One Bleach
In this chapter, we're going to see some more Hollow slaying…and yes, Orihime's going to dress like a pirate.
Intrigued?
Chapter 9: Orihime The Pirate
Orihime exited the clothing store wearing a pirate bandana, a navy shirt, and some blue overalls, happy to get the opportunity to dress up like a pirate, just like Luffy and his friends.
"How do I look?" inquired Inoue Orihime. Personally she was hoping that she looked nice.
"You look pretty good…though I was expecting you to wear something more feminine…" questioned Luffy.
"I just wanted to look like a pirate…" answered the teenage girl.
"Well, you haven't lost any limbs yet…" noted the pirate. Granted, it wasn't like he wanted Orihime to lose limbs, but it seemed standard among pirates.
"Yeah…personally I get the feeling that I can regenerate my limbs…so wearing a pegleg and the like probably won't be necessary…I'm not sure why though." questioned Orihime.
Luffy shrugged. Were it not for the fact that Orihime was an excellent swimmer, he would be wondering if Orihime had eaten a devil fruit right about now. There did seem to be something…supernatural about her.
"By the way, do you think I should get a parrot?" asked the teenage girl.
"How come?" inquired the pirate captain.
"Well, when I see a pirate captain on TV, they usually have a parrot on their shoulder…" noted Orihime.
"What? Oh." answered Luffy. Now that he thought of it, that did make a degree of sense…though of course Orihime would be in charge of taking care of that bird.
Now that he thought of it, he wondered if he should try getting an animal companion himself. They say that a dog was a man's best friend…but he might not necessarily be a dog person. It depended on someone's personality.
'Then again, having a parrot might not be all good. I heard that they keep asking you for crackers." questioned the newfound pirate.
"Yeah…" nodded the pirate. Personally if he had crackers he would probably eat them all himself.
"But it would be nice to have an animal to keep me company since I happen to live alone…" acknowledged the teenage girl.
"I guess so…" agreed Luffy. Personally he felt a bit sorry for Orihime, especially ever since her brother died.
It was rather unfortunate that Sora Inoue had passed away…even if he returned as a Plus to be Orihime's guardian angel.
That had of course gone horribly wrong when a Hollow pitched in and made him want to kill the pirate captain. It looked like someone got a kick out of turning people into evil spirits.
He was glad that he had decided to tell Orihime about it…she was a big help in dealing with her brother.
Still, he wondered what Hollow had transformed him into a monster. Whoever they were, they sounded like they were a rather dangerous Hollow. Perhaps he should take caution if he ever encountered them.
Hopefully someone would put an end to them by breaking their mask and send them to Soul Society where they belong…or perhaps Hell. It depended on how evil they were before they became a Hollow.
That was where Shrieker had gone after he had met his maker, after all. He had been a bad boy in life, to say the very least.
One less serial killer in the world, he supposed. Personally he was a bit surprised that he never got the electric chair…but his last intended victim had taken care of that.
"It's nice to get to sail around in a ship that resembles me…" noted Orihime.
Luffy nodded. Who would have thought that Orihime would be mistaken for a goddess? Some people have strange cultures.
Still, he wanted to get the Straw Hat Pirates their old ship back. They've used it for years and it had really grown on them.
And now they might know where it was, thanks to Orihime.
"You think we can get your ship back?" inquired Orihime.
"Probably…we just need to visit Arlong Park…" answered Luffy.
Orihime nodded.
Immediately, he went to fetch the rest of his crew.
"Did you get Orihime a pirate outfit?" inquired Sanji.
"Yes!" exclaimed Luffy.
"I guess we're good to go then." nodded Zoro.
"Hurry up! I want our ship back!" demanded Usopp. Things weren't going to be the same if they couldn't reclaim their trusty vessel.
Luffy nodded. Together, they set sail on the S.S. Orihime and began to sail towards Arlong Park.
Hopefully the ship wouldn't be guarded that well. Otherwise they would have a hard time getting it back.
But Luffy did enjoy a challenge every now and then. It was part of the reason why he decided to be a pirate.
Well, that and he wanted to find the treasure of the legendary pirate king. There were a lot of pirates that wanted it.
Once again, the Straw Hat Pirates began to set sail.
Meanwhile in Ichigo's world…
Ever since he had encountered Rukia for the first time, Chad was rather spiritually aware all of a sudden. In fact, he felt rather strong.
This was rather fortunate, as he had encountered a Hollow…that happened to be racist.
"It's a black man! Die die die!" screamed the Hollow.
Immediately, he attempted to devour Chad's soul.
Personally, Chad wondered if the Hollow was racist even when he was still alive.
Fortunately, one punch was all it took to break the Hollow's mask.
He wondered if he should help Ichigo. He had heard that it was his job to send spirits to the afterlife now.
He must be a rather busy man. It would be nice if he could take a day off and hang out with him sometime whenever there weren't many Hollows in Karakura Town.
How many Hollows paid the town a visit, anyway? He hoped that his soul wasn't in danger of being eaten…though admittedly ordinary Hollows didn't seem to be a threat to him anymore.
Suddenly, he noticed Karin, who was playing a game of soccer by herself.
"Hello." said Chad.
"Hey." spoke Karin, kicking the soccer ball as hard as she could. It was a bit boring playing alone.
Personally he was a bit surprised how far that she could kick. It was as if she was super-strong or something.
But considering the universe that he lived in, maybe that wouldn't be such a surprise.
"How are you doing?" inquired the teenage boy.
"Pretty good…though I'm basically a superheroine now…" explained Karin.
"How so?" asked Chad.
"Well, ever since I came in contact with Hollow blood…I've gained Hollow powers…likewise, my sister Yuzu has apparently developed Quincy powers…I suppose we are different people that way…" acknowledged the teenage girl.
Chad nodded.
Suddenly, they heard stomping noises.
"Huh?" asked Chad.
"We've got company!" warned Karin.
As it turned out, it was one of the Hollows that had been attracted by Uryu's Hollow Bait. Maybe next time he would be more careful.
But for now, Karin and Chad were going to have to fight for their lives.
"Fe fi fo fum! I smell the blood of an Englishm-I mean a soul!" exclaimed Bulbous G.
"You got a two for one deal, actually." said Karin.
"Really? Huh, I didn't notice you there." answered the Hollow.
"Why not?" inquired the soccer player.
"My vision might not be as good as it used to be…" shrugged Bulbous G.
"Maybe you should put some glasses on." suggested Karin.
"I guess I'll go get a Hollow eye exam…after I've eaten your soul, of course." answered the giant (albeit not Gillian) hollow.
"Why can't we all just get along?" questioned the daughter of a Shinigami and a Quincy.
Personally she wondered if it was such a good to practice soccer alone when there were so many dangerous Hollows out in the city.
Granted, she could protect herself when push came to shove, but still.
Immediately, Bulbous G attempted to stomp on Chad and Karin so that he could make them into pancakes. Maybe he should get some maple syrup?
Fortunately, they were fast and leapt out of the way.
"Where's a beanstalk when you need one?" asked Chad.
"Maybe we should ask someone for magic beans…" agreed Karin.
Unfortunately, Bulbous G began to charge at them, forcing them to run.
"How can a giant move that fast?" questioned Ichigo's best friend.
"Trust me, I don't get it either." noted Ichigo's little sister.
Suddenly, they noticed Ichigo, who was currently relaxing on a bench. He seemed to be having a good day…unlike them.
"Ichigo! Perfect!" exclaimed Karin.
"Huh?" asked Ichigo.
"Ichigo, we really need your help! There's a giant Hollow after us!" explained Chad.
"What?" questioned the substitute Soul Reaper.
Sure enough, the giant appeared to be looking for them out in the distance.
"That's one big Hollow…" noted Ichigo.
"Quick! Eat a Soul Candy and go Chuck Norris on him!" bellowed Karin.
"Er, about that…" said the eldest child of Isshin and Masaki Kurosaki.
"Huh?" asked Ichigo's little sister.
"You see…I happen to have lost my powers as of late…" explained Ichigo.
"You've what?!" exclaimed Karin.
"I accidentally gave them all away to Nami…" asked the teenage boy.
"Darn it! Now we're going to have our souls eaten!" bellowed the preteen girl. How could Ichigo have been so careless?
"It was nice knowing you." stated Chad.
At that very moment, Bulbous G spotted them.
"There you are! You can run, but you can't hide!" exclaimed Bulbous G, letting out a roar.
"I wish I had an invisibility cloak from Harry Potter right about now…" complained Karin. Maybe she could use that to hide from the dangerous Hollows.
"You know…if you hit that Hollow in his mask…you might be able to wound him." suggested Ichigo.
"Really?" asked Chad.
Immediately, he leapt into the air and punched the giant Hollow in the face.
This seemed to be effective, as Bulbous G covered his mask in pain.
"My mask! My beautiful mask!" bellowed Bulbous G. Why did Ichigo have to tell Chad about his weakness?
Granted, most Shinigami knew that was a Hollow's weak spot already…but still!
"I guess he didn't like that…" answered Karin.
Unfortunately, Bulbous G kicked Karin and sent her flying a few feet.
"I didn't know I could fly…" questioned the preteen girl.
She hit the ground with a hard thud.
"Oh no! Karin!" exclaimed Ichigo.
Fortunately, she was alright…though she didn't feel too good.
"Ugh…" murmured Karin. She could probably use some medical attention.
Suddenly, she noticed that Chad had drawn blood when he punched the Hollow in the face.
Immediately, she began to lick it off the floor, causing her injuries to disappear.
"I didn't know that my sister was a vampire…" questioned Ichigo.
Chad continued to fight the Hollow. It was rather satisfying to see a giant fall…as Luffy and Rukia had discovered.
Once again, he punched Bulbous G in the face. This time, cracks were beginning to appear in his mask.
"How can I be losing to this pipsqueak? I'm as tall as a mountain!" exclaimed Bulbous G.
"I don't think you're that tall…" questioned Chad.
Bulbous G sighed.
Chad punched Bulbous G in the mask once again, and this time it shattered.
It was off to the afterlife for Bulbous G.
"Congratulations…" said Ichigo.
"Wait, you're not a Shinigami anymore?" questioned Karin.
"Well, I'll probably get my powers back soon…but for now I'm not." said Ichigo.
"I don't think Rukia will be happy to hear that…" noted the preteen girl.
"Don't tell Rukia! Don't tell Rukia!" screamed the depowered Soul Reaper.
"Alright, alright. Our lips are sealed. Sheesh." spoke Karin.
"Do you want to hang out? I've got a new friend that I would like you to meet…" stated Chad.
"I suppose that would be nice…" answered Ichigo.
Meanwhile at a small harbor near Arlong Park…
At the park, three of Arlong's pirates were admiring their stolen vessel.
"I'm so happy that we're finally getting the money Nami owes us back…I could even sing a song about it!" exclaimed Pisaro.
"Why does she owe us so much money, anyway?" inquired Chew.
"Well, Arlong did say that she would let her home go if she paid him about a hundred million beris or so…I guess he got tired of waiting." noted Take.
"Yeah…she really needs to honor her debts…" acknowledged Pisaro.
Suddenly, they noticed a ship arriving.
"Huh? Who is that?" questioned Chew.
Out of nowhere, Chew, Take, and Pisaro found themselves being bombarded with cannonballs.
"Take cover!" exclaimed Chew.
Immediately, they dove underwater to avoid being shot.
"It looks like we're off to a good start!" exclaimed Luffy.
"Um, Luffy…are you sure we should be firing cannonballs when the fishmen are so close to our ship?" questioned Zoro.
Luffy sweatdropped.
"That does seem kind of counterproductive…" noted Orihime.
"Fine…I guess we'll just have to do this the old-fashioned way…" acknowledged Luffy.
Immediately, the pirate crew began to openly arm themselves.
Curious, Orihime wondered what she should arm herself with.
"Hmm…" thought Orihime.
Suddenly, spiritual energy began to appear in her hand.
"Huh. I guess that's going to be my weapon…" shrugged Orihime.
Personally, she didn't like violence…but if Luffy wanted his ship back, apparently that was just way things were going to be.
Immediately, the Straw Hat Pirates began to charge towards the Fishmen, who quickly found themselves outnumbered.
Should Arlong have had more Fishmen guard the ship?
Using her spiritual energy, Orihime attacked Pisaro.
"Aargh!" exclaimed Pisaro.
Apparently, it was effective, as Pisaro was wounded.
Sanji then whacked Chew on the head with a frying pan. Repeatedly.
"Ow! Ow! Ow!" bellowed Chew.
"Chew on this!" exclaimed Sanji. For some strange reason he felt like making puns today.
Likewise, Usopp was taking away all of Take's personal belongings…leaving him in his underwear.
He immediately passed out from embarrassment.
Usopp shrugged. That actually wasn't what it intended, but it worked out.
With all three fishmen defeated, the Straw Hat Pirates reclaimed their ship.
"I knew we could do it!" exclaimed Luffy.
"That was actually kind of easy…" noted Orihime.
"I don't think Arlong is going to be happy with us though…" warned Zoro.
"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it." stated Usopp.
Once again, the Straw Hat Pirates set sail on the Seven Seas.
In Karakura Town…
"So, this is your new friend?" inquired Ichigo.
"Yes. This is Uryu…he said that he was a Quincy." answered Chad.
"A…Quincy?" asked the teenage Shinigami.
"Yeah…he happens to fight Hollows…just like you used to do." explained the teenage boy.
"What?" inquired Ichigo.
"Wait…your best friend is a Shinigami?" questioned Uryu.
"Is that a problem?" asked the son of Isshin Kurosaki.
"The Shinigami wiped out a lot of my people a long time ago…" explained the bespectacled teen.
"Sorry to hear that…" sympathized Ichigo.
"Sorry? You're responsible for that!" bellowed Uryu.
"But I've never slain a Quincy…" said the Shinigami.
"Well, I can't say the same for your ancestors…" pointed out the bespectacled teen.
"My dad said that my mother was a Quincy…" explained Ichigo.
"What?!" exclaimed Uryu.
"Yeah…it's rather odd now that I think of it." answered the Shinigami.
"What was her name?" asked the Quincy.
"It was Masaki…why do you ask?" questioned Ichigo.
"My father said that he was going to marry her as part of an arranged marriage…but he decided to marry for love instead. That was how I was born. Of course, now my mother's dead too…why do mothers have such a high mortality rate?" inquired Uryu.
Ichigo shrugged. He had heard from one of the Straw Hat Pirates that Nami's mother was dead too. Was there some sort of mother epidemic?
At least it didn't seem to be affecting their fathers…though they were probably going to participate in a war soon. Wars were pretty lethal for fathers.
"Perhaps we aren't so different after all…" acknowledged Uryu.
"Yeah…" nodded Ichigo. It was a bit uncanny.
At that very moment, Rukia stopped by.
"Hello, Ichigo." said Rukia.
Once again, Ichigo began to act nervous.
"Hi, Rukia!" exclaimed Ichigo.
Once again, Rukia noticed that he was acting strange. What was going on? Did he have a crash on her or something?
Now that she thought of it, he did appear to be sweating a lot…even though it wasn't very hot outside.
"I see that you're making friends…" noted Rukia.
"Yeah…I made friends with a Quincy of all people…" acknowledged Ichigo.
"That's kind of odd." said the teenage girl. Perhaps it was in her best interest not to tell him that she was a Soul Reaper.
Otherwise, he might get angry.
"I heard that you're one of the newest students at Karakura High…" noted Uryu.
"That's me." nodded Rukia.
"Why are we having so many new students lately? It feels like just yesterday that I met a boy that could stretch himself like rubber…" questioned the Quincy.
Then again, perhaps that was yesterday.
"I've met him too." said the Soul Reaper.
Speaking of which, he had suddenly disappeared. It was a shame, really…he was hoping that they could slay more Gillians once they became stronger.
Imagine how popular they would be among the Soul Reapers and Quincies if they kept slaying them.
However, despite their large size, Uryu was aware that there were stronger Hollows out there. So he probably still had a long way to go until he became one of the strongest Quincies of all.
"He helped me take down a Gillian…" answered Uryu. Personally he was surprised that one had showed up after their little competition to see who was the better Hollow slayer.
"Yeah, I was there…" nodded Rukia. She was a bit surprised that they could take it down herself. But apparently Luffy was getting stronger.
"Oh yeah…" said the Quincy.
Wait, wasn't Rukia a Soul Reaper? Of course, he had probably misjudged them as of late, but still!
He hoped that he didn't have to meet Mayuri Kurotsuchi one day. He had a field day experimenting on the Quincies, to say the very least. What were the Gotei 13 thinking when they decided to hire a person like him?
Personally he wondered if he enjoyed vivisecting frogs when he was younger.
"So, how's your friend Nami doing?" asked Rukia.
"Better than ever!" exclaimed Ichigo.
"Alright…" answered the teenage girl. Personally she was starting to get the feeling that Ichigo had transferred his powers to someone else…but to who?
If so, he was in a heap of trouble…just like she was. The Soul Society didn't exactly approve of people transferring Shinigami powers to others.
In fact, it was a capital crime. Rukia was starting to feel worried.
Besides, she had been gone from Soul Society to quite some time…so the Shinigami would probably be looking for it.
Were they aware that she had transferred her powers to a normal human? Well, technically he hadn't been a normal human to begin with…but it was still normal by their standards since the Gotei 13 were basically disciples of Chuck Norris.
Speaking of Chuck Norris, he was apparently working with the Gotei 13 now for some strange reason. She wasn't sure why.
"Hmm…" thought Rukia.
"Anything you want to talk about with me and my friends?" asked Ichigo.
"Well, I heard that your friend Chad has taken up Hollow fighting as of late…I didn't know that he had it in him…" questioned the warrior.
"Yeah…I'm a bit surprised myself…" agreed the Soul Reaper from the human world.
Chad began to flex his muscles.
"Well, good luck slaying more Hollows…and try not to have your souls eaten, I suppose." answered Rukia.
Ichigo, Chad, and Uryu nodded. The more time they spent with their souls, the better.
Off Rukia went, ready to slay some Hollows and save the world…or at least Karakura Town. Perhaps she wasn't strong enough to save the world yet, even if she had regained much of her Shinigami power.
"She sure is a strong girl, isn't she?" inquired Chad.
"Yeah…I wish I were that strong." nodded Uryu.
"Maybe we'll be that strong someday…" answered Ichigo.
Meanwhile on Arlong's ship…
"I can't wait to sell the ship that the Straw Hat Pirates provided me with oh so generously…" said Arlong.
"Captain! We have a problem!" exclaimed Hacchan.
"What is it?" inquired the Fishman captain.
"It's the Going Merry…the Straw Hat Pirates reclaimed it!" bellowed the Fishman crewmate.
"What?!" bellowed Arlong.
"It's true!" nodded Hacchan.
"What happened to the fishmen that were guarding it? Why didn't they do their jobs?" asked the Fishman captain.
"I don't know…but they've been arrested by the Marines!" bellowed Arlong's crewmate.
"Curse you, Straw Hat Pirates! Curse you! No matter…I'll get my revenge on them one day…or my name isn't Arlong, the leader of the Arlong Pirates!" exclaimed Arlong.
"You know…naming your pirate crew after yourself is kind of redundant…" pointed out Hacchan.
"Shut up!" screeched Arlong.
The Straw Hat Pirates would pay the price for messing with such a dreaded pirate captain. Everyone knew what happened when people didn't pay the debt that they owed him.
Immediately, Rukia left to go slay more Hollows and deliver them to Soul Society where they belong. That way they wouldn't be eating any more souls for lunch.
I hoped you liked that chapter…I'm going to keep them coming!
In the next chapter…well, something rather goofy is going to happen…Ichigo and Nami are going to get abducted by aliens! Spooky, huh?
Then again, maybe that's a bit random.
I'll also see if I can spoof the Loguetown Arc next…since One Piece is such a long anime I might have my work cut out for me…but I'll do the best I can. Heh heh.