of them with the words The Verdant Inn scrawled across the entrance. As they walked up, Shang-Chi had a sinking feeling as he saw the front doors had been busted open from the outside.
"Hi," he told a young pre-teen girl with bright light-blue hair. "We're looking for a friend of ours. Goes by Luffy, wears a straw hat and red shirt, has this wild grin."
"You mean the guy who came flying in, breaking down our doors, and is now doing his best to eat all our food?" the girl questioned with a raised eyebrow, gesturing to the bar where Shang-Chi saw his captain gobbling down an entire plate of food before placing it on a rapidly growing pile of empty dishes.
"Yeah, that's him," Shang-Chi sighed, pulling out more money. "Alright, how much do I owe you?" he asked, seriously hoping that Sabine came back soon because he at this rate he'd run out in hours.
"Oh, hey guys!" Luffy called over.
"Captain, don't go rushing off like that," Shang-Chi told him as he walked up. "Oh, we'll also need rooms for the night. Just two should be fine."
"You got it," the girl said, writing it down in a book.
"So, where's the owner?" Zoro asked, looking around.
Instantly the girl was on guard, looking up sharply. "Why do you want to know?"
"We heard he's the only one who has a ship around here not owned by the Longbow Pirates," Shang-Chi told her.
"Dahanwewanoonofeewillgivetoous," Luffy said around another plateful of food.
"Luffy, that's disgusting," Zoro said, grimacing.
"I believe what my captain is trying to say is that we're hoping we can buy it off of him," Shang-Chi interpreted.
The girl still eyed them suspiciously. "Well, I can tell you that won't happen. First off, he needs that boat to sail out on his assignments. And second, it's not even technically his boat."
Luffy frowned. "Then whose is it?"
"Mine."
They turned at the new voice and saw a girl their age with jet black hair except for one purple highlight wearing a white shirt with dark sleeves and a black skirt.
"And who are you?" Luffy asked.
"Queen Emiko," she replied. "Co-owner of the inn and owner of that boat. Now what the hell do you lot want with it?"
And that's the official start of the Star Island arc. I'm aiming for about five chapters here but it might be longer, we'll see. I'm very excited for you all to see what's coming your way. I know some people were guessing Oliver for this but he's kind of too old at this point to join. So I landed on his sister who's at a better age for the rest of the East Blue recruits.
When I first started reading DC comics, I think Green Arrow was the third one I read of the New 52 and while the opening arc was decent enough, the Ann Nocenti run was truly awful. But then I read Jeff Lemire and Andrea Sorrentino's run and their work was phenomenal. Easily one of the greatest runs out there. And that's the story that introduced Emiko who I loved immediately. She became one of my top characters and I kind of wanted an archer to pair with Zoro being a swordsman. I have cool plans for her so stay tuned. Oh, and if you only know her from the Arrow TV series, don't pay attention to that. I won't be taking anything from that version.
I hope Green Arrow fans recognize the blue-haired girl as she made her triumphant return in Joshua Williamson's new and long overdue Green Arrow run.
Writing Zoro's direction issues has just made a highlight of my career.
To alleviate any concerns, no Emiko won't take over for Usopp's sniper skills. They'll both contribute as the crew's sniper siblings, but Emiko will be more a front-line fighter.
I hope you all caught the Longbow Pirates there cause every one of them will pair off against a Straw Hat, including Emiko. I'm really excited to show off those battles.
Until next time, thanks for reading leave a review if you can. And to keep you updated, I will be spending the rest of the day watching the Netflix series and probably the day after rewatching it cause it looks so freaking good.