AN:
Not much to say here other than thanks for the likes and follows! I hope all the newcomers are enjoying the story so far!
As always I would love to hear what you guys think!
Chapter 26: Surprises and Shells
"Nami?!", Luffy asked incredulously. He knew he'd see her again but he never expected her to just show up on the ship!
The orangette remained frozen, unable to keep her eyes from drinking in the sight of the straw-hatted boy in front of her. 'He's grown.', she thought to herself as she roamed Luffy's form. She'd seen him whenever he was in the news but it hadn't really hit her until after seeing him in person.
The jeans were new. Her vision hovered over them for a moment before she decided that she liked them, they made him look a bit older… Actually, everything about him looked older, especially his actual body. When they'd traveled together, he'd been a lot skinnier. And now… She couldn't lie to herself… He looked good.
"LUFFY!", a voice screamed, interrupting the staring match between the two, "HELP! THERE'S A SEA MONSTER!".
Luffy's eyes widened. Levi didn't know who Koby was… He might actually eat him… The straw-hatted teen shot Nami a look that said 'Don't go anywhere.' before rushing up the ladder to the main deck. Only his head had made it out of the hatch and he could already hear the pink-haired boy's desperate splashes as he screamed bloody murder. He pulled himself up and rushed to the rail as quickly as he could, "Levi! Friend! Not Food!".
A moment passed, Koby still splashing like his life depended on it, before rumbling came from the water and the boy sighed in relief, smiling at where he knew his large friend was swimming, "Sorry, buddy. Didn't mean to get you all riled up.". His response was more rumbles that made him laugh, "Yeah, Yeah.".
Luffy waved Levi away and looked at Koby still splashing and screaming in the water. "Koby!", he yelled in the boy's direction, "He won't hurt you! He's my friend!". The splashes and screams suddenly stopped and Koby sent a bewildered look in his direction before shaking his head and quickly swimming toward the ship.
"That beast of yours is still around I see.", Nami said from behind, having just climbed out of the men's quarters.
The boy whirled around and his black eyes were once again met with a pair of brown ones. Now that the shock was gone, he realized that he hadn't seen the orangette in a really long time and a smile made its way onto his face.
Nami couldn't lie to herself. She'd missed that smile and seeing it again was making her heart ache something fierce.
Luffy suddenly rushed in the girl's direction, the grin never leaving his face. "Nami! I missed you!", he exclaimed, grabbing her up in a hug and holding her for a moment. As the two stood there, as excited as he was to see her again, he couldn't help but feel like something just wasn't quite right. "Nami?", he curiously asked, loosing his grip and taking a step back to look at her.
Nami smiled as he looked at her, trying to hide the turmoil she was feeling inside. She just didn't know what to do. On the one hand, she considered him a friend, but… On the other… He was a pirate now... Her eyes glanced up at the jolly roger painted on the mast and she hated the fact that she liked it. She didn't want to like it. She wanted to hate it. She wanted to hate it because she HATED pirates.
Brown orbs met black once again and, try as she might, the orange-haired girl just couldn't bring herself to feel any animosity toward who she was looking at. She sighed to herself.
"So, you're a pirate now.", the orangette stated, escaping from the arms surrounding her and walking toward the port side railing.
Luffy watched Nami walk away with a frown, continuing as she leaned over it and looked out to sea. "Yeah.", he replied without his usual enthusiasm. For some reason, it just didn't feel right getting excited about it at the moment and he didn't really know why.
"Thought you'd be happier about it.", the girl mused, not moving her gaze from the sea.
He didn't reply because… Well, honestly, he just didn't have one. She was different from who he remembered. More like the person he'd met on East Lodestone. He didn't know why or how he even really knew, he just knew that she felt different than the girl he'd parted with all those months ago.
"What the hell was that thing, Luffy?!", Koby exclaimed, huffing. He pulled himself over the starboard side railing and lay on the deck to catch his breath, the water from his soaked clothes darkening the wood underneath. That had been the scariest thing to ever happen to him! He'd never seen a sea creature that big before! He shivered at remembering how close he'd come to being eaten, immediately cleansing the thoughts from his mind, and turned to look at the boy he'd addressed.
Instead of being met with Luffy, the pinket's eyes first found another figure standing at the opposite rail. It was a girl.
Luffy turned to Koby and the frown disappeared from his face and was replaced with a laughing smile, "Sorry, Koby. That's my friend Levi… He thought you were food…". The straw-hatted teen smiled sheepishly and shrugged, "But he didn't eat you and now he knows you're a friend.".
Koby's eyes widened at the word, "F-Friend?". He'd never really had any friends before… Why did he want to be his friend anyway? They'd only just met recently and if he remembered correctly, Luffy said he hated guys like him… He was so blown away by being called a friend that he completely glossed over the part about his other 'friend'.
"Of course!", Luffy exclaimed with a laugh, missing Nami's form tightening slightly at the conversation, "I thought it was really cool when you stood up to that whale even though you were scared. Plus, what you said to her was hilarious!".
The boy smiled at the words, sitting up. Now, that he had more time to think about it, it was finally hitting him. Koby stared at his hands like they were new. He was finally free to chase his dream… "Thanks, Luffy.", he finally replied, looking up at his new friend.
"As heartwarming as this is, I think it's about time I get outta here", Nami interjected, finally turning around and making her way in Koby's direction. She went to pass Luffy and stopped in place when he stepped in front of her. The orangette didn't say anything, simply looked at the straw-hatted boy and waited for him to speak.
"Stay.", Luffy said looking Nami dead in the eyes.
The orange-haired girl scoffed at the statement, staring right back, "I told you, I'm never bec-".
"I'm not asking you that right now.", the black-haired boy interrupted, seriously, his eyes never leaving hers, "I'm just asking you to stay.". He didn't want her to be alone...
The words made Nami pause but, honestly, they also made her hurt so much worse inside… She needed to get off this ship before she said something she regretted. The only problem was, she was being stopped from doing just that. "Move, Luffy.", she said, breaking the eye contact, "I'm leaving.".
"Why get on the Merry at all then?!", Luffy genuinely asked, throwing his hands in the air with a slight bit of irritation.
Nami was honestly surprised the question even came up. She was kind of expecting to be able to get out of there without having to explain herself… But maybe… Maybe if he knew why she was there, he would let her go… "I was stealing from you.", she answered, looking back up and giving Luffy a hard stare, "You guys did pretty well as bounty hunters. I thought maybe you had some money stashed around here… I was also looking for the gold we stole from Mad Treasure. Thought you mighta had some left…". Honestly, they were both pretty weak excuses when she thought about it...
"Mad Treasure?!", Koby slapped his hand over his mouth. He hadn't meant to say that out loud… He was just shocked. Mad Treasure was a pirate from the Grandline… If they'd stolen from him… His eyes drifted to Luffy and he couldn't help but wonder just who the straw-hatted boy really was.
Luffy was so confused by Nami's words that he completely missed Koby's accidental outburst. While they were bounty hunting they didn't make a lot of money… Most of the time they had to use what they would have made to pay for the repairs of… A lot of things. The part that really confused him was the treasure part. Why would Nami be looking for the treasure?… If she wanted his, then why didn't she just take it then, like he thought she would?
"If you want it… take it.", Luffy said, still not understanding why she hadn't just taken it all in the first place.
Nami's eyes widened. What the hell was he talking about? "What do you mean?", she asked, confused. Did they still have some left?
"Take it.", the boy repeated, pointing up the stairs and to the galley.
The orangette followed his finger and, somehow, became even more confused. Why the hell was he pointing toward the galley?… "What? Did you hide it in the fridge?", she asked incredulously, shaking her head in amusement.
Luffy was suddenly smiling big again and it took her a moment to figure out why, her hand coming up to touch her mouth. She was… Smiling… And it was a real one… It'd been so long that she'd almost forgotten what it felt like.
"Obviously I didn't hide it in the fridge, that's where food goes!", the straw-hatted teen laughed.
Nami smiled again... It felt nice. "Good to know… So where did you put it?", she asked. If he was serious about letting her have the rest of his treasure she certainly wasn't going to say no. She needed every penny she could get… And even then, she still wasn't sure it would matter…
"I bought a second one and put the treasure in there.", explained Luffy with a laugh. He'd tried to fit all his treasure in the first fridge before realizing he couldn't fit it in with the food. So, when they had the chance, he, Zoro, and Usopp had picked up a second one… What?! It was a good hiding place! Who was gonna look for treasure in a refrigerator?! It did have its downsides though… He sometimes went to the wrong one while he was asleep…
Nami stared at the straw-hatted boy blankly. She should have known better than to think he'd hide it in a reasonable place... "And you're just gonna give it to me?", she asked in slight disbelief.
"Sure! I spend some of it on meat here and there, when Zoro isn't around, but he usually pays for everything anyway.", Luffy replied, nodding his head in the direction of the galley, "It's waiting for you in there, so go grab it.".
The orange-haired girl wasn't going to question any further. There was no world in which she refused free money. She sent the boy another small smile, reveling in the feeling for a moment, before making her way up the stairs and eventually reaching the door of the galley. She was honestly a little excited at wondering how much treasure might be left.
As soon as the door shut behind the girl, Luffy sprinted in Koby's direction, moving past him to hang over the starboard railing. "Levi!", he whisper-yelled into the water.
Koby watched in curiosity as the sea beast's head poked out of the water and his friend immediately began to whisper while making hand signals as quickly as he could. What exactly was he doing?... The boy shook his head, focusing back in quickly enough to see Levi nod his large head and sink back beneath the water.
The door to the galley opened and the straw-hatted teen turned away from the sea as quickly as he could, facing the stairs while Nami descended them with a medium-sized cloth sack hanging off her shoulder. He nervously wiped the sweat from his brow, "Find it alright?".
Nami looked at the boy and something about him just felt… Off. She couldn't quite put her finger on it, though. She continued to look for a moment longer before shrugging her shoulders. It didn't really matter, she was leaving. With the treasure, she was almost back to a hundred million berries.
The sound of wood violently cracking shot into the air and froze the orangette in place momentarily. "What the hell is that?!", she yelled, hurrying her way over to the rail. Before she could make it all the way, a boy wearing a straw hat stepped in front of her.
"I'm sure it's nothing.", Luffy said, nervously whistling as the cracking still sounded in the background. She paid him no mind and he didn't try to stop her from stepping around him, simply hanging his head like he'd been caught in something.
As the orangette stepped up and looked over the railing, Luffy's head snapped to the sky in irritation, "DAMMIT LEVI! I SAID DO IT QUIETLY!".
Nami let the hot water from the shower head above run through her hair, softly massaging soap into her orange locks and washing away all the oils and dried sweat they'd accumulated.
The orangette couldn't help but sigh in satisfaction at feeling the warm liquid surrounding her body. The aches in her muscles were starting to fade and a soft smile was growing on her face... It was crazy... She'd only been back on the Merry for a couple of days now and she was already starting to remember why she loved it so much... For some reason, it felt like home… Her old home... The one she lived in before Arlong ruined everything. She just felt so comfortable there... Almost like it was where she was supposed to be...
Nami sighed again, sinking slightly deeper into the bath. She was still pissed at Luffy but… At the same time… She wasn't really. A part of her was glad to be stuck on the ship and she had no idea how to feel about it. If she was being honest, she was a little upset with herself. The Merry always made her want to stay and forget about Arlong... But she knew she could never do that.
The girl groaned in turmoil, shaking her head and reaching over to turn the water off. The next stop would be Shells Town, if Luffy was to be believed, and she would be making her exit there. At least she would try to... She wasn't sure Luffy would let her... The thought didn't make her very upset, honestly. If she didn't have to leave, she probably never would...
But that wasn't an option... Nami leaned her head on the back of the small bathtub and stared at the ceiling. She'd been on the boat for less than a week and she'd already smiled more than she had in almost half a year.
The orangette huffed, lightly slapping at the surrounding water in irritation. Why did Luffy have to be the way he was?! Why couldn't he just be like every other pirate in the world so she could hate him? It would make things so much easier… But, no! He made her laugh and smile so much that it was almost infuriating!
And yet at the same time… Another smile made its way onto Nami's face and she didn't even try to wipe it away as a thought crossed her mind... She wouldn't want him to be any different.
Instead of continuing to think about topics that were confusing to her, the girl instead chose to dunk her head beneath the surface of the water. She'd done enough thinking and there was nothing she could do about her situation right now anyway. She might as well just live with it and try to make an exit as early as possible. Even with Luffy's leftover treasure, she hadn't quite hit her goal yet and, with that being said, still had a map to the Grandline to find…
With a decision made Nami continued her bath, her mind in relative peace as her head pushed back through the surface of the water. She really hoped he wouldn't make a big deal about her leaving again…
"That's it!", Koby exclaimed from next to Luffy, who was sitting in his place and steering the boat.
The straw-hatted teen turned in curiosity. "What?", he mumbled through his, somehow, still swollen face. It'd been days already...
The pinket winced at seeing the bruises… Nami had really done a number on him. He shook his head and got back to his previous thought, "You're Straw Hat Luffy of Merry's Terrible Trio!". It had taken him a while to figure it out, but even when he'd met him he thought he knew Luffy from somewhere. He didn't even think of making the connection at first because he'd introduced himself as a pirate. But, after listening to him call this ship Merry and getting a good look at the figurehead, it clicked.
"Oh, yeah.", Luffy replied nonchalantly, his swollen face turning forward again. He was done with bounty hunting, as fun as it had been. He was a pirate now.
"There were two more in your group, Right?", the pink-haired boy asked, racking his brain for their names, "It was… Pirate Hunter Zoro and… Long Barrel Usopp?".
At the mention of his friends, the straw-hatted teen smiled. "Yep.", he answered, popping the p and groaning when it hurt his bruised lip. He still couldn't help but laugh lightly at the memories he'd made with his two friends, "We weren't very good at it.".
Koby looked at his friend incredulously, "What do you mean you weren't good at it?! You guys cashed in almost all of the bounties in the East Blue! There are only a couple of real pirate crews left and they're the biggest on this sea!". He paused for a moment, "I even started hoping you guys would come after Alvida…".
"Yeah, we never got around to 'em.", the black-haired boy replied, "As for the whale... I'm not sure I ever even saw her poster.". It was also quite possible that as soon as he'd seen it, he'd erased it from his memory... He shook the terrible image of the woman from his head and began to laugh thinking about the destruction they'd caused while on the job, "And, we weren't good at it 'cause we didn't actually make that much money.".
The words quieted the aspiring marine. He did remember reading about how much damage they would cause in the pursuit of bounties. When he thought about it, it wasn't all that surprising that they'd made no money. Thinking of the paper, though, he remembered something else he'd read, "Is Pirate Hunter Zoro really as ruthless as they say?". He paused to let Luffy reply but remembered something else, "Oh! And I heard Long Barrel Usopp can hit twenty men with one shot of his slingshot!".
The straw-hatted boy smiled at the horizon, "Nah, Zoro's not ruthless. Not if you're his friend... I think he's a pretty nice guy, even if he doesn't want people to know it.".
"And if you're not his friend?", Koby asked, gulping.
A laugh rose from Luffy's throat, "Yeah, then it might be a little true.". The picture of Zoro in his mind was replaced with a familiar long-nosed boy, "As for Usopp…", he thought for a moment on the validity of Koby's statement before he remembered... It was kind of a technicality but he counted it nonetheless. "It's true. I've seen it.", he stated simply.
The pink-haired boy's eyes widened in wonder. "Are those two gonna be on your crew?", he curiously asked. It seemed like a no-brainer to him. Unless they didn't want to of course. However, he didn't think it was likely they'd say no. If he was being honest with himself… If Luffy asked him right now he didn't know what he'd say, and that was coming from someone who wanted to be a marine. Koby shook the thought away, turning in the direction of the deck just as Nami walked out with a towel on her head.
"Luffy, I'm leaving when we get to Shells.", the orangette said, stepping up the stairs to the front deck, "And don't try to stop me.". She had on short unbuttoned jean shorts over a pair of bikini bottoms and a white shirt covering the bikini's top, the stripped multicolored fabric just barely showing through.
Koby had to physically hold his nose to make sure no blood came out. Even with the towel, he wasn't sure he'd ever seen someone so pretty in his life… Let alone curves like that… It was quite the change from the image of Alvida he'd had to live with over the past two years...
Luffy turned in the girl's direction with a pout, "Oh, come on, Nami!". He just didn't understand why she was so adamant about not staying on the Merry. The Merry was great! The girl shot a withering glare that silenced him immediately and he turned back out to the sea continuing to pout.
Nami sent Koby a look that said 'You're in my seat.' and he immediately stood. She smiled at him and sat down where he'd been previously sitting, reclaiming her chair with a sigh. She'd missed tanning out on the front deck. The orangette unwrapped the towel on her head, her damp locks falling to just above her shoulders, and slipped out of the shorts covering her lower body while removing her top.
"I'm gonna go to the galley and make myself something to eat!", Koby squeaked, turning on his heel and running down to the main deck. He needed to be somewhere other than the place he was. If he remained, blood would surely start leaking from his nose... Let's not even talk about his lower body...
Nami watched the boy leave, curiously, wondering why he was in such a hurry to go. She shrugged her shoulders and closed her eyes under her dark sunglasses, trying to get relaxed. Just when she'd finally found the right spot, a voice came from in front of her, immediately making her sit back up.
"Land ho!", Luffy shouted. It was small in the distance but it was definitely there… Zoro was right there... "Levi! Let's get there quick, buddy!", he yelled to down below, "But don't hurt the Merry!".
In response, a rumble came from the water and the ship began to move a little faster toward its destination.
Nami raised the glasses on her face to squint in the direction the straw-hatted teen was looking. She couldn't see anything but she believed him. She knew how good his vision was.
Shrugging to herself, the orangette pushed her sunglasses back down. If she still couldn't see it, it would be a little longer until they arrived. Until then, she was going to lie in the sun. She hadn't had a peaceful moment in her mind like this in a very long time and she wasn't going to waste it.
She could think about the growing pit in her stomach when they arrived on the island.
"Luffy!", a brown-haired woman exclaimed, running up to the boy leading the group that had just walked through the doors to her bar.
The straw-hatted teen froze when he entered, Nami and Koby almost running into his back.
"What the hell Lu-", Nami began, being interrupted by the woman before she could finish.
Ririka skid to a halt in front of Luffy and his friends, "It's Rika! I can't find her anywhere! I think she might have gone to see Zoro!".
Luffy heard the words and didn't understand them. What would be so bad about Rika going to see Zoro?… It took him a moment but he eventually realized that the swordsman wasn't there… Where they were supposed to meet…
"He's being held prisoner at the marine base!", the brown-haired woman frantically explained. He'd just been protecting her daughter from that terrible Helmeppo's wolf, he didn't deserve to be put through what that boy was doing to him! "The captain of the marine base here has a son named Helmeppo.", she began to explain, "He came in, maybe a day or two after you left, with his wolf. It was wrecking everything but Zoro didn't do anything other than watch because I told him not to. Then the wolf had gone after Rika… And you can probably guess the rest…".
Koby's eyes widened, the bar's doors still swinging behind him and Nami, "Did this Helmeppo get in trouble too?". He just couldn't see how he would be able to get away with doing what he did. His father was the captain of the marine base for goodness sake!
Nami scoffed in the pinket's direction. "Yeah, I'll bet he's in the cell right next to Zoro.", she said, her voice dripping with sarcasm.
Koby looked at the girl like he didn't understand her words. He went to respond but was pulled back to the conversation between Luffy and Ririka before he got the chance.
"Is the kid dead?", Luffy asked, curiously, wondering if Zoro had killed him too. Honestly, he was surprised his soon-to-be first mate had even let himself be taken.
Ririka dropped her gaze to her feet in shame, "No… Zoro… I could tell he probably wanted to but… Helmeppo threatened to have the bar closed down and that was enough to get him to go quietly…". Honestly, she'd been scared that he would kill him anyway... She just knew what he'd been thinking... How could he close the bar if he was dead...
The woman's head seemed to drop even further before it shot back up, panic in her eyes, "I think Rika might have gone to see him… She's always wanting to bring him food but I've told her no every time she's asked. I think she may have just gone without asking this time.".
"Wait, I'm confused.", Nami chimed in, stepping beside Luffy. "Where exactly is the green-haired idiot?", she asked. If Zoro was in a cell, how could Rika bring him food without easily getting caught? Also… Why would she want to bring him food in the first place? Surely they weren't starving him… Right?
"They have him tied up in the yard of the local marine base.", Ririka answered, looking at Nami, before turning back and addressing Luffy once again, "Helmeppo made a deal with him. If he could go thirty days without eating, he would be pardoned and the bar would be safe.".
Luffy gaped at the woman's words, "Thirty days?!". He didn't think he'd be able to go one whole day without food! Let alone thirty of them!
The woman nodded her head in confirmation before getting back to her point. "Every day Rika asks to bring him food but I don't want her to get hurt or in trouble so I kept telling her no.", she explained, "I think she may have gone without asking today and that scares me.".
Ririka looked up at Luffy with a pleading smile, "Would you please go check for her, Luffy?... Gives you a chance to go see Zoro too.". The straw-hatted teen seemed to think it was a great idea from the big smile he sent her.
"Come on guys! Let's go see if we can find Rika!", Luffy shouted, turning on his heel.
Koby was all for it. He wasn't sure the Marines would do anything to the girl, they were marines after all, but, after hearing Ririka's story… Checking probably wouldn't hurt… Just in case.
Nami turned and followed the two boys out of the bar, thinking. She needed to find a boat to replace the one Levi had destroyed so she could leave and head toward Organ Island. If the rumors going around the past couple of weeks were true, Buggy the Clown was currently there in a place called Orange Town. Hopefully, he actually had a map to Reverse Mountain and it wasn't made up.
The three's footsteps came upon the marine base just as voices started to echo from behind the wall surrounding the yard.
"You dumb little girl! Onigiri is supposed to be made with salt, not sugar! Only an idiot would do something like that!", a high-pitched male's voice complained.
The three looked at each other for a moment before each began to climb the wall, their eyes peeking over when they made it to the top.
In the middle of the yard were Zoro and a few others. One of them was Rika and another was who the three assumed to be Helmeppo… Well, two of them did. Luffy just thought the kid looked like an idiot but had no idea who he was, he'd barely listened to Ririka's story... There were also two marines that looked like they were escorting the child of their captain.
"You! Toss her over the wall!", commanded the blond.
A marine in a cadet's uniform slowly approached with a frown, "But, Sir. She's just a kid... She might get hurt.".
Koby smiled at the soldier. He just knew they wouldn't hurt a little girl.
"I don't care! I want her gone and my daddy is the captain of this base! That means you have to listen to me!", he turned back toward Rika and her tear-stained face. "I don't care if she's some stupid kid! She broke the rules! Now.", he said pointing at the still sobbing girl, "Toss her!".
The pinket's smile turned into shock when he saw the marine begin to approach the little girl. Surely he wasn't going to follow that order, the blond kid wasn't even his superior!
The cadet walked up to Rika with an apologetic smile on his face, picking her up when she was close enough. The girl scrambled to get out of his arms but he held on tightly, leaning to whisper into her ear.
The three people currently hanging off the wall watched the man say something to the little girl before he unceremoniously launched her over the stone barrier. Two heads followed her form through the air before they could even think to move. The third head wasn't going to be letting her get hurt.
As soon as the Rika had left the man's arms, Luffy's hands let go of the top of the wall and his body dropped to the ground. When he felt the earth beneath his feet, he immediately jumped into the air to intercept the small brown-haired child before she could land.
Koby and Nami watched the screaming Rika hit Luffy's body, the two dropping safely to the ground, and both sighed in relief. Neither of them had wanted to see her get hurt.
The straw-hatted teen landed easily and set the girl down as she opened her eyes, black orbs widening when they saw who'd saved her. "Luffy!", she screamed, immediately wrapping her arms around his middle.
Luffy smiled and hugged back, "Miss me?". Rika furiously nodded her head into his stomach, smearing it with wet tears, but he didn't mind.
"Rika you need to get back home. Your mom is worried sick about you.", reasoned Koby's voice while he and Nami approached. They'd both been glad to see the young girl uninjured.
Rika sniffled, pulling back from Luffy and turning in the pinket's direction.
"He's right, Rika. Why don't you hurry on back to the bar? I'll make sure Zoro is just fine. Don't you worry.", the straw-hatted teen added. He could see that she was reluctant to listen to Koby's words and gave his own to make sure she did.
Rika's eyes shot back to Luffy and stayed there for a moment before she reluctantly nodded. Without a word, the small girl released her hold on the taller black-haired boy and stomped her way back to the bar. She wasn't all that happy about being thrown… It'd been scary! Plus, that stupid blonde jerk smashed up the food she'd made for Zoro!
The three watched Rika walk away until her form disappeared in the distance, turning back toward the wall.
Nami faced Luffy to ask what he was going to do about Zoro but found the place he'd previously been, empty. She heard a thump on the other side of the wall and she and Koby looked at each other for a moment before rushing to climb the stone barrier once again.
Zoro's eyes left the destroyed onigiri on the ground as he looked up, his eyes meeting someone he hadn't seen in a couple of weeks. "Luffy.", the swordsman grumbled. He would have been more enthusiastic but what could he say, he was starving. "Mind grabbin' that onigiri for me?", he asked seriously.
Luffy looked at his friend incredulously, pointing to the destroyed food at his feet. "You wanna eat that?", he asked.
"Rika was kind enough to make it for me. It'd be a shame to let it go to waste.", the verdet reasoned.
The straw-hatted teen couldn't help but smile at the other boy's words. Zoro was a good guy. Luffy bent his knees and scooped up the ruined balls of rice covered in dirt, bringing them up to his friends.
Zoro forced down every bit of the food that the little girl had made for him, getting it down as quickly as he possibly could. Dirt and sugar weren't the best seasonings for rice… The last bit of onigiri went down his throat and he gasped like he'd just run a marathon, before smiling in the direction of the bar, "Thanks, Luffy. I'll have to tell her I enjoyed every bite.".
The black-haired boy smiled back before his eyes curiously glanced at the ropes holding the swordsman against the pole he was tied to. "Why haven't you broken those yet?", he asked genuinely. He knew Zoro easily could if he wanted to, so why hadn't he?
"Because upstanding citizens are supposed to follow the rules… And currently… That's what I still am.", Zoro smirked looking at the smile plastering itself on Luffy's face.
The straw-hatted teen's grin seemed to widen even further when he went to reply, "Well then, Zoro, I think it's time we change tha-".
"And who the hell are you?", a snotty voice interrupted.
Luffy turned to see the blond kid from earlier standing there once again. Behind him stood a contingent of low-ranking marines all pointing rifles in their direction. The two didn't reply only stared at the other boy. Neither of them could get past how stupid his hair was making him look.
Helmeppo scowled at the intruders before turning to his men, "Kill them both instead of just the one on the pole.". He'd been coming down to execute the swordsman that had killed his cute puppy and found another person there.
Before the marine captain's son could even register what'd happened, bodies began to fly everywhere. His eyes looked around wildly as he watched the straw-hatted boy he'd been trying to kill send each of his men through the air with a single punch. Soon enough, he was the only one left.
Luffy slowed and turned to the funny-looking blond boy, going to address him, but was beaten to the punch.
"Where the hell'd you put my swords?", Zoro growled over the groans of the men on the ground.
Helmeppo couldn't lie, the voice scared him. So much so, that his brain stopped working.
The swordsman turned his head away from the silent idiot and toward his soon-to-be captain, "I'd appreciate it if you could grab my swords for me.". His head nodded at Helmeppo, "He took them, so he should know where they are. We can continue this conversation when you get back.".
"You got it, Zoro.", Luffy said, walking toward the blond boy looking at him with wide eyes. He wasted no time in picking him up and throwing him over his shoulder. He bent at the knees and laughed at Helmeppo starting to whine. "Hang on tight.", advised the teen, before launching into the air, the blond over his shoulder screaming the whole way.
"A little to the left!", a large man yelled.
In response, the massive statue of his likeness was moved slightly in the direction he'd ordered.
Captain Axe-Hand Morgan examined the position of his sculpture with a critical eye, "Nope, back right, I don't like I-". His words were interrupted by feet slamming into the roof. They belonged to a boy in a straw hat and he seemed to be carrying his son.
"What the hell is that ugly thing?", Luffy asked curiously, eyeing the large wooden statue. He didn't see Helmeppo pale at his words.
"What the hell did you just say?", a deep voice came from over the straw-hatted teen's shoulder. He turned in its direction and was met with quite the figure... The ugly statue actually kind of looked like him.
The tall man had buzzed blond hair, the same color as Helmeppo's, and a literal iron jaw, the word 'Mowe' written on the chin. His Marine captain's coat had no sleeves, showing off the man's large tan muscles, and a blue pair of pants with even darker blue tiger stripes. The most eye-catching thing about him, however, was his right arm. The appendage, from the middle down, was replaced with a piece of iron in the shape of an axe and instead of an elbow, the end of the axe pushed his skin outward. The whole thing looked very abnormal.
"Daddy! Help me!", Helmeppo screamed, thrashing around in Luffy's arms. Surely his father would save him!
Axe-Hand Morgan looked at the boy with contempt. "Shut up, you useless son.", he growled. "Don't think I didn't see what you did earlier.", the man said.
Helmeppo was confused. His father had never talked to him like that before. And just what exactly was he talking about? What he'd done earlier? When he'd thrown the little girl out? Was he mad because she was just a little girl? "What do you mean, Daddy? She broke the law so I was teaching her a lesson, just like you would!", the blond boy exclaimed.
The tall man growled at his son, "Then… Is there a reason she's still ali-".
"Sun Palm!", Luffy screamed, slamming his hand into the roof. He couldn't care less about the conversation between the two, he just wanted to find Zoro's swords and get out of there. He still had to go pick up everyone else, and then it was finally time to go to the Grandline!
Helmeppo screamed into the air as the two fell through the floor and didn't stop when the straw-hatted teen began to carry him through the halls of the marine base.
"Which way?", Luffy asked. The blond only shook his head in answer, so he punched him in the hopes that it would convince the other boy to talk. It did.
"Ok! Ok! Fine!", Helmeppo screamed, holding his head in pain. No one had ever hit him before! "They're in my room. It's down that hallway.", he answered pointing in the direction of a split hallway.
The pirate captain quickly ran in the direction pointed to and began opening every door he saw, none of them looking like a bedroom. Before he went to hit Helmeppo for lying to him, he pulled the last door open and was met with a sight he was not expecting at all... A pink room that looked like it belonged to a seven-year-old girl obsessed with princesses.
Luffy began to turn away from the room thinking that there was no way it was Helmeppo's before he saw something that changed his mind. Zoro's swords sat directly against the window sill… "This your room?", he asked. He tried to hold in his hysterical laughter but wasn't able to.
Helmeppo hung his head listening to the boy laugh as they walked through the door. He'd never actually thought anyone else would see it…
Koby watched Luffy's form fly toward the roof and couldn't just sit there any longer. Zoro had only been protecting Rika, he didn't deserve to starve for that. The pinket went to jump the wall but was stopped by Nami grabbing his arm, his eyes turning in her direction.
"Don't. He can get out of there himself, just trust me.", the orange-haired girl reasoned. She'd watched him do things way more impossible than escaping from some rope.
The aspiring marine softly pulled his arm out of her grasp. "I don't care. He's not doing anything and I can't just keep watching.". He wasn't going to live his life on the sidelines anymore! He pulled himself the rest of the way over the wall and just as he went to drop to the ground, the cracking of wood ripped through the air.
Nami watched the falling form with a sigh. Boys just never listened… Maybe they were all idiots… She thought about leaving to head back to the dock for a moment, the thought of stealing the Merry even crossing her mind before she shook it away. Something about it just didn't feel right... She focused back in on the yard, ultimately deciding to stay and watch... It had absolutely nothing to do with Luffy or Zoro… Absolutely nothing…
Koby looked up before he moved to untie Zoro and gaped at seeing a large sculpture on the top of the marine base beginning to tilt. Only a few seconds passed before it finally toppled over the edge and began hurtling toward the ground. As it impacted, the sound of ripping wood came from the statue, and its head was bent so far that it actually came off before the rest of the figure hit the ground with a boom.
The pink-haired boy eyed the cloud of dust in shock for a moment before he looked up at a voice coming from where the statue had just fallen from, "MY STATUE!". Koby watched in shock as the man hurled himself off the roof and landed next to the imitation of his likeness, slightly cracking the ground underneath.
There was a moment of silence as the man mourned his fallen beauty before it abruptly ended. "And what might we have here?", his deep menacing voice came as he slowly stood to his feet, "You friends with the brat that did this?".
The imposing figure turned around and Koby wouldn't lie, even though he was a marine... He was insanely frightening. It looked like he would kill anyone right now, not just criminals, and the thought was making the pinket's knees shake something fierce.
Maybe he should have just listened to Nami...