(A/N: The story continues! This is where things really get interesting.

Guest: I really appreciate the review, but can we all please leave any Usopp slander out of reviews?

Enjoy!)


A New Opponent Emerges! Venus Finds Her Battle Potential

"The place where the greatest pirate in history died... and the place where the pirate age began..."

"I'm gonna see the view the King of the Pirates saw before he died!" Luffy declared.

"You're what?"

"Alright! Time to go up!"

"What?!" Venus exclaimed in shock. "You're crazy! It's way too high up! You'll fall, and crack your head open!" When she turned to the tower, he was already climbing the metal lattice. "Luffy!" She ran up closer. "Get down from there! You'll get in trouble!"

"Man, that's dangerous," She heard a citizen comment.

Her eye widened in horror when he lost grip, and his arms spun wildly, before he regained his composure. She sighed in relief; that was close. "Hey." They both turned at the familiar voice; a high-ranking member of the Marines was now in the crowd. "Hey, boy."

"What do you want? I'm busy right now!"

"Are you the guy with the biggest bounty in the East Blue?"

"I'm Luffy. Do you need something?" He began sliding down the railing, until he hit a horizontal beam.

"I'm Captain Smoker of the Marines," The officer introduced himself, "I'm in charge of Loguetown. You're under arrest."

"Huh?" Luffy turned to him in confusion. "Arrest? Forget it! I'm just about to go to the Grand Line, and be King of the Pirates!"

"Grand Line?" That caught Venus' attention.

"King of the Pirates?"

"I refuse to get arrested in a place like this!"

"Then you'll have to beat me first," Smoker challenged, "You don't get into the Grand Line unless you can beat me." He cracked his knuckles. "That's the rule of this town; that's assuming you're brave enough to fight me, of course."

"Did Gold Roger beat you before going?" Venus sassed with a smirk.

"Quiet, Venus," Smoker sneered, "This doesn't involve you."

"You guys know each other?" Luffy asked.

"In a sense," She replied, "No matter how much the townspeople want him to, he won't have me executed."

"You're not even worth arresting, kid. Now butt out."

"So I can't get into the Grand Line unless I beat you?" Luffy clarified, before his smile turned devious. "Then I'll beat you!"

Smoker paused for a beat. "Go ahead and try."

"Oh boy," Venus muttered to herself.

"Gum-Gum...!" Luffy tried to deliver a punch, even stretching his torso to impossible lengths, but he snapped back to the platform like a rubber band, and dangled like a slinky.

"He's made of rubber?!" Smoker exclaimed.

"A-another Devil Fruit user?" Venus breathed in awe, wide-eyed.

"Darn it! My legs are tangled!" He complained.

"Just what the hell are you doing?!" Smoker shouted angrily.

"I'm not doing this, 'cause I wanna! It's my legs...!" Luffy tugged and tugged, until he finally freed himself. "I'm unstuck!" He went for another attack. "Gum-Gum Pistol!" He launched a rubbery punch at Smoker, but he dodged it by leaping away.

The Marine Captain landed behind him. "Too slow!" He punched Luffy in the face before Venus could even think of warning him, then kicked him in the air. "Someone as pathetic as you, worth 30 million berries? I don't even need to use my Devil Fruit power. My fists are more than enough!"

Luffy landed on the lattice of the platform, then launched himself back to his enemy. "Here I come!" But he got punched back to the top of the platform, bouncing off and on the ground below. Venus watched from the sidelines, knowing not to go against the captain.

"22 years ago, I saw his execution," Smoker recalled, "His proud final moments were worthy of the King of the Pirates... you, King of the Pirates? Don't make me laugh!" He stood over his opponent. "You can't even enter the Grand Line!" Venus glared from her standing point, as an exhausted Luffy struggled to regain his footing. "There's no point in getting back up."

"Come on, Luffy," She urged.

He stood back on his feet, still confident. "There's no way to know that unless I try!" Smoker stared at him without a word, wide-eyed in shock. "Here goes! Gum-Gum... Whip!" His leg wrapped around the platform, dodging Smoker, then the fountain nearby. That wasn't supposed to happen. "U-uh oh!"

"What?" Venus called out in concern.

On cue, Luffy was sent flying all around the area, following his leg. "I really messed that up!"

Smoker watched, as he flew away over the buildings. "What's with that boy?" He wondered aloud.

Venus stared in exasperation, finally stepping away from the tower. "I guess I'd better go find him." She began her trek, walking past Smoker, and ignoring the rude citizens.

On the way, she happened to pass by the main entrance to the Gold Roger bar, when her eye widened; a cloaked man was fast asleep with a strangely-colored lion that had pigtails in its mane. Now worried, she changed route, using her secret entrance to get inside the bar, and peered out the door cautiously. She saw two cloaked figures standing around one of the tables, along with a tall, pale, black-haired woman with a white cowgirl hat; one had a bright red, clown-like nose and ridiculous red lipstick, while the other man had black hair over his face like hers, only on his other side. Thankfully, Rauru was unharmed. "I knew it," She heard the clown say, "The cards say that detestable runt is already in this town." Her eye narrowed; detestable runt? Did he mean Luffy? "The time for revenge has flashily come at last!"

"So?" The woman asked, "Do you successfully take his life?"

"Obviously." Venus bit back a gasp, gripping the door tighter. They're going to kill him? "The one who dies is..." She saw him flip over a card.

"Oh. It's you!" The woman said.

Venus now had to stifle a laugh. So much for that. "Bonk!" She fought her urge harder, hand over her mouth, when the clown slammed his face on the table.

"Captain!" Another man called out from outside above the bar. "W-we just saw-!"

Luffy. She urgently booked it back outside, after quietly closing the door. "Yeah, I've definitely gotta find him."

She ran out of the alley, and skidded to a stop upon hearing the same man as before. The one with the lion. "Find the rubber man!" He commanded.

Venus glared silently, feeling helpless. What can she do to help him? On cue, a memory from earlier that day came to her mind.

"That would be great in battle!"

"I-in battle?"

"Yeah! You'd blast bad guys away with that move!"

She smirked. It was worth a try. She prepared an energy ball between her hands, keeping her gaze on her new opponent, and imitated her new friend. "Witchy-Witchy Ball!" She blasted the attack at the man, surprising him greatly; the lion watched in shock, as his trainer was blown back a few feet.

"Aah! What the hell?!" He saw her glaring from her standing point. "Who are you?!"

"You will not touch a hair on his head!" With that, she made a run for it to find him.

He watched in awe, alongside the lion. First Luffy, now this girl? He'd better tell the captain.

Speaking of Luffy, he crash-landed at the other side of Loguetown, terribly startling an unsuspecting couple on a bench. "I sure flew a long way," He remarked, "What was with that guy?" He stared at the clouds moving along the blue sky. "And I don't know where Venus is either. Now what do I do?" He let out a big, fatigued yawn. "Guess I'll sleep for now!" He shifted his beloved straw hat over his face, and drifted off immediately, oblivious to some concerned townspeople looking over him.

"Hey, are you okay?"

"Do you suppose he's dead?"

"You think?" They heard him snoring under his hat.

"You're going after a girl now?" The woman glared Mohji, the man with the lion. They were gathered outside the entrance, where Mohji told them what just went down. "We're after Monkey D. Luffy, not random bystanders!"

"This is no bystander," He shook his head, "She's a witch! She wore a purple cloak and striped tights, and she blasted me with a weird energy ball! Right, Richie?" The lion nodded. "She then threatened me, and ran off!"

Buggy the Clown put a hand to his chin in thought. "It seems she's trying to keep us away. We'll flashily take her out with him!" He vowed.

After finding an alley to hide in, Venus stopped to catch her breath. She had to find Luffy before those guys do.

Her mind started to wander. Specially back to a minute or two ago, where she engaged in combat. It was short, but also... exciting? Maybe he had a point, about her being able to use her skills in battle. She knew martial arts to defend herself against the citizens whenever necessary, so she can add on to it with her magic.

Hmm... Venus the kickass witch? She kinda liked the sound of that.

The thought had to continue later; right now, she needed to find her new friend. She continued her sprint in searching for the execution platform.

Later on, Luffy sat up with a yawn, stretching his arms by his head. By now, the citizens from earlier had left when they realized he was not dead. "What a nice nap!" He rolled onto his feet. "Alright! Time to go to the execution platform!"

Meanwhile, Buggy and his crew were searching for him, and now Venus too. Buggy was honking like a pig, as he and the woman stood back to back. "Found them?!"

"No, not yet!" One of the men replied. At an intersection, the crew split up three ways to cover more ground at once.

"Are you sure it was Straw Hat you saw?!" Buggy demanded.

"Yes! We're sure!" Mohji said.

"Alright! Scour the place again! And find that witch too!" At Buggy's command, the group split up.

Luffy ran along the streets, and stopped to catch his breath. "Man, where is the execution platform?"

"Straw Hat, Straw Hat, Witch..." Buggy muttered to himself.

"I have no idea at all!" Luffy moved around Buggy, with neither noticing the other.

"Where's the bastard hiding?! And that little bitch!"

"Where is it?"

They were soon looking in the same direction. "You see him?!" Buggy and the man in his cloak knelt down to the right.

"Where's the execution platform?" Luffy wondered aloud.

They both looked to the left. "That way," Buggy replied cluelessly.

"Thanks!" With a cheer, he ran in the direction given.

Just then, Buggy realized who he just helped; he screamed in anger, as Luffy sprinted off. "That was...!"

"Luffy!" Venus called out. "Luffy!" She then came to her senses, and clinched her mouth shut. 'I'd actually better not call for him. That could attract bad attention.'

'Where is that little brat?' The woman grumbled mentally, 'How dare she interfere with the mission?' They shifted around one another, completely oblivious. 'How hard can it be to spot a witch?'

Venus then had an epiphany. 'The execution platform! I should get to the execution platform! He ought to have found it by now! Dammit, where is it again?' She fussed helplessly, unaware of a tall, black-haired woman with a heart-print cloak right behind her, looking in the same direction. "Where is the execution platform again?"

"Down that way," She replied without seeing who it was.

"Thank you!" Venus ran off to the right, still clueless.

The woman watched her run, before she gasped with wide eyes. Purple cloak, striped tights; the witch! "It's her!"

'I will make it to the execution platform!' Luffy vowed to himself, as he ran. 'I'm gonna get another look at the view the King of the Pirates saw!'


(A/N: So, as the title says, Venus starts seeing how she can use her powers in combat! You know the disclaimer.)