Chapter 21
ARLONG PARK 2.0
It was a cool, calm night. The trees on the new Arlong Park swayed peacefully in the wind. Most DEATH members on the island slept except for four people: Two watchmen, Psycho, and Cyclone.
The latter walked out of the front gate past the watchmen wearing their usual attires. When they arrived at the docks where Psycho's giant, heavily armored boat rest.
"It's time." Psycho said.
"Hm." Psycho mumbled, "How long has it been? Since the last time we visited Marineford?"
"60 years. Well, 60 for me. You were here a little more recently as well weren't you?" Cyclone asked.
Psycho looked at him and then up at the boat.
"We're not ready to give up our identities just yet.." Cyclone concerned.
Psycho crossed his arms.
"That's what these masks are for." Psycho said, lifting cat and crow anbu masks.
Cyclone looked at them.
"I haven't worn one of these in years." Cyclone smiled with evil intent.
SAKURA KINGDOM MOUNTAIN
Luffy stared in shock at what Hancock had just told him.
"YOU LOVE ME?!" Luffy yelled out.
"WAS IT NOT OBVIOUS YOU BUFOON!" Hancock yelled, "I'm sorry Luffy I didn't mean to yell… but yes… I do love you… a lot."
Luffy stared at the woman.
"Why?" Luffy asked seriously.
Hancock's eyes opened in shock.
"Why do I love you?" Hancock asked.
"Yeah. What do I do for you to love me?" Luffy asked.
Hancock continued to stare.
"Well… just… everything about you…" Hancock said, "You're so handsome, the way you care for others, your drive to be the best, you were the first man to look past just my beauty and like me for my heart… that is what I truly fell for… you care about me for more than how I look." Hancock confessed.
Luffy pulled his hat down over his eyes.
"Hancock… if that's the case… I…" Luffy started.
Hancock gasped and held her heart.
"Is he about to say what I think he's about to say?... I don't know if my heart can handle it… I'll pass out!" Hancock thought to herself.
"I… I love you too!" Luffy said holding out a thumbs up.
"HE DID SAY IT!" Hancock screamed to herself.
Hancock composed herself and blushed.
"You… you love me too Luffy?" Hancock asked softly.
"Yeah! I also love how you care about others and how great a friend you've been to me!" Luffy said, holding out another thumbs up.
Hancock's expression changed.
"No! Luffy… I love you as in… I want a future with you… I want you to be mine, kids to continue our legacy, a future where we travel the seas as the king and queen of the pirates!" Hancock said.
Luffy's smile turned into a straight face.
"Is… something wrong? Luffy?" Hancock asked nervously.
"Hancock… sorry but, I don't love you in that way. The pirate king doesn't need all that stuff!" Luffy said.
Hancock felt her heart break.
"Luffy…" Hancock said softly.
"You'll find another guy who you can be a queen to! But he'll have to beat me up to be the king of pirates!" Luffy said proudly.
"But I don't want anyone else! I want you Luffy! I joined DEATH just so Psycho wouldn't kill you! Watched over you carefully so that no harm would come to you!" Hancock yelled out.
"And I appreciate that. But the feelings aren't mutual. As I said, you'll find a guy who will love you like you love me, but I won't have time for that stuff as the king of pirates and you know that." Luffy said.
"Luffy please… just stay with me." Hancock said, tears forming and dropping to her knees.
Luffy walked over to Hancock, grabbed his straw hat, and set it down on her head. Hancock grabbed the straw hat and looked up at Luffy, tears still in her eyes.
"Sorry again… Hancock. Thank you for loving me." Luffy said, hugging Hancock.
Hancock's eyes shot open and her tears fell heavier as she hugged Luffy back harder, burying her face into his chest.
She looked up at him and he looked down at her. She looked at his lips and leaned in slowly, surprisingly he leaned in too.
The two shared another passionate kiss a top the mountain they were on. Hancock held on to Luffy tightly not wanting him to go anywhere.
"Luffy…" Hancock whispered when they separated.
"Sorry…" Luffy said before walking off.
Hancock took off the straw hat and held it to her chest. She let tears fall on the ground.
"I'll always love you Luffy… I'm not going anywhere… you're who I want. I've already made up my mind about that." Hancock said before standing up and walking off the mountain.
SAKURA KINGDOM CARNIVAL FERRIS WHEEL
Sanji and Nami continued to make out on the top of the Ferris wheel. The kiss was much better now that both of their feelings had been confessed and it was mutual instead of what happened the night in Alubarna. Sanji attempted to take of Nami's top but she stopped him.
"If you're trying to do that we'll have to go back to the room." Nami said smirking.
Sanji's eyes became hearts and he yelled down to the operator.
"HEY CAN YOU HURRY THIS THING UP! I'VE GOT SOMEWHERE TO BE!" Sanji yelled.
The conductor looked up to the curly eye browed cook and mumbled.
"Take it easy buddy! You'll be down in a moment." The operator hissed.
"YEAH? WELL HURRY IT UP!" Sanji continued to yell before being pulled back by Nami.
"Don't rush it Sanji-kun… the more we wait the better it'll be when it finally happens." Nami seductively said.
Sanji's heart almost burst through his chest.
"NAMIIIIIII-CHANNNNNN! OKAY I'LL WAIT!" Sanji yelled.
Eventually the Ferris wheel brought them down to the ground and Sanji ran off dragging Nami with him.
"Sanji slow down! You're going to hurt me like this!" Nami yelled.
Sanji, flames in his eyes, picked up Nami.
"THEN YOU WON'T WALK! I'LL CARRY YOU TO THE HOTEL!" Sanji yelled.
Sanji sped through the village on his way to the hotel.
CARNIVAL DOCKS
Sakura and Sasuke continued their passion filled kiss until Sakura separated and looked Sasuke in his eyes and then at his lips then back up at him.
"Sasuke-kun… if I may ask..." Sakura said softly.
Sasuke, looking down at her, nodded.
"What do you want to know?" Sasuke asked.
"How long…" Sakura started, "Have you liked me?" Sakura asked.
Sasuke's eyes opened a little wider.
"How long?" Sasuke asked.
Sakura continued to stare the shinobi in his eyes.
"Honestly… I'll have to say even way back during that night." Sasuke said.
"That night? What night" Sakura asked.
"The night I left the village." Sasuke confessed.
Sakura's eyes shot open.
"All the way back then?!" Sakura asked herself.
"Well…" Sasuke continued.
Sakura listened.
"That was when I realized I loved you, even if I didn't know it was love at that time. I think my feelings for you first developed in the forest of death… so even earlier than that night." Sasuke confessed.
Sakura couldn't believe it.
"That long really? How come… you never… said anything?" Sakura asked.
Sasuke let her go.
"Because. I didn't want you to get dragged into my life. Back then I just wanted to kill Itachi and be done with everything, I would worry about personal relationships later." Sasuke answered, "It was never anything personal, I just really did want you out of my way while I handled it."
Sakura stared at Sasuke.
"So what about the bridge? When you tried to hit me with Chidori?" Sakura asked.
Sasuke gasped a little.
"Oh… that… Just saying I was lost wouldn't be a good enough excuse would it?" Sasuke asked.
Sakura shook her head.
"I didn't think so. But, that's the truth. I really was lost. I didn't even have a reason to live at that point, but you, Kakashi, and Naruto all believed in me. I wanted to come home that day, but my heart wouldn't let me say it." Sasuke explained.
Sakura became teary eyed hearing the confession and hugged Sasuke again.
"It's okay Sasuke… I forgive you for all of it! I'm just so glad you feel the same way, no, that you've always felt the same way…" Sakura said.
Sasuke hugged the kunoichi back.
"Thank you… Sakura."
Sakura smiled.
"You're welcome Sasuke…so…" Sakura said.
Sasuke looked down at her.
"We both really like, er um… love… each other and there's a hotel right there… would you want to… um." Sakura stuttered.
Sasuke smiled and grabbed her hand.
"Let's go." Sasuke said.
Sakura's heart dropped.
"HE'S DOWN! WE'RE REALLY ABOUT TO DO THIS…" Sakura said to herself.
SAKURA KINGDOM CARNIVAL
Kakashi walked through the carnival reading his book. He looked over at a clock.
"11:45p.m… well, I guess it's about to time to wrap this up and get back to the hotel." Kakashi said as he closed his book.
Kakashi looked throughout the carnival and noticed the huge amount of people and sighed.
"Finding everyone will be a challenge however…" Kakashi said, rubbing the back of his head.
Out of the corner of his eye he saw the cotton candy loving Chopper walking, eating cotton candy of course.
"Oi! Chopper!" Kakashi yelled out.
Chopper turned to look at the elder shinobi.
"Hey! Old guy!" Chopper said, running over to Kakashi.
"Heh heh the name's Kakashi. But hey want to do me a favor?" Kakashi asked.
"Sure!" Chopper said.
"Remember that meeting I said we needed to have? With everyone there? Well it's almost time for it, round up anyone who may have gone to the hotel already and I'll get everyone that's here at the carnival." Kakashi ordered.
"Gather up anyone at the hotel. Got it! Where is the meeting going to be?" Chopper asked.
"In my room. I've got a big enough one for everyone to be in." Kakashi said.
Chopper nodded in confirmation and made his way to the hotel.
"Alright so the girls are all doing their own thing, they're probably the ones back at the hotel if anything so that's three down. That leaves Naruto, Sasuke, long nose, Luffy, Zoro, Franky, Sanji, and Brook. I already spoke to Chopper. Now, if I were Naruto where would I be? Oh, of course." Kakashi said as he walked off.
SAKURA KINGDOM NOODLE SHOP
"These noodles are good! Not better than Ichiraku's, but they're still great!" Naruto said.
"What?! That's the tenth time you've said that! I WILL make noodles better than his! You'll see!" The owner said as he turned around to make more.
Naruto smiled and was tapped on the shoulder by Kakashi.
"Hey. Naruto. Time for the meeting." Kakashi said.
Naruto pouted.
"Oh, come on! He's about to make another batch!" Naruto complained.
"Then get some to go. Remember, this meeting is important." Kakashi said.
Naruto thought about it and remembered exactly what they were about to have a meeting about and turned around to the shop owner.
"AN ORDER OF NOODLES TO GO!" Naruto said.
Naruto and Kakashi walked through the carnival looking for their next target.
"Alright who's next?" Naruto asked.
"Well I'm trying to find the easiest people first so we can all team up to find Sasuke and Zoro, I feel like they'll be the ones hard to find." Kakashi explained.
Naruto nodded.
The two continued to walk until they heard cheering. When they went to check it out they found Franky chugging barrels of cola.
"There's Franky!" Naruto said, running up to the cyborg, "Hey Franky! Time for the meeting!"
Franky chugged the last bit of cola and looked at Naruto.
"Already? That was fast! Alright I'm coming." Franky said, standing up.
Franky, Naruto, and Kakashi walked now.
"Naruto? Check. Franky? Check. That leaves Sanji, long nose, Zoro, Sasuke, Luffy, and Brook.
"I saw Brook before I started jugging cola. He's playing music a little further down." Franky informed.
Kakashi, Naruto, and Franky all ran down to find the tall skeleton dancing and playing his violin with the children.
"YO HO HO HO HO HO! I'M HAVING SO MUCH FUN!" Brook cheered.
"Oi! Brook! Come on. It's time for that meeting." Naruto yelled out.
Brook turned to look at the three men.
"Oh okay! My apologies!" Brook said running over to them.
"Three down. Just Zoro, Sanji, Sasuke, long nose, and Luffy." Kakashi briefed.
"I saw Robin go into the hotel! Zoro as well!" Brook yelled.
"Oh really?" Kakashi asked, "Well mark that down to Sanji, Sasuke, long nose, and Luffy."
The four men walked and stumbled upon Usopp at a fortune teller.
"EEEEEEEK IS THAT TRUE?!" Usopp yelled.
"Yes my darling… you're going to battle a powerful foe… and win… but at the cost of an ally down the line." The fortune teller said.
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Usopp yelled, "Who's it going to be?! So I can warn them?"
The fortune teller stared at Usopp and opened her mouth.
"Sorry... but you'll need to pay... ONE HUNDRED MILLION Berries to hear that." The fortune teller yelled.
"YOU'RE A DAMN CROOK!!!" Usopp yelled as the fortune teller pushed Usopp and went back into her hut.
Naruto, Franky, Brook, and Kakashi all watched the exchange with sweat coming down the back of their heads.
"HA HA HA HA you didn't actually believe that nonsense did you? Fool!" Franky taunted.
Usopp turned to look at Franky.
"Of course not! I'm Usopp the king of lies! I can tell when someone is lying…" Usopp said.
"Then why are your legs shaking?" Naruto pointed out.
Usopp smiled and looked down.
"AHHHH THEY ARE!" Usopp yelled.
"Mr. Long nose, the meeting I told you all about is about to start." Kakashi said.
Usopp became serious.
"Oh… already? Well, alright then!" Usopp said.
The men walked through the now closing carnival looking for the remaining men. Sanji, Luffy, and Sasuke. They saw Hancock walking towards them with her head hung low, Luffy's straw hat on.
"Huh? That's the DEATH member… why's she wearing straw hat's straw hat?!" Franky yelled.
"Hold on there buddy, we'll have to ask her." Kakashi said.
"HEY! WHY DO YOU HAVE ON LUFFY'S HAT!" Naruto yelled, Kakashi looked nervously at Naruto.
Hancock looked up to see the men standing there.
"Oh. Hey you guys…what're you doing?" Hancock asked.
"We're having a meeting; you actually have to be a part of it as a part of this crew." Kakashi said.
"Whoever said she was apart of this crew?!" Usopp asked.
Hancock looked down.
"Do you know where Luffy is? And why do you have his hat on!" Naruto asked again.
"Luffy gave it to me… then he walked off… I'm sorry but I don't know where he went." Hancock said.
"Damn it. What about Sasuke and Sanji? We only need them." Kakashi said.
"Well, they should be at the hotel if you can't find them here." Hancock said.
"Good. I sent Chopper there to get them! We just need to find Luffy now." Kakashi said.
"If anything, we need to find Luffy so we can have this meeting. The carnival is about to close anyway so it shouldn't be too hard to find him." Hancock said.
As Hancock said this, Luffy was heard arguing with someone.
"I thought this was an all-night thing?! I want meat!" Luffy yelled.
"It's freezing out here fool! Did you forget! It gets even colder after midnight!" A man said.
Kakashi and the others ran over to Luffy.
"Luffy, it's time to go back to the hotel. We need to have that meeting." Kakashi said.
Luffy looked at everyone.
"I don't want to! I want meat!" Luffy pouted.
"Aye. Straw hat! I'll get you some meat if you go with us! I stored some in my fridge body." Franky said.
Luffy's eyes sparkled.
"AWESOME! ALRIGHT I'll go!" Luffy yelled as he walked past Hancock.
Hancock looked at him as he walked by.
"Luffy…" Hancock thought to herself.
SAKURA KINGDOM HOTEL
Chopper ran to the entrance of the hotel and saw Sakura and Sasuke about to take an elevator upstairs.
"Hey! The old man wanted me to tell you to stop doing what you're doing and go to his room for the meeting!" Chopper said.
Sakura's face hung low.
"But can we please have like, 30 minutes? Please!" Sakura begged.
Chopper shook his head.
"Sorry! No can do! He said the meeting was mandatory!" Chopper said running up to find anyone else.
Sakura passed out.
"So close… we were so close…I should've never asked him questions at the dock…" Sakura thought to herself. Sasuke chuckled.
Sanji and Nami had gotten to their room and attempted to swipe the room key card but it wouldn't accept.
"What the hell?! Come on you damn door! ACCEPT!" Sanji yelled.
Nami smiled, patiently waiting. Sanji looked back at her and admired her beauty, she winked at him and he went crazy.
"DAMN DOOR OPEN UP!" Sanji yelled swiping the card aggressively. He looked up when he heard something.
Chopper was in walk point, running towards them. Sanji had a feeling of what Chopper wanted and tried even harder to open the door when he realize the card had been backwards.
"NO DAMN IT!" Sanji yelled.
Sanji swiped the card and the door unlocked, but it was too late.
"Sanji! Nami!" Chopper yelled.
Sanji's eyes became black.
"WHAT DO YOU WANT YOU DAMN REINDEER!? GIVE US 30 MINUTES PLEASE!" Sanji yelled.
"I CAN'T DO THAT! THE OLD MAN SAID THIS MEETING WAS MANDITORY!" Chopper said in his small form grabbing on to Sanji.
"Nami-san where is Robin's room?" Chopper asked.
Nami laughed and pointed down the hall.
"She should be in there Chopper." Nami said.
"Alright thank you!" Chopper said, running down the hall.
Sanji became happy again.
"Thanks for running off that damn raccoon! So, where were we?" Sanji asked.
"On our way to the meeting." Nami said, sticking her tongue out.
Sanji became shocked.
"HUHHHHH?!" Sanji freaked.
"Don't worry…" Nami whispered into Sanji's ear, "We'll continue after the meeting. We'll have longer than 30 minutes." Nami winked.
Sanji's eyes lit up.
"AYYYYYEEEEE NAMI-CHWANNNNNN!" Sanji yelled.
Chopper got outside of Robin's room and entered small point. The door was cracked but he knew it would be rude to just walk in so he knocked first and then entered.
"Hey! Robin! It's time for-…" Chopper stopped talking and his eyes widened.
Zoro was on top of Robin appearing to slam his body into Robin's she looked like she was in pain and was crying. And they were both naked, Chopper freaked out.
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" Chopper yelled.
Zoro and Robin quickly got next to each other.
"Damn it! Of all people!" Zoro said, "I thought you closed the door!" Zoro said in a loud whisper.
"I did! At least I thought I did… poor doctor…" Robin said.
Zoro, now fully dressed, went and picked Chopper up. Robin got dressed as well.
"What now?" Robin asked.
"Go on to the meeting. I'll wake him up and get him to forget what he saw." Zoro ordered.
Robin nodded and walked past Zoro.
"Come on wake up." Zoro said, pouring hot water on Chopper.
"AHHHHHH HOT!" Chopper yelled.
"Hey what did you see?!" Zoro asked.
"You and Robin were…were!" Chopper started.
"Don't even finish that! You didn't see anything you got it?!" Zoro said.
"But I did see it!" Chopper argued.
"Listen. If you don't say anything… I'll… I'll… do whatever you ask for a day! All right?" Zoro said.
"REALLY?!" Chopper's eyes sparkled.
"Damn it…" Zoro said to himself, "Yes… really." Zoro said.
Chopper agreed and the two went to Kakashi's room where everyone already was.
"Alright. Now that I've got you all here. I can tell you what this meeting is about." Kakashi started.
"We're going to be going in depth about what we know about DEATH so far and their leaders. We'll also use this opportunity to introduce ourselves and tell everyone our abilities, because we still don't 100% know, nor trust each other even though we'd like to."
"And finally,… we're all going to tell everyone what we know about Psycho. He knows us. But not only that, he's known us for a long time. As we already concluded, he's not from this time period since he's met Brook before, and Brook is at least ninety years old at this point."
"Here and now we choose the direction we're going to take with this organization. We're not leaving these lands until DEATH is defeated… also, we need to get ready to make a move soon, the longer we sit around the more damage DEATH could be doing." Kakashi explained.
MARINEFORD
Thunder rolled through an eerie dark sky.
A soft, warm, but chilly breeze covered the battlefield. Not a sound was heard but the waves crashing against the rock walls and creeping up the shore. The town surrounding the giant building in the center of the island was completely ravaged.
Buildings burned to the ground and some still burning with fresh fires. Shop owners, mothers, and fathers pattern the streets with crimson red covering them and the buildings.
Toward the entrance of the Marineford palace bodies lay in many different positions. Against the wall, and on top of one another.
Blood stained navy uniforms painted the picture for disaster. A man was fighting for his life as he crawled down the Marineford steps, thinking of his family, friends, and children.
He stopped when he reached the bottom and looked around at the dead men and women he called allies and he shed tears of sadness, set his head down, and closed his eyes for the last time.
Loud pitter patter could be heard. Footsteps? No, it was rain. Perhaps it was the men and women who died there crying so helplessly from the afterlife.
The bodies continued up the stairs of the palace, blood soaked into the wooden steps and traced the walls with a perfect, straight line. Onto the training grounds and gardens, more bodies lay. Not a soul was spared.
In the old navy admiral meeting room, 18 more men lay dead, two survivors. One of them was reading a book, coughing, because of the smell in the air. Slashes across the bodies of the dead men, one slash, on a man's throat.
A chair sat at the end of the room. There was a man in it. The slaughter had made a hole in the room where a little light crept in. The man sat comfortably in his new throne room. He clenched the arms of the throne and smiled. When he looked up, only half his face was shown.
Half his face was marked with a black pattern and an x scar over his closed eye. When he opened his eye, it shone a beautiful ruby red. Slowly an image that resembled a saw blade surrounded his pupil and spun rapidly.
Marineford island, which homed marine soldiers and their families, had a population of 100,000. Two men.. dropped that population to 2.