Hello, hello! BlueRaptor here, and I brought you not one but two chapters! Originally, These two chapters are originally planed to be one but I decided to make it into two due to reasons I can't really explain.
And without further ado, on with the chapter!
Chapter 2: Buggy the Clown Pirate
A trio of Pirates were sailing through the sea, feeling good about the loot that they just recently hauled. But then…
"Hey! What's that?" One of the Pirates asked as he and his fellow crewmates spotted a lone boat simply drifting through the waters. They decided to get a closer look and realized what was on the boat.
"It's a lady." The second Pirate stated.
Said lady was the very same lady that was in Shells Town. But to these trio, they have no idea who she was.
"Hey, wake up!" The third Pirate called out to the young woman out, which the latter looked up and gave them a smile.
"Oh… Thank goodness you're real…" The young woman said in relief. "Please… can you give me water?" She then pointed towards the chest that was on the boat with her. "You can have any jewelry or valuables as long as you give me a little drink."
"Sure, we'll help ya!" The first Pirate said.
"But not until we see what kind of treasure you're holding." The second Pirate added as he and his two comrades jumped into the young woman's boat and immediately went for the treasure chest. As they opened it, instead of gold and jewelry, a panda head sprung out from the chest, surprising them.
"GAAAAAH!" The trio shouted in panic.
"Hahaha! You can have the whole thing if you want!" The three turned around and saw that the young woman had gotten into their sailboat while they were distracted. "Thanks for the boat, boys!"
"Hey! That's ours!"
"You tricked us!"
The young woman simply looked up, eyeing the clouds.
"Hmm… From the looks of the clouds moving south, I'd say a cold front is coming!" She announced. "Expect strong winds and squalls soon. And with that small boat, there's a chance for you three to get capsized."
The Pirates looked up as dark clouds looming over them before rain poured on them. Due to the strong winds, the boat was shaking violently before capsizing, just as the young woman predicted.
"Bingo! See ya!" The orange haired young woman said as she sailed away, leaving the scammed Pirates behind. "And while I'm at it, I'll be taking your treasure too!"
"Get back here, you bitch!"
(Meanwhile…)
Chiaki's mood was currently sour at the moment. Why was his mood sour? Well…
"Hey! Did you change your mind yet?"
"Ugh…"
Apparently, Chiaki found out that Luffy and Zoro, the pair of which he met, have been following him ever since their departure from Shells Town.
"Is there any reason why you are following me?" Chiaki asked. "How long are you gonna keep doing this?"
"Until you decided to join my crew." Luffy replied. "Come on! It'll be fun!"
"Sorry, but I ain't interested in what you're selling." Chiaki retorted. "Also, can you please go elsewhere!? You're beginning to act like a stalker!"
"But I don't know where I'm going next!" The straw hat boy retorted.
"Are you telling me you don't know about seafaring and navigation?" Chiaki asked. "You, who wants to be King of the Pirates, turned out to be suck at navigating the sea?"
"You know, I was wondering the same thing about that." Zoro chimed in.
"Yeah, I'm no good at that stuff. I just drift around." Luffy replied shamelessly before turning towards Zoro. "What about you? Aren't you some famous bounty hunter who sailed across the seas?"
"I never claim to be a bounty hunter." Zoro corrected. "I set out to the open sea to find one man but I couldn't go back to my village."
"I know how that feels…" Chiaki said, reminding himself about a certain accident. It was also too much of a hassle to have Hoopa open a portal that leads to his home right after setting out to sea recently. "I set out too but I actually have a map to guide me on the journey."
"Well, where's the map? It'll save us a lot of trouble." Zoro asked.
"Well… That map was blown into the sea." Chiaki replied awkwardly.
"And then the boat suddenly began sinking, which was why I summoned Lapras to get the two of us there." Hoopa added.
"Whoa… That's so cool!" Luffy said.
"You know, I still don't know what your deal is?" Zoro asked the Psychic and Ghost type Pokémon. "Like how can you pull that big thing out of a ring? And what even is a Pokémon?"
"Oh. I guess I haven't told you about that." Hoopa said. "First off, a magician never reveals his secret. And second, Pokémon is short for 'Pocket Monsters.'"
"Pocket Monsters!? That sounds awesome!" Luffy exclaimed but he then found himself dumbfounded. "But what is that?"
"Of course, you'd say that. Listen carefully because I'll only say this once." Hoopa stated. "Pocket Monsters, or 'Pokémon' for short, are creatures with unique powers. But I think you already knew that from seeing me and Totodile…"
"Yeah, that one tracks…" Zoro muttered. "But what kind of 'unique powers'?"
"Every Pokémon has at least one or two types." Hoopa explained. "And these types? There were a total of 18 types: Normal, Fighting, Rock, Flying, Bug, Electric, Grass, Fire, Water, Ground, Poison, Psychic, Ghost, Ice, Dragon, Steel, Dark, and finally Fairy."
"18 powers? That's so cool…" Luffy muttered.
"So what's the type of you, Chiaki's baby croc, and then the big thing that Chiaki rode on?" Zoro asked.
"Totodile's a pure Water type Pokemon. 'Pure' as in he only has a single type." The Mischief Pokémon continued. "Me and Lapras, on the other hand, have two types. Mine is Psychic and Ghost while Lapras, which is a Water type just like Totodile, is also part Ice."
"Ice, huh? Does that mean that this thing can use ice attacks?" Zoro asked as he looked towards Lapras.
"(Indeed, I can.)" Lapras replied.
"Wow… It understands what you're saying, Zoro!" Luffy said.
"Yeah, except I don't have a clue on what it's saying."
"She said she can use ice attacks. And by that, I mean she can use Ice type moves." Hoopa said.
"You can understand what it's saying? How do you do that?" Luffy asked.
"Did you forget that I'm a Pokémon too? Of course I can understand what other Pokemon are saying!" The Mischief Pokemon retorted. "Moving on, Pokémon can be found pretty much anywhere. Forests, mountains, seas, and even places that humans normally lived in."
"So they're like animals with superpowers?" Zoro asked.
"Not quite." Hoopa replied. "While it's true that some Pokémon are animalistic by appearances, there are some that look like humans. Oh, and they have some level of intelligence too. They can be dumber than humans, can be on the same level as them, or even be smarter than them too."
"Wait, what!?" Zoro exclaimed.
"So, they're Mystery Monsters?" Luffy wondered.
"Do you even understand my explanation so far?" Hoopa asked, irked by Luffy's stupidity.
"Anyway…" Zoro shrugged off his bewilderment. "Pocket Monsters, huh? Does that mean you can somehow carry them? I mean, it has the 'Pocket' in the name and everything."
"And that's where this comes in." Chiaki said as he pulled out Totodile's Poké Ball. "According to Hoopa, this is called a Poké Ball. An item used to catch a Pokémon, which is very important for Pokémon Trainers."
"Pokémon Trainers?" Both Luffy and Zoro repeated.
"They are people who catch Pokémon, train them, and then bond with them." Chiaki added as he put his Poké Ball away. "I guess you could say I am a Pokémon Trainer."
"So, that means your Pokémon fights for you while standing around barking orders?" The swordsman asked.
"Sorta." Hoopa answered. "From what I remember, there were people who used to call themselves 'Pokémon Wielders' back in the old days, but the term dropped because of how it sounded like they're treating Pokémon like weapons. No better than slaves."
"Yeah, that's messed up." Zoro said before he turned towards Chiaki. "I guess that means you're a bit different, huh?"
"Well, I don't see Totodile other than being a friend. Same goes with Hoopa and Lapras." Chiaki stated. "Must because I was raised on a farm and came to like the farm animals there. Plus, I'm an animal lover so being a Pokémon Trainer suits me just fine."
"Pokémon Trainer, huh? I like it!" Luffy grinned. "I think my crew could use a Pokémon Trainer so maybe you–"
"Don't push it. I thought we went over this." Chiaki denied before moving on to Zoro. "Enough about me, I'm curious as to why you decided to hunt PIrates?"
"For a living. What else?" Zoro said. "Seeing as I have no idea on getting back to my village, I decided to wander around the sea, going after Pirates ships left and right."
"Oh, I see. You're just lost." Luffy stated.
"Wow. Your sense of direction must be terrible if you can't find your way back to your home village." Chiaki pointed it out.
"Big words coming from someone who lost his only map." Zoro retorted.
"Hey! It's the wind's fault, not me!"
It was then that a strong wind suddenly blew behind Luffy and blew his hat out of his head.
"Oh no! Shanks' hat!" Luffy said as he reached out and grabbed it before it could land on the water.
After that, Luffy was staring at his precious hat and did not talk to anyone ever since.
"What's up with him now? He's been real quiet ever since getting the hat back." Hoopa wondered.
"Looks like that hat is important to him, huh?" Chiaki said before glancing at his bracelet. He then looked back at Luffy with curiosity. 'Shanks… where did I have heard of that…?'
"Hey. Luffy! You're gonna drop that hat again if you keep that up." Zoro warned his Captain.
"Oh, yeah." Luffy then put on his hat once more.
Then, the sounds of stomach grumbling could be heard.
"I am so hungry…" Zoro muttered.
"Me too." Chiaki then looked at his bag of rations. "It looks like I'm running low on food. How's yours?"
"Already gone, no thanks to him." Zoro said before pointing to Luffy.
"Sheesh. How big is your stomach?" The Pokemon Trainer muttered.
"Wait." Zoro said as he saw something in the distance. "Is that a bird?"
"I think it is." Chiaki said, also seeing something birdlike flying in the horizon.
Luffy also noticed the flying animal and came to a conclusion.
"I know! Let's eat it!" Luffy suggested.
"Huh? How do we catch it?" The swordsman wondered.
"Leave that to me!" Luffy volunteered.
"Yeah, no. I'm not gonna eat it raw." Chiaki stated.
"Gum Gum…" Luffy grabbed hold of the mast. "ROCKET!" He then launched himself into the air, shocking Lapras.
"(Whoa! That human's fast!)" Lapras exclaimed.
"Make sense…" Zoro muttered.
"Hoopa, give me a telescope or something." Chiaki told his friend.
"Give me a sec." Hoopa said as he stuck his hand through a portal to his right once it was created. He pulled out what appeared to be a binocular. "Here you go."
"Oh, two scopes. Nice." Chiaki took the binoculars and immediately used them. He then zoomed in on the object of interest. "Huh… On second thought, that looks like the bird's really big now that I got a closer look at it. I think it's enough for all–" He stopped himself when he saw something. "Uh oh."
"What's wrong?" Zoro asked.
"Aaaahhh! HELP ME!" Luffy shouted, revealing that he got his head stuck between the bird's beak and was flying away from them.
"You moron! What the hell's going on now!?" Zoro shouted as he furled the sails and proceeded to go after his captain by rowing the boat as fast as he could.
"Are we gonna go after Luffy?" Hoopa asked his friend.
"Definitely. I know I refused to be part of his crew, but that doesn't mean I'm not going to help him when he's in trouble." Chiaki answered. "Follow that giant bird, Lapras!"
"(Of course!)" Lapras said as she swam after Zoro.
As Zoro and Lapras tried to chase after Luffy, they saw three men on the sea, trying their best not to drown.
"Hey, you there! Stop, please! Men overboard!" One of the men shouted as he waved for help.
"Oh, great. Shipwreckers on a time like this!?" Zoro grumbled. "You'll have to jump in! I'm not stopping the boat!"
Surprisingly, the three men managed to grab onto the boat and climb into the deck.
"I'm actually impressed that you made it on board." Zoro remarked.
"ARE YOU TRYING TO KILL US!?" The three men shouted at him.
"Stop the boat now." One of the men said as he pulled out his sword. "We're members of Buggy the Clown's Pirate crew."
"Huh?" Zoro said as he glared.
"(Ungrateful rascals…)" Lapras muttered under her breath as Chiaki also glared at them.
"Hahaha… I'm sorry. We had no idea you were the famous 'Pirate Hunter' Zoro!" One of the Pirates said sheepishly as his two comrades were rowing the boat as they "volunteered" to take Zoro and the others to a nearby island. The three men have bruises on their faces.
"Please forgive us!"
"Thanks to you dipshits, we lost our friend." Chiaki said. "Consider yourselves lucky that Zoro let you live."
"So, just keep paddling, you idiots!" Zoro ordered them.
"Yes sir!"
"Do you think Luffy's gonna be okay?" Chiaki asked. "I know it's none of my business, seeing as how I'm not part of the crew, but I'm worried about him as a friend."
"Don't sweat it. Since Luffy likes you enough to keep asking you to join his crew, you have the right." Zoro replied. "Plus, knowing him, he'll pull something once he spots land."
"I hope so. As much as I find him annoying, I don't hate the guy." The Pokemon Trainer stated.
"So, any ideas about what we do now?" One of the Pirates asked his two fellow crewmates.
"Good question…" The second Pirate said. "If Captain Buggy finds out a girl stole our boat and our treasure, we're history."
"I know." The third Pirate added.
"So, who's this 'Buggy' guy?" Zoro asked them.
"You've never heard of Buggy the Clown!?" The second Pirate asked.
"He's your Captain, right? Seeing as how you three claimed to be part of his crew." Chiaki said.
"Yeah, he's the ruthless Captain of our crew and he has eaten a Devil Fruit! And above everything else, he is one truly terrifying man!"
(Somewhere…)
"Yes! I've finally got it!" A familiar young woman said as she ran away from a bunch of Pirates through a town, having successfully stolen something from them.
"Hey, girl! Get back here!"
"You better give us that map back or else!"
"We just stole that chart of the Grand Line! It belongs to us!"
Despite the warnings, the young woman just kept on running through the empty town.
"Damn it! If we don't get that thing back, we're as good as dead!"
"We'll be killed by one of Captain's cannonballs!"
Just outside of the town was a white tent with multicolored roofs. Said tent was on the rooftop of a bar. Inside the tent was the dreaded Captain of the Pirates that is currently occupying the town.
"Captain Buggy! I spotted something high above the port!" One of the Pirates reported to his Captain.
"Well? Shoot it down!" The one named Buggy ordered.
The young woman was still running away from her pursuer as the sound of a cannonball firing before she stopped after hearing it made contact. This also made the Pirates that were chasing her to stop.
"What's that?" One of the Pirates wondered.
Up high in the sky was Luffy, who was freed from the bird and now was falling into the ground, creating small dust clouds once he hit the ground. And despite how high he fell, Luffy managed to come out of the experience unscathed.
"Damn it! Why are there cannonballs flying at me?" Luffy wondered as the dust around him settled. "At least I'm safe now. Man, and what just happened to me was awesome!"
The young woman had her mouth open at the shock before she regained her composure and donned a devious smile.
"Geez, I'm so hungry!" Luffy muttered with a frown.
"Oh! Hey, boss! Thanks for coming to save me!" The young woman greeted Luffy.
"Huh?" Luffy turned to face the orange haired young woman, having no idea who she is. "Who are you?"
"They're all yours, boss! Have fun!" The young woman said as she ran away.
"Hey! That girl's running away!"
"That's okay. We got her boss now."
"You're in trouble, kid. You should've let your crony fend for herself."
"You guys know somewhere you can get good food?" Luffy asked them, prioritizing getting food above all else.
"Food's the least of your worries, pal!" One of the Pirates retorted as he punched Luffy's hat off his head.
This was a poor move on his part as this gave Luffy good enough of a reason to knock the guy out in retaliation and somehow managed to put his hat on.
"You better keep your hands off my hat!" Luffy warned.
The other two Pirates ran towards Luffy to attack him.
"Gum Gum Pistol!" The straw hat boy shouted as he threw two separate punches at each of the pirates' faces, knocking them out.
"Wow, you're really strong!" Luffy turned to the source and saw the young woman had returned. "Even though both of them had sabers, you beat them bare-handed!"
"Hey, you're the girl who set me up. Who are you?"
"I'm a talented thief who steals strictly from Pirates. The name's Nami." The young woman named Nami answered. "Hey! You wanna team up with me?"
"Um, thanks anyway, lady. But I think I'll pass." Luffy said before he walked away.
"Hold on!" Nami said as she jumped down from the building and went after him. "At least think about it first!"
Then, Luffy heard his stomach grumbling. "I just remembered…" He said as he got down on his knees. "I'm so hungry!"
"Oh, come with me and I'll find you something to eat." The thief offered.
"Yeah? Are you serious?" And with that, Luffy quickly stood up, finally being able to get food.
(At Buggy's tent)
"You're telling me they still haven't caught the thief?" Buggy asked one of his men who was standing before him.
"Uh, not yet…" The Pirate stuttered. "But they should be in pursuit! Right now! Captain, sir!"
"Now, explain to me how in the world did she manage to get her hands on that chart, huh?" The Pirate Captain asked. "If we're preparing to enter into the Grand Line and go on a rampage, then why wasn't the chart properly guarded!?
"I don't know, sir." The Pirate replied. "The map was just sitting out plain as the nose on your face."
Buggy's face then contorted into anger after hearing the N-word. The other N-word. "What did you say!?"
"I mean, it was easy for her to find and take it!" The Pirate mook replied but the damage was already done.
"DID YOU SOMETHING ABOUT NOSE!?" Buggy asked as he got up from his seat and went up to that Pirate's face.
Now that he stepped out of the tent, Buggy's appearance was shown in its full splendor. He had blue hair, his face was painted to fit his motif of being a clown, and had a big, red clown nose. Aside from the orange Pirate hat and matching coat, he also wore a red and white shirt underneath said coat, purple scarf, green sash wrapped around his waist, light blue trousers, a pair of red and white socks, and brown shoes.
"So, are you trying to tell me you found my nose funny?" Buggy asked him. "Is my nose amusing?"
"No, sir! You misunderstood!"
"Oh, no! You were quite clear!"
The Pirate underling fell on his but before scurrying away from his Captain as his comrades watched from the sidelines with fear on their faces. Said Pirate was suddenly grabbed by the throat and was lifted off the ground.
"Tell me. Who am I?" Buggy asked.
"Cap… tain… Bug… gy." The Pirate said as he was pulled closer to his Captain while being choked.
"And what happens if someone defies me?" He asked once more.
"Flashy… death… awaits… them!" The strangled Pirate replied. "Please… forgive… me!"
And with that, Buggy let go of his hold of his underling, letting fall to the ground.
"Quit your groveling. I'll overlook your slip-up and forgive you this time." Buggy told him before walking back to his tent. "But you better get that chart back. Don't screw up again or else!"
"Yes, Captain Buggy!"
(Meanwhile…)
Luffy, along with Nami, entered one of the empty houses in the town. The former was then given some food by the latter as promised.
"So, do you live in this big house all by yourself?" Luffy asked.
"This isn't my house. I'm just staying here for the time being." Nami answered. "Everyone's already left this town because of Captain Buggy."
"So, you're just a petty thief." Luffy stated bluntly.
"How rude. I only steal from people who deserve it. Pirates." Nami retorted. "Don't compare me to some scumbag, petty thief."
"What's the difference? It's all the same to me." Luffy replied before swallowing his food.
The orange haired young woman turned away for a moment. "My goal is to earn a hundred million Berris, no matter how long it takes and how hard it is." She said before eyeing the parchment on her hand. "And with this chart of the Grand Line, a hundred million is possible."
"The chart?" Luffy then realized what this could mean. "Are you a Navigator?"
Nami turned towards him with a smile. "Yup. And I'm the best there is."
"Oh, wow! That's cool!" Luffy said as he stood up. "How about you join my crew? I've been looking to recruit a Navigator."
"Really?"
"Sure! You can be our newest crew member!"
Nami's personality then took a 180 after she heard that last sentence. "No!" She then scowled at the oblivious boy. "I suppose this means you're a Pirate?"
"Yeah!" Luffy admitted proudly before taking off his hat. "I made a solemn promise to a guy who gave me this hat that I'd form a crew and become the greatest Pirate ever."
The young woman slammed her hands down on the table and glared at Luffy. "There's nothing I hate more in this world than Pirates! I only like money and tangerines!"
"Come on, be our Navigator!" Luffy pleaded.
"I said no!" Nami refuted as she stomped to the window.
"Your loss, then." Luffy said as he sat down and continuin eating.
Then, Nami saw two Pirates just outside of the house, still trying to find her. As she was trying to figure out how to get out of this mess, she had an idea. A terrible idea as she glanced at Luffy.
"You know what? I might join your little crew, but only if you agree on some conditions." She told him.
"Really? I'll do anything!"
The next thing Luffy knew, he was tied up by Nami.
"Why did you tie me up?" He asked in confusion.
"The rope is just for show." Nami lied as the two started walking along.
(At Buggy's tent)
"WHAAAAAAT!? ARE YOU TELLING ME THAT THE THIEF GOT AWAY!?" Buggy screamed at a trio of Pirates, the same trio that Luffy defeated.
Said Pirates were terrified of their Captain, especially since he yelled at them.
"P-Please forgive us, Captain Buggy!" The Three Pirates stated.
"I'VE NEVER SEEN A MORE PATHETIC GROUP THAN YOU THREE!" Buggy continued. "TIME TO DIE!"
The three Pirates screamed as they were about to be executed. But then…
"Captain Buggy! I have news!" Another Pirate reported.
"Ugh… What is it?" The clown-themed Pirate Captain questioned.
"The girl who stole our chart is back. And with a prisoner." Said Pirate stated.
"What?" Buggy said.
Sure enough, Nami has appeared before Buggy.
"I've captured the thief, Captain Buggy!" Nami announced before presenting the map she stole. "And here's your chart."
"Why, thank you." Buggy said as he took the map back. "Not that I'm not grateful, but why the sudden change of heart, girl?"
"I had another fight with my boss." Nami explained. "And I just can't take it anymore. So, I was hoping I could join your crew."
Buggy glared at her, which frightened his men. But instead of lashing out, he let out a laugh.
"So, you're fed up with him, huh?" Buggy asked. "I must admit, you're an amusing girl. I like you! Of course, you can join my crew!"
'He fell for it! Pirates are so dumb and easy to manipulate…!' Nami thought happily.
Then, Luffy was swiftly put in a cage.
"Hey, guys. Why am I in a cage?" Luffy asked, dumbfounded by the situation.
"By the way, what do you call yourself?" The clown-themed Captain asked.
"I'm Nami." She introduced herself.
"Haha! Then let's have a welcome party for our new friend, Nami! It's time to celebrate!"
"YEAHHHH!" The Pirate crew cheered.
(Meanwhile…)
Chiaki and Zoro just arrived in town. Chiaki got off Lapras with Hoopa in tow.
"I may not be part of the crew, Zoro, but I'll help you find your Captain. I can promise you that at the very least." Chiaki told Zoro. "I'm no Navigator, but I think that giant bird took Luffy in this direction."
"But how will you find him? He may not be in this town." Zoro said as he came out of the boat with three Pirates.
"I know someone that is suitable for this job." Chiaki said as he pulled out a Poké Ball. "Come on out, Rockruff!" He threw the Poké Ball to the air as something new appeared instead of Totodile.
Standing before Chiaki was a quadrupedal, canine Pokémon with light brown body and darker brown on the muzzle, paws, and ear tips. It has large blue eyes, button ears, a short muzzle with a triangular pink nose, and a short tuft of fur on each cheek. Around its neck is a ruff of grayish-white fur stubbed with dark brown pebbles. The dark brown markings on its paws extend to a thin point on each wrist and ankle. It has a grayish-white tail that curls tightly over its back and is covered in fluffy fur.
"(What's the situation, Chiaki?)" The canine-like Pokemon asked.
"What!? A brown pup just came out of that small ball!" One of the Pirates exclaimed.
"So, you have another one, huh?" Zoro asked Chiaki. "Is there more?"
"Sorry, man. I only have Totodile and Rockruff." The Pokemon Trainer apologized as he turned towards Houndour. "We need to find someone. Apparently, he was carried off here by a bird. Think you can do that?"
"(I'll see what I can do here.)" Rockruff replied as he sniffed the ground.
"Well, it is a dog so it makes sense…" Zoro commented.
"(I think I got his scent. It's faint, but it's there. That proves that the guy we're looking for is in this area.)" Rockruff told them.
"Chiaki, I think Rockruff got Luffy's smell."
"Right. Lead the way, bud." Chiaki said before looking towards Zoro. "If I run into a pinch, I'll have Hoopa use his rings to open a portal for you to jump in."
"Got it. Be careful." Zoro said as Chiaki and Hoopa left with the former's Rockruff as he guided them to where Luffy is.
(Back with Luffy.)
Buggy and his crew have thrown a party in commemoration of Nami 'joining' the crew. The entire crew participated in all sorts of activities such as a drinking contest, shooting competition, and more. While most of the Pirates partying like wild animals, Nami set her sights on something else.
"What's wrong? We're throwing this party in your honor. So, eat up!" Buggy told Nami as he chugged his glass of beer.
"Thanks for the party, Captain Buggy!" Nami replied, though she had other ideas. 'I'll just keep my eyes peeled for the chance to take back that chart! Maybe I'll swipe all of Buggy's treasures too while I'm at it.'
Seeing as how there was a lot of food on the table, Luffy tried to stretch his arm out of his cage despite still being restrained by a rope in order to reach out the food.
"That's it… Almost got it…" Unfortunately, fortune did not favor him as his arm retracted back to his body, with the force of said retraction knocking him down. "Ow! Damn it!"
"This is such a flashy party…" Buggy grinned before he did a pose of some kind. "Now, listen up! Men, prepare the Buggy Ball!"
His underlings cheered at the announcement as they immediately brought out a cannon. One of his Pirate subordinates proceeded to load a red-colored cannonball that has Buggy's Pirate mark on it into said cannon.
"All set, Captain!" One of Buggy's underlings reported.
"What're you doing with that thing…?" Nami asked, beginning to feel worried about the direction this was going.
"Just observe. The awesome might of the Buggy Ball!" Buggy answered. "Light it."
One of the Pirates proceeded to do just that. Once the fuse was lit, it was only a matter of time before the cannon went off
(With Chiaki)
Rockruff was sniffing the ground before he stopped at one of the houses.
"(Wait.)" Rockruff said as he sniffed the ground just outside of the house a few times. "(Yeah. Looks like he was here.)"
"Chiaki, Rockruff said that Luffy was here in one of these houses." Hoopa translated.
"I see. And since you said "was", I can guess that he went somewhere else." Chiaki theorized.
"(That's what I'm getting from the smell—)" Rockruff then suddenly sensed something big and powerful. "(Look out!)" The Puppy Pokémon tackled his Trainer away, just as a strong blast ripped through the town, destroying some of the houses and maybe Chiaki if it were not for Rockruff's intervention.
"Thanks, Rockruff…" Chiaki said as he picked himself up. "Still, what the hell was that!?"
"Well, whatever it is, that is not normal." Hoopa added before he saw something that caught his eye. "Wait, I think I see something over there. I see people on the roof of that building. I think they may have been the ones behind that blast."
"Let's check it. Hopefully, Luffy's there too." Chiaki said as he went towards the pub with Hoopa and Rockruff.
(With Zoro)
"That was one heck of an explosion…" Zoro muttered aloud, having heard the cannon fire from the port.
"(What destructive power…)" Lapras noted.
"It looked like it was one of the Captain's beloved Buggy Balls…" One of the three Pirates that was with Zoro commented.
"Buggy Balls…?" The green haired man repeated. 'I hope Chiaki didn't get caught up on it.'
(Back at the rooftop)
Buggy's Pirate crew cheered at the destruction caused by the Buggy Ball while Nami was horrified at it.
"Hehehehe! That was flashy!" Buggy grinned. "With these Buggy Balls and my Devil Fruit powers, I should have no problem conquering the Grand Line!" He then glanced at Nami. "Right, Nami?"
"R-Right…! Yes, of course!" Nami replied shakily.
"Huh? But it's my destiny to conquer the Grand Line!" Luffy chimed in.
"Huh!?" Buggy responded, clearly offended by the claim.
"And then I'm gonna become King of the Pirates!" The caged boy declared.
"Shut up, idiot!" Nami scolded him.
Buggy then chuckled darkly at the bold declaration that Luffy made. "I can see why you're sick of him, Nami."
"Yeah, I know. He never takes anything seriously. Thinks that life's one big game. He acts like a little kid." Nami replied before she laughed nervously.
"I see. Then how about I give you a Buggy Ball to blow away your old boss?" Buggy stated.
"Huh?" Nami was caught off guard by the order.
"It'll be a great opportunity for you to prove your loyalty to me, your new Captain." He noted. "Men!"
The Pirates then move the cannon so that it will aim straight at Luffy.
"That's alright, Captain. We don't have to finish him off quite yet." Nami said, hoping to try to convince and stall Buggy. "Let's get back to the welcoming party and just have more fun!"
"Hehehe! This IS my idea of having more fun!" Buggy replied sadistically before he handed Nami a box of matches.
"Fire! Fire! Fire!"
The Pirate crew of Buggy's began to chant for Nami to light the fuse and blow Luffy up. It was then that she realized the flaws in her plan. Knowing full well that she won't be able to sleep comfortably knowing if she killed someone.
'If I don't shoot, I'll be killed. If I do shoot, I'll be no better than these Pirates…!' Nami thought, contemplating on the best course of action.
"Now! Light the fuse, Nami!" Buggy ordered as his crew still chanted for the cannon to be fired.
As everyone was busy doing their own thing, a portal appeared behind them as Chiaki stepped out from it along with Rockruff.
"It looks like this is the place." Chiaki muttered as he turned towards the portal. "Hey, Hoopa! You're coming?"
"Sorry, Chiaki. You know I can't go through my own portals." Hoopa said, speaking through the portal. "But don't worry, I'll be there soon."
"Got it." Chiaki noted as the portal disappeared. He then proceeded to hide from being immediately seen.
"So, that guy in the clown getup is Buggy, huh? Make sense." Chiaki said, looking at Buggy. He then saw the Luffy being trapped in a cage. "It looks like Luffy got himself in trouble."
"(Should we attack now?)" Rockruff asked.
"Nah, we'll wait for the golden opportunity." Chiaki answered. Even without Hoopa, Chiaki has grown to understand what his Pokémon were saying. That and Hoopa may have given him a few pointers on it during the one-year training.
"What's wrong? You're not wimping out on me, are you?" Buggy asked Nami, who was still hesitating.
Despite having heard Buggy's voice, Nami still could not bring herself to light the fuse, something that Luffy immediately took notice of.
"What's the matter? Your hands are shaking?" Luffy asked. "That's what happens when you take on Pirates with half-ass resolve."
"Resolve to do what? To kill someone like it's nothing?" Nami asked. "Is that a Pirate's resolve?"
"No." Luffy retorted with a grin. "You gotta be willing to risk your own life."
The Pirates behind her were still chanting for Nami to fire the cannon. Seeing as she took her sweet time to do it, another Pirate stepped in and took the box of matches from her.
"Here, new chick. Quit being such a tease." The Pirate stated before lighting a match. "Let me show ya how to light the cannon."
But before the Pirate could light the fuse, Nami reached out to the three wooden batons that were strapped to her right leg, putting them all together into a staff, and then whacking the Pirate with it, knocking the poor guy as the result.
"Oh, that was fast." Chiaki muttered.
Everything went into a halt as Buggy and his crew were flabbergasted at the sudden turn of the events.
"My mistake. Sorry." Nami apologized.
"Nami! What's the meaning of this outrage!?" Buggy exclaimed.
"I'm sorry!" She then bowed to him.
"WHAT'S WRONG? JUST SHOOT HIM ALREADY!"
"Huh. So, now you've decided to save me?" Luffy wondered.
"Don't be so stupid! I'm not doing this for you, you idiot!" Nami denied. "I just don't wanna lower myself to these inhuman Pirates!"
"Okay. Thanks anyway."
"Pirates took the life of a person very dear to me! I'll never be one of them!" She ranted.
"So… Pirates took someone she cares about too, huh?" Chiaki wondered as he eyed the silver bracelet. "That's a stereotypical behavior of a Pirate hater."
"Oh, I see." Luffy said before he realized that the fuse had been lit. "Gahh! Nami, the fuse!"
"So, you think Pirates are just inhuman filth, is that right!?" Buggy stated as he was offended by the insult. "GET HER, MEN!"
Four Pirates lunged straight at Nami, only to be taken down by the swing of her staff. She then blocked a pair of sword-wielding Pirates with it, but was forced to ditch her weapon to avoid being slashed. She then made her way to the cannon and grabbed the fuse with her bare hands, causing her to scream in pain. Fortunately, she was successful at putting out the fuse but there were still some Pirates charging at her.
"Watch out!" Luffy warned.
But before the Pirates could even hurt Nami…
"Use Rock Throw!" It was then that multiple rocks appeared and struck the Pirates, causing them to cry in pain as they fell to the ground unconscious.
"What!?" Buggy exclaimed, having witnessed some of his men being hit by a random amount of rocks.
"Phew. Looks like I picked the right time to intervene." Nami looked up and saw someone that she had seen before.
"Chiaki!" Luffy exclaimed.
"Yo!" Chiaki greeted Luffy as he went over to Nami. "Hey, you okay?"
"Yeah… I'm fine." Nami answered.
"No, I see what you did back there. That's gotta hurt." Chiaki said as four more Pirates sneak up on him.
"Behind—" Nami warned before the guy in front of her suddenly disappeared and appeared behind the four Pirates, who suddenly fell to the ground and were knocked out. "You."
"Sorry, but sneak attacks won't work on me." Chiaki said as a pair of Pirates charged at him.
"We'll see about that!" One of the duo said as they shouted before raising their swords.
"(Not on my watch! Tackle!)" Rockruff swooped in and proceeded to tackle one of the Pirates, causing him to be sent flying backwards. "(And now Fire Fang!)" Then the inside of his mouth becomes covered in flames and he bites down on the other Pirate.
"Gaaah! It burns! How can a dog's bite burn!?" The second Pirate exclaimed.
"Now send him flying with another Rock Throw!" Chiaki ordered as the rocks around Rockruff's neck glowed white and a multi-colored rock appeared on his tail. The orb dissolved into multiple sparkles that turned into rocks which Rockruff then fired at the Pirate, sending him flying to his side.
"Get him and that pet dog of his!" And with that, more Pirates charging at both Chiaki and Rockruff.
"Look out!" Nami warned before some of the Pirates were taken down by three black and purple spheres of energy.
"Never fear! Hoopa is here!" The culprit was none other than Hoopa, who had arrived at the location.
"Is that weird thing again…" Nami muttered.
"Took you long enough." Chiaki told him.
"I went on a little detour. This!" Hoopa said before one of his rings flew out from his horns before expanding vertically. "Alléhooparing!" The ring once again opened up a portal which allowed someone to come out from said portal and blocked the incoming strike with his two sheathed swords.
"This actually saves me the trouble of wandering through the town. Thanks." That person was none other than Zoro, who proceeded to strike a pair of Pirates down.
"Zoro!" Luffy smiled.
"Hold on… Did someone actually appear from that ring!?" One of the Pirates exclaimed.
"How's that possible!?"
"Glad you can make it." Chiaki told him.
"Well, Hoopa filled me in on the details. I'd come here by myself but he told me to stay put so he can open a portal to where you guys are." Zoro explained before turning towards Nami. "Anyway, who's the girl? Is she okay?"
"She told me she's fine, though her hands got burned a little bit after trying to extinguish the fuse with her bare hands." The Pokémon Trainer informed him on Nami's behalf.
"What a relief!" Luffy chimed in. "I'm glad you guys found us. Now, hurry up and get me out of here!"
"How do you keep getting yourself in these situations?" Zoro asked. "First, a bird flies off with you and now I find you trapped in the cage…"
"It's an interesting story, actually…" Luffy replied.
'The crew he mentioned earlier was the guy who hangs out with weird creatures and the Pirate Hunter Zoro?' Nami said before she eyed Hoopa. 'And this ghost-like thing actually has the power to literally open a portal with its rings? I know it was weird but this is too weird!'
"I heard you're Zoro, is that right?" Buggy spoke. "If you're here for my head, you've got quite the struggle before you."
"No, not interested." The famed Pirate Hunter replied. "I gave up Pirate Hunting. We're here for our friend."
"But I'm interested though." Buggy said. "Killing you would bolster my reputation!"
"If you try, you'll die." Zoro warned as he put up all of his swords for a fight.
"Is that so?" Buggy wondered as he twirled a knife in his right hand.
"I tried to warn you, but oh well…"
"DIE FLASHILY!" Buggy shouted as he ran towards Zoro, but only to be cut into literal pieces.
"That wasn't much of a fight, now was it?" Zoro stated.
"Huh… That was pretty anticlimactic." Chiaki added.
"I know…" Hoopa added.
"Oh, wow. He's weak! Way to go, Zoro!" Luffy cheered.
"No way…" Nami muttered.
Buggy's Pirate crew, instead of mourning for their Captain, ended up breaking out into a laughter.
"Hey, why are they laughing?" Luffy asked as he and the others had no clue on what was going on.
"Their Captain is lying on the ground and yet they're still laughing?" Nami wondered.
"Something tells me this is far from over." Chiaki stated, having sensed a bad feeling about it.
"What makes you say—Gaah!" Zoro asked before he felt something stabbing him in the back. There was a knife sticking it out at the guy's side.
"ZORO!" Luffy screamed in worry.
"Buggy's still alive!?" Nami exclaimed.
"Don't tell me…" Chiaki began as he and Zoro saw that Buggy's sliced arm was indeed stabbing the latter with a knife.
"The hell's this!?" Zoro wondered.
"The Chop Chop Fruit. That's the name of the Devil Fruit that I ate." Buggy answered as his floating hand went back together with his body. "I'm a Chop Chop person and I can never be defeated by the sword!"
"So, no matter how much you slice and dice him, he'll still come out okay? Yeah, and they call me the weird one by the way." Hoopa noted.
"Wait, so Devil Fruits are real? I always thought those were just stories that pirates tell." Nami questioned.
"Oh, they're very real. That I can guarantee." Chiaki confirmed, remembering once again about how his father was a Devil Fruit user.
"I didn't hit any of Zoro's vitals, but that's a pretty serious wound! That means I'm the winner!" Buggy claimed, gaining more cheers from his crew.
"You're too much, Captain!"
"Buggy! Buggy! Buggy!"
"That means using swords is out of the question. But…" Chiaki muttered before he pulled out a pair of flintlock pistols. The sound caught Buggy's attention. "Does it make you bulletproof?" He proceeded to shoot a bullet at Buggy, who responded by splitting apart to avoid it.
Buggy then sent both of his knives at Chiaki, which he managed to evade the first one before he gun whipped the second one. Once he was safe from the knives, he proceeded to shoot another pair of bullets at the Chop Chop man, who managed to split his body up some more to avoid the bullets, as well as made it harder for Chiaki to properly aim.
"You really think I would be as foolish as to not have any sort of countermeasures against bullets, boy? Before I deal with Roronoa Zoro, I'll take you out first!" Buggy claimed, rushing towards him and piecing himself back together.
"Then how about fiery fangs and rocks? Rock-"
"STABBING HIM IN THE BACK AND DODGING ATTACKS WERE COWARDLY MOVES, YOU BIG NOSE!" Luffy shouted as Buggy's crew stopped their cheers and were frozen in fear, as well as froze Buggy in his tracks. Chiaki and his Pokémon companions were in confusion.
"He stopped?" Hoopa said as he noticed the pale faces of the opposing Pirate crew. "What's with the jaw-dropping?"
"What's that? You. Say?" Buggy spoke. "WHO'S GOT A BIG NOSE!?" Next anyone knew, Buggy detached one of his hands that were holding a knife towards Luffy.
"Luffy!" Zoro cried while wincing from the stab wound.
Fortunately for the rubber boy, though, he managed to catch the blade with his teeth in time. "Buggy! I'm gonna kick your ass as soon as I get out of this cage." Luffy declared before shattering the blade.
"Huhahahaha! You? Kick my ass?" Buggy challenged. "You've got a lot of nerve, kid! No, I'm afraid all six of you are going to die here today! By my own hand! So, if you're gonna do any ass-kicking, you better do it soon!"
"We're done for. It's all over…"
"No, we're not." Chiaki assured her. "It's not over until I say it's over!"
"Hahahaha! I refuse to die!" Luffy said. "Zoro, get up!"
"What?" Zoro said.
"You better have a really good plan or we're all dead!" Nami told him. "So, what are you guys gonna do?"
Luffy only smiled at his crew-member and candidate crew-member. It took them for a while to get what the straw hat boy was thinking.
"I gotcha." Zoro said.
"Only you can come up with something that crazy. Let's do it!" Chiaki added.
'Nothing makes sense anymore!' Nami thought. "This is why I hate Pirates!'
'It looks like those three got something in mind.' Hoopa pondered. 'But the question… is what?'
"You impudent fools! Time to die!" Both Zoro and Chiaki turned to see Buggy coming at them with knives. The two tried their best to parry the blades, with Chiaki able to swat away the strike with his gun.
"Hey, Zoro. It looks like fighting this guy is pointless if none of our attacks are hitting him!" Chiaki reminded Zoro.
"Agreed." He said before he sliced Buggy's waist and then he and Chiaki jumped over him.
"Swordsmanship has no effect on me, I already told you that–" Neither Chiaki nor Zoro bothered to listen to him as they kept running. "Hey! Listen when I'm talking to you two!"
It was then that Nami, Hoopa, and Rockruff realized what the two were after: It was the cannon. Zoro and Chiaki went under the cannon as they began to lift it up.
"Let me help out too. Psychic!" Hoopa said as his eyes glowed pink, with the cannon being enveloped in a pink outline.
Thanks to that, the cannon were flipped over, now aiming towards Buggy and his Pirate crew.
"WAAAAH! Crap! The cannon's pointed at us! No!" Buggy exclaimed as he and his underling were frightened by the turn of events.
"Hurry, light it!" Zoro told Nami.
"You still had that box of matches, right? Now's a good time to use it!" Chiaki added.
"Right!" Nami nodded.
"WAIT! JUST WAIT! THE CANNON'S STILL LOADED WITH THE SPECIAL BUGGY BALL! I DON"T WANNA GO OUT LIKE THIS! DONE IN BY MY OWN BALLS!?" Buggy pleaded but it was too little too late as Nami lit the fuse. "I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU JUST DID THAT, YOU UNGRATEFUL GIRL!"
Chiaki and the others proceeded to cover their ears as they waited for the cannon to go off.
"WAIT! N-NONONONO! STOP! STOP IT NOW!"
It was too late as the cannon fired, creating a huge explosion. Buggy and his Pirate crew were blown away, leaving a huge smoke.
"And that's game." Chiaki said before he twirled his guns a bit before putting them away.
"We should probably get out of here while we still can." Hoopa suggested as Zoro went towards Luffy and tried to lift the cage up.
"Need some help?" The Pokemon Trainer asked as he saw that Zoro had trouble lifting it up.
"It's fine. I can do this myself." Zoro said.
"Okay, then."
'Who are these people?' Nami thought as she left the area with them but then went her separate way thereafter.
(Next...)
Z: What's with this dog?
L: Another doggy!
C: Oh, it's you! Um... Who are you exactly?
N: Pokémon Trainer? What's that supposed to mean?
?: I'm known as "Beast Tamer" Mohji. A member of the Buggy Pirates.
C: It's not like she knows what it means to be human.
C/H/L: Next time on The Straw Hats' Monster Tamer, Chapter 3: Pokémon Trainer vs Beast Tamer!
L: I'm gonna be King of the Pirates!
That's about it for the first chapter of the double update.
And speaking of original plans, I plan on Chiaki having a Houndour but I decided that Rockruff would be a better fit, especially with one of its form when he evolved.
Leave a review as always and I'll see you very soon~!