NOTE: Sorry this one took so long! Had to figure how to fill some space, but we're back! Time to get the story rolling now that Luffy and Nami had more time to get used to Sand Land.
Enjoy and Review!
Chapter 6: Declaration!
"Let me drive!"
"No."
"Let me drive!"
"No."
"Let me drive!"
"No."
"Let me drive!"
"No."
"Let me drive!"
"No."
"Let me drive!"
"No."
"Let me-"
"SHUT THE HELL UP!" Nami smashed her fist into Luffy's face, causing his head to stretch into the backseat of the car. "I CAN'T FOCUS ON DRIVING THE DAMN CAR WITH YOU BEING ANNOYING!"
Luffy quickly put his head back to normal. He gave his navigator a pout that reminded her of a small child. "Then let me driiiiive!"
"NO!"
Driving ahead of them in their own car was Beelzebub's group. They had set out about an hour ago to continue searching for the Legendary Spring, however, their search hasn't led to the best results. Even worse was that it was clear that Luffy was growing bored and decided to start annoying his navigator, which then turned into a shouting match between the two. "Do they always have to be that loud?" Beelzebub groaned.
"Reminds me of the tantrums you used to throw, Prince."
"I did not throw tantrums, Thief!" Beelzebub hissed, clearly embarrassed.
"Well, I'd rather Luffy be distracted with something rather than cause something bad to happen." Rao said. "We all need to remain focused on finding the Legendary Spring."
"And avoiding the Royal Army."
"Exactly." Rao agreed with Thief.
"Pssh! Bring the army on! I'll kick their butts easily!" Beelzebub bragged. His comment earned a groan from Thief and exasperation from Rao.
"I'm sure you'd be fine, Prince, but the rest of us might not be as lucky in an all-out confrontation." Rao said.
"Considering Luffy's rubber body, I'm not sure if the Royal Army has anything that can actually hurt him…" Thief mentions.
"Still, I rather try to stay on the low when it comes to the Royal Army until we've found the Legendary Spring." Rao's tone closed the matter.
"Fine." Beelzebub grumbled a bit.
"HELP!"
"Huh?" Beelzebub stopped the car after hearing the cries for help. Their sudden stop also alerted the pirates behind them to stop their own car. "Where did that noise come from?"
"What do you mean, Prince?" Rao asked.
"You guys didn't hear that?" Beelzebub raised a brow. "Someone was calling for help."
"Hey! What's the hold up?!" Nami called out to them.
Rao turned to face them. "The Prince heard someone calling for help." The old sheriff stepped out of the car. "A demon's senses are much stronger than a human's, so I trust his judgment."
"You are a sheriff, so I suppose you want to help whoever it is, right?" Nami asked.
"If it's fine with everyone else?" Rao looked at everyone.
"Sure." Luffy shrugged. "If it's important to you, then I'll help." If he agreed to help, then Nami didn't have much of a choice. The pirates left their car to join up with Rao.
"Whatever. I don't like helping people, but you're not gonna drop it." Beelzebub shrugged his shoulders. He stepped out of the car along with Thief to stand with the rest of the group.
"Do you know where the sound is coming from, Prince?" Thief asked.
"Yeah." The demon prince pointed up the rocky cliff. "The noise is coming from up there." Everyone looked up to see several pterodactyls surrounding a spiked edge of the cliff. It was too difficult to see what exactly they were surrounding but it was clear that it was a person who needed help. Rao clenched his teeth in frustration.
"We need to get up there quickly!" He exclaimed.
Beelzebub pulled out the capsule case. "With the Jump Bot we can totally-"
"Gum-Gum Rocket!" Luffy's sudden shout caused them all to flinch. The rubber idiot went flying up towards the cliff faster than they could react.
"Or he could just do that…" Beelzebub groaned.
"We should still follow him!" Rao suggested.
"It's Luffy, so following him quickly is the best move!" Nami added.
"Alright, then!" Beelzebub tossed the capsule out. The smoke parted to reveal a large bipedal robot with a round pilot seat on top. "Let's ride!"
"Woah! What kind of bot is this?!" Nami asked as they climbed on top of it. She noticed the intricate parts and simple controls that Beelzebub was using. He pressed a button on top of the steering rods, allowing the bot to take a huge leap into the air. "Eep!" Nami was unprepared for the sudden motion.
"It's the Jump Bot! Pretty cool, huh?!" Beelzebub enjoyed her uneasiness.
"It allows us to reach higher areas that would normally be unreachable. I'm sure Ann would be willing to build you guys one when she has the chance." Rao explains.
"I'll think about it." Nami groaned.
A skinny man dressed in a dark green shirt and dirty blue jeans, with a white turban and glasses huddled in fear from the dinosaurs that were attempting to bite his head off. He had been lucky for the past few days he had been stuck up here, but now it seemed like his luck had finally reached the bottom of its well. All he wanted was some new materials to make new paints, nothing harmful! "Please! Someone help me!"
As a pterodactyl was about to try and rip him to shreds, a laughing blur smashed into the dinosaur at blinding speeds. The glasses-wearing painter gasped at the stroke of luck that seemed to save him. "W-what was that?!"
"What was what?"
"EEEKKK!" The painter screamed, scuttling back into the cliff's wall. He stared at Luffy, who was staring at him with a blank look as his pinky dug into his nose. "W-who are you?!"
"Monkey D. Luffy."
"I-I'm Shion."
"Cool, Shin!"
"T-that's not my name!"
"KWAAAA!" The two humans looked up to see that the pterodactyls had grown tired from being ignored. The one Luffy had bashed into earlier was also back for some revenge.
"Eeek! We're gonna die!" Shion cried.
Luffy cracked his knuckles. "Nope! Just watch this!" He pulled back his arms and shot them forward in rapid succession. "Gum-Gum Gatling!" Luffy announced loudly. His fists pounded into the prehistoric birds without mercy, blasting them away from the cliff's edge. Luffy turned around to grin at Shion. "See! Pretty easy!"
Shion's jaw had hit the ground after seeing Luffy's inhumane abilities. "H-how?! A-are you some kind of demon?!"
The pirate frowned. "No way! I'm a pirate and a rubber-man, see!" He pulled on his cheek to prove his point.
"A-a pirate with a rubber body? I guess that's something you don't see everyday." Shion tried to calm himself down. Though Luffy's body creeped him out, the young man did save his life. "Thank you for saving my life."
"No problem, Shin!"
"I-it's Shion."
"Luffy!" The two turned around to see the rest of Luffy's group had arrived on the Jump Bot. The pirate gasped loudly at the bot with stars in his eyes.
"Woah! What kind of bot is this?!"
"It's the Jump Bot! Pretty cool, huh?!" Beelzebub bragged.
"Yeah! Nami, I want one!" Luffy begged his navigator as she stepped towards him.
"Later." She shoved her captain out of the way to approach Shion. "I apologize for whatever weird things my friend has done or said to you. I'm Nami."
"I-I'm Shion. And it's nothing bad, your friend saved my life a few seconds ago." Shion said.
Nami nodded her head. "In that case, our services will be 80 Zeni for each pterodactyl that Luffy beat."
"8-80 Zeni each?!" Shion cried.
"Huh, that's pretty evil. I like it!" Beelzebub grinned. "Pay up, human!"
Rao quickly intervened before the situation could derail further. He gently moved Nami back towards the others to take charge. "I'm sorry for them, though they may be pirates and demons, they're good people."
Shion blinked at the sheriff, familiarity brimming in his eyes. "Wait! You're Sheriff Rao!" His exclamation surprised the group, especially the sheriff.
Luffy tilted his head. "You know this guy, old man?"
"Sorry, I have no idea who you are." Rao apologized.
Shion took no offense. "You wouldn't, because we met over twenty years ago. I was scared stiff on a high place then too, then you saved me."
"Hold on… You're not that boy Shion, are you?"
"That's right! I was crying so much that I never got to say thank you! I always regretted that… and I hoped I'd get another chance." Shion explained.
"Are you stupid? How do you get stuck twice?" Luffy asked as he picked his nose. Nami whacked him hard on the head.
"Shut up! Nobody wants to hear that from you!"
Deciding to ignore Luffy, Rao continued on. "I'm glad we got that chance. What have you been up to?"
"How about we get him down from here first before you two start catching up?" Thief suggested.
"Good idea." Rao agreed.
After using the Jump Bot to descend back down to the sandy grounds, Shion explained to the group that he had taken up painting since the last time he had seen Rao. Considering that Shion's been searching for somewhere to settle down, Rao suggested that he set up shop in Spino, a growing town that could use all the support it could get.
"A-are there anymore demons or pirates living in Spino?" Shion asked nervously.
"As I said before, demons and pirates aren't as scary as you've heard." Rao clarified.
"Hey, old man! You're gonna ruin my rep! I'm as evil as evil can be!" Beelzebub complained.
Nami giggled teasingly. "Uh huh. Sure, Beel."
"What's that supposed to mean?!" The prince glared at her.
"And I'm hungry!" Luffy declared.
"Nobody was even talking about food!" Nami and Beelzebub yelled at him.
Shion found the little display funny, quelling some of his fears. "W-well, I guess they don't seem so scary. Okay then! I'll move to Spino!"
"Glad to hear it." Rao smiled.
After saying goodbye to Shion, the group continued on their journey to find the spring. Luffy chowed down on some of the dino meat they had packed for the trip as Nami, Rao, and Thief discussed where to go next. Beelzebub was taking a brief nap under the shade provided by the car.
Nami observed the sky with a frown. "Sand Land is so weird. The weather here has been dry for days since we got here. I know it's a desert, but even those tend to get rain." Her usual handy skills for detecting weather changes haven't proved useful much here. "The fact that this country is as dry as it is weirds me out."
"Sand Land does experience rain, but it's never enough to fill up the rivers. It's as if…no, nevermind." Nami noticed the way Rao stopped himself from continuing his train of thought. Clearly he was hiding something about what was going on, and refused to share it. Under different circumstances she'd be more inclined to push but they needed to keep it moving before nightfall.
Thief pointed at the map. "Could this path prove useful?" The two humans looked over to see what he was pointing towards. "This way may be a bit risky, but it'll get us towards the other half of the gorge faster."
Rao nodded his head. "Agreed. Luckily, we have the Jump Bot to negate the issue."
"Then let's get going-"
BOOM!
Nami and the others were interrupted by an explosion that blew up the ground next to them. The humans and Thief were sent flying across the ground, while Luffy and Beelzebub were toppled over alongside the cars. All of the dino meat spilled on top of the rubber captain and the sandy ground as well.
Far above the group, standing on top of the cliff's edge was a group of strangely dressed individuals. Four odd looking men dressed in only blue speedos, swim caps, and goggles. The leader of the group is an old man with a very muscular build and bushy white mustache. "Alright, Guppy! That was a perfect shot!"
"Thanks, Papa!" Guppy exclaimed. He is a large and round young man with a huge handgun held in his hands.
Swimmer Papa turned to his other son. "Pike, can you see if any of them are alive or have any features?"
Pike, a skinny young man with a red tie around his neck and a cooking pot being worn as a helmet, shook his head. "I don't see any of them moving, Papa, but I can't make out their features with all of the sand in the way."
"It doesn't matter, Papa! I can get down there and swipe all of their belongings in a flash!" The last member of their family exclaimed. He's just as skinny as Pike but wears a brown coat over his upper body.
"Right you are, Shark, but a nice confirmation would still sit better with me. But! We are the Swimmers, the toughest gang in Sand Land! It doesn't matter who those fools are, whoever we set our sights on has already lost all hope!"
CRASH!
"Huh?" The Swimmers looked back down at the ruined sight to see two of the group members had gotten back up on their feet. The boy with a straw hat and the pink skinned kid were glaring up at their direction. Not even a moment later, but the other three members had managed to recover from the explosion too.
"Wow! They're pretty tough!" Guppy exclaimed.
"None of them died from that shot, really?!" Papa was impressed. He looked over a Pike and pointed down at them. "I'm assuming you have a better sight now, right?" Pike nodded his head. "Good, sketch up their appearances for me!"
"On it!" Pike whipped out his sketch pad and used his enhanced eye-sight to draw perfect sketches of the group below. One of the individuals in particular had caught Pike's attention. "Wait! Papa, one of those guys down there is Beelzebub!"
"WHAT?! B-B-BEELZEBUB?!" Papa screamed. "Why is the Fiend Prince hanging out with a bunch of humans?!"
"W-what do we do?! He flattened us the last time we crossed him!" Pike recalled.
"Don't be a coward! He may have gotten the best of us last time, but we're still the Swimmers! No demon is gonna get the best of us twice!" Papa declared. He turned around to his biggest son with a plan brewing. "Guppy! Chuck some of those rocks down there to flatten those losers!"
"W-what if it doesn't work?" Guppy asked.
"Get ready to run just in case, then."
Thanks to his own excellent eye-sight, Beelzebub was able to make out the recognizable appearances of the Swimmers. "Hey, it's the Swimmers! Those little…!" The demon prince growled.
"The Swimmers?" Nami tilted her head.
"A notorious group of bandits." Rao explained.
"Oh! I should've known those lousy crooks were behind this!" Thief grumbled.
Luffy glared at the family on top and took a deep breath. "HEEEEEEY! YOU SUPPER GUYS RUINED MY MEAT! I'M GONNA KICK YOUR ASS!"
"THAT'S WHAT YOU'RE MORE WORRIED ABOUT?!" Beelzebub, Thief, and Nami yelled at him.
"IT'S 'THE SWIMMERS' NOT 'THE SUPPERS'!" Papa yelled right back. He looked back at Guppy and threw his arm downwards. "CRUSH THAT LOUD ONE IN PARTICULAR!"
"Right, Papa!" Guppy grabbed a large boulder and effortlessly lifted it above his head. With a loud heave, he threw the boulder down at Luffy.
Luffy easily punched the boulder to pieces with a single punch, shocking the Swimmers. "As if something like that is gonna stop me!"
"I'm gonna kick their butts!" Beelzebub declared, cracking his knuckles.
Luffy stretched his arms to grab onto one of the lower cliffs and started walking back to get some distance. His rubbery body terrified the Swimmers, who had never seen a human capable of stretching their body in such a way. As he did so, Beelzebub jumped onto his back, having anticipated Luffy's need to rush in first. The demon prince turned to the others. "You guys catch up with the Jump Bot! Leave those guys to us!"
"Be careful, Prince!" Rao yelled.
"You too, Luffy!" Nami added.
The two nodded and Luffy propelled forward. "Gum-Gum Rocket!" Like a speeding missile, Luffy and Beelzebub were soaring towards the panicking Swimmers, who hadn't anticipated such a possibility. However, Luffy hadn't properly accounted for the distance or speed, thus causing the two to sail right over the Swimmers. Everyone watched with blank stares as the two collided with the rocky wall, trapping themselves within the rocky crevice.
"D-did that just…" Thief stuttered.
"Yes, it happened." Rao shook his head.
"Luffy…" Nami facepalmed, clearly embarrassed.
It took the Swimmers a moment to take into account what had just happened. Once they realized that the biggest threat had basically taken care of itself, their confidence returned in strides. "Alright, boys, with Beelzebub defeated we can finish off the rest of their group!" Papa yelled. "Keep throwing down boulders!"
"Right, Papa!"
"What do we do now?!" Thief cried.
Rao squinted his eyes at the hole created by Luffy, then down to the Swimmers. "We need to get those two out of that hole! But none of our ammunition will reach them from all the way down here!"
"So, we need to get closer?! How do we do that?!" Nami asked.
"Look out!" Rao quickly pulled Nami and Thief out of the way as a stream of boulders were threatening to mow them down. "Our only hope to get up there fast enough is the Jump Bot, but even one hit from these boulders will total it!"
"Not like we have much of a choice in this situation, Sheriff!" Thief said.
Nami looked down at the short demon. "Hey, Thief, you're a demon like Beel, right?! Can't you use that demon strength to destroy the boulders in our way?!"
"What? I'm not as strong as the Prince!"
"Then why are you even here?!"
"How dare you?! Do you think all demons are the same or something?!"
"Enough! We'll just have to be extra careful going up the slope!" Rao exclaimed. He tossed out the Jump Bot's capsule, poofing the huge bot into existence. "Get on!"
With Rao in the driver's seat, the two clung onto the sides as the sheriff began to ascend up the slope. The Swimmers didn't slow down their assault, continuing to throw down boulders to crush them. Seeing a medium sized boulder coming their way, Rao fired a missile to blow it to pieces. "Take that!"
"Alright, Rao!" Nami cheered him on.
"Get 'em, Sheriff!" Thief added.
Rao maneuvered the bot to make a sharp turn to avoid a much larger boulder, then they jumped onto a higher level to not get pinned between boulders. He launched two missiles to blow a big one to pieces, then increased the running speed to make a longer jump across a gap.
"P-Papa! They're getting closer!" Shark yelled.
Papa growled at the persistent group. "Fine! If the boulders aren't working, then we'll just blow them up! Fire away, Guppy!"
"Yes, Papa!" Guppy aimed his handgun at the Jump Bot to blow it apart.
Nami and Thief clung to each other in fear. "T-they're gonna shoot!"
"Yes they are, but not at us!" Rao launched several missiles at the Swimmers. Having not expected the sudden retaliation, the Swimmers panicked slightly. Guppy tried to take his shot, but the explosion caused by missiles messed up his aim. He fell backwards, pulled the trigger on his gun, and released his blast at the mountain side.
Right at the spot where Luffy and Beelzebub were stuck.
BOOM!
The two dunderheads fell from the hole and crashed down right onto the same spot as the Swimmers. Smoke and rocks covered the area, momentarily blinding Rao and the others from seeing what was going on. "D-did it work?" Thief asked.
"It had to." Rao responded.
"I-is everyone okay?" Papa asked as he recovered first. He checked on his sons, who were lucky to not get crushed in the sudden rockslide. He heard murmurs and groans coming from the three of them as they climbed back onto their feet. "Good! Judging by what happened it may be best to cut our losses for now and regroup."
"AS IF!"
SMASH!
The pile of rocks that were in front of them blew apart after the shout was heard. The Swimmers stepped back in shock as the unharmed duo of Luffy and Beelzebub. Luffy glared at the four, scaring them. "You jerks are gonna pay for getting us stuck in the wall!"
"THAT WAS YOUR FAULT!" Beelzebub roared at him. Then he turned his attention back to the Swimmers. "I'll kick his butt for that humiliation later, for now you jerks are gonna pay for messing with us!"
When the dust cleared more, Luffy squinted his eyes a bit at the Swimmers. His eyes scanned over them, specifically their choice of outfit. "Woah! You guys are just like Franky! Where is he?! Do you know where Franky is?!"
"Who the hell is Franky?!" Papa asked.
"Luffy! They aren't related to Franky!" Nami called out to him. When she was finally able to see the Swimmers in clear view, even she had to admit that they looked like long lost members of the Franky Family.
"But they're wearing panties just like him!"
"These aren't panties, dammit! They're speedos!" Pike shouted.
Nami frowned at the Swimmers. "Doesn't matter what you call it, you still look like a bunch of perverts."
Papa, having enough of the insults and troubles, growled at their enemies. "Enough of this! Insulting the Swimmers is a death sentence! Alright boys, let's kick their asses!"
"Yes, Papa!"
"Finally, ready to fight?" Beelzebub scoffed. He rushed forward towards Papa, but Shark got in his way. The speedy swimmer cut off the demon in an attempt to trip him up. Beelzebub reacted in time, jumping over the speedster and kicking him away easily.
Pike attempted to punch Luffy, but the boy's rubber body just stretched in response. Pike freaked out at the phenomenon while Luffy just laughed. "W-what the hell are you?! A demon?!"
"Nope! A rubber man!" Luffy declared with a strong punch that sent the artist spiraling away into the opposite wall. "Who's next?!"
"You'll pay for that!" Guppy cried, aiming his gun at Luffy. He fired the strongest charge the gun could muster to blow the pirate away.
Luffy smirked, stretching his hands back. "Gum-Gum…Bazooka!" He shot his hands forward, colliding with the explosive round right as Guppy fired it. The explosion sent the larger swimmer flying back against the wall alongside his brother.
Beelzebub ducked under a swipe from Papa, then kicked the leader's legs from under him. The prince landed a devastating uppercut as the father of the group was falling forward. Beelzebub then grabbed his legs and started spinning Papa around like a ragdoll. He tossed Papa away with a mighty throw that shattered some of the rocks on the wall.
Shark attempted to attack the demon from behind, but Luffy moved before he even realized it. The pirate pulled in his legs before shooting them forward. "Gum-Gum Spear!" The stretchy drop kick knocked the speedster into the same wall as his family.
Rao parked the Jump Bot, allowing the three of them to join their allies. He observed the defeated Swimmers with an impressed look. "You two handled that pretty well."
"It was nothing. These guys aren't anything to be afraid of." Beelzebub said.
"Now they can tell us where Franky is!" Luffy said.
"I highly doubt they know where Franky is, Luffy." Nami reminded him.
Papa grunted painfully, noticing the group was distracted. They couldn't risk continuing the fight any longer, so it was the perfect time for them to retreat. "G-Guppy! Smoke bomb!"
"O-on it!" Guppy reached into his bag and tossed out a bomb at the group. Rao noticed the explosive too late. Smoke enveloped the area, blinding the five completely, and allowing the Swimmers to escape quickly.
When it cleared, Beelzebub snarled at the empty spot. "Damn! They got away!" However, there was something white laying on the ground. The prince walked over to it and picked up the piece of paper. "What the…?!"
"What is it, Prince?" Thief asked as the rest of them walked over to him.
"The Swimmers dropped this! A picture of me!" Beelzebub showed the drawing to the group.
"Woah! The drawing is just as good as Usopp's!" Luffy smiled.
"But what would they need a sketch of you for?" Nami asked.
Rao hummed a bit. "I'm unsure, but whatever it is isn't in our control at the moment. It'd be best to get back down and continue our quest." Nobody disagreed with his idea, since he wasn't wrong. With the drawing kept in their possession, the group used the Jump Bot to descend back down the cliff.
The Swimmers stopped to catch their breaths, certain that they had run far enough to escape Beelzebub's group. Papa turned to his artistic son. "Pike, do you have the drawings?"
"Yeah, but one's missing. I must've dropped it." Pike answered. He handed the sketches over to his father. Papa scanned through them before stopping on the picture of Rao, something about the old sheriff had caught his attention.
"It feels like I've seen this guy somewhere before."
"Nah." Shark disagreed.
Papa shrugged and handed the images to Shark. "Alright, Shark, go sell these to the news office. But don't let them have it for anything less than 2 million Zeni! Milk 'em dry!"
"Yup!" Shark nodded his head before speeding off towards the nearest news office.
"I saw a beetle~! A really big beetle~! It was brown and blue and all those two~! I wish I could've eaten it~!" Luffy sings to himself as they continue their drive through the desert. Nami, who was growing agitated by the terrible singing from her captain, forced herself to not say a word. If he was occupied by singing, then there was less of a chance of him bothering her about driving the car. She was jealous of Beelzebub's group for not having to deal with all of that. She did wish Robin was here to have another woman to talk with.
Maybe she should talk with Ann more when they get back to Spino? Yeah, that might help.
"We interrupt this program for a recent update on the recent theft of an army tank!" The car's radio suddenly turned on, grabbing the pirates' attention. Beelzebub's car also stopped to listen to the news broadcast. "A sketch from an eye witness has allowed us to verify the identity of one of the perpetrators."
"S-say what?!" Rao gasped.
"This man, spotted inside the stolen tank, has been identified as Rao. The sixty-one-year-old sheriff of a small town north of the central district known as Apato Village. However, when we ran the fingerprints of this 'Sheriff Rao' through a centralized database we discovered a far more shocking truth! 'Rao' is a mere alias! This man's name should be familiar to every citizen in Sand Land!" Nami's eyes trailed over to Rao, noticing the way his hand tightened around the handling pole of the car. "For it belongs to the military genius who became a general of the Royal Army at the tender age of twenty-seven! The legendary super soldier who protected Sand Land from rebels and outlaws alike, famed for his mercy and gentlemanly conduct towards even his fiercest of enemies! He is the great renowned General Shiva!"
"What?!" Thief gasped. Nami and Luffy didn't recognize the name, but they could tell that it was something important due to Thief's reaction. The navigator remembered all of Rao's strange behavior when it came to talking about his past or Sand Land's history. Everything was starting to make more sense to her.
"A staggering development, I'm sure. For General Shive has long been assumed dead, killed by the massive explosion caused when he protected Sand Land from the attempted Pichi rebellion."
Rao spat into the sand. "Protected Sand Land? Tch… All I did was murder."
"Not only that, but his nearby home was destroyed in that same explosion. Slaying his beloved wife and robbing the world of a star…the actress and musician Sexy Terrier."
Nami covered her mouth from shock, while Thief stood up to face Rao. He remembered back inside the tank that Rao kept a picture of Sexy Terrier hung up. The demon had thought the old man was just a silly old pervert, but the truth spilled a different reason behind the action. "W-why didn't you tell me that was your wife?! I'm mortified! If I had known I never would've-"
"Don't worry about it." Rao never took any offense to it. "I thought she was sexy too, that's why I asked her out."
"But if she was your wife, then why a magazine clipping?" Thief asked.
"...Because all the photos I had of her burned up." Rao muttered.
…
"ZZZZZ!"
"Eh?" Everyone paused at the loud snoring, turning around to see that Luffy had long fallen asleep during the broadcast. A red cartoonish tick mark appeared on Nami's forehead. She brought her fist down on his head immediately.
"GYAH!" Luffy screamed, holding the steaming red bump on his head. "What was that for, Nami?!"
"A whole special broadcast explaining some really big details just played! Now that the Royal Army is aware of Rao, they're going to be attacking us now!" Nami yelled.
"So what?! I don't care if the old guy was some super-secret army guy! He's still the old guy! That stupid army can come for us all they want, because I'll kick their ass if they try to hurt my friends!" Luffy declared loudly.
Though Luffy couldn't see it, an eager smile appeared on Beelzebub's face. While he wouldn't admit it out loud, he agreed wholeheartedly with Luffy. He didn't care much for Rao's past, even with the disastrous consequences it had caused. Rao was doing his best to find the Legendary Spring to help everyone in Sand Land, and no stupid human army was going to get in their way.
Rao heard Luffy's words and felt his heart soften a bit. He knew that he had some explaining to do at this point now that his past was coming more to light. Their new comrades and Ann as well may end up finding out the truth behind that explosion eventually, but for now he was content in knowing that Luffy trusted him. "Prince."
"Yeah?"
"I want to head for one of the radio towers under the army's control east of here." Rao said.
"Huh? Why a radio tower?"
"I have a message I'd like for the people of Sand Land to hear. The radio tower will allow the message to be heard nationwide." Rao said. He turned around to explain the exact same thing to the pirates and got a thumbs up from Nami as an answer.
"Okay, then."
As the group headed east for the radio tower, they missed the disembodied ear that had been listening to their conversation the entire time. It disappeared in a flurry of flower petals as they drove off.
Within the main central command center of the Royal Capital, a few certain individuals were in a panic after the nationwide announcement. "S-Shiva…?! It can't be…?!"
The first one is the Supreme Commander of the Royal Army, Zeu. He's a sickly old man stuck in a huge white and blue life support system with the ability to hover in the air. He has a cybernetic mask on the right side of his face, and a red military hat. Zeu turned to one of the soldiers in the command center. "I-inform General Are of this at once! And while you're at it, tell the news office to double the award for Shiva and make an announcement that anyone found harboring him will be severely punished!
"Y-yes, sir!"
"Shiva…what are you up to?!" Zeu hissed.
"W-what?! General Shiva is alive?!" General Are shouted. He is a well-built young man dressed in a brown trench coat over his military uniform. With his hair in the style of a pompadour. Are sat inside of his own personal tank, surrounded by his subordinates. An excited grin lit up his face. "I'm going to go up against a legend? Now that's what I'm talking about! Send out the tanks and reinforce our defenses at all locations!"
"Yes, sir!"
As Nami pointed out beforehand, the Royal Army was now on their case after identifying Rao as General Shiva. Of course, it didn't take much for them to blow through the army outposts with the use of their own tank and Luffy's inhumane strength. Without many incidents, the group was able to arrive at the radio tower. After getting the tower up and running, Rao prepared to give his own announcement to the people of Sand Land.
"News office? This is Shive, former General Shiva… Yes, the man himself. I have something I want to tell the people of this country if you'll let me transmit it… Yes, right away, please."
"We have just received radio contact from the man who claims to be General Shiva himself!"
"What?!" Papa Swimmer exclaimed. He and his sons were listening closely to the radio broadcast.
"He has a message for you all, and while we have not been able to confirm his identity, we have agreed to transmit his words live on air, beginning now."
"This is Shiva. First, allow me to apologize to you all for any distress I may have caused."
"All units! Cut the engines! Make it quick!" General Are ordered his unit. They complied immediately, so that they could hear the broadcast.
"I freely confess to the crime of stealing a tank. But unlike what you were told previously, I have not attacked any villages with it. I swear this on my life.
"It is not my aim to spread panic or confusion throughout this country." Rao continued. His allies waited outside of the tank, listening to his announcement patiently. "I intend only to find the Legendary Spring, which I assure you is no fairytale. For this country cannot withstand any more drought!"
"S-spring?! Did he say spring?!" Zeu panicked. Standing next to him was the king of Sand Land, a short pudgy man with a twirly mustache.
"W-what is he talking about?!" The king asked.
"So please! Allow me to finish this mission without any interference!"
A certain musical skeleton stopped playing his violin to allow the village he was staying in to hear the broadcast. He had also grown quite interested in what this General Shiva had to say about the country.
"When I find the spring, I promise to make its location public and return the tank I stole!"
A blonde cook with swirly eyebrows placed several plates filled with freshly cooked food in front of a group of kids. He smiled softly at their awed expressions as they enjoyed the meal he provided. The cook turned his attention to the broadcast, which the rest of the adults were paying close attention to.
"That is all."
"Actually, I have one final message for a certain individual, on an entirely different subject." Rao's face morphed into a determined glare as memories of the past replayed in his mind. "Though, this doesn't absolve my role in the cause of that explosion thirty years ago, I've learned the truth behind it."
"Commander Zeu. You are the only one I'll never forgive."
Zeu's eyes widened from pure fear. A ghost from the past that he was sure had been eradicated completely was now back to ruin everything he had carefully built in the last thirty years. His anger started to rise just at the mere thought of seeing Rao's face again. "T-track it! Track that line no-"
"HEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEY!" A loud, youthful voice interrupted the line before it could've been cut completely. Zeu, the king, and everyone else flinched back in pain from the shout.
"L-Luffy! What are you doing?!" Nami cried.
The captain of the Straw Hats had taken the radio from Rao before he could've ended the transmission. He looked just as determined in sending his own message. "Zoro, Robin, Chopper, Franky, Brook, Sanji, Usopp, and Sunny! WE'RE HERE! ME AND NAMI ARE COMING, OKAY?!"
Nami's eyes widened as she realized what Luffy was doing. As dumb as her captain can be, he had his moments of intelligence when it came to his friends. He was sending them a message to let them know that they were here in Sand Land too. That they'll still be able to reunite.
"W-who in the world are you?!" The news announcer responded.
"I'm Monkey D. Luffy! The man who's gonna become King of the Pirates!" Luffy's announcement echoed across all of Sand Land, shocking everyone. Before any response could be given, Rao cut the line to prevent it from being traced.
"K-King?! I-is he aiming for my position?!" The king panicked.
Zeu turned to his subordinates. "Contact the news office immediately! Tell them that they are never allowed to answer a call from Shiva or whoever else is with him EVER again!"
The king was trembling slightly. "T-this is bad, Zeu! Shiva spoke about the explosion, and that person with him sounded dangerous! W-what if they know about our secret water source?!"
Zeu growled and turned his attention to the other sketches that he had requested alongside Rao's. He ignored the one that obviously looked to be a demon, having little care for those creatures. Zeu's attention remained on the two humans that Shiva had to be traveling with.
A boy with a Straw Hat and a young girl around the same age.
"Whoever they are, they picked the wrong kingdom to enter…!"
"Are you sure that was the wisest move?" Rao asked Luffy. "The Royal Army was already coming for me, which inadvertently dragged you all into it as well. But now with your declaration, they're certainly going to want to find you."
Luffy shrugged. "I needed to let our crew know that we're here too. I don't care about whatever those army guys will do. We'll kick their butts no matter what!"
"Heh! Now you're saying something I can agree with!" Beelzebub smirked.
"I agree, Prince Beelzebub."
"Huh?" Beelzebub, Thief, and Rao were surprised by the new voice. However, Nami and Luffy both gasped, recognizing the one it belonged to. They looked over to see a person walking out of the shadows of a nearby cave, clearly a tall woman with a teasing smile. "Our captain likes to make himself known whenever he gets the chance."
"ROOOBBBBBBBBBIIIIIIIIIIIIIINNNNNN!" Luffy and Nami shouted together. The two flung themselves towards her to wrap her up in a huge hug. The archaeologist easily stepped slightly to the left to avoid Luffy's rough tackle but opened her arms to embrace Nami's more normal hug.
Beelzebub's group watched the scene with respectable distance. "I guess that's one of their missing crew mates." Rao said.
"I sort of expected someone more…abnormal." Thief admitted.
"She smells like Luffy. I think she has one of those Devil Fruits too." Beelzebub's nose picked up the similar weird scent that Luffy had. He wondered what kind of fruit she had eaten to become a member of that rubber idiot's crew. The prince shrugged, figuring that he'd find out soon anyway.
Chapter End
NOTE: Luffy and Nami run into Robin first! With her here, things will hopefully progress easier. Will they? How Robin found them will be explained more in the next chapter.
This chapter introduces the last Straw Hats that ended up in Sand Land. Zoro, Franky, Usopp, and Chopper are in Forest Land. If you know what happens in the second half of Sand Land, then you might be able to see why.
I figured that announcing himself in such a way is a real Luffy thing to do, especially since it would confirm to his crew that they all ended up in this new world together.
I can't wait to write Franky meeting the Swimmers. It's going to be funny.
Have a great day!