One Piece:
The Chronicles of Wano
One Piece © Oda
OCs © Me
Summary- It's an adventure in the Land of Samurai! After rescuing Sanji and their harrowing adventure in Hetheren, Luffy and his half of the Straw Hats finally arrive in Wano Country. However, not everything is what it seems, for the country has been under the rule of the shogun, Kurozumi Orochi, and Kaido, Captain of the Beast Pirates and one of the Emperors of the Sea. In this epic story, bonds will be tested and enemies will be made, and secrets are revealed! Join the Straw Hat Pirates in their most epic adventure yet!
IMPORTANT AUTHOR'S NOTE: So, first of all, I know this has been a long time coming. I actually had this chapter written a couple of months ago, but I wanted to save it and try and see how many I could write before I could actually get started... but so much has happened, with my dog passing away, my mental health, me getting back into Inuyasha again. However, with One Piece nearly reaching its 1000th chapter, I had decided that I'm going to go ahead and get started on this.
And may I just say, please don't say rude things like "Well, it's about damn time you started this!" or "Don't do Inuyasha anymore! Just focus on this!". It's really discouraging. I like to explore my options. To those of you who have been kind and patient through all this, I thank you all so much and I hope to bring you a very well-written rendition of this arc.
With that said... let's get into the action!
Ch. 1- Seppuku
"You'd never believe it by looking at him, but Master Nekomamushi really is good at sailing the seas!"
"Of course! What'd you expect from someone who once sailed with the King of the Pirates?!"
Somewhere in the far corners of the New World, on an island known as Sphinx, a certain crew of beastmen had arrived here: the Guardians of the Whale Forest, who had sailed here with Master Nekomamushi after Luffy and friends left Zou to reunite with Sanji on Whole Cake Island. During this time, Nekomamushi had gathered his Guardians and arrived here for one reason only. Right now, the Minks were all standing outside, waiting in the ruins of an old, dilapidated village.
"So then," said B.B. as he sat on the edge of the shore with Roddy and several other Minks, "how long are we supposed to be waiting for Nekomamushi in these ruins?"
"He said to wait until he comes back with Marco the Phoenix!" Roddy answered. "He wanted you-gara to wait here because you look too scary."
"Is this 'Marco' really someone who'd be intimidated by my looks?" asked B.B., incredulously.
"I'm talking about the people who live in the village, you idiot!" Roddy barked. "Just don't go there!"
"Are you kidding?!" B.B. questioned. "You're just as terrifying as I am!"
A quick refresher for those who don't know: the all-powerful Whitebeard Pirates had lost their captain in the Paramount War, 2 years ago, along with the Second Division Commander, Portgas D. Ace. Marco, the First Division Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates, took the remaining members and waged war against Marshall D. Teach, AKA "Blackbeard", in order to avenge their beloved "Pops". However, their efforts were in vain, for Blackbeard ended up overpowering them. The Whitebeard Pirates have since scattered far and wide to parts unknown.
"So, what's back there, then?" asked B.B. as he glanced over at a nearby waterfall.
"Well, according to Master Nekomamushi," Roddy began, "on the other side of the cave that hides behind the waterfall lies this peaceful little village. It's no place for a bunch of big, scary brutes like us!"
"Well...I guess you have a point," the Gorilla Mink admitted. "Even so, the Boss looks way scarier than us!"
"Yeah, if he gets mad," Roddy agreed, "but then again...he does have a pretty cute smile, huh?"
"Yeah, that's true," B.B. agreed in an endearing tone.
Behind the waterfall and through the cave...a sunny dirt path reveals the way to a tiny, humble village, surrounded by lush, green trees, beautiful grass, and puffy white clouds floating overhead. However, within this village lives a single...the very one that Nekomamushi sought out. However...he was with a patient at the moment.
A rather big patient at that.
"Okay, hold still, big fella," said a calm, laid-back sounding voice as a hand reached down toward a giant paw that was wrapped up in bandages...where a light blue flame glowed from his palm. After a few moments, the hand pulled away.
"There you go. All fixed up, big guy!"
His patient was revealed to be, of all things, a Sphinx! Of course, it wasn't as big as the one found in Impel Down, and this one seemed a bit more docile.
"Your leg should be on the mend, now...but try and take it easy, you got that? My regenerating flames only have a small effect on others."
The one who healed the Sphinx...was none other than the former Whitebeard Pirates 1st Division Commander, as well as the former ship's doctor, Marco the Phoenix!
Except now, instead of wearing his signature blue puffy shirt and purple pants...he was now wearing something a little more simple: a plain white, long-sleeved shirt that was buttoned up halfway to reveal his tattoo and a simple pair of black pants, as well as a pair of glasses.
"Now that I've mended the wound," Marco began, "your natural healing speed should be a little faster by now...but just to be safe, you better take it easy today, and then you can leap around and play as much as you want tomorrow."
"Yay!" cheered a little girl that stood next to the beast. "You hear that, Tama?"
"Play?!" the Sphinx, Tama, asked eagerly as he began to jump up and down, excitedly.
"I said tomorrow!" shouted Marco. "Not now!"
Tama seemed to groan, disheartened while his owner giggled.
"Thanks, Dr. Marco!" said the child before she picked up Tama's leash and led him away. "C'mon, Tama! Time to go home!"
"Okay," Tama answered as he followed his master.
"Bye, now," Marco waved. "Safe journey home!"
"Hey, Marco!"
Marco turned to see several other people standing behind him, all of them clamoring at once.
"My back is hurting me, again!" shouted a middle-aged man with a receding hairline.
"Oh, Marco, dear," said an old woman. "My knee is acting up."
"Marco, my little brother won't stop playing pranks!" shouted a young boy of at least 8 years. All the while, Nekomamushi stood nearby while puffing out rings of smoke from his kiseru pipe, observing the scene and waiting patiently for the former pirate to finish with his patients.
Once he had taken care of the last of them, soon Marco and Nekomamushi sat on a log on a hill, overlooking the small village, surrounded by the peaceful atmosphere of the green, lush grass and the puffy clouds, along with the happy people just laughing and chatting away.
"...Pops," Marco spoke up. "He built this place, you know."
"Old Man Whitebeard, eh?" Nekomamushi inquired. "What do you mean?"
"Well, countries that can't join the World Government, because they're too poor to pay the Heavenly Tribute," Marco began, "tend to be lawless islands, by and large, suffering from pirates and slavers run amok. When a country like that collapses, it creates a fresh generation of orphans...and Pops used to be one of 'em." He then looked up at the sky with a warm smile. "He went out to sea at a young age and became a pirate...but he always did care for this place, so he secretly sent dirty money and supplies into it, all throughout his life." Marco then glanced down at the villagers, some of them playing with their pet Sphinxes. "Pops never had a family and all his old friends are gone, now...but this island...it'll always be his home."
"Mrowroworow!" laughed Nekomamushi. "Marco, in a dirty world such as this, there's no such thing as good money or bad money. It's just money, plain and simple!"
"Haha!" Marco laughed. "Thank you for saying that." He then heaved a quiet sigh as he stared out toward the rocky cliffs that surrounded the villages. "After the Paramount War, we at least wanted to protect this place that Pops cared so much for...so when Blackbeard killed Pops...we started the Grudge War in order to avenge him." He tightly clenched his fists. "But...we were no match for him since Teach had Pops' power at his disposal...and he took everything from us. I wanted to make that fat bastard pay for his ingratitude!"
"I hear ya," Nekomamushi sympathized. "I guess you could say that this place is a final memento from your beloved 'Pops', eh?"
"That's right," Marco replied. "Red-Haired Shanks was...kind enough to bury him and Ace not too far from here." He sniffled as he took off his glasses and rubbed at his eyes, trying to fight back his tears. "Pops was...a bit of a cheapskate, you know? He always wanted others to buy his drinks for him and he always ran out on his tab at restaurants...but we didn't mind it!" He forced a sad grin. "We knew...that he was putting every bit of treasure he had into this place!" He then gave a choked laugh while Nekomamushi sat by, puffing on his pipe while waiting for him to regain his composure.
"...I understand...Marco," he whispered.
After a while, Marco managed to pull himself together and went inside his cottage to get the large Cat Mink a quick snack...which was really just a hunk of cheese, but it was all he had.
"By the way," Marco started, "I heard that there's this Warlord named Weevil going around, saying that he Pops' son and attacking anyone related to the name of Whitebeard."
"Oh, yeah, I heard about that," Nekomamushi replied. "Is that even true?"
"Well, I can't really comment on Pops' history with women," Marco began, "but I know the guy's after some inheritance." He handed Nekomamushi the cheese, which the Cat Mink eagerly snatched. "I highly doubt he'll take 'there is no inheritance' for answer...so I figure that he'll probably come looking for me and this place, soon enough."
"Hmph," Nekomamushi muttered as he munched on the cheese. "When you put your case like that, I can see why you're not really eager to leave then."
"Weevil's Mother, Buckin, is a former pirate, herself," Marco said. "I'd say about 30 or 40-something years ago, she would've been on the same ship as Pops!"
"Mrowrowrowrow!" Nekomamushi laughed. "Then maybe you've got another memento of his to protect!"
"Hahahaha!" Marco chuckled. "Well, they're certainly not acting like it!" A brief pause followed. "Hey...Nekomamushi."
"Yeah?" Nekomamushi asked.
"You're gonna be meeting up with Straw Hat Luffy in Wano, right?" Marco inquired.
"That's the plan," Nekomamushi answered. "Why? Have you changed your mind about not going?"
"No, that's not it," Marco said. "I need you to pass on a message for me, if that's okay."
"Sure," Nekomamushi answered. "What is it?"
"...Well..."
XXX
The light strum of a shamisen...a brightly colored striped curtain...and cherry blossom petals dance in the spring breeze as a woman wearing a beautiful kimono and wearing a kitsune mask sits. The curtain opens...and reveals a gigantic bonsai tree where a grand castle sits, and surrounding that was an enormous city with tall pagodas, large houses, and huge mountains as far as the eye could see.
This was the one and only Land of Samurai: Wano Country!
"Hey! New guy! Is this your work?!"
This came from a short and stocky old man with dark gray hair that was shaved down, wearing the traditional garb of a Wano carpenter while holding metal nails in his mouth and even in his nose.
This was Minatomo, related to a similar carpenter who lives in the East Blue.
"Yeah, it is!" answered a large, hulking figure with a dark blue yukata, a red cloth over his shoulders, and his hair styled into the shape of a hammer. "Is there a problem with it?!"
"Hell yeah, there is!" shouted Minatomo. "This is PERFECT! With a capital P! I'm paying you a damn compliment, so take it, you bastard!"
"Of course, it's per...err...I mean, yeah, you bet it is! Much obliged there, Boss, you salty ol' codger!" the new worker shouted back.
CARPENTER:
FRANOSUKE (FRANKY)
Meanwhile, in another part of town, a small crowd had gathered in the streets as they saw banners and signs being held up, bearing the name of "Toad Oil".
"Step right up!" a voice called. "Come on! Come all! Be the first my blade and how cleanly she cuts through paper!"
This was coming from a man with a white shaggy beard, wearing a light blue yukata and a pair of black-and-white striped hakama, plus a green bandanna with a little toad sitting on his head...and the man had a suspiciously long nose.
"Behold!" the merchant exclaimed as he held up a katana, which he used to cut through some paper. "One sheet of paper becomes two! Two becomes four! Eight! Sixteen! 32! 64!" He then tossed the confetti into the air. "As numerous as the sunset snow of Wano~!"
The crowd all clapped in awe at the display.
"But wait! There's more!" the merchant declared as he held the katana to his arm...and easily sliced it open, much to everyone's shock. "See this?! A simple touch, and the blade breaks the skin like a hot knife through butter!"
"AAH!" a woman shrieked before she fainted.
"But watch this!" the merchant said as he rubbed some sort of salve onto the wound. "A miracle happens before your very eyes! A simple dab of my Toad Oil..." He pulled his fingers away, revealing to have completely disappeared! "And the wound is gone! No bleeding, whatsoever!"
"Ooohh!" the crowd exclaimed.
"You, sir!" said a man in the crowd. "I'd like to buy some of that Toad Oil!"
"I-I'll have two, if you don't mind!" added an old man.
"You've made a wise purchase, my friends!" the merchant grinned. "Gather 'round! There's plenty for all!"
TOAD OIL MERCHANT
USOHACHI (USOPP)
And in Wano Country's Red-Light District...
"Come on, now! That's the way! Oh, no, no! Lower your hips a bit more! And raise your arm, too!"
"L...like this?"
This came from the newest geisha in town...a woman with deep black hair and icy blue eyes, wearing an extravagant kimono with a flowery design and had her hair combed back and tied up with pins.
"Am I doing it right?" asked the geisha as she tried to pose exactly as she had been instructed.
"I want to see some more effort from you, young lady!" said the mistress in charge, a short, old woman that was playing a shamisen. "At the rate you're going, you'll never get a summons to the Shogun's chamber at the rate you want! Woo~! Now try again!"
"Y-Yes, ma'am," the woman answered.
'Goodness, this is hard work,' she thought.
GEISHA
O-ROBI (ROBIN)
Why were these three members of the Straw Hats posing as citizens of Wano, one might wonder? Well, it all began when they first arrived here.
~Flashback~
"Listen carefully to what I'm about to say!"
Kin'emon, Kanjuro, and Raizo sat in front of Zoro, Usopp, Robin, and Franky inside what looked like an old abandoned room that looked like it had not been cleaned for many years. For some reason, though, Zoro and Robin were sitting apart from each other. Outside the ruins, Kumi sat, waiting for the group to finish speaking...but she occasionally glanced off toward the forest.
"The Shogun of Wano is a man known as Kurozumi Orochi, and the officials who do his business all have connections to Kaido," Kin'emon explained. "Thus, they are arrogant and corrupt! However...if you were to bring them harm in any way, the news will definitely make it to Kaido! We must not allow our existence to be known until our allies can assemble, and the preparations for the final battle can begin!"
"So what should we do?" asked Usopp.
"Firstly," said Kin'emon, "you must pass yourselves off as locals, and quietly, secretly...go about your duties!"
"I see," Robin replied. "So in other words, we'll be acting like spies, wouldn't you say?"
"Precisely, Lady Robin!" Kin'emon replied. "So I must beseech to all of you that you do not blow your covers! Is that understood?!"
"Oh, please," Zoro muttered. "What's the worst that can happen?"
~Flashback end~
True to form...the worst did happen.
"His Lordship, the magistrate, has caught the tsujigiri!" a samurai shouted into the streets to passersby. "The rogue samurai will now be forced to commit seppuku!"
"Finally," said a young man. "His reign of terror had claimed three victims during the night, just this month!"
"I hate that despicable tsujigiri!" shouted a woman in her early 20s. "He cut down my poor husband in his prime!"
"For a while, I thought it was the legendary hitokiri who was doing all the murders," added an older man.
"No, it couldn't have been him," said a young woman. "I heard that he died 4 years ago."
"Hmph!" the old man scoffed. "A man like that couldn't have just died."
Who was this tsujigiri that the people spoke of? In the magistrate's place of residence...it was soon revealed to be a man with mossy green hair that was tied in a topknot and wearing a white yukata.
RONIN
ZOROJURO (ZORO)
"The populace has been terrified of your bloody carnage, tsujigiri," said the magistrate, a tall, lanky, weasel of a man. "Not only will this restore peace, but it seems we've caught a grave robber as well!"
As he spoke...a samurai placed a knife in front of Zoro.
"23 years ago, in the midst of a pirate upheaval," the magistrate explained, "we had lost the remains of the legendary swordsman, Ryuma, as well as his blade, Shuusui!"
Zoro said nothing as he glared up at the magistrate, who held up the black katana in his hand, looking at the blade with this...almost perverse expression. He even seemed to be drooling at it.
"But tsujigiri," said the magistrate, "you do not look so old. Did you extract this from the thief?"
Zoro didn't answer him, causing him to chuckle.
"Well, no matter," the weasel boasted as he continuously leered at Shuusui. "One wonders how pristine its bite is. To think...in my hands, I hold the great sword, Shuusui!"
"Uh...excuse me," Zoro finally spoke as he held up the knife. "This knife has no hilt...err...verily...?"
"Tis a seppuku blade," said the samurai standing next to him. "It is short and has no hilt on purpose. It's not meant for fighting, therefore, it needs no hilt. You do know how seppuku works, don't you?!"
Zoro said nothing, causing the samurai to glare at him before he drew his sword.
"If you have any pride as a samurai," he said, "then you must admit your crime and make amends with your death! My role is to lop off your head when you're done so that you do not suffer!"
"...Well, in that case," Zoro began as he began to take off his yukata, revealing his muscular torso underneath, "so long, 'cruel world'!"
"Hmph!" the magistrate scoffed. "Just don't go wailing and blubbering like a fool. The samurai's true worth is in his end! We have witnesses and evidence! This death gives you far more dignity than you deserve! Rejoice in your seppuku!"
He then laughed while Zoro inspected the knife...while the soft strum of the shamisen in the air continued to play. Then...it steadily grew faster and louder as Zoro positioned the knife's tip toward his stomach...or so it seemed.
"You know," he said as he looked to the magistrate, "I can smell blood in the air...and it's coming from you."
"E...eh...?!" the magistrate tensed.
"So...do I have you pegged...tsujigiri?" asked Zoro...before he suddenly swung the knife...and to everyone's utter shock and disbelief, the air-compressed slash not only cut through the magistrate...but the building behind him!
"EEEEEEEEEEEEEHHH?!" the onlookers questioned.
"He...he did THAT?!" asked one of the samurai. 'WITH JUST A SEPPUKU BLADE?!"
"...I'm sorry about this, Kin'emon...!" whispered Zoro.
TO BE CONTINUED...
Next time on One Piece: The Chronicles of Wano!
Aika: The "rubbery"?
Nami: No, honey, the Reverie. It's like a meeting for kings and queens.
Luffy: Wimpyhoshi actually made it to the surface?
Sanji: Hey, it says that Vivi was there, too! I wonder how she is...
Blizzard: Uh...does anyone not notice the octopus standing behind us?!
Carrot: Whoa! Look out! Giant carp!
Luffy: Carp?! Where?!
Blizzard: LUFFY, WATCH OUT!
*After a brief blackout*
Luffy: ...Blizzard...I think we're in Wano Country.
Blizzard (sarcastically): Really? Because I couldn't tell with the giant baboon holding a katana!
Next time: Onward to Wano
So I finally got started on this story, but I'm not in a hurry to finish. I actually have several chapters in the wings and I'm trying to see how many I can complete before I put the story up as a whole, and I can edit them how I want to coincide with the canon story.
Review, please!