Disclaimer: The following is a non-profit fan-based story. I do not own One Piece. Only the Original Characters and any Original Plots are mine.


This story is inspired by One Piece: Monster of the Straw Hats by KP360.

Chapter Three : Welcome to the Circus


The East Blue Sea

Ryota kept a watchful eye on the deep blue horizon that lay before him as their boat gently drifted across the ocean. His orange eyes briefly glanced down at the map in his hands to make sure that they were heading in the right direction, their destination being Orange Town – a small town within the Organ Islands Archipelago. Judging from the map, it would probably take them another hour or so.

He was no expert Navigator, but he did have some knowledge of map-reading and he could also gauge the wind and sea currents. Unfortunately that was about the extent of his wayfinder skills. If they wanted to get to the Grand Line then they would have to find an actual Navigator.

"I'm so hungry…" Luffy whined for what felt like the hundredth time in the past five minutes.

"You're always hungry, Luffy." Ryota replied as he glanced back at his Captain from his position at the stern of their little boat. "Besides, with the way you eat, we'll run out of food in no time. Just be patient."

"Awwwwwww." The straw hat boy pouted and rested his head against the railing of the boat, practically deflating.

"So how'd you learn to sail anyway?" Zoro asked Ryota, trying to steer the conversation away from Luffy's stomach.

"I've been sailing on my own for a couple of years now so it's just something I managed to pick up." The orange-eyed boy answered his question before he turned his attention back to the sea. He didn't want them to run off course just because he hadn't been paying attention. "Now it's my turn to ask you a question: why'd you become a Bounty Hunter?"

"I don't have any recollection of ever calling myself that." Zoro retorted before he decided to elaborate. "I set out onto the open seas in search of just one man but then I got lost and couldn't find a way to get back to my village. By that point, I had no choice but to go after Pirate Ships to earn a living."

"You were traveling alone that whole time without having any navigation skills?" Ryota questioned, finding it strange how he never ran into problems like that.

"Not exactly. At some point, I met some guys who wanted to hunt pirates with me and we traveled together for a while." The swordsman informed them. "But after that, we parted ways and I've been traveling alone ever since."

Ryota sighed. "Guys, we really need to find a Navigator as soon as possible. My basic understanding is not going to get us very far."

"Yeah!" Luffy suddenly piped up, excited at the prospect of adding more members to his crew. "We also need a Cook, and a Musician…"

"THOSE CAN WAIT!" Zoro shouted angrily and Ryota sighed, before something in the sky caught his attention.

"Look, there's a bird in the sky." The orange-eyed boy announced. "That's good news. We must be getting close to the island then."

Luffy was also happy to see the bird but his reasons were different. "Look at the size of that thing!" The straw hat boy exclaimed as he stared up at the pink bird flying above them, a large grin splitting his features. "IMMA CATCH IT!"

"Huh?" The swordsman blinked in confusion. "And how exactly are you going to do that?"

"Leave that to me." The straw hat boy declared as he grabbed the sides of the boat and then walked backwards, his hands staying where they were while his arms stretched. "Gomu Gomu no…"

"Hey, are you sure about this…?" Zoro questioned uncertainly.

"Wait, Luffy, we're close to the island now, just be patient!" Ryota exclaimed, trying to talk his Captain out of going after the bird. Unfortunately, he wasn't listening.

"…ROCKET!" Luffy cried joyously and went shooting up into the air. Both Ryota and Zoro watched as Luffy hit the pink bird right on its beak. And as they watched, they both noticed how Luffy seemed to be much smaller than the bird. And how Luffy's head now seemed to be stuck in the bird's beak.

"AAAHHHHHH!" Luffy screamed. "HELP ME!"

"YOU MORON!" Ryota and Zoro shouted in unison and they both grabbed the oars of the boat before beginning to row as hard and fast as they possibly could while the bird flew away with their screaming Captain trapped in its beak. They were so focused on trying to save Luffy that they almost didn't notice three other people floating in the water.

"Hey! You there! Stop! Please! Men overboard! Stop! Men overboard!" Unfortunately for them, Ryota and Zoro didn't stop their rowing and their boat plowed into the three people flailing desperately in the water. Somehow, though, the three castaways managed to grab onto the edge of the boat and pulled themselves on at the last minute.

"Sorry about that." Ryota apologized, though he didn't look apologetic in the least.

"Are you trying to kill us?" The rescued castaways all yelled at him before their mood suddenly shifted and they all pulled out knives while grinning sinisterly.

"Stop the boat now!" One of them exclaimed. "The three of us are members of Captain Buggy the Clown's Pirate Crew. This boat is ours now."

Ryota and Zoro stayed silent and completely relaxed. They looked at the attackers for a second, then at each other, then back at the attackers again.


"So, mind telling me why you three were drifting in the ocean?" Ryota asked casually.

"O-Of course, sir." The Pirate who had threatened them earlier answered, his voice much more polite than it had been before. Their attempt at stealing the boat ended up failing miserably and as a result, the three of them were now being forced to row the boat for the orange-eyed boy and the swordsman after they had been beaten to a pulp.

"We were just sailing by and heading back to land, where the rest of our crew was when out of nowhere, we ran into this orange-haired girl." The Pirate who had spoken looked irked from just mentioning her. "She was a real witch! She stole our boat, our treasure, and when we chased after her, she made some weird weather prediction that came true."

"Interesting…so she can predict the weather, huh?" Zoro mused over the information given to them.

"You said you were part of the Buggy Pirates." The First Mate addressed the three castaways. "In that case, why were the three of you sailing by yourselves? And where's your Captain?"

"The Captain's taken over Orange Town for now. We had a major storm about a week ago so we needed to raid a dockyard for supplies." One of them – an ugly guy with a buzzcut – supplied them with an answer.

"Lost half of our cannons overboard, and our rigging too." A second one – this man wearing a hat – continued where the first left off. "The three of us were sent out on our little raid of our own, and we were coming back when he ran into the orange-haired girl!"

"Great." Ryota groaned. "Orange Town is where we were head. Judging from the direction the bird was flying, Luffy's probably going to end up there. I just hope he doesn't get into too much trouble before we get there."

"Eh, I think he'll be fine." Zoro shrugged. "By the way, who's this Buggy guy?"

"You've never heard of Buggy the Clown?" One of them gasped.

"Nope." The Pirate Hunter replied flatly.

"He's the ruthless Captain of our Pirate Ship and he's eaten one of the Devil Fruits. Above everything else, he is a truly terrifying man. I don't want to find out what he's going to do to us when he learns a girl stole our boat and our treasure." The three Pirates began panicking.

"I've heard of him, as well." Ryota spoke up, glancing back at his fellow crewmate. "He is a powerful Pirate – at least by East Blue standards – with a bounty of fifteen million beri on his head. The only ones that top him are Don Krieg and Arlong."

"I see. He's eaten a Devil Fruit as well, huh?" Zoro hummed thoughtfully. "So he's like you and Luffy then."

The First Mate nodded. "I do wonder which one he got? I suppose, we'll find out soon enough. If both him and Luffy are in Orange Town, it's inevitable they will cross paths. Should be fun."

"Yeah…" Zoro grinned, as he held two of his three swords tightly. "…a lot of fun."


Orange Town, Organ Islands Archipelago

"AAAHHHH!" Luffy screamed. "Stupid bird! I'm supposed to eat you, not the other way around!"

The straw hat boy was doing his best to free himself from his makeshift prison but the bird's beak was clamping down too hard. All he could do was stretch his neck. He tried attacking it but he couldn't build up enough force to do any real damage either.

Then he heard a strange whistling sound and paused. Before he could even turn to look for the source of the sound, there was a sudden explosion right next to him and the bird opened its beak in surprise, freeing Luffy who instantly fell to the ground below, all the while screaming.


In the streets of Orange Town below, an orange-haired girl was running for her life. Her plan had not gone according to, well, plan. She had successfully managed to infiltrate the town and sneak into Buggy's tent to snatch the map he'd stolen from a Marine Base. But then things had fallen apart when she had been spotted and now, she was being chased all over town by three vengeful Pirates.

"Hey girl, get back here!" One of them cried out.

"You better give us back that map or else!"

"We just stole that chart of the Grand Line! It belongs to us!"

The girl wasn't even listening, looking around desperately for some place to run and hide. If she could just distract them for a second, she knew she could get away easily. They weren't the smartest Pirates around but she still had to come up with a plan that would work.

BOOM!

The orange-haired girl gasped at the sudden explosion overhead, and turned her head just in time to see a large smoke cloud forming in the sky and a figure falling down to the earth at a very quick speed. A shriek escaped her lips when the figure suddenly crashed into the ground nearby her. A massive dust erupted from the impact, obscuring their view.

"What the hell?" One of the Pirates exclaimed as well.

"Some guy fell from the sky!" A second Pirate shouted.


"Damn it, why were there cannonballs flying at me?" Luffy mumbled as he pushed himself to his feet just as the cloud of dust around him cleared. Then he blinked and looked around to see that he was surrounded by four people, one girl and three large men with swords. "Eh? Who are you guys?"

The girl stared at him in shock for another second before she found herself struck with an idea and she grinned. Putting on the most innocent and grateful face she could muster, she rushed up to the straw hat boy and clasped her hands together. "Boss! Thank you for coming to save me!"

"Huh?" Luffy blinked in confusion. "Who are you?"

"They're all yours now, boss! have fun!" She yelled and then began running away as fast as she could, dashing around the corner. Hopefully that would distract the Pirates long enough for her to get away. Sucked to be the kid but better he die than her. She had too much riding on this.

"Hey, that girl's getting away!" One the Pirates cried out.

"That's ok, we've got her boss now!" Another replied, glaring down at Luffy who was still looking in the direction where the girl had run off in, confusion written all over his face.

"You're in trouble kid!" The third growled menacingly. "You should have let your crony fend for herself!"

"You guys know anywhere good to eat around here?" Luffy suddenly asked and the Pirates all froze for a moment, dumbfounded, before they became angry.

"Don't screw around with us!" One of them shouted, striking Luffy across the face with a punch and sending his hat flying off. The straw hat boy's face quickly morphed from one of surprise to one of pure rage. Before any of the Pirates could even blink, Luffy surged forward and smashed his fist into the other guy's face hard, knocking him to the ground out cold. He then reached out and grabbed hold of his hat before it could touch the ground, placing it back on his head.

"Don't touch my treasure." Luffy stated with a slight edge to his voice, casually flexing his arm as the Pirate who had attacked him lay unconscious on the ground.

"You bastard!" The other Pirates yelled, charging forward. Luffy stared at them blankly as they approached him before he suddenly threw his arm forwards and smashed his fist into one Pirate's face which served to throw him back against his friend. The force of Luffy's punch sent both Pirates flying back several feet before they crashed into the ground, knocked out cold. All this was taken in by the orange-haired girl who was watching him from the rooftop

"Wow! You're really strong!" The girl exclaimed in amazement. "You beat up those Pirates all by yourself!"

"Hey, you're the girl who set me up," Luffy realized. "Who are you?"

"I'm a talented thief who steals strictly from Pirates. The name's Nami." The now named Nami answered. "Hey, wanna team up with me?"

"…" Luffy blinked before turning away. "Not interested, lady."

"Hold on!" Nami yelled, jumping down from the roof to land catlike on the ground below. "At least think about it first."

GRRROOOWWWLLLL

Luffy clutched his stomach and groaned. "I just remembered, I'm still so hungry!"

"Well, come with me and I'll find you something to eat." Nami offered.

"Yeah? Are you serious?" Luffy instantly jumped to his feet, startling the orange-haired girl with his eagerness.


Unknown Location, Orange Town

"HAHM!" Luffy moaned, eating the sandwich whole. "Yum!" He exclaimed with a mouthful of food before he looked over at Nami. "So, do you live in this big house all by yourself?"

Nami had led him to one of the houses in the outskirts of the town, away from where Buggy had settled. She had landed nearby and chosen this place as a good rest stop. She hated taking the food away from the people living here but they didn't currently need it. As soon as she had gotten it out, Luffy had dug right on in.

"This isn't my house. I'm just staying here for the time being." She replied. "Everyone's left this town because of Captain Buggy."

"So you're just a petty thief." The straw hat boy said to Nami.

"How rude! I only steal from people who deserve it like pirates. So don't compare me to some scumbag petty thief." The orange-haired girl bit at him, slightly irritated.

"A thief's a thief as far as I'm concerned." Luffy replied after swallowing another whole sandwich.

Nami looked off to the side, her vision clouding a little. "My goal is to earn a hundred-million berries, no matter how hard it is or how long it takes." She then grinned and held up a map. "And now that I have this map of the Grand Line, it'll make my job a whole lot easier!"

"A map, huh? Are you a Navigator?" Luffy asked curiously.

Nami turned to him with a grin. "I'm the most skilled Navigator you're ever gonna meet!"

"Oh wow! That's perfect!" Luffy exclaimed as he shot to his feet. "Then how about you join my crew! I've been looking to recruit a Navigator. Ryota keeps saying we need one if we're going to the Grand Line. And hey, that map will be really helpful too!"

"Really?" The orange-haired girl asked excitedly.

"Yeah! We'll have lots of fun as pirates!" Just like that, the large smile on the girl's face turned upside down and a look of anger overtook her features.

"I refuse!" Nami growled and Luffy blinked, clearly not expecting such a harsh response. "There's nothing in this world that I despise more than Pirates! I only like money and tangerines!"

"And I like meat and more meat!" Luffy said with a grin. "So come on! Be our Navigator."

"I said no!" Nami repeated, walking off to the window angrily. She couldn't believe she had led a Pirate to her place, or the place where she was staying anyway. Sure, he seemed nice now, but she'd hung around plenty of Pirates before to know that they were all heartless bastards who destroyed everything they touched.

"Your loss." Luffy said, shrugging as he sat back down and continued to eat. As much as they needed a Navigator, he could tell he wasn't going to be able to convince her. She clearly wanted nothing to do with Pirates so he just had to find one that did. Shouldn't be too hard. He'd already found one Navigator without even looking so if he actually searched, he would find another in no time.

As Nami stared out the window she caught sight of two Buggy Pirates walking down the street, likely in search of her. The first emotion she felt coursing through her was fear but then, when she looked back at Luffy who was happily munching away, a devious idea entered her mind.

"I guess I might consider joining you, but only if you'll agree to a certain…condition." Nami said sweetly as she walked up to him.

Luffy instantly perked up. "Really? I'll do anything!"

Nami smirked inwardly.


Orange Town's Pub

"WWWWHHHHHAAAAATTTTTTT!?"

All the Buggy Pirates flinched as their red-nosed Captain raged. They were currently situated in the town's pub and had been drinking to their heart's delight and enjoying the spoils of another conquest. That was until a girl had appeared and stolen the chart of the Grand Line that they had barely managed to steal from the Marines, the chart they had been going to use when they left for the Grand Line.

Unlike most Pirate Captains out there, Buggy was actually a pretty considerate Captain. He always made sure his crew had enough to eat and always wanted to have a good time and they loved him for it. They were an oddball crew, looking more like they belonged in a circus than a pirate crew, but they still had managed to become known as one of the fiercest crews in the East Blue under his rule. There were only a few things that really pissed him off: utter failure and people talking about his nose.

And right now, his men had failed him.

"Are you telling me the thief got away?" Buggy shouted, causing the three Pirates in front of him to quake and shiver in fear.

"Please forgive us Captain Buggy!"

"FOR THIS YOU DIE!" Buggy shouted, he prepared to execute his three henchmen when suddenly, another one of his subordinates ran up to him in a hurry.

"Captain Buggy, I have news!" The Pirate shouted, unintentionally saving his comrades' lives. "The thief who stole our chart is back and she's brought a prisoner with her!"

"WHAT?!" The red-nosed man screeched. Just when he had thought that girl, and his chart, were lost for good, she suddenly waltzed back into his camp and with a prisoner no less.

Nami walked through the crowd of Pirates with Luffy tied up in front of her. As they passed by, all the men whispered and murmured to each other, trying to make sense of her sudden reappearance here.

Once the orange-haired girl reached the tent, she shoved Luffy hard, causing him to trip and fall down on the ground as he cried out in surprise. She then looked up at the man seated on the throne. "I've captured the thief, Captain Buggy the Clown," Nami said, walking up with the chart in hand. "And here's your chart back."

"Not that I don't appreciate it, but why the sudden change of heart, little girl?" Buggy asked with a menacing smile.

Nami handed the chart over, feeling a clench in her gut as she did so. "I had another fight with my boss and I just can't take it anymore." She shrugged, giving her most charming smile. "So I thought I'd see if I could join your crew."

"You tricked me Nami!" Luffy cried out, glaring up at the orange-haired girl who just stuck her tongue out at him.

Buggy narrowed his eyes at this, and all was silent for a few seconds. Then he burst into laughter. "Gyahahaha! You sure are an interesting woman! Alright, you can join my crew!"

"Hey, why am I in a cage?" Luffy asked casually, as he was shoved into a large…cage. He sounded as if he was asking about lunch instead of why he was being imprisoned.

The crew all chuckled to themselves while Buggy leaned forward. "It's a great day to be a Pirate!" He declared delightfully, before turning to Nami. "Girl! What do you call yourself?"

"I'm Nami." She replied with a smile.

"HA! Then let's have a welcome party for our new friend Nami! Let's celebrate!"

The whole crew cheered, throwing their arms and weapons in the air wildly. Within minutes, food and drink was doled out and the Pirates partied to their delight, guzzling down barrels of beer and whole plates of food, dancing to the music playing, and just playing tricks with each other. Nami even got into a drinking contest with some of the other Pirates and came out on top while Luffy was trapped in the cage, staring glumly at all the food that he wished he could eat.

Even though he had just eaten.

"I'm having a great time today! Men, prepare the special Buggy Bomb!" Buggy exclaimed. Soon a large cannon was brought out along with a cannonball with the Buggy Pirates Jolly Roger painted on it. The Pirates aimed it at the already wrecked town, all the while teeming with excitement.

"Wha-what are you doing with that thing?" Nami asked worriedly.

"Just observe the awesome might of the Buggy Ball." Buggy told her with a large grin before he turned to his men. "Light it up, boys!"

The Pirate at the cannon lit a match and held it against the fuse. As soon as he did so, he covered his hands over his ears, everyone watching the fuse get lower. A few seconds later, the fuse went up and the cannon fired. The orange-haired girl gasped as a bright light enveloped all around her, the Buggy Ball rocketing out and striking all the buildings, destroying them in a blinding flash, leaving only a trail of smoke and debris.


At the Docks

Ryota narrowed his eyes as he gazed at the massive explosion that destroyed a number of buildings.

"Damn, that was one hell of an explosion." Zoro muttered as he moved next to the orange-eyed boy.

"That was one of Captain Buggy's Buggy Balls!" One of the Pirates exclaimed fearfully.

"…Seriously? Buggy…balls?" Zoro questioned, a smirk forming on his face.

The First Mate of the Straw Hat Crew rolled his eyes. "Yes, the innuendo isn't lost on me either, Roronoa. But if that was a Buggy…Ball…then it means that Buggy was the one who fired it. And given our Captain's tendency to get into trouble…I'd bet you a thousand beri that he is over there or at least somewhere closeby."

"Only a fool would take that sucker's bet." Zoro replied as he tapped his swords.

"Yeah, you're right." Ryota agreed with a hum. "Come on, let's go get him out of this mess."


Town's Pub

When the dust cleared, Nami could only look in horror. Every house in the cannon's path had been completely obliterated, all of them reduced to rubble on the street. To think Buggy had that kind of power at his disposal and had no problem using it for fun. He was far more dangerous than she thought.

The Buggy Pirates cheered and celebrated at all the devastation while Buggy himself merely sniggered. "That was one flashy light show! With these Buggy Balls and my Devil Fruit powers, I should have no problem conquering the Grand Line. Right, Nami?"

"Right." Nami quickly said. "Yes of course."

"Huh?" Everyone turned at the noise, looking over at Luffy in the cage. "But it's my destiny to conquer the Grand Line. And then, I'm going to become the Pirate King!"

"Shut up, idiot!" Nami yelled at him but it was too late.

"Heheheheheh." Buggy chuckled sinisterly. "I can see why you're sick of him, Nami."

"Yeah I know." The orange-haired girl replied, a fake smile plastered on her face. "He never takes anything seriously, thinks that life's a big game. He always acts like a little kid."

"I see." Buggy nodded in understanding. "Then how about I give you a Buggy Ball to blow away your old boss."

"Huh?" Nami said dumbly, confused for a second.

"It'll be a great opportunity for you to prove your loyalty to me, your new Captain. Men!" Buggy cried out, causing Nami to inhale sharply. At his command, the cannon was wheeled around to face Luffy this time.

"That's alright, Captain. We don't have to finish him off quite yet. Let's get back to the welcoming party and just have more fun!" Nami tried to persuade the red-nosed man against blowing the straw hat boy to smithereens.

"Heheheh. This is my idea of having more fun." Buggy informed her before placing the matches in Nami's hands. "Now light the fuse, Nami!"

Nami continued to stare at the matches with increasing anxiety while Luffy stared right at her with an expressionless look on his face.

"Hey!" Buggy suddenly called out, causing Nami to gasp. "You're not wimping out on me, are you?"

Nami grimaced, her hands trembling, as she just stood there. She didn't know what she could do right now. She had gotten Luffy into this situation, literally handed him over, and now was being asked to kill him. And even if she took off right now, she would be leaving him for dead. If she did that, then she would be no better than the Pirates she despised.

"What's the matter?" Luffy asked her, causing to her look up. "Your hands are shaking. That's what happens when you take on Pirates with half-assed resolve."

"Resolve? To do what? To kill someone like it's nothing? Is that a Pirate's resolve?" Nami asked angrily.

"No." Luffy replied firmly. "You have to be willing to risk your own life."

Nami stared at him, the words taking root inside. But before she could do anything, the matches were suddenly snatched from her hands.

"Here, girlie, let me show you how its done!" A pink-shirted pirate laughed, holding up the matches. He instantly lit up the match and dread filled Nami up. She watched for a second as he lifted the match up to the fuse, ready to light it up. Then her instincts kicked in and she acted. Whipping out her detachable staff from her belt, she snapped it into place and then struck the Pirate behind his head right before he could light the fuse. The Pirate's eyes rolled back up into his skull and he crumpled to the ground in a heap.

"Oh shit." Nami whispered fearfully, surprised at what she had done.

"What do you think you're doing Nami?!" Buggy demanded to know.

"Huh." Luffy said curiously. "So, now you've decided to save me?"

"Don't be so stupid!" The orange-haired girl exclaimed angrily. "I'm not doing this for you., you idiot. I just don't want to lower myself to the level of these inhuman Pirates. Pirates took the life of a person very dear to me, I'll never be one of them!"

"Ok, thanks anyway." Luffy told her. He truly had no idea what was going on, but so far he was still alive so that was a win. Then his eyes fell on the fuse and widened comically. "AHHHHH, THE FUSE! IT'S LIT!"

Nami gasped, as she saw the burning fuse on the cannon with horror in her eyes. The Buggy Pirates on the other hand…

"I knew I should have never trusted you, Nami!" Buggy growled angrily. "Kill her, men, along with that loudmouth straw hat!"

"Put out the fire!" The straw hat boy yelled, more concerned with the lit fuse rather than the army of men rushing their way.

Nami looked around for anything to put the fire out with no success. Seeing there being no other way, she instead took to grabbing the fuse with her hands and putting it out that way. The fire singed her skin and she bit back a scream as she felt her hands getting burned.

"Behind you!" Luffy shouted in warning and the orange-haired girl turned to see the Pirates who were quickly closing in on them with their swords drawn. Before they could do anything to her, however, a white-haired boy with tanned skin leapt up in front of her and thrust an open palm in their direction. Much to Nami's surprise, a large blue shockwave erupted from the boy's palm and crashed into the Pirates, scattering them all in various directions. The few remaining stragglers were swiftly struck with the blunt edge of a sword and knocked to the ground.

"Ryota! Zoro!" Luffy cheered from within the cage. "You guys found me!"

"Sorry, we're late, Captain." Ryota apologized with a smirk. "But Roronoa here got lost."

Zoro clicked his teeth. "No I didn't. You just suck at giving directions, Odd Eyes."

The First Mate of the Straw Hat Crew sent him a blank look. "We were literally running in a straight line. There were no directions to give."

"I'm so glad you guys are here!" The straw hat boy exclaimed with a large grin. "Now hurry up and get me out of here!"

"How did you get in there in the first place?" Ryota asked curiously.

"Yeah. First a bird flies off with you and now we find you trapped in a cage." Zoro added.

"It's an interesting story actually."

"Well you can tell us later. For now…" Ryota narrowed his eyes as a flurry of knives flew at them but Zoro quickly knocked them all away with his sword. "…be patient for just a bit longer, Luffy. I'll get you out of there as soon as I'm done dealing with these guys."

"So you're Zoro?" Buggy stated as he stalked over in their direction, pulling out another handful of knives. "If you're here for my head, you've got quite the struggle before you."

"Not interested." Zoro replied coolly. "I gave up bounty hunting. I'm here for my Captain."

Buggy started laughing. "The Pirate Hunter is now a Pirate himself! What are the odds! But you see, you may not be interested in me, but I am very interested in you. If I kill you here, my reputation will skyrocket."

Zoro sent him a hard look. "You can try to kill me though you won't succeed."

"Is that so?" The red-nosed man questioned cheerfully.

Ryota observed the Pirate Captain with analyzing eyes. "Careful, Roronoa. This guy may look like a complete idiot but according to those castaways, he has a Devil Fruit. Don't underestimate him."

"Who the fuck are you calling an idiot, you bastard?!" Buggy raged at Ryota, brandishing his knives. "I'll kill you for that!"

The Buggy Pirates all formed up around them, cheering their Captain on as he lunged at Ryota with his knives posed to kill. Once he got in close, the red-nosed man swiped at him but Ryota batted his arm away and then smashed his face with a punch so strong that it blew his head clean off and sent if flying back.

"That wasn't much of a fight." Zoro stated boredly. "So much for all that blustering."

"Oh, wow!" Luffy cheered. "He was really weak. Way to go, Ryota!"

"No way," Nami muttered under her breath, staring in surprise at Buggy's headless form. After all she'd heard about him, she expected him to be way stronger than that. But before she could think on it further, she started hearing some soft chuckling. Turning around, she saw the sly grins on all the Buggy Pirates' faces as they began to laugh harder.

"Hey, why are they laughing?" Luffy asked curiously.

Ryota looked around at the other Pirates in slight confusion before his instincts suddenly went wild and he sensed something behind him. He quickly twisted his body just in time to evade a…floating hand holding a knife?

"You're certainly a quick little monkey, aren't-cha?" A familiar voice sounded and much to everyone's surprise, Buggy's head floated over in their direction. At the same time, his body jumped up as well and allowed the head to be reattached to the neck.

"The fuck?!" Zoro yelled, his eyes going wide.

Nami gasped at the sight . "Buggy's still alive!"

"I thought it was too easy." Ryota commented as he fell into his Soryu Shiki martial-arts style.

The red-nosed man grinned maliciously as his dismembered hand floated over to him. "You're strong, I'll give you that. Had your punch made contact with me, I might have been in some serious trouble. But now…" Buggy started laughing madly as his body broke into numerous pieces, floating all around the First Mate of the Straw Hat Crew. "…you won't be able to defeat me."

"Huh, so that's your Devil Fruit power." The orange-eyed boy noted, his gaze darting from one floating limb to the other.

"Yes, it is!" The Pirate Captain of the Buggy Pirates replied, eyeing him as if he were a piece of meat. "My Bara-Bara no Mi allows me to split my body into however many pieces I want!"

"He can…split his body?" Nami murmured, trying to process what was happening while Buggy laughed at them. "And I always thought that Devil Fruits were just a story that Pirates told."

"Whoa!" Luffy gasped as he gaped at the red-nosed man. "That's pretty freaky!"

"Says the guy who can turn his body into rubber." Zoro muttered, sending his Captain a sideways glance.

"Now then, shall we get the show started?" Buggy declared gleefully and all his subordinates cheered wildly. The red-nosed man grinned as his floating hands positioned themselves in Ryota's direction and the knives they were holding gleamed under the light of the sun. "Bara-Bara Hou!"

The dismembered hands proceeded to shoot at him and Ryota found himself dealing with attacks coming from all directions. Front, back, above, below, at the sides. The floating hands with gleaming knives flew at him from everywhere. One hand flew at him from in front and he expertly batted it aside with his arm before he quickly turned his body and sidestepped to avoid an assault from behind. It continued like this for the next few minutes until Zoro joined the fray.

"Tora Gari!" The swordsman uttered as he swung his three blades down at Buggy's body, cutting him into three different strips.

"Useless!" The dismembered pieces of the red-nosed man laughed and Ryota's eyes widened when one of the hands heading his way suddenly changed direction and shot at Zoro with the intention of stabbing him. Gritting his teeth, he jumped back to avoid being skewered by a knife-holding hand before he tightened his fist and thrust it in the direction of the hand flying at Zoro.

"Jao no Kuubaku!" A blue shockwave exploded from his fist and flew at the intended target, slamming into it and sending it off course.

"GAH!" Buggy cried out as his hand was sent crashing through a wall. "That hurt, you bastard!"

"Well, this is going to hurt more." Ryota replied and quickly snatched the dismembered hand flying around him before he tightened his grip and broke the bones in the limb.

"YOU MOTHERFUCKING SON OF A BITCH!" Buggy shrieked as tears comically flowed out of his eyes. Ryota sent him a peace sign along with a grin and tossed the red-nosed man's broken hand away. Before it could hit the ground, it flew back to Buggy's wrist, as did the hand Ryota had sent flying away earlier with a shockwave. "I am sick and tired of all of you monkeys!"

"BLEGH!" Luffy pulled down his eyelid and stuck his tongue out at the man. "Looks like you're done for, big nose!"

"What did…you…say?" Buggy seethed, glaring over at the boy, as his anger went through the roof. If there was one thing he hated most in the world, it was when people insulted his nose. "Who's got a big nose?!"

As he said that, he whirled around and threw his arm forward, sending it and the knife in his grasp flying right for Luffy. Ryota and Zoro both saw it and moved to intercept it but they were too slow and instead looked on in horror as the blade struck their Captain in the face.

"Luffy!" Ryota and Zoro both shouted in concern and fear.

"BUGGY!"

The cry from the cage took everyone by surprise and upon looking closer inside the cage, the Buggy Pirates gasped when they saw the blade trapped between Luffy's teeth. Ryota and Zoro on the other side with relief.

"I'm going to kick your ass as soon as I get out of this cage!" The straw hat boy promised, his voice coming out slightly muffled as he still had the knife trapped between his teeth. With a grunt, Luffy clenched his jaw and snapped the weapon in half before spitting the pieces out.

Buggy just laughed in response. "You kick my ass? You've got a lot of nerve, kid. No, I'm afraid all four of you are going to die here today. By my own hand."

Ryota raised his arm. "You mean with the hand I just broke? Cause if so, that's going to be a bit difficult."

Buggy grinded his teeth as he glared murderously at the orange-eyed boy. "Just for that, I'm going to kill your Captain and the Pirate Hunter first and make you watch before I kill you."

Luffy burst out laughing. "SHISHISHISHISHISHI! Sorry, but I absolutely refuse to die here! Ryota! Zoro!"

The First Mate and the swordsman both turned to look at their Captain who just grinned at them. After a few seconds of staring, Ryota grinned as well while Zoro let out a smirk.

"Understood, Captain." The orange-eyed boy replied as he turned around and clapped Zoro on the shoulder before taking off in a run.

"Impudent fool!" Buggy cried out, as he lunged at Luffy but he was intercepted by Zoro, who's swords clashed against the Pirate Captain's knives, pushing him back. The red-nosed man screamed in frustration and moved back before striking with his knives again and engaging in a dance of steel with the swordsman.

Thanks to Zoro holding Buggy back, Ryota reached his intended destination: the large cannon with the Buggy Pirates Jolly Roger emblazoned on the side. He grabbed the barrel of the explosive weapon and toppled it back with ease so that it was now facing directly towards the Buggy Pirates.

"Zoro, now!" Ryota shouted and the swordsman smirked before running over to him but not before bisecting the red-nosed man across the middle.

"WAHHH! Crap, the cannon's pointed at us!" Buggy screamed, as he reattached himself while his men all wailed in terror. "NO!"

"Light it!" Zoro barked at Nami who, despite being confused, quickly nodded and lit a match before setting the flame against the fuse of the cannon. In seconds, the fuse began burning.

"WAIT! JUST WAIT!" Buggy screamed at them. "The cannon's still loaded with a special Buggy Ball. I don't want to go out like this! Done in by my own balls!"

"Okay, that is just nasty." Ryota muttered under his breath before he turned around and struck the cage Luffy was trapped in with a powerful punch, breaking the bars with ease.

"WOOHOO! FREEDOM!" Luffy cheered as he jumped out of the cage, throwing his hands in the air.

"Let's bail!" Zoro shouted and the four of them immediately started to run just as the fuse reached the end and the barrel lit up. The cannon then detonated and the resulting explosion knocked many pirates out. Those who weren't effected were blocked by the thick veil of smoke that covered the Straw Hat Pirates' escape.


Some Time Later

Those four think they can mock me?! Buggy thought furiously to himself. He had just barely managed to avoid the explosion of the Buggy Ball and now that he was safe again, he was looking for some brutal payback. This aggression of theirs is an act of war! So I suppose I should respond in kind.

There was a tremor as a large paw came down on the pavement and a beastly form emerged from the smoke, letting out a low growl.

"There you are Mohji. I have a job for you."

"You want me to bring you the heads of Roronoa Zoro and the others, right?" Beast Tamer Mohji, the First Mate of the Buggy Pirates asked with a smirk while sitting atop his massive lion.

"Gyahahahaha! That's right! Make sure you get it done! You know what will happen if you don't!" Buggy said maliciously.

Mohji grinned, a predatory glint in his eyes as his lion roared. "Of course, Captain. I will not fail you."


Move List

Jao no Kuubaku / Tyrant King's Air Strike - Ryota punches the empty air in front him while creating a shockwave that flies towards his target and hits them from afar. These airborne shockwaves can be created multiple times in quick succession and can be unleashed in the sky or on the ground.


Third chapter in and we have entered the Orange Town Arc which, while isn't a big arc, is a fun one to write. I hope I've done the characters justice and I hope you guys are enjoying Ryota's inclusion in the story thus far. I'm trying actually have his presence change things, even if it is slightly, and not have him just be a side character who speaks up every once in a while to show people he exists.

If you go back to the previous chapter, you'll see that I've changed Ryota's attacks a bit. Kind of how Luffy says Gomu Gomu no... before every attack, Ryota will be saying Jao no... - which means Tyrant King's... In the move list, I will only be describing and translating the attacks that Ryota uses and in the future, attacks that any OCs I create will use. I will not translate say Zoro's attacks or Luffy's attacks since I don't really see a need to.

Next chapter, we will be finishing with the Orange Town Arc and the following one will begin the Syrup Village Arc where we get to meet our favorite, lovable liar.

As usual, if you want more, leave a review. If you like the story, click the follow/favorite and have an awesome day.

Cheers!