The Girl with A Half-Soul
Chapter 31:
Gunsmoke
Since there was not a town right on the coast, they were forced to travel by foot for a few miles. That applied to everyone who was sharing the harbor. For once, they were not alone in their travels. The Straw Hats were one group among a dozen at least. Not all were pirates, but a good number of them were. The only reason their party stuck out was because Chopper was in Walk Point. Aurilee sat on his back while the others seemingly guarded around her perimeter.
The sun was not near its peak, but it was hot already. And it was dry. Even the breezes did not ease their sweating. While they trekked to the nearest town, Aurilee noticed the way Usopp grimaced. It very well could have been the heat making him grumpy. She decided to verbally prod him. "What's the matter, Usopp?" she questioned after many minutes of holding back.
For a brief moment, he glanced at her with his unwavering grimace. "You already know what's wrong," he answered, not interested in entertaining her.
She grinned at him, realizing it was not the heat that was bothering him. "Do I, though?" she poked mischievously.
Usopp exhaled with annoyance. He knew what game she was playing. Aurilee was proud of the source of why. Giving in would only make her fire blaze, but not the kind that was comfy like a campfire. Her fire caused forests to burn, but not maliciously, he had to admit. It was just enough for her to maniacally laugh about.
"I think I need a recap, Captain Usopp," she "egged" on with a grin.
"Ugh," he grunted. "Sanji asked how you wanted your eggs for breakfast, and you had the audacity to say 'unfertilized.'"
Zoro cracked up when he heard it again. Even Nami was trying to keep her giggle in check. She had not been the biggest fan of Aurilee's raunchy jokes, but that one in particular was witty.
She giggled as she patted her belly. "Because it's a little too late for that," she reasoned.
"That's why it's wrong!" Usopp argued.
"Hey, it's fine," she debated. "I let him scramble my eggs instead."
"That doesn't make it any better!"
Sanji chuckled at how she worded it. Everyone expected the morning to start off peaceful…until Aurilee entered the room. After that it was all sarcasm and fun. The best part? The whole crew seemed to be used to it now. Usopp may have protested the morality and vulgarness, but one of these days, he might come around.
"Not the way I envisioned you'd scramble her eggs," Zoro commented with a conniving smirk.
"Shut up, Moss Head," Sanji deflected.
Aurilee giggled as she overheard. "It's not possible to re-scramble eggs, right?"
"In cooking? Yes," Sanji answered more endearingly. "For you? I'm not sure if getting pregnant again counts as 're-scrambling.' It's more like a fresh batch."
It was more of a rhetorical question, but his explanation actually made sense. And the fact he took it in stride amused her. "Thanks for the feedback."
"People can lay eggs?" Luffy questioned.
Robin, who was wearing her Miss All Sunday outfit with a long white coat, covered her mouth with the back of her hand as she quietly laughed. Not only was their captain lacking in common sense and some brain cells, but he was also a little bit innocent with stuff like where babies came from. Or at least, that was how he presented himself.
"Mammals don't lay eggs, Luffy," Chopper answered. "But females do have eggs inside of them. That's what they're joking about."
"They have eggs but can't lay them? That doesn't make any sense!"
"It's a different kind of egg."
"I wish I could lay eggs and be done with it," Aurilee claimed. "Life would be so much simpler."
"You'd have to sit on them," Nami pointed out.
She thought for a second. "Good thing I'm used to sitting on stuff."
A collective moan rang out through them all, but then most of them laughed. The people around them did not join in on their fun. They were mostly in fetid moods, and seeing the complete opposite was annoying. It came across as unpreparedness for what was to come. A good number of them were regulars to these waters and trails. This was not the place to goof off. These strangers were about to have a rude awakening, which meant easy pickings.
Chopper's snout lifted as he started catching a new scent in the air. The metallic was different from Zoro's blades. It was old and a little rusty. All of the others noticed a single building begin to loom ahead. The old wood was very worn just from looks alone. When people began to step onto it, the amount of creaking was almost frightening.
Aurilee was helped down so that Chopper could size back down. Whatever they were entering, it sure was underwhelming. And it turned out to be very small, too. A single footstep took them to the other side of a wall and onto a platform. While Nami spoke to someone in a booth, the others looked on toward the continuous desert beyond. Luffy tried to investigate, but Zoro kept a firm hand on his shoulder. No amount of stretching could get him past.
Everything started to make sense when the distant whistle of a steam engine train sounded off to announce its arrival. Nami purchased tickets from the booth and handed them out. "Hold on to these or else you'll get kicked off," she droned as if it was common sense. The only reason she was saying it in the first place was because at least one person was incapable of simply holding a little ticket. Chopper had hooves, but he could do it just as good as a human.
The train cranked into the station with perfect positioning along the length. All the doors opened simultaneously, and everyone who trekked from the sea entered while a small handful of people exited. Many compartments lined the hallways inside. They were essentially private rooms with two benches facing each other and a sliding door to keep noises out. The Straw Hats found an empty one and claimed it. Chopper, Zoro, Aurilee, and Luffy sat on the left side. Robin, Sanji, Nami, and Usopp sat on the right side. Most eyes were locked on the window as the doors shut and the train began rolling once more.
"So…now what?" Usopp asked.
"Get off at the nearest town, I guess," Nami answered. "But we gotta make sure it's not a stop like that one."
"Wake me up when we get there," Zoro said, clutching his swords to his chest and closing his eyes.
Luffy's face nearly touched the glass as he watched them pick up speed. The desert transitioned into a prairie, so cacti stopped appearing every now and then. Since there was no sign of civilization or even wildlife, the relative silence caused Zoro's drowsiness to become contagious. Chopper laid flat on his back with his hat covering his face, his head propped against Zoro's leg. Aurilee started to nod off; her jacked up sleep schedule was catching up to her. When she caught herself from leaning too far, she quickly decided Zoro's shoulder was a comfortable place to rest her temple against. Luffy noticed and – having grown bored – also decided to join the group nap. Aurilee did not protest when he used her shoulder just like she was using Zoro's shoulder.
Sanji eagerly waited for Nami and Robin to use him similarly, but neither of them were interested. Usopp kept a lookout for a town or village with a hand propping the bottom of his chin. "What if nobody in the nearest town knows what we're talking about?" he questioned out of curiosity.
The proposition got Nami to realize they had a hole in their plans. Yesterday, they caught lucky breaks. Since they were entering a big island, it would be a hassle to spend multiple days traveling while trying to find guidance to the island of wolves. She unraveled the map to see what towns and villages were marked on Lone Star Island. They had anchored in a barren bay purely because other ships were there already. The train station was an unexpected aid. Back in Appalachia, there was mention of a railroad track also being used. When Nami observed it, she traced her finger over the sketch of their railroad. Many of the marked towns touched the track. It turned out Lone Star Island also had the same design for transportation.
"Okay, how about this," Nami proposed, beckoning the three of them to come closer. Sanji instantly scooted until he could smell the scent of tangerines coming from her. Robin leaned on him, making hearts flutter above his head. Usopp shifted his weight so he could see what plan she had in mind. She used her fingertip to show what all she was referring to. "We anchored here, so I assume the train station was here. If we ride the train east, the first town we'll encounter is Boom Town. I say we ask around the train until then to see if we actually need to stop there, or if we should wait until one of these other towns comes around."
"How much time does that leave us?" Robin inquired.
"An hour? Maybe less?"
"Then I suggest we get started on that."
"I'll head to the front two cars," Sanji shared. A smile grew on his face, and he reached to embrace Robin and Nami around their shoulders. "I wouldn't mind a female companion."
Nami slapped his hand away before he could touch her. "Usopp and I will head to the caboose."
Robin stood up. "I'll check this car and meet the cook halfway." She opened the door and did not hesitate to get started. Nami rolled the map back up and got Usopp to follow her out. Sanji sighed but saw that Aurilee was in good hands. Although Moss Head was a lucky and arrogant bastard, there was nobody else he would trust her with. She napped peacefully against his shoulder with an arm draped over her belly protectively. Luffy shared body heat with her as he snored. A few minutes alone would not harm anybody. When he left the compartment, he shut the door behind him.
The locomotive was long with multiple cars connected to each other. To get to a different one, the four Straw Hats had to completely exit through one of the opposing doors and hop across the gap. It was a little dangerous. The high speeds made the single linkage rattle. Sanji had no trouble. To him, it was like running a race that required jumping hurdles. Until he reached the car where the coal was, he continued. As for Nami and Usopp, they expected to make it to the caboose, but it appeared that human occupants only made up the first half of the cars. Usopp opened a door to be immediately hit with the stench of manure.
It was a relief to see what ground they needed to cover was not as vast as they expected. They tag-teamed private rooms, asking people about a wolf-man or legends similar. Sasquatch, Bigfoot, Loup-garou, anything. Some people were uninterested in conversation, others had no idea what they were talking about. The same applied to Robin and Sanji.
Outside, there was dust starting to kick up. A trio of men with ill will rode on the backs of bulls. Despite being destined to lose the foot race, they had timed their intervention perfectly. They were veterans at this type of thing. The leader naturally rode the fastest bull, and he targeted the front cab. Another man targeted the center, and the slowest targeted the caboose. With a crack of a whip, the bulls reared their bottoms hard enough to throw off their riders. They grappled the openings to secure their presence in the steam-powered machine.
By this time, Sanji had reached the second car. He tried to ignite a cigarette with his lighter, but it was dead. After nearly a year of using it, it was time for a replacement. Until they reached a town where he could buy a new one, he had to ask for a light. The current room he was visiting had a gentleman willing to help him out. He lifted his high enough for Sanji to get his fix. "Thanks," he said, blowing smoke.
The gentleman also blew smoke and adjusted his brimmed hat. With his graying-haired wife sitting next to him in silence, he thought it would not be a big deal to give the cook the time of day. After all, he was wearing nice clothes and did not seem so rough around the edges. By looks alone, he screamed foreigner. "What brings you here?"
"I have a friend looking for a way home," he answered. "It's a place where a wolf-man is rumored to protect. The people of Appalachia and Bayou directed us here."
"A wolf-man…"
"The hillbillies call him Sasquatch. The rednecks call him Bigfoot. The creoles and cajuns call him Loup-garou. Surely there's something here that follows that same pattern."
"I can't think of anything that's a big hairy monster like that."
He looked away to see how many rooms he had left to check on. "I was afraid of that."
"It's a big island. You'll catch a break eventually." He moved his hat over his eyes. "Took decades for us to strike gold, but it happened. Don't give up just yet."
"Never will," Sanji declared, stepping away. Because if they gave up, then Aurilee would never go home, and her dream would go unfulfilled.
The sound of the door opening behind him made him halt. If someone was checking tickets, it would not be a problem. The problem that did arise, however, occurred when a revolver's safety unlatched.
Down at the caboose, the slowest of the bandits had the pleasure of passing through the cars containing livestock. The last one to the train truly was a rotten egg. Or, at least, that was what he smelled like once he entered the car Nami and Usopp were in. Manure lingered in his bootprints. When he brandished his own revolver, the two of them had the same reaction of frightfully running away.
Robin came face-to-face with the third bandit as she attempted to cross to the next car. Although she was not expecting the encounter, she did not show a hint of fear. In fact, it was he who showed fear. The very first glance of the gun had her sprout arms all around him and restrain him. He stood no chance against the Devil Child, Nico Robin. She casually tossed him back out of the gap from which he was originally tossed through and continued to the neighboring car. But one of her hands remained to pass her the gun, which she inspected as she entered.
Sanji's guard was up when he heard the door open, but he quickly relaxed when he recognized the archaeologist. He had his foot pressed against the back of the bandit's head. When Robin saw it, she could not help but assume the situation. "You, too?"
He noticed the revolver in her hand. She was not one to use weapons other than what her devil fruit powers gifted her with. "Train robber," he labeled.
"Well, other than that, have you found any information?"
"Not yet."
"I haven't either. Perhaps the sniper and navigator have if they also haven't been riddled with bullets by now."
The air in Sanji's throat stopped passing through when he realized Robin was on to something. If they both met bandits, who would think they had not? Sanji immediately dashed past her. Nami was in danger! "Let's go, Robin."
She watched him hurry to save the day, but she was not as eager to follow. The bandit groaned as he stayed down. Whatever the cook did to him, he needed a doctor. Too bad the Straw Hats' was napping. Robin used her powers to carry him to the door, and she also confiscated his weapon before tossing him through the gap. Something told her they would be of use on this island, but she could not explain her hunch.
A few cars down, Nami and Usopp were standing on either side of a door while standing outside. The bandit was not very keen on chasing them. Instead, he was busy robbing people in their compartments. Nami grinded her teeth as she watched passengers getting terrorized with fear of losing their lives at gunpoint. "I'll open the door, and you shoot him between the eyes," she told Usopp, gripping the handle.
"Why can't I open the door and you strike him down with lightning?!"
"Because that would take too long! All he's gotta do is aim and pull the trigger, and I'm dead. You're a sharpshooter. This is your kind of fight."
Usopp's eyes watered. She was right, but that did not make it any less terrifying. He had to push aside his cowardness and let his body do the work. Gulping, he nodded for her to make the first move. The little green slingshot was stretched with a simple Lead Star. Anything with fire or explosives was dangerous for the passengers, and a Smoke Star would only give him cover to escape. Nami quickly slid open the door and stepped out of the way.
Before the bandit could react, Usopp screamed at the top of his lungs and shot a musket ball. It hit right where he aimed it, and he subsequently stumbled back and fell. When he realized it was not enough to knock him, he screamed again and accidentally reloaded with a Tobasco Star to shoot him once more. When the bandit screamed in pain from the searing heat that splattered in his eyes and mouth, Usopp got nervous about what he just did. Nami was not as concerned. She ran in and gave him a big whack to his cranium to quiet him.
Sanji pushed past Usopp to rescue Nami. He was late by two seconds, though. She proudly stood over the unconscious bandit with her Clima-Tact pressed into the floor like a staff. "That wasn't so hard. Good job, Usopp," she praised.
"Are you okay, Nami Swan?" Sanji questioned.
She glanced at him, wondering when he got there. "Perfectly fine." She started picking the robber's pockets and offering what he took back to the passengers.
Sanji looked back to Usopp in disbelief that he was the one who protected Nami. He stole his thunder!
The reason why Nami was not keeping the stolen goods for herself was because she thought of it as an opportunity for bribery. Maybe getting stuff back would make people more willing to talk. "Should we stop at Boom Town or keep going?" she asked a young woman wearing a bonnet.
"The only creature I can think of is the Chupacabra," she admitted apprehensively.
"Alright. A Chupacabra. Do people in Boom Town know more about it?"
"I-I don't know."
"I think we might as well get off at Boom Town," Sanji chimed in. "I don't like how we all got jumped by train robbers. If it happened once, it could happen again."
"Sounds good to me!" Usopp agreed without hesitation. He reverted around to head back to their compartment.
"A name is all we wanted?" Nami questioned. "I hoped to get more of a description than that."
"It's fine for now," Sanji insisted, motioning for her to come with him. "I'm more concerned about safety."
Nami did not protest as she went with him. Something told her it was not exactly her that he was worried about. When they got back to their room, the four nappers were still snoring away without any knowledge that they were just attacked.
Robin joined them and passed around the guns. "Keep these close," she advised.
"Er, why?" Nami inquired, trying to hold it without accidentally setting it off.
"Doesn't hurt to be careful."
"Did you get these from the robbers…?" Usopp trailed, getting familiar with unlocking the revolving barrel.
"I snagged them, yes. If we don't need them, that's just extra berries in our pockets when we pawn them."
"That can wait until we're leaving this island," Nami said. "I'm not sure if Boom Town is our ticket out. There's a chance we'll have to work harder here than we had to in Appalachia and Bayou."
"People aren't as friendly," Sanji shared as he stood outside the door to finish his smoke. "Surely I'm not the only one who's noticed."
"We just got here," Usopp reasoned. "I mean, yeah, that guy in Bayou said the cowboys are weird but we've barely been here an hour."
Nobody was sure whether to agree or disagree. It was an understanding that they would try Boom Town first. A ticket master came by to puncture theirs, and maybe twenty minutes later was when the train stopped. The nappers were awakened, and they exited with a small handful of others. The station this time was just a platform on studs. While everyone else left, the band of pirates stood by.
Boom Town was not that big. It was quite run down, more so by the hands of men than the hands of time. A single aisle with rickety old buildings lined on each side was the only thing staring back at them. The paint was old and worn away. When the breeze tickled their hair, it also picked up dust and rolled tumbleweed. Outside of the buildings were sparse houses and even a barn. People lived here, but not many. The 'boom' in its name must have been something in the past.
The majority of the residents minded their own business despite the loud train cranking and beginning to roll away. Some sat in rocking chairs at the entrance of a country store. One guy was passed out drunk against a barrel with the bottle in his hand. A rounder lady spit in a tin can a few feet away from her as if it was second nature. The sound of muffled music became clearer for a moment when a pair of swinging doors flapped open and closed. A couple of buff cowboys threw out a leaner cowboy from the bar by the back of his blue jeans.
Luffy started toward the town, prompting the others to follow. Chopper grew to Heavy Point to be equal in stature among the other males. Could they all split into groups and tackle the mystery of the Chupacabra? It seemed like the fastest tactic. First, they needed to find someone who was familiar with a Chupacabra. Then, they had to see if they could find directions to an uncharted island. The plan was simple, and the possibility of it actually working was weak. But they came this far. Why give up?
Their captain halted suddenly, and instead of giving them orders, he lifted his arms in the air. "MY NAME IS MONKEY D. LUFFY!" he bellowed.
Everyone in the crew suddenly cringed as all eyes shifted their way. Instead of dividing and conquering, Luffy was taking care of this in one fell swoop.
"I'M GONNA BE KING OF THE PIRATES! BUT FIRST, WE NEED KNOW WHERE TO FIND THE CHUPACABRA!"
Nobody in the vicinity spoke up. They all just scowled. Some lowlife foreigner came walking in and causing a ruckus. Who did he think he was? Well that was a dumb question. He just yelled as loud as he could that he was going to be the next Pirate King. This guy was nothing but an immature simpleton who knew next to nothing about the world, let alone Lone Star Island. He came to the wrong place, and they showed that by pulling out guns and shooting at them all.
They heard the shots before seeing the guns. Sanji's first reaction was shielding Aurilee, and then scooping her up to run for cover. After deflecting a couple of bullets with a blade, Zoro grabbed Nami and Robin to follow. Usopp and Chopper just squealed and hurried in the opposite direction, not even attempting to fight back. This place really was nothing like Appalachia and Bayou! This place was lawless!
The only crewmate who was not phased by the attack was the bulletproof one. His body absorbed bullets, stretched a few feet in specific places, and then abruptly shot them back out in the direction from which they came from. "Hey! I asked you guys a question!" Luffy irritatingly argued.
He continued to be shot incessantly. The only thing going through their heads was how he could possibly still be standing. There was also no blood to be seen whatsoever.
Some of the others followed the crewmembers who took cover. Sanji and Zoro brought the females behind barrels full of liquor. The bullets were hitting sacks of flour, but it would only shield them for so long. Sanji grabbed the stolen revolver and quickly tried to release the safety since he had no knowledge of how to use one. When he leaned over to see where the others went, he noticed Usopp covering his head with his hands while Chopper was sized back down and failing to hide properly. This was not the time to be hiding the wrong way! Somehow, though, bullets were missing him despite being completely vulnerable.
"Well, Usopp isn't helping," he reviewed, leaning back against the barrels.
"I can," Aurilee replied, charging her bow.
Pure fear overcame him in that moment. His mind played a scenario of her looking over and instantly taking a bullet to the head just to fall over dead. Almost compulsorily, he held a hand over her weapon. "No, don't," he blurted out.
"Why not?"
He did not answer right away. It was not that she was too weak to fight. The risk was just too much for him personally.
Next to him, Nami lifted part of her Clima-Tact. "Allow me," she insisted, initiating the water tempo. The air was already hot, so heat balls were unnecessary. Moisture needed to be added, and then she would emit cool balls to form clouds.
Robin, who sat on the other side of Zoro, barely peered over the top so she could use her long-distance attack. Dozens of the arms sprouted around people shooting, and they were grabbed. Unfortunately, not all of them were restrained, so people were alerted and fought back. She yelped in pain, quickly dissipating her arms and holding her own. A dribble of blood fell down her skin.
The moment Sanji saw it, all bets were off. He aimed the revolver over the top and started shooting back. "You hurt Robin!" he furiously yelled. "You'll pay with your life!"
Now that he was busy, Aurilee did the same. She held her bow parallel to the barrels and shot arrow after arrow.
Zoro's teeth clenched. He was one of the few who legitimately could do nothing in this situation. "Usopp!" he called out. "You need to help!"
The wood splintering scared Usopp the most. Any second, a bullet would come through and get him. When he realized Chopper was out in the open, he grabbed him by the arm to pull him to safety. That was when he felt the stolen revolver in his satchel, so he pulled it out and passed it to him. "Chopper, I know we could die, but we need to at least fight for our lives before we lose them!"
With tears welling up in his eyes, Chopper looked up into Usopp's face.
"Captain Usopp, commadore of fifty-thousand men, never surrenders!" he affirmed as bravely as he could.
Chopper's admiration started to outgrow his fear, and he nodded. Heavy Point returned, and he joined the liar. His furry finger pulled the trigger multiple times while Usopp frantically shot. He had never reloaded his slingshot so fast; it felt like rapid fire.
Robin dropped the last of the stolen revolvers next to Zoro. "Looks like I was right to keep these just in case," she said.
He gazed down at it, unsure of her intentions. She slid it closer to him. "A swordsman using a gun. That's ironic," he commented.
"Your secret's safe with me."
Swallowing his pride, Zoro took it and joined Sanji and Aurilee. But right when he did, Sanji felt empty clicks. He was out of ammunition. He sat back down to check the rolling barrel just in case. "I'm out," he revealed in defeat.
"Don't worry. I got this," Nami eased. The cool balls were finished. None of them noticed how they were shrouded in shade. That was because she successfully made a gray cloud. Balls of electricity released, enticed by it. "Brace yourselves!"
"I'M NOT LEAVING UNTIL SOMEONE TELLS ME ABOUT THE CHUPACABRA!" Luffy shouted persistently. He would take all the bullets they had. It would not change his mind.
Suddenly, a powerful bolt of yellow lightning struck right where he was standing. The crack of thunder was so loud that the townspeople ceased fire. Except they were not the only ones who were startled. As Luffy completely ignored the event, he had to admit he was blinded for a second. By the time his vision returned, he was being charged. More than one horse collided into him and pummeled him into the dirt. It was the one thing that shut him up.
The rest of the crew were confused when a big herd of horses bulldozed their way through the town. They came in many colors and coat types. When they reached the end of the town, they started to scatter. In spite of the chaos, a different animal emerged from. This one had a person perched on its back. Someone with many fringes waving around from their sleeves and pantlegs held reins in one hand and a lasso in the other. "Dammit!" he cursed, twirling the lasso above his hat to throw it around a horse's neck. "That storm came outta nowhere!"
The Straw Hats looked on in astonishment and confusion, especially when the steer mooed as it chased after the horses. There was no mistaking what they just saw. That was a cowboy! And…he was riding a cow?