AN:

A small disclaimer here to start this one out. This chapter has some pretty gruesome depictions of violence so steel yourselves, lol. I had fun writing this chapter and I'm glad I'm getting it out sooner than some of the more recent chapters. I got to write some stuff I've been thinking about for a while so that's always cool. Hope it pans out the way it does in my head.

Anyway, I don't have much else to say other than thanks for the love on the last chapter even though I'd been gone for a while. It's always nice to see the couple of you who comment on most chapters and also the new ones, so keep 'em coming. I love hearing what you guys think and any criticism or ideas you have about the story so far. I know I probably sound like a broken record at this point, lol.

Enough from me, I hope you enjoy this chapter and I'll see you in the next one!

Chapter 49: Demons and Angels

"Alright, I've seen you kill enough of my coworkers… Time to die.", Ms. Monday growled, wrenching one of her brass-knuckled fists back as far as she could.

Zoro spun, panicked, while his hand grasped at Kitetsu's handle. Before he could grab it and pull the blade free, an extremely hard fist collided with his forehead, the skin underneath it immediately rupturing while blood splattered across the offending appendage. His back crashed straight into the ground, cracks ripping through the earth underneath him, and his eyes widened when he saw the now red-colored fist enter his vision once again.

A roar of exertion left Ms. Monday's mouth as she drove her knuckles into the swordsman's head for the second time, another loud crack piercing through the air. She held her fist in place, vision obscured by the swirling brown cloud surrounding them, and continued to grind downward to ensure her opponent wouldn't be getting up again. The woman huffed when she felt she'd done enough damage, staring down at the figure below her, and slowly stood, waiting with bated breath to see if the pirate would retaliate. Surely that had knocked him out at least… Right?

"Not bad.", the verdet mused licking up some of the blood dripping from his forehead, "You're pretty strong.". He wrenched himself from the ground, shifting to the side on instinct, and grabbed the arm careening past his face by the wrist, pulling his attacker in close so she could see him clearly, "But, not strong enough.". His other palm flashed out as he stood to his feet and wrapped around the woman's head, grip strengthening while he lifted her into the air. He felt her struggle against him but he wouldn't soon be losing this battle, not with all the work he'd put in to make himself stronger.

With a growl, Zoro squeezed his digits as tightly as he could and the woman's voice seemed to rise a few pitches before it was cut off completely with one last piercing scream, her consciousness vanishing from the waking world.

As the dust cleared and the two forms became visible once again, the surrounding bounty hunters gawked at the image of one of their strongest being held in the air by her head, unmoving.

"Holy shit…".

"He did that to Ms. Monday?… Are… Are we gonna be ok?…".

"… I… I think we're all gonna die…".

Many more shocked whispers rolled through the surrounding bounty hunters but Zoro blocked them out, taking in a deep breath and letting Ms. Monday's unconscious body drop to the ground without a care. In the blink of an eye, Kitetsu was drawn and the sound that accompanied the action shocked his enemies back into reality, weapons being readied for a fight more bloody than anyone present thought possible.

Mr. Eight watched the swordsman jump into the fray once again and almost couldn't find it in himself to shoot his unconventional weapon. He'd never seen such a display of martial prowess and the sight had left him incapable of movement. It felt like if he moved he would die… Ms. Wednesday was more right than she knew… It brought him to the conclusion that some sort of mistake must have been made… There was no way this man wasn't the one the bounty was supposed to belong to…

More red coated Zoro's face as the body in front of him fell in half vertically and he ducked under a massive stone hammer while watching his victim splat against the ground in two. He rotated on his heel, Kitetsu coming up to meet the weapon when its owner attempted to bring it down on his head, and steel met stone in a battle of strength. The falling heavy halves created two small craters at his feet as his katana sliced through like butter, and with a single step and another slash of his blade an arm fell to the dirt still gripping the handle of the hammer.

The verdet left the man screaming and pushed off the balls of his feet into the next group of incoming adversaries, katana flashing out low to the left then up and directly right. Its razor-sharp edge drew blood from three of the bounty hunters in front of him and his eyes followed a man now missing one of his legs, severed at the knee, as he dodged a wild swipe from one of the two he'd blinded with slashes across the eyes. His form lowered before launching upward and over the rest of those who were still standing, grip on Kitetsu tightening while his muscles bulged underneath his blood-soaked shirt, "Ittōryū:".

Zoro's eyes caught the many forms of those below and grit his teeth, gripping his right wrist with his free hand. He breathed in deeply and an ominous presence seemed to fill the surrounding air as he looked down on his soon-to-be victims, form already beginning to descend back to the ground. As an attack designed for use against a single opponent, he'd have to adjust but he had a feeling he'd manage.

A bloody grin rose to the swordsman's lips and an ominous purple glow appeared in his eye as his sword screamed through the air, a purple afterimage of Kitetsu following the blade itself, "BLOOD DRAGON'S LUST!".

The bounty hunters looking up at Zoro's descending form were mesmerized by the intangible image of a roaring purple dragon appearing behind him and it seemed like their surroundings suddenly went dark for a moment. A long purple slash with flickering edges of violet fire appeared in the black depths and none found themselves able to move in the face of what most knew would be their death. The attack moved with so much speed that no one could even blink before it sliced through the entirety of the group and the screams of those who passed from the slash itself were followed by those who'd managed to somehow survive, their bleeding bodies alight with searing purple flames.

The verdet's feet slammed back into the ground and he was immediately on the move again, Kitetsu snaking out to end those still suffering from his strike. While flaming bodies fell to the ground at his rushing feet, his eyes darted through the still incoming combatants, grin widening. He hadn't felt a rush like this in quite a while. He shook the thought away and slid under a wild sword swipe directed at his middle, spinning to slash behind the man's knees. He finished his cut and pulled the falling form in front of him to absorb several bullets shot in his direction, a choked gurgle coming from his makeshift shield.

Zoro tossed the now-dead man to the side and ripped Kitetsu across his body, another flying slash leaving the edge of the blade. He followed in behind it as closely as he could and leapt over the forms it met, cries of agony sounding at his back as he pushed onward, grin ever-present on his blood-spattered face. There was still much more fun to be had.

"S- Stop right there.", a woman in nun's garb stuttered while she hugged what looked to be a small child to her chest, "P- Please… Please don't hurt us.".

The verdet slid to slow himself down at the words, the pounding of footsteps sounding at his back, and he eyed the two skeptically. As soon as he came to a halt, they each drew a weapon, the woman stepping in his direction and pulling back her large mace while the seemingly young boy drew a flintlock from the back of his pants.

A sigh left Zoro's mouth and he easily parried the weak attack, flipping his grip on Kitetsu to hold it like an icepick, "Deception has no place on my battlefield.". He spun around her so they were back to back and his katana sunk into the woman's spine, ripping it upward so it came out of the top of her head, "And neither do you.".

Blood showered the swordsman, covering his already soaked form in even more crimson as he flipped his katana and swiped it to the side to remove the dark liquid covering its surface. His eyes found the 'child' holding the flintlock in his direction and, before it could be fired, he slashed downward to split the weapon's barrel down the middle. The action caused the figure to instinctually pull the trigger and a small explosion sent his fingers flying in every direction, a deep, masculine scream leaving the 'child' now grasping his destroyed hand in agony.

Without any remorse, Zoro let his blade bite into the man's temple and the top of his skull was lopped off in the blink of an eye, screams instantly ceasing as his body fell to the ground with blood gushing from the open wound that was his head. He ruffled his nose at the sight of bleeding brain matter before the steps at his back grabbed his attention once again. A golden glint somewhere in the crowd caught his eye and he wasted no time in diving into the numerous oncoming attackers, Kitetsu drinking deeply from those he passed.

Blood ran like a river at the verdet's feet as he moved toward the center of the twenty or so bounty hunters in front of him. The sound of a saxophone being played, terribly he might add, sounded above the cries of the dying men and women he'd left behind and he dove forward, uncertain of what the person holding it was attempting to do. A whizzing sound whipped by his head and he resisted the urge to pat himself on the back as he rolled up to his feet, eyes once again locking onto the man who'd fired the instrument… What the hell kind of saxophone was that?…

While the first mate of the Straw Hat Pirates battled against the wave of bounty hunters outside, the rest of the crew remaining in the building the party was held in slept soundly without an inkling as to what was happening. The only things on their minds were the blissful dreams they were wrapped up in… Well, blissful for some… Strange for others…

"Hello?", Luffy questioned into the the vast expanse of darkness in front of him. He continued to look out into the void and waited for an answer but it never came.

The boy squinted his eyes to try finding something besides the black expanse consuming his vision but could see nothing and couldn't help but find that weird… Where the hell was he?… He lightly shook his head and repeated his earlier words, "Heeelllooo?".

Nothing.

With a sigh of defeat, Luffy once again began to look for something besides darkness and, in doing so, turned to see what was behind him. There was no flash or any sign to denote a change in the strange space, however, suddenly, where there was once an endless expanse of black, there was now white… And he was pretty sure that it wasn't light that met his vision but literally the color white, as far as the eye could see.

"What the hell?…", the pirate captain whispered to himself, eyes glancing around the strange space curiously. He turned back around and, once again, his vision was consumed by darkness… What was this place?…

'You surprise me, my friend.'.

Luffy jumped at the voice reverberating from the inside of his skull, head whipping around as he searched for its source. It sounded like a woman… "Hello?", he shouted into the dark emptiness.

'There is no need to fear. You are safe here.'.

It was strange, but the words set the teen at ease even though he had no clue who or where they were coming from. And, the more he thought about it, the more he came to realize that the voice almost seemed familiar… However, as curious as he was about who was speaking to him, he was more curious about where he was. "Where are we?", he asked the voice, once again glancing through the darkness.

'A question with a far deeper answer than you realize… One I don't believe you are quite ready for.'.

Luffy stared blankly into the darkness, "… What the hell's that supposed to mean?". An angelic laugh echoed through the space at his words and his head whipped around wildly as he searched for it.

"Like I said, I'm afraid the answers to your questions must wait.".

For some reason, even though the voice sounded in his head, he also heard it out in the open as well and turned toward where he thought it came from. To add to the strangeness he'd already been met with, when he'd rotated about ninety degrees the opaque darkness consuming his vision was suddenly split down the middle. Now, half the space was dark black and the other half was a stark white. He stopped in place and eyed the hard line separating the colors before getting a little curious and turning all the way around.

White was suddenly all Luffy could see even when he looked back over his shoulder to see if the black half was still there. He quickly turned the other way and the darkness consumed him once again… Wherever he was… It was a weird place… He slowly continued to rotate until he found the spot where black and white stood together once more and glanced in between them curiously for a moment before the voice chimed in.

"Your spirit isn't strong enough yet. So, continue to grow, and when next we meet, hopefully, you will be ready for the answers you seek.".

The words confused the teen and he lifted his head to what should have been the sky as a strange ringing sound began to fill the space. His eyes widened and he desperately shifted his gaze across the black/white expanse when he felt something begin to pull him upward, "Wait! Who are you?!". The angelic laugh sounded for a second time and even though there was no visual change in perspective, he could tell his form was beginning to rise, the strange space around him starting to dissipate into non-existence.

The last thing Luffy saw before the black/white world around him disappeared completely was a pair of pure black eyes looking at him with nothing but kindness and kinship.

"A friend.".

"White?", Luffy whispered to himself as his eyes slowly opened. He rubbed the sleep out of them and slowly sat up. What the hell was that dream?… Was that White he was talking to? He could have sworn those were her eyes… It'd been a while so he wasn't completely sure but still… He shook his head and couldn't help the small smile that played on his lips as he made to stand to his feet, the charms on his necklace clinking together softly as he rose. Whatever that dream had been, he considered it a good one, even with it being as strange as it was.

The pirate captain sighed and looked around the room for his friends only to find two of them missing from the space. Where the heck were Zoro and Nami?… He stood to his feet while simultaneously stretching his muscles and a large yawn left his mouth when he placed his hat back on his head. That had been a really nice sleep. He glanced over at Sanji and Usopp still snoring on the floor and debated whether to wake them or not, staring for a moment before eventually deciding to do so. If he was up, they might as well be too. "Sanji, Usopp.", he said, walking over to nudge the two.

"L… Luffy?", Sanji replied, rubbing his face groggily, "What time is it?". He slowly sat up and looked around the empty room, searching for the others, only to find the main target of his search missing. "And where's Nami?", he asked, watching Usopp groggily sit up across from him.

"Is Zoro missing, too?", the long-nosed teen questioned tiredly, noticing the swordsman's form gone along with their navigator's, "Not to mention everyone else that was here when I fell asleep…".

Luffy turned away from the two as they stood to their feet, shrugging, "Everyone else was gone when I woke up.". He looked over his shoulder and waved at them to follow when he stepped toward the door, "C'mon, let's go find 'em.".

The two nodded with a pair of yawns, stretching the stiffness from their muscles while they followed behind their captain and prepared to exit the building.

Luffy wasted no time in pulling the door open and the sight that met the group's vision had them halting in place before any more steps could be taken, similar thoughts rolling through each of their heads… What the hell had happened while they were asleep?… Dead and bleeding bodies filled the street in front of them along with all sorts of severed body parts and fallen weapons and they couldn't help but stare in shock, Usopp turning away to dry heave into the crook of his elbow.

The pirate captain incredulously scanned the immediate area for a moment before turning to look at Sanji from over his shoulder, sending him a knowing look.

"Zoro.".

"Mosshead.".

"Agree-", Usopp stopped in the middle of his reply and dry heaved once again, taking a moment before attempting to look out the opening for the third time, "… Agreed.". It'd been a while since he'd seen something even close to the veritable sea of blood running through the street in front of them, the last time being during one of their bounty-hunting adventures. And, even then, it wasn't quite to this extent…

"I'm gonna look for Nami.", Sanji said, stepping past Luffy and out into the red-colored street, "I'd imagine we'll probably be leaving soon…". He ruffled his nose when he realized he'd have to step through various puddles of blood but continued nonetheless, eyes scanning the area for any signs of their orange-haired navigator… Damn… Mosshead was ruthless… He found just as many women as he did men amongst the dead, his mouth curling downward in a frown, but shook his head and looked over his shoulder, shouting to the other two before taking off to the left, down a dark alley, "We'll come to you guys when I find her!".

The words went unanswered as the two remaining members of the Straw Hat Pirates continued to stare out at the bloodied street, the sight not quite sitting right with the captain of the crew.

"But they were so nice…", Luffy pouted, wondering what could have happened to make his first mate go on this massacre for lack of a better word, "… The food was so good…". Zoro wasn't usually one to kill without reason, so he figured they had to have done SOMETHING. Still though, he was kinda bummed. The party had been really fun. "Alright, Usopp, let's go find Zoro.", he said without turning, taking his first steps out into the street, "… I don't think it should be too hard…".

The sniper couldn't help but agree with the sentiment and made to follow his captain… He imagined all they'd have to do was follow the trail of bodies… Were any of the townspeople even still alive?…

"Running'll do you no good.", Zoro stated, slashing Kitetsu through the air while he stalked in Mr. Eight's direction. The purple flying slash released from his blade cleaved through several of the bounty hunters sprinting in to attack and his steps continued uninterrupted, their bodies crashing into the dirt.

The blond man's breaths came out short and erratic, the same as his retreating footsteps. He couldn't even find words as he looked over his shoulders and saw more of his compatriots fall at the feet of what he now knew was a demon disguising himself in human skin. His eyes shot back forward and his speed increased, panic wracking his body to the extent that he could barely keep a firm grasp on his saxophone. Of the close to one hundred people stationed at Whiskey Peak, he was one of the few still left standing and their numbers were only dropping further… He needed to find Ms. Wednesday, and quickly.

Screams and choked breaths continued to fill the air at Mr. Eight's back as he rushed through the streets as quickly as he could, eyes searching through the many small buildings for any signs of the woman's blue hair. His eyes widened when he caught two figures walking toward him from the opposite side of the street and he waved his hands to try flagging them down, casting another desperate glance over his shoulder. He gulped at the blood-covered figure still stalking in his direction while the few remaining bounty hunters who hadn't run or died attempted to take the swordsman's head.

The man squeezed his eyes shut and turned away when he saw another group of no less than five all lose their lives at the same time and his waving became even more desperate. Just when he was close enough to finally make out the figures, his gaze was caught by something small flying through the air, directly toward his chest, and he ignored it thinking it was a small piece of dirt or something of the like. It was a mistake.

Light consumed Mr. Eight's eyes and his body rippled upon the speck's impact, a fiery explosion consuming his form. The clothing covering his chest shredded underneath the blast and he shot back in the direction he'd come from with a scream of pain, body roughly crashing into the earth and rolling a good distance before stopping. He groaned and made to stand up but stopped when a sword planted itself into the ground next to his head.

"Who's that?", Zoro questioned, rolling the injured man over with his foot, "Seems like they don't like you too much.". He shook his head when the only answer he got was groaning and pulled Kitetsu free from the dirt, raising it over his head, "Doesn't really matter, I guess. I'll just ask em' myself.".

"Wa- Wait…", the blond man managed to get out just before he would have been relieved of his head, "Please.". He looked up into the predatory black orbs staring down at him and had to resist the urge to look away in fear, "I… I can't die… Not yet. Not until I know she's safe.". He knew his words would likely fall on deaf ears but he had to try… For Alabasta. For Vivi herself.

The verdet stared down at the figure for a moment before scoffing, "Yeah, I don't really do the whole mercy thing.".

The words made the man sigh and he closed his eyes remorsefully. Hopefully, Vivi was safe and somewhere far far away from this man.

Upon the closing of Mr. Eight's eyes, Zoro's grip on Kitetsu tightened as he prepared to snuff the life from the man at his feet, however, just when he went to bring his katana downward, a loud voice stopped him in place.

"Zooorrrooo?!".

The swordsman lowered his blade with a small groan and turned toward the voice he recognized as his captain's, "Over here, Luffy!". He was hoping to have things finished before everyone woke up…

The straw-hatted teen exited the bloodstained alleyway with Usopp on his tail and was met with another open street… Well, besides the dead people everywhere... Open of anything living he should probably say… He turned his head toward where his first mate's voice had come from and found the swordsman standing there with one of his blades at his side, covered head to toe in blood. He also seemed to be standing over someone and, if he remembered correctly, it was the man who'd introduced himself as mayor of the town.

"I think he's gonna need some new clothes.", Usopp mused morbidly, eyes shifting to the various bodies littering the street. He saw none currently living on their way here, so he assumed that everyone who'd greeted them upon their arrival was either dead or had run for their lives…

"If you would be so kind… That man's life is ours to take.".

Zoro turned away from his two approaching crew mates and toward where the high-pitched voice had come from, gaze landing on two more figures approaching from the opposite end of the street. He stepped over the wheezing man on the ground and held up Kitetsu defensively.

The figure on the right seemed to be a man and, from what the verdet could see in the moonlight, he wore a long red coat that covered the entirety of his dark skin. A pair of dark red sunglasses rested on the bridge of his nose to match the lighter red colored scarf he wore under his jacket. He stared for a moment, assessing the figure before his gaze shifted to the one who spoke.

The woman next to him was dressed in a long yellow dress that only left her feet showing and it was covered in… Lemons?… Zoro shook his head at the strange design choice and his eyes rose to find the matching beanie that rested atop her head. All in all, the two were a strange pair. Similar to the two bounty hunters they'd met earlier in their journey. "I'm more of a first come first serve kinda guy.", he said, staring the woman down as they continued to approach, "So, you're gonna have to go through me if you wanna get to him.".

Mr. Eight's eyes widened from his place on the ground, "T- Thank yo-".

"Shut it old man.", Zoro interrupted, readying himself for another fight, "It's your turn after them.".

"Who the heck are these guys?", Luffy asked, stopping next to his green-haired friend with Usopp only a few steps behind.

Zoro watched the pair halt in place a ways away from them, Kitetsu still tightly grasped in his hand. "Dunno. Think I was just about to find out.", he answered without taking his eyes off the two who he assumed to be enemies. He went to say more but stopped himself when a voice rang out from one of the nearby alleyways.

"Igaram!", Ms. Wednesday shouted, slapping a hand over her mouth, "I mean... Mr. Eight...".

Mr. Nine went to stop his partner but almost immediately sunk back into the darkness of the alleyway when he saw the many bloody bodies littering the street, his form shaking violently as he stepped backward. With one last glance at his the woman's sprinting figure, he turned and ran as fast as he could. No way was he going out there... He'd heard enough screaming on their way there to know this was no time to try and be a hero... And, now that he was seeing the remains of those the screams had likely been coming from... Nope. He was getting the hell out of there and praying to whoever was looking down on him from above that he wasn't found.

The blue-haired woman wasted no time in rushing out into the open, and, apparently, it was the wrong decision because, as soon as she did, the voice of one of the figures standing across from where her companion lay rang out to address her. However, she didn't stop until she was on the ground next to the man.

"Ms. Wednesday! How nice a you to join us.", Mr. Five exclaimed, turning to his partner, "Would ya look at that Ms. Valentine. Just the two people we were lookin' for.". He turned back to the now foursome, his partner giggling at his words, and went to address the swordsman again. However, he was beaten to the punch.

"Can someone tell me what the hell's going on?!", Luffy shouted, throwing his hands up in exasperation while Usopp nodded his agreement at the line of questioning, "I come outside after these people threw us a great party and everything's all bloody, there's body parts everywhere, dead people.". He groaned and looked over to his first mate, "I guess what I'm asking is if I need to punch you for killing everyone that was nice to us.".

Zoro peeled his eyes away from the two standing in the street and sent his captain a look that said, 'Really?', "You really think I would do all this without a reason?...".

Luffy only stared at the other boy, the action being parroted by the long-nosed teen behind him.

A moment of silence consumed the air as they all stared at each other before it was broken by Zoro, a sigh of defeat leaving his mouth. Things had gotten out of hand one time. ONE TIME. And he was never gonna hear the end of it. "They were planning on cashing in your bounty from what I heard.", he finally answered, turning back to the two still standing at the opposite end of the street.

The words made Luffy look down to find Blue Girl trying her best to help Mayor Guy back to his feet. He really needed to get better at remembering names... "So, you guys are bounty hunters or something?", he asked curiously. He felt like he remembered someone saying something along those lines some time ago but with the excitement of the party overshadowing everything he couldn't really remember…

"Funny you should ask that.", Mr. Five chimed in, "Because, until we got here, her answer would have been yes. Ain't that right Ms. Wednesday?". He caught the blue-haired girl's eyes and grinned in her direction, "Or should I say... Princess Vivi.".

A gasp left the two forms at Luffy's back and he couldn't help but look at them curiously. Princess?... He peeled his eyes away and let his gaze settle on the dark sky, groaning in irritation, "I still have no idea what's happening right now...". Were they fighting? Were they talking? Zoro had obviously been fighting someone but he didn't know if that was over or not. The two at the end of the street just kept standing there and it was only making him more confused.

"I think we should probably take care of these two first.", Zoro started, his legs tensing in preparation for the coming fight. His bloody grin returned at the prospect of going up against someone stronger than the rabble he'd already taken care of. "We can get some answers from them after.", he said, nodding over his shoulder, "Sound good?".

Luffy smiled at the words. Finally. Something he could understand. "I think I can get behind that.", he replied, his muscles tensing similarly to the boy next to him. He glanced over at his green-haired friend and went to say something more but stopped when ice shot down his spine. He turned just in time to see something small arcing through the air on a direct course for their group... Was that... A booger?... He wasted no time in smacking the makeshift projectile to the side in disgust, completely unsuspecting of the explosion that sent him flying in the opposite direction.

"Luffy!", Usopp and Zoro shouted at the same time as they watched the boy's form sail through the air before crashing and rolling roughly through the blood-soaked dirt.

Zoro wrenched his eyes away, knowing it would take a lot more than that to seriously damage his captain, and glared at his offender, the soles of his boots cracking into the ground underneath, "That was a bad idea.".

A small boom ripped through the air and Usopp watched as the swordsman practically disappeared from sight, his eyes just barely able to keep track of the sprinting form. Before he could see the oncoming clash, however, a second boom consumed the night and he was almost blown off his feet as Luffy bounded past him.

Zoro's rapid steps carried him inside Mr. Five's guard and before he could even react, Kitetsu was already coming down to maim the man irreparably. Just when the glinting silver edge of the blade would have met the dark skin between his wide eyes, something else took residence there and he immediately halted in place.

The cracking of bone and glass sounded from underneath Luffy's black knuckles and he growled as he extended his arm the rest of the way, a shockwave erupting from the point of impact. "Keep your boogers to yourself!", he angrily yelled at the figure now flying through the air on a direct course for one of the many buildings lining the street.

The shattering of wood met the straw-hatted teen's ears and it only took a moment for it to come again, the sound getting slightly quieter with each subsequent crack. Damn... That'd really pissed him off... Who the hell went around flicking boogers at people, explosive or not? He shook his head and pulled his eyes away from the line of holes stretching through several different buildings with a grunt, turning to face the woman staring at him and his first mate with a pair of wide eyes.

As soon as function came back to her body, Ms. Valentine pushed on the non-existent muscles that controlled her devil fruit and her body lightened dramatically. With her umbrella already unfolded, the wind quickly blew her figure into the air. But, even with her reaction coming quickly, she still wasn't able to escape the reach of the swordsman below and felt something wrap around her ankle.

Zoro grunted when the foot caught in his grasp suddenly felt like it weighed ten tons, his grip loosening as the woman cratered back into the ground. His katana flashed downward into the space she now occupied but, once again, he had to stop himself.

"Tell your partner to stop flicking boogers at people! It's gross!", Luffy yelled, his anger practically palpable in the air. His foot slammed into the ground and he wrenched his already cocked black fist forward, air screaming past the blurring appendage. His darkened knuckles met the woman's stomach and he felt almost no resistance as he sent her body flashing down the street, her screaming form flying much further than originally intended. He watched the woman travel backward in an almost straight line before she eventually disappeared from his sight, something catching his eye from the left.

Another tingle flitted across the back of the pirate captain's neck and he dropped to the ground, another bit of hardened snot flying over the top of his head. He ignored the sound of an explosion that was accompanied by the tearing of wood and immediately rose, quickly turning back to the place the shot had come from.

Mr. Five went to step out of the building but never got the chance, a straw-hatted form sliding into place and stopping his exit from the hole his body had created when he crashed through the wall. He went to say something cheeky but couldn't seem to form the words through his brutalized face... What was even happening right now?... He and Ms. Valentine hadn't heard anything about these two... They'd only come for the princess and her bodyguard... He shook his head and a few garbled groans left his mouth at the action. One thing was for sure... Whoever this kid was... He could throw a fuckin' punch...

Luffy watched with a narrowed gaze as the man's eyes whited out, stepping to the side when he fell forward and crashed face-first into the dirt. He waited for a moment to see if there would be any more movement coming from him but eventually turned away with a sigh. Hopefully, he'd taught the bastard a lesson he wouldn't soon forget. His gaze landed on Usopp and the two he stood over as they stared at him in bewilderment and he couldn't help the laughter that rose from his throat. Why were people always looking at him like that?

The straw-hatted teen rode his giggles out and approached the group, making to address them before he stopped himself, a familiar voice ringing out from one of many other alleyways leading into the street.

"I mean... Zoro...", Nami sweat dropped as she peeled her eyes away from the part of the street that was filled with blood and bodies. She watched the swordsman turn in her and Sanji's direction and met his gaze with an exasperated look, "... Did you really have to kill everyone?".

A figure dressed in mostly purple from head to toe eyed the ship of the Straw Hat Pirates in fascination, "Cute.". She'd never seen it in person before and it'd been just sitting there when she arrived, so she decided to take a look.

The woman peeled her eyes away from the ship and looked down to the water to find Nala and the beast protecting the vessel as they seemingly chatted in the water... Honestly, if she'd arrived in any other fashion, she was pretty sure she would have been eaten the second she came close. Luckily though, Nala seemed to be able to keep the creature at bay. She was honestly surprised she hadn't remembered at first. Straw Hat Luffy had told her of his friend Levi but, like she'd told him back then, she'd never expected the beast to be able to make it to the Grand Line in the first place.

Ms. All Sunday shook her head and turned toward the town of Whiskey Peak with a curious smile, pulling a rolled-up piece of parchment from her low-cut shirt. As she unfurled it, her eyes drank in a sight that'd given her quite the shock the first time she'd seen it, "Don't keep me waiting too long, Mr. Black Fist.".