Beta-Read by Pure Red Crane
Lesson 7: The Real Monsters in Scary Movies Are the
People Who Still Eat Popcorn When the Tension's at Its Peak
By the time they arrived in town, there was already a growing crowd waiting at the entrance, attracted by the rumbling of the Treasure Barge and the delicious aroma wafting through the air. As Komachiyo and the ship pulled to a stop, the eyes of the starving people sparkled with hope, something they hadn't felt in ages.
"It's food!"
"A Treasure Barge?! But why? Are we really allowed?"
Whether they were allowed or not didn't stop the townsfolk from clamoring all over the ship, grabbing as much fresh food as their weathered arms could carry to feed their hungry families. Three Beast Pirates on patrol in the area tried to stop them, but their voices were drowned out by the happy cries of the people.
"Hey, stop right there! Those aren't leftovers yet! Huh? GAAH!" Before they could draw their weapons and stop them by force, a shadow passed over their heads as the three were smashed beneath a giant tub of water.
"Here we go! Poison-free water! Take it! If anyone asks, tell them Luffytaro and Perm-Head gave this to you!" Luffy pointed at himself and a disgruntled Perm-Head.
"Oi, don't go dragging me into this mess. And how long is it gonna take you to get my name right?!" Gintoki barked.
Luffy just chuckled. "Sorry, Joseph."
"That's not even the same anime!"
As Luffy leaped down from the top of the tub, he finally noticed Law standing next to Zoro. "Ah, Traffy! You're here, too? How have you been?" Luffy waved over to him.
Law just scowled. "Straw Hat, let me be clear. This is an open rebellion against Wano."
"Who cares about that? I'm just repaying the favor to Tamako. Here, have this." Luffy ignored Law's warning as he handed Tamako a shiny red apple, her face lighting up in delight.
"An apple!" She danced around, marveling at the jewel-like fruit.
"And that's just the start. Oi, Kagura! Save some meat for me, too!" Luffy grinned before dashing over to Kagura to get his share.
Kagura sighed as she chewed on a giant turkey leg from atop the Barge. "Fine, fine, I guess you earned your share-aru."
As the four watched the happy-go-lucky teen rush to join the Yato girl, they were soon joined by Otose, Tsuru, and Tama.
"You were only gone for an hour, and you managed to get yourself in this much trouble? This might be a new record for you." Otose deadpanned towards Gintoki.
"Cram it, you old hag. It's not my fault. What are you even doing here?"
"Hard to ignore all the noise going on, especially considering you dragged the ship directly in front of the shop on your way here."
"The gentleman in the fur hat is correct, though, Gintoki-sama. There will no doubt be ramifications following these actions. A response from the Beast Pirates is imminent." Tama stated as Gintoki began to massage his temples. He felt a new headache coming on.
Tsuru tried to alleviate the sudden crushing mood enveloping the perm-head. "Even so, you all did such a great thing! I'm not sure how we will ever be able to repay you all."
"How about docking a month's rent?" He tried to bargain, figuring he might as well get something from this.
"I'll consider it. Though that still puts you two months behind." Otose stated.
"Make it one and a half months."
Otose rolled her eyes. "Fine."
As the celebration continued, the citizens of Okobore-chō soon began stripping the barge itself to use as building materials to repair their rundown homes. Two hours later, there was nothing left but the mast and sail of the ship, where the group sat around watching the now smiling people. Tamako stared down at her new apple, marveling at the second treat she received today.
"Don't celebrate like today was special." Luffy interrupted her before declaring with absolute conviction. "We'll make it so this is normal! By the time we leave, this'll be a country where you can eat as much as you want every day!"
Tamako's eyes widened at Luffy's words, which practically mirrored what Ace told her all those years ago.
"The next time we're back here, we'll make it so that you can eat as much as you want!"
Tears began tearing up at the memory, something that Luffy took notice of. "What's wrong? You don't want that?"
"No, that's not it! I'm just overjoyed, is all!" She quickly answered back, wiping the tears from her eyes.
Zoro sighed. "Well, regardless, you've gone and done it now, Luffy. They'll be coming after us full force for sure. Get ready for that."
"You don't get to say that!" Law shot back. "Look, we gotta move. We're heading there next, so get ready." He said, pointing at the mountaintop where the ruins of Oden Castle stood. Kiku gasped, an act that did not go unnoticed by Zoro and Gintoki. By this point, both swordsmen knew there was more to the waitress than her skill with a sword and her side job at the okama club. What else was she hiding?
"Why would they want to go there? Luffytaro and his friends are good people, and I have an idea of the kind of man Gin-san is, but they can't be trusted just yet." She thought as she watched Luffy sit Tamako on Speed's back.
"Get her home safe, Horselina!"
"My name is Speed, and I do not owe you any favors! It is only natural for a servant to protect her master!" She said haughtily.
"Why is a headliner following that kid's orders?" Law wondered why a Beast Pirate would suddenly ally themselves with their gang.
"Big Bro Luffy, between the oshiruko and the apples, I will never forget this day! I'll give this extra apple to Master! I'm sure he'll love it!" Tamako beamed.
"Say hi to Nose Gramps for me. I'll come back to return the dog later. Same with the sword. I can't be a samurai without it, after all!"
"You didn't even use it properly, though. Seriously, let me see it…" Zoro tried to get the blade from him again as Speed took off.
"See you later, Tamako!" Luffy waved goodbye.
"Stay safe, Tamako-chan!" Kagura shouted after her.
"Alright, let's go." Luffy turned toward his friends as they each climbed onto Komachiyo's back.
"Luffytaro!" Suddenly, the villagers called out from behind, grabbing his attention. "Thank you for the Treasure Barge!"
"We've never seen a feast like this before!" One kid cheered with his friends.
"Even Grandpa is lively again!" A woman pointed at her father.
"One last good memory before I kick the bucket!" The old man laughed, a new fire lit beneath him.
"My baby is already feeling better!" A father held up his baby, both laughing in glee.
"Thank you!" They chorused in unison. Luffy grinned in response.
"Fe! A pirate performing benevolent acts. It disgusts me," Law growled in irritation. "Honestly, he claims he doesn't want to be a hero, and then he goes and pulls stunts like this? Just make up your mind already."
"Eh, maybe you're right," Gintoki responded with a faint smile as he observed the joyful expressions on the once-starving townspeople. "But sometimes, unorthodox people aren't all that bad." Despite all his complaints from earlier, he did have a small appreciation towards the brat for doing all of this just to repay a debt to a single child. Of course, he'd sooner die before he ever admitted that out loud.
"We'll keep an eye on things here for now and ensure all the food is evenly distributed," Tsuru reassured them.
Otose took a puff of her cigarette. "I'll leave it to you, then. Can't leave Catherine alone at the shop for too long."
"And I shall remain behind to keep Tsuru-sama safe," Tama said.
Luffy gave one last radiant smile to the townsfolk as he waved goodbye from atop the komainu's back. "That was a nice thing we did."
"It was still robbery, though." Kiku pointed out, though still satisfied nonetheless.
"So why are you three tagging along?" Law questioned the three additional passengers.
"P-pardon me. This one has always wanted to see Oden Castle. I promise to not cause any trouble. I can make my own way home afterward." Kiku stuttered nervously as she quickly came up with an excuse.
"And we're still on the job. We were hired to help this rubber idiot and moss-headed idiot find their friends, and they're not leaving our sight until we get paid. Especially after all the crap we went through in the last few hours alone." Gintoki remarked, Kagura nodding beside him.
"Don't worry, Traffy. They're fine. They're all strong, too." Luffy vouched for them.
"Fine. Our next stop is the ruins of Oden Castle. That's where you'll meet them – the ghosts of Wano."
Gintoki broke into a cold sweat, immediately regretting his decision to tag along. "B-b-beg pardon?"
"Ghosts?" Luffy asked.
Law nodded in confirmation. "Prepare to be stunned. You'll learn a truth you can't possibly believe without seeing it."
"Yeah, it shocked me too." Zoro agreed.
"Oh, you meant we're gonna make toasts? So we're actually going to a banquet, right?" Gintoki asked nervously.
"Really?!" Kagura and Luffy exclaimed in excitement.
"No, we're not," Law stated, bumming the two out.
"Oh, so we're roasting something at a barbecue. That's actually what you meant, isn't it?" Gintoki asked again, his voice growing at a higher pitch.
"Not even close," Law repeated himself, growing exasperated.
"Right, right. So we're heading to the coast? But the beach is in the opposite direction…"
"How many times are you gonna mishear me?!" Law retorted in complete annoyance at the silver-haired man.
"Shishishi, you guys are funny. Traffy obviously said we're gonna go meet some ghosts." Luffy laughed, unnerving Gintoki even further.
"Don't tell me you're scared now?" Zoro smirked.
"Yep, he is," Kagura affirmed, knowing full well her boss's inability to handle the supernatural.
"What?! When the hell did I say I was scared?! Ghosts aren't even real!" Gintoki tried to maintain his sense of dignity.
"Don't be so sure," Kiku warned, her voice tinged with a distinct and unsettling seriousness.
"I'll explain the history for the rest of you." Law began. "Twenty years ago, when the Beast Pirates arrived, Oden Castle was burned down. Standing before the people of Kuri, the flames of her home dancing at her back, Oden's wife, Kozuki Toki, proclaimed this—"
"You are the moon unaware of the dawn. May your purpose be fulfilled and cast nine shadows on the night woven of twenty years. Only then, you shall know the brilliance of the dawn."
An eerie silence fell upon the listeners as they hung on Law's words with fascination and intrigue. Kiku and Gintoki, in particular, fixated intensely on the narrative, the latter forgetting his fear momentarily.
"That was the declaration made that night, most likely to inspire a sense of hope in the people that salvation would come for them in twenty years' time. But apparently, Orochi interpreted it differently." Law turned towards his companions ominously, maintaining a straight face. "He believes that one night, twenty years in the future, the ghosts of Oden's nine retainers would rise from the grave to enact vengeance for the death of their lord."
Zoro and Kiku were unreadable, though clearly in deep thought about the tale. Luffy and Kagura had a small amount of sweat forming on their brows, both enamored and slightly shaken. Gintoki, meanwhile, looked one step away from having a heart attack, his fear now returning full force.
After another hour of travel, the group finally arrived at the mountaintop, blanketed with a thin layer of cloud and fog. The castle's ruins were scattered all around, lush foliage creeping up the walls and over the stones as nature tried to reclaim what was once hers. But even with the passage of time, the battle scars were still visible, a haunting reminder of the fierce fight that once took place here. "We're here," Law said, hopping off Komachiyo.
Everyone jumped off one by one, Kiku being the last. But as she landed, a wave of emotions hit her like a ton of bricks as she stared longingly at the ruins surrounding her. Without warning, she bolted into the lush greenery, tears streaming down her face. "Huh? Hey, Kiku-chan!" Kagura called after her, but she was already gone. "Why did she run away-aru?"
"Must be the g-g-ghost stories scaring her," Gintoki said, his legs and voice trembling.
Luffy looked around before frowning. "Zoro went off somewhere, too."
"How? We were riding Koma-chan this whole time." Kagura asked.
"Getting lost is his special skill - that and swords."
"Over here!" Law called over to them.
"This place is pretty creepy!" Luffy stated as the three walked over to join Law by several wood pillars.
"Twenty years without visitors will do that. Check these out." Law pointed at the pillars.
"Graves?" Kagura asked, starting to get creeped out herself.
"Huh?! What is this?!" Luffy shouted, finally noticing the names of all his samurai allies on there: Momonosuke, Kin'emon, Raizo, and Kanjuro, along with many others. "Why are their names on here?! Actually, we haven't been able to contact them since arriving…Where's Kin'emon?! I thought he'd be waiting for us here!"
"Wait, why would you ask where a dead person is?" Gintoki asked, his dread building up even further.
"He's gone, Straw Hat. He has been for a while. But you might see him at night. He came out last night at least…" Law began, his tone low and the rim of his hat shielding his eyes. Kagura became nervous, beads of sweat forming on her brow. Gintoki, in contrast, was sweating like a waterfall. As the fog thickened, the sense of being watched intensified, creating an eerie tension in the air.
Luffy grabbed him by the hem of his kimono. "You're making it sound like he's a ghost or something! Why does he have a grave here?! Who have we been traveling with this whole time?! Answer me!"
"I really shouldn't…" As the group stood there, a creaking could be heard from the wreckage of one of the buildings. Luffy and Gintoki turned slowly towards the sound as a pale hand grabbed the entryway and pulled itself into the light.
"GYAAAHHH!" Luffy and Gintoki screamed in fright at the sight of the withered corpse walking towards them.
"Goodness…I didn't think I would be able to leave until nightfall…Oh, Luffy-dono! You have finally arrived! Forgive me for not coming to get you! I'm afraid I've been struck with terrible indigestion." Kin'emon apologized profusely despite his weakened state.
"Kin! You're alive!" Luffy grinned wide at the sight of his friend, who was, in fact, not a corpse.
"When did I say he was dead? I said he might come out of the bathroom by tonight." Law just shook his head at the two idiots for letting their imaginations get the better of them.
"You don't have to be so misleading about it!" Luffy retorted angrily.
Gintoki shifted from terror to anger, grabbing Law and shaking him around. "The hell is wrong with you, bastard?! What was all that about ghosts and graves and crap?! You did this on purpose, didn't you?!"
"Not cool, Traffy. Not cool at all." Kagura scolded the man.
"Whatever, just let go of me already! And don't call me Traffy!" Law shouted.
They were interrupted by the clacking of shoes as Kiku returned, tackling Kin'emon into a bear hug. "Kin-sama! You've finally returned! This one has waited for this day for so long!"
"Kiku?! What are you doing with Luffy-dono and Law-dono?! And who are these other people?!" Kine'mon asked in surprise, pointing a finger at Kagura and a slowly-recovering Gintoki.
"Those two are this one's friends. Wait, you already know Luffytaro? So then that means…"
Kin'emon directed his hand back to Luffy and Law, introducing them. "Yes, Kiku. These are the powerful allies from overseas that I have recruited for our cause!" As the introductions continued, another set of voices called out.
"Luffy!"
"There you are!"
"We've been looking everywhere for you!"
Luffy turned, his smile widening even further at the sight of Sanji, Nami, Chopper, and Carrot rushing towards him. "You guys!"
"Those are your friends?" Gintoki asked.
"There's the reindeer-tanuki and the rabbit-aru. It must be them." Kagura confirmed.
"Along with the swirly brow guy and the orange-haired girl," Gin noted with a straight face, his eyes following Nami as she rode Chopper, bouncing along the way. "Definitely an I-cup, by my estimation." he thought to himself.
"It took you guys forever to get here." Luffy chuckled as Carrot and Chopper tackled him in a hug.
"And who's fault do you think that is?! We even looked at the bottom of the sea for you!" Sanji retorted.
Nami handed Luffy back a scrap of paper. "We found your vivre card, so we at least knew you were alive."
"Getting around this region wasn't easy, either. Fortunately, we found some help." Carrot said.
"Help?" Luffy tilted his head.
"Eh, Gin-san, Kagura-chan? What are you guys doing here?" A new voice called out from behind Sanji's group. Kagura and Gintoki could barely contain their surprise as they saw who it belonged to.
"Shinpachi?!" They shouted as the third member of the Yorozuya approached them, fixing his glasses.
"Shinpachi-san, you know these people?" Chopper asked the glasses-wearing boy.
Shinpachi smiled. "Yes, these are the coworkers I was telling you about."
"Oh, so this is the shitty boss you were talking about that spends all your salaries on sugar?" Sanji asked as a tick mark formed on Gintoki's head.
"But Gin-san, I'm surprised to see you of all people here, considering the ghost stories surrounding this place," Shinpachi noted.
"When did I ever say I was scared of ghosts?! And what the hell kind of slander have you been telling these people?! First, it was Kagura, and now you?! Want me to kill you?!" Gintoki snapped.
"Why are you getting mad at me?! I just got here!" Shinpachi retorted.
"Yes, gentlemen, please act rationally. You should know there are no such things as ghosts. Believe me, no one knows that better than myself." Brook walked up behind Gintoki, trying to calm things down.
…
"Honestly, all this yelling will make my ears fall off...Oh, but I don't have ears, though! Yohohohohoho!"
And with that, Gintoki's eyes turned completely white as he collapsed on the ground in a heap, all color drained from his face.
"GIN-SAAAAAAAAN!" Shinpachi yelled.
"My, tough crowd," Brook noted.
"Ah, Luffy, you finally made it!" The last to join the group, Momonosuke, rushed over to greet his friends. "I was just over in the clearing practicing my swings. I see you brought some more friends as well!"
"Hey, Momo! You're here, too? Did Dog make it as well?" Luffy greeted the boy, asking about Inuarashi.
"Momonosuke-sama, it is good to see you well." Kiku greeted the young lord respectfully.
"Thank you, Kiku."
"Wait, 'Momo'? Luffytaro, that is terribly rude!" Kiku admonished the rubber man.
Momo waved it off. "It's okay, Kiku. Luffy's my friend, after all."
"Captain! There you are!"
"Looks like you managed to round up the Straw Hats." The two new voices belongs to Penguin and Shachi, Law's crewmembers.
"Hey, guys. How's Bepo holding up?" Law asked the duo.
"Not so hot. He's over in the bushes there trying to deal with his runs."
"Seems to be the trend today. Let's go inside and talk. We stole some safe food from the farms earlier." Law thumbed towards the building.
"That was you?! That jerk with the lion tummy blamed that on us, you know!" Luffy shouted, walking over to the old building with his friends.
Law directed his attention back to the Yorozuya trio before he also turned to enter. "You two should wake up your boss while you can."
"I doubt he's gonna be up for a while-aru," Kagura poked their unconscious leader with her umbrella.
"Let's just grab him. Come on, Gin-san." Shinpachi said as he and Kagura each grabbed a leg, dragging him inside. Momonosuke, being the last to enter, paused for a moment.
"...Gin-san…?"
Finally, the Yorozuya comes together (minus Sadaharu, of course). This chapter came out a little shorter than usual, but I covered what I needed to. In the next chapter, we'll see what Shinpachi and Sanji's group has been up to this whole time.