An escape from Big Mom's territory by their skin of their teeth...it was almost everything that they were hoping for but for the loss of Pedro. It's a very bitter pill to swallow in regards to what was otherwise the major success of their retrieval plan. Chopper takes the opportunity to patch up those injured and Sanji helps take their mind off of it with his delicious cooking but it's a fresh wound that will still take time to heal. But they sail onward towards Wano in somewhat lighter spirits after taking some time to mourn. Run reclines in a deck chair, fingers threaded behind his head and eyes closed as he soaks up the sun's rays. With a warm sun and cool breeze...it's perfect napping weather.
"Hnn...nngh!" grunts Run, stretching his arms skyward. "Aaah~...just keep on blowin' wind. I-"
"You can't throw it away!" scream Luffy, his voice echoing across the whole ship. Run sighs softly before he slowly stands and approaches to look down at the lower deck. Luffy and Chopper are lying on the deck before Sanji who stands with a strange canister in hand. "It was in my pocket, so let me have it if you're going to throw it away!"
"No, give it to me!" insists Chopper.
"I wonder how that ended up in his pocket," Brook says, staring at the canister.
"It was Niji!" Sanji grunts. "That bastard probably did it just to annoy me. I don't wanna become stronger because of some technology! Anyway, why do the two of you want this thing so badly?"
"So we can shoot beams!"
"Are you two children?! Franky is more than unusual enough for all of us!" Sanji tosses it across the deck of the Sunny casually, resulting in Chopper and Luffy scrambling to catch it. Run laughs as the two of them battle for the canister, and Nami makes her way to the deck now.
"Don't be so quick to insult science," Nami tells him. "My Sorcery Climate Baton is the result of the science of weather, and Usopp's technology!" Their navigator produces her weapon and begins twirling it around rapidly. When she finally stops, she produces none other than Zeus from within the weapon.
"It's so great to be in the baton!" sighs Zeus.
"Zeus! You actually followed her!" Sanji says, staring at the cloud Homie. "I can't believe you actually chose your appetite over your loyalty to Big Mom." Nami giggles in response, walking away from their cook. "Just so you know...I was serving Nami long before you!"
"Maybe! But I get to live in the baton which she keeps with her all the time!"
"Dahahaha~! You ain't gotta take that from a cloud!" laughs Run, leaning on the railing with a grin. "Go on, cook! You can take him!"
"The newspaper is here!" Carrot calls, attracting everyone's attention.
"Anything good, Carrot? Anything about us?"
"Ummm...aaah! A close up of Luffy, and one of you!"
"Whoo-hoo~! Jackpot~!"
"What about Jinbe?" Luffy questions her. Carrot jumps down to the lower deck with newspaper in hand. "Does it say anything about what happened after we left?" Run descends the stairs with a grin as Carrot begins to flip through the newspaper. As she does, a single paper slips from between the folds of the newspaper, which Sanji quickly picks up. At first he's beside himself, as it turns out to be his bounty poster. It's returned to dead or alive, and even increased to three-hundred and thirty million Beli...but his happiness quickly turns to sorrow when he reads 'Vinsmoke Sanji' emblazoned across the front of the poster.
"No, it doesn't say anything about that. It just says that Luffy, Run, Sanji, Jinbe and Bege attempted to assassinate Big Mom. It says that Luffy was the mastermind!" The article in the newspaper goes on to say that Luffy has bared his teeth as the Yonko Big Mom who has been reigning for years. It says that Luffy has taken several powerful pirate crews under his umbrella and commands more than five thousand subordinates. He's not only the sworn brother of Ace but of Sabo who is the number two of the Revolutionary Army and Figerland 'Red' Runelle who is the son of 'Red Haired' Shanks, and serves as his first mate.
He ordered Germa, the Sun Pirates and the Fire Tank Pirates to submission through his charisma and leadership. He has brains which enabled him to take down the queens castle with a well-calculated plan. He is strong enough to take down a top officer worth one-billion, and commands the loyalty a first mate capable of defeating another top officer, and pushing back the Yonko Big Mom for his Captain. It's not too much to say that he won the battle. The article concludes by naming Luffy the Fifth Yonko. A pair of papers slip from between the folds of the newspaper, floating to the deck of the Sunny.
"Oh, no!" cries Luffy, snatching up one of the papers. "M-M-My bounty...it decreased! It went down to one-hundred and fifty million!"
"'Decreased'?" Run echos, taking the paper from him. "No way. I've never heard of the Navy actually lowering a bounty in any circumstances. Let me see." He stares at the paper for a moment, both eyebrows raising slowly. "Uhhh...Luffy...there's a comma here. Between the one and the five."
"It's lower than one-hundred and fifty?! Damn it! I worked so hard for this!"
"N-No, Luffy! It's not one-hundred and fifty million! Your bounty is one billion and five-hundred million Beli!"
"Whaaaat?!" The rest of the crew quickly gathers around to look at the wanted poster, as if needing to confirm it themselves. True to the red-head's words, the bounty on the poster reads one point five billion Beli! Chopper, who is trying to get up high enough to see the wanted poster, notices the second paper lying on the deck several feet away and picks it up. His jaw nearly his the floor when he reads the paper, and quickly turns towards the others, paper in hand.
"R-Run!" shouts Chopper. "Your bounty! Your bounty!" He holds the paper out to Run who takes the paper, looking at it for a few moments before actually grinning from ear to ear.
"One billion, and two-hundred million," Run says. "Dahahaha~! Alright! NOW we're gettin' somewhere!" The rest of the crew isn't nearly as excited about how high their Captain and the First Mate's bounties are but Luffy and Run are almost beside themselves with excitement. In fact, they're ready to celebrate the increase to their bounties, and Sanji is ready to join them. After all, the three of them combined are worth a heaping 3 billion Beli! So, they head for the kitchen with Sanji leading the way...
Their destination is set, and with nothing to do but finish repairs and wait the time seems to drag on for the crew. Fortunately enough, they're kept occupied by the news that the reverie is being convened, and as the news continues to roll in, the crew is treated to photos of numerous people they know, all of them attending the reverie. Most surprising is that Neptune attended for the first time in years, and even brought along Shirahoshi with him and his sons. The Ryugu Kingdom is finally taking steps towards their dream of relocating Fish Man Island.
But as happy as the are to be heading for Wano Country finally, they can't seem to raise the others on the transponder snail. Whether that's good or bad is difficult to say but they can only move forward regardless. Run stretches his arms skywards for a few moments before returning his hands to the helm.
"Run, would you like me to take over?" Brook asks, approaching the red head. "You've been at the helm for a few hours now."
"Aaah, it's fine," Run assures him. "It's been a while since I've-"
"Run!" calls Nami, suddenly. "Steady at the helm!" The red head's brow furrows slightly as the wind begins to pick up slightly, goose-bumps breaking out across his exposed skin. Is it getting colder? The Sunny sails forward into rougher water, and over-cast skys. "This cold wind...and these waves I've never seen before...this must be the sea around Wano Country!"
"The waves are definitely getting rougher. Aah, what I wouldn't give to go for a drip in this current!" He purses his lips as he stares rough seas surrounding them. No more swimming, no more diving...strange the things you miss when you're not allowed to do them anymore.
"It's not a normal wind-drift current. The way it swells...on top of the current just look at the bad weather ahead!"
"Should we back off, then? Wait for the weather to calm down?"
"No way!" cries Luffy. "I don't want to wait any longer! Let's go to Wano Country!"
"I get that, Luffy. But if one of us ends up overboard...well, even I'd have a bit of hard time fishing one of us out of this current."
"I agree, Run," Nami sighs. "But Kin'emon actually warned me about this. The seas around Wano are always subject to foul weather. So, unfortunately, there won't be a break in rough seas. It's what makes entering and leaving the country so difficult."
"In that case, let's go! Full steam ahead, Run!" laughs Luffy.
"Dahaha~! By your orders then, Captain!" Run shouts back, grinning from ear to ear.
"No!" growls Nami. "I need a moment to think! So just..." Nami's words trail off as she stares in the direction of the red head. Run blinks, looking himself over as the rest of the crew joins her in staring. Finding nothing out of place he quickly looks over his shoulder, finding a giant octopus standing several feet behind him.
"Whoa! There's an octopus here! Actually...what are you doing here?"
"It's an octopus!" barks Luffy, grinning.
"What's it doing here?!" The Sunny surges forward, following the current despite Run's best effort to steer it away.
"Uh, bigger problem!" Run grunts, fighting with the helm. "The Sunny isn't doing what I tell her to! No! Steer THAT way!" Rather than be concerned, Luffy simply laughs in response and points firmly towards the horizon, cheering them on as they're carried along by the current. The octopus raises one of it's many tentacles and begins to bonk itself on the forehead. Again and again it does this until Chopper notices dark shadows in the sea surrounding them.
"Something's there!" cries Chopper, holding tight to the railing of the Sunny. He's quickly joined by Nami and Carrot, who join in watching as the shadows until they finally breech the surface revealing themselves as giant...carp? "Giant fish!"
"Look at the size of that carp!" Many more begin to breech the surface, leaping from the water and splashing back down all around the Sunny. It seems that they've sailed head-long into a school of this giant fish...or maybe this is related to that octopus.
"Carp?" echos Sanji. "What are carp doing in salt water? They're fresh water fish!"
"Are they delicious?" Luffy asks him. "Ohhh! I bet they are!" While Sanji is in the middle of naming several recipes, Luffy launches his arms out catching a tight hold to one of the carp...which begins to violently struggle against his hold.
"Luffy!" screams Nami. "You did this, Sanji! Go get him!"
"He'll be fine!" Sanji insists. "Let's just focus on protecting the Sunny! Run! Stay steady at the helm!"
"Dahaha~! Hang on tight!" Run shouts back, spinning the wheel of the Sunny quickly with a grin. "We're going with the flow, then!" The Sunny pitches and rolls as the current batters their poor ship this way and that, the sea around them slowly becoming...clear? The water around them becomes so clear that they can see all the carp surrounding them, in fact. But that's not the only change. Along with the water becoming more clear, the current is beginning to pick up and pull them quickly in a single direction. It's like they've gone from sailing on the open sea to sailing up a river. "What's with this...place...? Wow. That's one big ass waterfall." In the distance, and rapidly approaching, they whole crew finds themselves confronted with a massive waterfall.
"A waterfall?! How is this possible?!"
"If that waterfall is the reason for this fresh water, then there must be a massive source of fresh water up above!" Nami tells them. "Could it...could Wano Country be up there?" To their surprise, the carp that have been following them suddenly breech the surface of the water, rushing towards the waterfall. They watch as the carp begin to swim up the fast flowing waterfall. "A sailing ship can't do that! We'll be sucked under by the waterfall!" Luffy, who has apparently been shaken loose by the carp he was holding tight to, lands back on the deck of the Sunny. "Luffy!"
"Man, those carp sure are strong!" laughs Luffy.
"Now's not the time for that! We're gonna be sunk if we don't do something!"
"Got it!" The next second, Luffy stretches his left out, wrapping them tightly around the figure head before stretching his arms out to grasp tightly to two of the carp. "Everyone! Hold on tight!" The bow of the Sunny lifts sharply into the air, followed by the rest of it seconds later. "Let's go!" The whole crew holds on tightly, as the carp drag them up the surface of the fast flowing waterfall as if they aren't even there.
"Dahahaha~! Go, go, go!" laughs Run, suddenly reaching out and snatching a falling Chopper from the air. "Whoa-ho! Safe! Hold on, doc! We're ridin' this all the way to the top!" Up and up and up they climb, hauled behind by the massive carp before they finally climb the top of the waterfall, launching themselves up high into the sky. They splash down seconds later, sprawling across the deck of the Sunny and soaked to the bone all of them. "Dahahahaha~! Good job, Luffy!" The crew quickly stands, looking around the somewhat calm area that they've found themselves in. "We made it to...the...wow..." In the distance, the whol crew is treated to the sight of a massive whirl-pool which the carp Luffy is still holding tight to are pulling them towards.
"Let go!" screams Nami, appearing beside Luffy in a second and striking him in the head. Their Captain releases the carp, slumping back to the deck for a moment before finally pulling himself together long enough to stare wide-eyed at the whirl-pool.
"Oh...c'mon, give us a break here..."
"Shit! Aaaah," curses Run, rolling slowly onto his back. Blurry grey eyes open to stare at a blue sky and fluffy clouds. "Why...do I feel so weak?!" Voicing that complaint he slowly pushes himself up and immediately realizes he's still lying half submerged in the sea. "Aah. Yeah, that'd do it." Run pulls himself out of the sea and stands with a bit of grunt as he glances around an empty beach. "Now...where the hell am I? This has to be Wano, right?" There's no sign on anyone else, no Sunny and certainly no crew. Under normal circumstances he'd be more than a bit concerned but seeing as Sanji had made an escape with everyone but him and Luffy...and knowing Luffy's luck they should all be safe and sound. He once again looks up and down the beach before sighing. "Aah, I guess there's not really a WRONG direction. I'm sure I'll bump into the others if I find a town."
With that in mind he presses forward, leaving the beach for the forest. The calling of the birds, the trilling and chirping of the insects...it's a rather relaxing walk into parts unknown given the situation. In Foosha it wasn't all that uncommon for the red head to take a 'walk' into the forests surrounding Mt. Columbo and not return for several days. Although, as he looks back on it that might have been more along the lines of wanderlust rather than walking. Unfortunately, luck doesn't seem to be on his side as he finds himself leaving the forest for a completely barren landscape.
"Aah, man...what a dreary place." A barren wasteland of dirt, rock and bones stretches out as far as the eye can see. If not for the rather large tigers and boars he spots in this wasteland he might believe it to be completely uninhabited. With no other real options, he pushes forwards across the wasteland...which he quickly notes absolutely reeks to his sensitive nose. He raises a hand and waves it in front of his face, nose curling in disgust as he continues forward. It's a strange combination of rot, and metal and...something else he can't put his finger on but it nearly steals his breath from him. "Holy...gaaah! That smell is so...ugh! I feel like I can taste it!"
Hearing rapidly approaching footfalls, Run glances in the direction of the noise. Several dozen men riding on the backs of strange lizards charge in his direction. The men eventually slow to a stop several dozen meters from him, and he notes that all of them are dressed similiarly in leathers and each man carries a weapon with him. They're an organized force...most likely working for Kaido if he had to venture a guess. Which is exactly was he was hoping wouldn't happen...at least not until he'd found the rest of the crew and met with Kin'emon.
"You there," calls male voice, the lizards parting for a strange looking deer to stride forward with a blond man on it's back. "What...red hair!"
"Aah, you gotta be kiddin' me." Run scratches the stubble on his jaw and turns to fully face the man with a grin. "Fancy meetin' you here, Hawkins. Guess you've found yourself a new flag to sail under, huh." The man pulls two tarot cards from his sleeve and they begin to levitate in front of him immediately.
"I was on my way to investigate the disappearance of two subordinates and a baboon." He scans the surface of the cards slowly and then turns his attention to the red head. "The odds of you being involved in their disappearance are two percent. But...I suppose that doesn't matter." Hawkins pulls two more cards, levitating them before him. "Hm. The odds of you living another month...thirty-seven percent. If you're here for sight seeing, then get lost. Do you know who reigns over this country from behind the scenes?"
"Hmm...I'm gonna go out on a limb and say Kaido?"
"Hmph. In this Land, you either follow the strong or you become their prey. You're out of your depth, red hair."
"Aah, no doubt. Still...I should probably do something since I can't have you reporting back to Kaido." Run grasps the hilt of his cutlass with a grin. "I imagine you don't need those cards of yours to figure out what that means."
"Charge." The men surrounding him charge forward on lizard back or on foot. Run covers the distance between them before they can react, light flashing off the edge of his cutlass.
"Churning Tide." A single swing, and a churning wind of slashes crawls across the ground before exploding skyward. Numerous men and lizards are scattered in all directions, tumbling across the ground before eventually coming to a stop. Run rushes forward, cries of pain echoing across the wasteland as he cuts down several men in his path towards Hawkins. The man reaches down, his finger-tips barely grazing the hilt of the sword at his hip before Run's form seems to flicker before he reappears directly in front of Hawkins. "Red Line Strike." Run's blade pierces the man's chest with ease, a soft rumbling following the movement before the earth behind Hawkins' mount is suddenly pulverized. "Hmm..." Run's form flickers once more and he reappears several dozen meters away. "...that's an irritating ability you've got there, Hawkins."
One of Hawkins' men suddenly cries in pain, his body tossed back in a spray of blood while Hawkins grunts a bit in...irritation? Pain? Regardless, a strange straw doll crawls from the Hawkins' wound and falls to the ground with a large hole in it's torso.
"These straw men represent my subordinates. I can store them within my body with my Straw-Straw Fruit power, if I store ten of them I can die ten times." Hawkins pulls a deck of cards from his sleeve and quickly shuffles them. "Now...let's play a game." Run scratches the stubble on his jaw as the man levitates the deck of cards out in front of him.
"'A game'? Ya know, you trust those cards too much..." Hawkins' subordinates very suddenly drop to the ground, foaming at the mouths as their weapons clatter beside them. "...they're just slips of paper, Hawkins. You-" Run's iris' once more flash a brilliant crimson and he glances over his shoulder sharply, the blade of his cutlass crackling with energy. A lone woman appears several meters away, face hidden under a woven grass hat and clad in a brilliantly pink yukata displaying cherry blossoms.
"Junko."
"My, my, Hawkins~!" calls the woman almost happily. "I came to find out just who was making all this racket..." The woman grasps the hilt of the katana at her hip. "...and stumbled across a wild beast. Today really must be my lucky day!"
"Aaah, well," begins Run, grinning at the woman. "This is unfortunate. I was hoping to finish this before it escalated." Run and Junko seem to vanish from Hawkins' view, and the ringing of steel against steel fills the air for several seconds before they seem to reappear with swords crossed. Junko's hat splits in two with a half falling toward the ground on either side of her, a wild mane of purple hair spilling out. Before it's even touched the ground, the two disappear again. The pieces of her grass hat are divided again, and again, and again before the two reappear with swords crossed once more. A thin trail of blood crawls down the edge of Run's cutlass, and she shuts one eye as blood flows down from a cut in her eyebrow. "Impressive."
"Hah~, Hah~, you cut through my Haki..." Run's iris' flash a bright crimson and he lunges backwards. Unfortunately, he's a moment too slow as Junko actually catches him by the collar of his shirt. She moves forward, golden eyes boring into grey as she grins manically at him. "You're really my type, red hair! Let's have a baby, you and-" Her vision darkens as Run's free hand comes up to grasp her by her face. Her world spins violently, and a loud 'boom!' echos across the barren land as he turns and slams her head first into the earth. Junko's teeth feel like their rattling loose in her head as she bounces several times before she twists in air, righting herself and sliding backwards from him to a stop. "Ahahaha~! You really are a wild beast! Tossing me to the ground like that!"
"What in the hell are you made of...?"
"Hah? Aahahaha~! That's simple! I can't feel pain! Can't feel anything, really! It's something I was born-"
"Aah...well, that's depressing. Anyway, I'm spoken for so I'll have to decline." Sensing something approaching, Run turns sharply and raises his cutlass. A brief flash of sparks erupts, and a 'boom!' follows as he deflects an attack from Hawkins. Pieces of what seems to be straw scatter in all directions as the 'blade' of Hawkins' sword quickly retracts in his direction.
"How disappointing," Hawkins and Run speak in unison. While Hawkins brow furrows a grin appears on Run's face.
"Oh? Thanks for the compliment. I've spent a lot of time training and improving my Haki."
"Hawkins," growls Junko. "Who told you..." Run's brow furrows slightly as the weight of her Haoshoku presses against him. "...you could interfere in my fight?"
"My apologies," Hawkins tells her. "However, I thought it prudent to end this fight immediately. I've drawn The Hierophant. Red hair will receive help in escaping from-"
"Oi! Ooooiiii!" shouts a familiar voice, drawing the attention of all present and a grin to Run's face. Luffy and Zoro ride on the back of a very large, very strange looking dog of some sort as it charges in their direction. Luffy grins from ear to ear at him as they approach. "Run! We need to go! Just hold still and leave it to me!" With those words, Luffy draws an arm back and launches it in his direction. Luffy's out-stretched arm wraps around his waist several times.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" cries Run, holding tightly to Luffy's arm. The red head sling shots in their direction, and Luffy quickly deposits him on the back of the large dog. Run watches the Hawkins and Junko slowly begin to shrink into the distance, raising a hand and offering a wave with a grin on his face. "Aah, fancy bumpin' into you two here! I knew it would only be a matter if time."
"I see you were having a whole lot of fun without us," Zoro grunts, a smirk on his face.
"Something like that. Seems Hawkins has found himself a new roger to sail under...aah...who is THAT?" Run motions to the little girl that Zoro is carefully supporting.
"That's Tama!" Luffy chirps. "I washed up on a beach and ran into her there. We need to get here to a doctor right away!"
"Right! Let's...wow." Run stares in the direction they've come from at a massive scare-crow like creature with an even larger spiked club pursuing them as quickly as it can. "That's unsettling." Both Luffy and Zoro follow his line of sight to the scarecrow as well.
"Oi, Luffy," Zoro calls, standing and handing Tama over to him. "Protect this brat. I'll handle this...I can't let Red hog all the fun, after all." The Strawman raises it's club, bringing it down towards them but it's handily deflected easily by Zoro. Again and again it swings it's massive club only to be deflected each time. While Zoro shows no sign of giving an inch to Hawkins' monster, the dog finally buckles under the impact of the blows, tripping up and sliding to a stop. Zoro takes this opportunity to go on the offensive, striking the monster several times. In fact, this provokes it so much that it begins to spit nails at them, forcing Zoro to deflect them quickly.
"Dahahaha~! I thought you said you could handle this, Zoro?" Run snags one of the nails out of the air and bends it in half before tossing it over a shoulder.
"Oh, shut up!" The creature finally stops it's volley of nails, only to once again raise it's giant club and bring it down directly at them. Zoro reacts instantly, cutting it's arm off at the wrist and sending the weapon crashing down several hundred meters away. "Two-Sword Style...Nigiri...Tower Climb Ripple!" Zoro launches himself at the creature, cleaving it's massive body in half. It slowly burns away into nothing while the dog finally gets his feet back under him and continues running away once again. Several long minutes pass with no signs of pursuit before they finally relax somewhat. "You said that was Hawkins? What an irritating bastard."
"Agreed. Aah? Your arm, Zoro." Their swordsman looks at his arm, blinking in surprise when he finds a nail sticking out of his forearm. "Let's get that out." Run grasps the head of the nail calmly. "On three. One." Run yanks the nail hard, pulling it out with ease.
"Ouch! You bastard, you said 'on three'!"
"Dahaha~! Did I? Sorry, sorry!" The red head tosses the nail aside, ignoring the glaring swordsman. "Luffy, how's Tama?"
"She's burning up!" Luffy tells them quickly. "We need to hurry up! Dog! Let's go faster! Tama-" He doesn't even get to finish his sentence before the dog comes sliding to a violent stop. All three quickly peek over the mane of hair around his neck to find that they have come to a fork in the road. Left or right...and the dog doesn't seem to know which direction to go in. "You're the only one who knows! We're counting on you!"
"Flip a coin?"
"We don't have time for this," Zoro says. "Let's go right."
"Go left," says a female voice, attracting their attention to a woman seated several feet away. "You samurai sure are strong. I can't believe you repelled Hawkins! I was saved by you earlier, my savior in green. Oh! Forgive my poor manners! My name is Tsuru."
"Where...? Wait...were you hiding in that tail this whole time?"
"Yes! Thank you for saving me." Tsuru looks at Otama for a moment before producing a handkerchief. "Oh, my. Here. Please, wipe her sweat with this. I hope this doesn't sound too forward but could I take care of that child, Otama, for you?"
"Do you know her?" Luffy asks.
"Yes. What happened?"
"She drank the polluted river water to ease her hunger."
"I see. Instead of seeking a doctor, come to my tea house! We have a medicinal herb that works very well for treating poisoning from the polluted river water. That will be the best way to treat Otama's condition." The three exchange glances with one another. Although they don't know this woman, she seems very sure that she can treat Otama...and really what choice do they have, in the end? With no other options, they agree and quickly set out for Tsuru's tea house...
The minutes tick by as Komachiyo charges down the path, giving his all to get them there as quickly as possible until finally the town appears on the horizon. The scenery hasn't changed much since leaving the wasteland with the earth dry, cracked and barren. What trees they do past are withered and rotten, looking as though even the slightest breeze might blow them over. Whatever Kaido is doing to this country it seems to be killing it.
"Okiku!" shouts Tsuru, raising slightly on her knees and waving her hand towards a woman in the distance. The woman in yellow stands absolutely dwarfed by a man nearly as wide as he is tall. They approach quickly eventually coming to a sliding stop beside a rough looking tea house. "Otama drank the poison of the river. Please begin brewing the Evil-Purging Herb, Okiku."
"Yes! Right away!" Okiku says quickly, leading Luffy inside as he carefully cradles Otama. Tsuru follows after them as Zoro and Run slide from Komachiyo's back with a grunt.
"Who the hell are you fools-pe?!" demands the large man. "Okiku and I were talking-pe!"
"Oi, I'm sorry but your fat ass is in the way," Zoro tells the man. "Move aside." The fat man whips around quickly, staring down at the two men.
"Eh? Why the hell would I..." His words trail off as their swordsman glares at him, a very real chill crawling up his spin. "O-Okiku! I have a match in Bakura Town later-pe! I'll show you how strong I am, so please show up if you're interested." With those words, the man beats a quick retreat leaving the two of them to take a seat on a bench in front of the tea house.
"Man, you're still abrasive as ever," Run says.
"Oh, shut up," grunts Zoro. "How'd things go chasing down that idiot cook?"
"Aah, they could've gone better. Pedro...he didn't make it. But because of his sacrifice the rest of us were able to make an escape."
"That's the life we chose to live, red."
"Yeah. 'Everyone has their own turn'." The two men fall into a comfortable silence for several long minutes broken only when Okiku leaves the tea-house with a small box containing what seems to be medical supplies.
"You're bleeding from your arm," Okiku says. "We should treat it immediately."
"It's just a scratch. It'll heal on it's own." Regardless of Zoro's wishes, Okiku goes ahead with treating his arm...although, she may be going a little over-board by bandaging him from shoulder to wrist. In the middle of his treatment, Otama finally comes to...and is apparently feeling much better already. It seems that the herb she was is quite effective. Unfortunately, it can't remove the toxin completely from her body, so she'll have to make sure never to drink the river water again. Tsuru is quick to fix the little girl a meal to help her feel better...something she very vehemently tries to convince her to take away.
"I...I can't afford this!" Otama says. "I don't even have money for the herbs! I definitely can't afford the sweet red-bead soup!" Even saying that, Luffy, Zoro and Run can hear her stomach growling from their bench outside of the tea-house. It takes quite a bit of...convincing from Tsuru to get her to agree to eat it. It's pretty clear for all to see that Tsuru has Otama's best interest at heart, even with things as bad as they are in Wano. Otama finds herself seated between Luffy and Run and even having agreed to eat, she simply stares at the bowl in her hands in silence. A hand suddenly lands on her head and she looks up at the red head who grins at her.
"Dahaha~! Eat up!" Run laughs. "Before it get's cold, kiddo!"
"Yeah!" agrees Luffy. "Today is your bithday, right? You should be happy!"
"Truly?" Tsuru asks, stepping out of the shop. "Since that's the case, you should consider this a birthday present and eat up!" After a few moments she raises her bowl and takes a sip...before immediately breaking down into tears in front of them.
"It's so gooood!" gushes Otama.
"Really?" Luffy asks. "Is this your first time having it?"
"Yeah! It's so good! Ma'am! Thank you very much!" Otama finishes her meal quickly, and perhaps it's the result of having a full stomach for the first time in a while but she almost immediately begins to doze off. Tsuru moves her to a different bench to have a nap before returning to take a seat with them.
"Thank you for looking after her," Tsuru tells them. "Children like her are not uncommon in Wano."
"A child like her not being able to get enough to eat is unbelievable!" growls Luffy, crossing his arms. "Well, at least you can eat poison as an adult. As long as we have the sea, mountains and forests, getting food shouldn't be a problem!"
"True...if we humans hadn't ruined them ourselves." Tsuru looks at the three of them lined up with sour expressions, and chuckles softly. "You're such sweet young men. Oh! How rude of me, what are your names?" Zoro stiffens for a moment before clearing his throat.
"Zorojuro, is my name," Zoro tells her. "I'm a ronin."
"I'm Monkey D. L-" Run immediately clamps a hand over Luffy's mouth, offering her a dazzling grin.
"His name is, uh...Luffytaro!" Run says quickly. "RIGHT?"
"T-That's right! I'm Luffytaro."
"My name is Rin. I'm a ronin as well."
"You're from overseas, right?" Tsuru says, causing all three of them to tense immediately. "You shouldn't act so surprised, I could tell from the moment I met you. You three speak strangely, and YOUR clothing isn't like any we have here, Rin. Don't worry, I won't tell anyone. I'm new to this town as well, and Okiku has only been working here for a month."
"I've heard that this town is called Okubore," Zoro says bluntly. "What kind of name is that?"
"It's just as the name implies. The people who live here receive leftovers from Bakura Town."
"Tama mentioned there is non-poisonous food around here somewhere."
"Yes. Look over there. See that mountain without chimney's? On top of it, there used to be a castle called Oden." Tsuru tells them that around twenty years ago Kozuki Clan ruled Wano Country, and they built a massive farm to supply all of Wano will fresh products. Unfortunately, it's now under the sole control of the Shogun Orochi who monopolizes it completely. There's safe food, clean drinking water and clothes in this Paradise Farm. The town itself survives by begging to buy the nearly spoiled food and other items they no longer use. In the middle of her explanation Run's iris' flash a bright crimson, and in a flash of movement, Run catches the object tightly in his hand. The tip of the arrow hovers inches from striking Tsuru in the head.
"Dahaha~! Safe!" laughs Run, standing and turning in the direction of the offending party. A man hovers in the air several dozen meters away, a bow in hand and a rather surprised look on his face. "Aaah...you know you could put someone's eye out throwin' things like this around, pal!"
"What do you think you're doing?!" demands the man. "Don't you get in my way!" Run chuckles and a soft 'snap!' sound as he breaks the shaft of the arrow in half, tossing the now useless missile aside. "I heard what you said, woman! Speaking ill of the Shogun...I can hear six-times better than normal humans! I won't miss a single foul word spoken about the shogun!"
"Man, I thought the Marines were dicks."
"As long as you live quietly, I'll rarely have cause to hurt you! But the Shogun...will never allow people to harbor a rebellious spirit!" The bat-like man quickly begins firing off arrow after arrow at Luffy, Zoro and Run...which are all quickly, and easily destroyed or blocked by the trio. In the blink of an eye, the three of them have shattered every last arrow fired at them. "Th...The arrows! You destroyed all my arrows! For several weeks there have been robberies at the farm. We're looking for the robber now! Don't tell me it's you guys!"
"Let go of me!" screams Otama, attracting their attention behind them quickly. Otama is held securely under a man's arm as he sprints as quickly as he can away from them. "Big Bro, help me!" More arrows begin to rain down on the three of them, forcing them to quickly deflect them.
"Damn it!" complains Luffy. "Run! We'll take care of things here! Go ahead!"
"Yup!" Run shouts back, quickly breaking away as Zoro takes over for him. "I'll meet you in Bakura! Don't take too long...!"