This Captain Wears Red

by OPWonders

Luffy's finally embarked on his own adventure! With his past weighing heavy on his shoulders, he'll move forward towards his dream of becoming Pirate King. He'll gather a crew that rivals Whitebeards and show all those marines who held him captive for so long what happens when you mess with a D. (Sequel to my story 'The Devil Wears White')

8. The Black Cat Pirates Attack

Chapter 8: The Black Cat Pirates Attack

After his talk with Usopp, Luffy didn't really know where he was going to go but it didn't matter to him. He walked through the village undisturbed; the villagers' peaceful and happy emotions filtering to Luffy as if trying to make him feel better.

Usually, that would work, because Luffy has a low self-control when it comes to resisting the temptation to let the good feelings in. Now, however, he held himself back. Maybe he'd done it subconsciously, almost like an autopilot, because he'd been told time and time again not to let in good feelings seeing as he was naturally a happy person, and letting in more of the emotions would normally mean he became too excitable.

Because he wasn't letting them in now though, it meant he was left to feel the sadness, the slight pang of hurt you get in knowing someone doesn't like you.

He didn't blame Usopp- he couldn't- because it wasn't the man's fault that he was scared of Luffy. It wasn't his fault Luffy wasn't normal. It wasn't his fault Luffy had told him about his abilities. It was Luffy's own fault, and that was it. There was no one else to blame for it but himself. Well, there was also the facility that he could blame, but that was self-explanatory by now.

On the opposite side of the village, Luffy reached the other slope- similar to the one they'd just finished trapping for the pirates- and walked along the cliff to sit on its edge. He could see his and Nami's boats still sitting in the water- this having been where they'd docked- and was reminded of only a few hours ago when he, Zoro, and Nami had landed on the island and met Usopp. He quickly pushed that thought away though, not wanting to think about anything right now.

Looking to the ocean he took in a deep breath, letting the salty air filter into his lungs and bring him back to days of sitting on the Moby; Ace, Sabo and his many ship brothers all around him and Pops sitting in his throne of a chair nearby. Closing his eyes, he could almost picture himself back there, and when a breeze blew past him, he found himself smiling. If he had been rocking, then it would be exactly like he was back there, save for the fact that it was silent here and on the Moby it was always loud.

He sat there for a while, eyes closed, imagining he was back on the Moby when he had a thought. Whiskey, Ace, Marco, Pops, and everyone else had always said he could call them at any time to just talk. Whiskey especially had said he might experience something that he'd want to talk about, and he was thinking of taking the nurse up on that offer. After all, who better to talk to then the person he'd been telling his every thought and feeling to for the past three years of his life?

Looking back towards their boat, Luffy decided to do just that.

Seeing as he was rubber and didn't need to worry about breaking his bones, Luffy jumped off the cliff edge, not hearing the shriek of terror behind him over the wind in his ears as he landed safely on the sandy shore below him. Because of this, he continued on to the boats without stopping. Once he'd climbed onto his and Zoro's tiny boat, he went over to his bag, rummaging inside of it for the mini den den he knew was in there, finding it quickly and smiling at the familiar white mustache it wore.

Waking it up, he began calling, finding that a smile was quickly forming on his face at the thought of talking to his family again. It hadn't been all that long since he'd separated from them, but it was long enough that he'd begun to miss them.

The snail rang for a few seconds before someone answered, Luffy's smile widening at it.

"Who's this?" They asked which caused Luffy to start laughing cheerfully, already feeling better to hear the familiar voice.

"Haruta! Its Luffy!" Luffy answered, the snail's eyes widening and blinking before breaking out into a smile of its own.

"Luffy! How are you?! What's up? Is something wrong?" Haruta asked, talking quickly and making Luffy laugh more, feeling the muffled excitement coming from the snail- or rather, Haruta.

"Nothings wrong, I just wanted to talk to Whiskey." He said, trying to fight the frown as he remembered the reason for the call.

"Whiskey? Yeah, alright. You're good though, right?" Haruta asked, and Luffy could faintly hear now that he was moving, probably walking to Whiskey now.

"Mm." Luffy hummed, not saying anything more than that. He could feel a skepticism in Haruta, telling the teen that the commander didn't believe him, but he didn't press it.

"How's your adventure going so far, then?" He asked instead, Luffy's smile more genuine now as he thought about something else.

"Great! I already have a crewmember, too! His name's Zoro, he was a pirate hunter, but now he's a pirate! We're also traveling with a navigator, but she doesn't like pirates so she didn't want to join, but that's ok." Luffy told Haruta, proud of his two new friends.

"Oh? I'm happy you're not sailing aimlessly and have a proper navigator! That sure will ease Ace's worrying. Although a pirate hunter turned pirate? Can't say I've heard that before." Haruta said with a laugh, Luffy joining in.

"Yeah, Zoro's really cool! He's a swordsman, like Vista, and he fights with three swords!" Luffy said, stars in his eyes as he thought about how cool his crewmember was.

"Huh, a three sword-wielding pirate hunter turned pirate and a navigator who doesn't like pirates tagging along with said pirates. You sure do attract a strange bunch Luffy." Haruta told him.

"I also met this guy named Usopp, he's got a long nose and lies a lot. Oh, and he's Yasopps kid, from Shanks' crew!" Again, Luffy didn't hear the squeak from the cliff he'd previously jumped off of, focused entirely on his conversation with Haruta.

"Yasopps kid? Really? Man Luffy, I'm beginning to think Thatch was right. You do get yourself into the strangest situations." Haruta said, the snail imitating a head shake at the words.

"Anyways, I'm at the infirmary now, which means I'm gonna have to say goodbye for now," Haruta said as a faint knock was heard.

"Right. See you later Haruta! Tell Ace, and Pops, and Marco, and Thatch, and Izo-"

"I get it Lu," Haruta laughed, making Luffy smile again.

"Tell everyone I said hi," Luffy told him, the snail nodding.

"Will do." With that, there was a muffled conversation as Haruta told, presumably Whiskey, that Luffy was on the line and wanted to talk. Within seconds, the snail was handed over to the nurse, the expression changing to one of worry.

"Luffy? Is everything alright?" Whiskey asked, and Luffy wondered why that was everyone's first question.

"Mm, I just wanted to talk," Luffy said, and even though he was still smiling, it wasn't as big as before. Whiskey seemed to pick up on this, the snails expression softening.

"Alright, let me move to my office." She said, and again Luffy waited patiently as he heard the nurse walk, but shortly after it was quiet.

"What did you want to talk about?" She asked him now, the snail's expression still soft and gentle, caring and worry coming to Luffy from the nurse.

"I haven't had any bad days, and I only had one nightmare so far. I wrote about it and stuff, and I was fine. I'm kind of in the middle of an adventure right now, but we're waiting to beat up these bad pirates, and the Captain has the dark feelings. It's not really that strong, but his color's dark too, and he's always feeling the bad type of greedy." Luffy started seeing as that had also been bothering him still as well.

"Are his feelings strong enough to influence your own? Pops isn't there which means you can't filter in more warmth to push the dark feeling away, and I'm assuming whoever you're with so far doesn't possess the warmth." She said.

"No, I've met some people, and I have a new crewmember, but none of them have the warmth. I was able to keep it from bothering me too much, but while we were talking to him the feelings got stronger and I was really uncomfortable. We left a little bit after that though so I was able to calm down, but I was getting really angry and my deep breathing wasn't working like it usually does." Luffy told her with a pout, not liking that the breathing hadn't worked like it usually did.

"Deep breathing doesn't always work, you know that. As much as I wish I had a technique you could use that would always work, I don't. I'm happy to hear that you still practice deep breathing though, and even though it didn't work for you then, I'm sure its helped you other times, right?" She asked, Luffy nodding.

"Yeah..." He mumbled.

"See? It's not always going to work, but its good to try regardless. For the times it doesn't work, you're going to have to work hard to remember calming thoughts. Remember mantras?" She asked, Luffy nodding again at the word.

"Yeah, the things you say over and over." He said.

"That's right. You could start telling yourself mantras while you take your deep breaths and that could help. Maybe something like 'I'm in control of my own feelings', or, 'These feelings aren't my feelings'. Maybe even something else, but whatever it is, you can start telling yourself this, and maybe you'll find it to be as effective as your deep breathing." She said. Luffy smiled at that, happy that he had a plan for the future.

"Was there anything else you wanted to talk about?" She asked, which led Luffy to remember Usopp, making him frown again.

"Mm..." He hummed quietly, leaning against the railing of his boat, eyes shadowed by his hat.

"Its alright Luffy, remember, this is at your own pace. You can talk to me about it if you want, but I understand it may be difficult for you." The nurse said, taking in the snails imitation of Luffy's expression and realizing the boy was going through something.

Luffy remained silent as he thought it over because he really did want to talk to Whiskey about it, but it was different from anything he'd talked to her about. Usually, he talked to her about bad feelings in other people or bad memories or nightmares he had, but he'd never talked to her about someone not liking him. He'd never really had to deal with it before, because even though Marines didn't like him, and most people were scared of him, he'd never had someone who was becoming his friend suddenly dislike him because of his abilities.

"I met... I met this guy..." Luffy began softly, Whiskey patiently listening.

"He's nice and really cool, and I've heard about him before. He's Yasopps, son, from Shanks' crew, and we've hung out a lot today. The pirate Captain with the bad feeling is gonna attack his village, and I told him I'd help him stop them, cause I don't like the captain guy anyway, so I wanted to." Luffy told her.

"I thought we were starting to become friends, but we were walking and talking and stuff and I could tell when he was lying, so I said so, but he wanted to know how I knew, and I told him that I'd felt it. He didn't believe me and started asking me questions about it, and I think he realized I wasn't lying to him, but then he got scared of me..." Luffy said, trailing off.

"I left, cause I didn't like that I was making him scared." He finished, shifting.

"Have you told anyone else about your abilities?" She asked curiously, Luffy shaking his head.

"No. I'm not hiding them, because I don't want to hide it from anyone, but I haven't brought it up. I think Zoro, my swordsman, realized something was weird once, but he never asked about it." Luffy said, remembering when he'd had a similar conversation with Zoro about how he'd known Buggy wasn't down the first time, telling the man he had felt it.

"So this is the first time you had someone you were beginning to view as a friend dislike you due to your abilities." Whiskey said with a sigh, Luffy nodding.

"Friendship is a finicky thing, Luffy. Especially when it's fresh and brand new. You two are still getting to know each other, and I know you haven't had much of a chance to make friends, especially with people your own age. Sometimes people don't take well to things they deem unnatural, and unfortunately, your abilities fall under that category. Sometimes, no matter what we do or how we try, there are just some people that won't like us." She said to him, Luffy nodding in understanding but still bummed about the loss of a friendship.

"On the other hand, there is a chance that you merely overwhelmed him. Give him some time, let him process what you've told him, and if he's as cool and good a person you told me he was, then there's a chance he'll be able to see past the things you can't control. It's as you and I tell Ace time and time again, people that don't like you for things you can't control aren't worth your time." She said, smiling at the end. Luffy smiled as well because he could remember the many times he'd said that to his brother after he'd had too many thoughts and too much anger over people judging him due to who his father was.

"Mm... Thanks, Whiskey." Luffy said, smiling softly to the snail.

"It was no problem Luffy. I hope things work out for you. Oh, and kick that pirate Captains ass, will you?" She asked good-naturedly. Luffy's smile widened and he laughed softly.

"Right! Talk to you later Whiskey!" He told the nurse.

"Goodbye Luffy."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Usopp sat in stunned silence, peering over the cliff to Luffy who was sitting in his boat, the mini den den in his hand falling asleep.

When Luffy had left earlier, he'd stood in stunned fear in the middle of the dirt road for a good few minutes before he'd been able to shake himself out of it. He'd wanted to run after Luffy, but his mind continued to remind him that that would be detrimental to his health, that it would be better if he left the dangerous pirate alone. Every time he thought that though, he couldn't help but feel guilty until ultimately, he'd decided he would keep an eye on the man.

After all, it wasn't like he would show himself. He had to make sure Luffy didn't do anything to hurt the villagers. That was all.

So he'd shakily followed Luffy to the shore that the pirate had docked at earlier that morning. He hid in a bush, watching Luffy's back as he sat on the cliff edge, facing the sea. Again, he tried not to feel bad, tried to ignore the thoughts in his head telling him that he was a horrible person for judging Luffy so much even after the teen had been so nice to him.

He was broken from the circling thoughts when Luffy stood-

And jumped off the cliff.

Shrieking in fear, Usopp scrambled out of the bushes. Had Luffy felt so bad after their encounter that he'd commit suicide?! If so, Usopp would feel absolutely horrible, but as he peered over the cliff edge he saw Luffy walking away without so much as a limp.

Breathing a sigh of relief, he watched as the teen went to his boat, rummaging in a bag there before pulling out a mini den den. Dread filled him as he watched- and heard- the call being made.

Oh no, was he going to call the Whitebeards here? Because he hadn't been nice?

Usopp began praying to every God he knew the name of, telling them how sorry he was for judging a book by its cover, and how he'd never do so again so long as Luffy didn't call the full force of Whitebeard here because of his poor reaction.

Again, he was filled with relief when he heard Luffy chatting with someone named Haruta, telling him about his adventures so far, even going so far as to mention him as well. That had made him squeak in surprise, thinking that, surely, this was where he was going to tell them how mean he'd been and demand they come attack the village in retribution.

That still didn't happen though and instead the snail changing to this Whiskey person. Usopp's earlier disbelief in Luffy's so-called abilities was tested again as he listened to the two talk about Luffy feeling Kuro's emotions, making him realize that maybe the teen wasn't lying.

But that was crazy, right?

It didn't seem that way though, because as he listened more- which he knew he shouldn't do, but continued doing anyway- this Whiskey person asked if he'd told anyone else about his abilities, and seeing this person talk so confidently about the abilities made Usopp begin to believe it more.

Neither Luffy nor Whiskey knew he was listening in, so why keep the lie going? What would they gain from it to pretend Luffy could feel other people's emotions?

Usopp was mentioned again, and if he didn't feel bad about himself earlier, he definitely did now. Hearing the woman talk to Luffy in such understanding, hearing her mention how Luffy'd never had friends his age, made him realize how insensitive of the teen's feelings he'd been. The more he heard, the more he began seeing Luffy as a normal person, just like him. Sure, he may or may not have weird abilities- the jury was still out on that one- but all Luffy had done so far was be kind to Usopp, and he hadn't been kind back.

/\/\/\/\/\/\

Stepping off the boat, Luffy slowly began walking towards the slope to head back to the village. After his talk with Whiskey, he felt a little better, but now he didn't know what to do. He didn't want to go bug Usopp- Whiskey had told him he might need space- and Nami was busy getting supplies so he didn't want to bother her either. He could go hang out with Zoro and keep watch for anyone coming.

Finding that that was the best idea, he decided he'd do that. Before he could even reach the top of the slope though, he realized that someone was nearby, not having noticed before.

"Usopp? What are you doing here? Oh, wait, space, I'm supposed to give him space. Uh, nevermind!" Luffy said, trying to pretend as if he hadn't noticed the man. From the nearby bushes atop the cliff, there was an eep as Usopp stood in surprise.

"H-how'd you know I was there?!" He asked, and even though he'd just told himself he'd be nicer to Luffy, try and give him a shot, here he was, scared and timid again.

"I felt- uh, I mean..." Luffy trailed off because again, he knew the man was still scared of him- he could feel it- and he didn't want to scare him anymore.

It didn't seem to matter though as Usopp realized what he'd been about to say, hesitating at the realization.

"How long were you there?" Luffy asked instead, curious as he hadn't noticed earlier. To be fair, though, he'd been a bit preoccupied to keep track of his surroundings.

"N-not long! Not long at all! Actually, I just got here!" Usopp said confidently to Luffy, a smile trying to force its way on his face.

"Lia-" Again, Luffy stopped himself, remembering that Usopp didn't like his abilities. He frowned, annoyed with himself that he couldn't remember these things before he started talking.

"Oh... right... well, uh, actually, I... I was there the whole time. S-sorry..." Usopp admitted once Luffy called him out again, even if he'd stopped himself. Besides, Usopp thought that it'd be best to admit it and hope the inevitable beating the pirate gave him wasn't too bad. His legs were shaking again as Luffy blinked at him in surprise.

"I'm still not going to hurt you. Anyways, I'll go sit with Zoro then, so I don't bother you. Sorry." Luffy told the man, shocking Usopp at the apology because shouldn't he be the one doing that?

Luffy started walking again, most likely to Zoro like he'd said, but Usopp forced himself to speak up instead.

"A-actually, I-... Why don't we hang out?" Usopp asked, trying to channel his confidence to hide his fear.

But couldn't Luffy feel his fear? So was it useless to pretend?

"Really?" Luffy asked, now the one who was surprised as he turned back to Usopp with wide eyes. Seeing this, Usopp straightened, smiling as big as he could.

"Yeah! I thought, why not? We're both not doing anything, and sure, I was a little scared of you at first, but you're not so bad." Usopp said, finding that he meant his words more then he thought he would. Luffy's smile widened at that and he almost began jumping in place in excitement.

"Yeah! What should we do?! Oh, we could go eat! Or play a game! Or explore!" Usopp sweatdrop as the now hyperactive teen began listing different activities they could do together, and he began wondering just what he'd gotten himself into.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

The day passed rather quickly for the group of four. Usopp and Luffy hung out up until Luffy had to take his turn for watch, and by then, Usopp found his fear of the man slowly fading away, realizing that Luffy was a pretty fun guy to be around- pirate or not.

When night came they changed the schedule; three sleeping nearby the slope they'd booby-trapped while one stayed up on guard. They would do so for two hours before getting the next person, and an hour before daybreak they would all get up and keep guard together.

"Its almost daybreak. They'll be coming soon." Zoro said to the others who were stretching and yawning, the sky slowly lightening thanks to the rising sun. Zoro had been the last on guard, so he was wide awake whereas the others were only just waking up.

The four of them stood on that slope, waiting as it got brighter and brighter, yet there was no sign of ships.

"Where are they? The sky's all bright now. What's the deal?" Luffy asked, not feeling anyone getting closer like he had expected.

"Maybe they overslept or something?" Zoro asked with a raised eyebrow.

"No. They'll definitely show up. Lots of 'em." Usopp said confidently. Nami suddenly perked up, cupping her ears as she walked forward.

"Say... it might just be my imagination... but I hear 'Yaaah' coming from somewhere..." She said, listening carefully. The three guys looked around as if expecting to see something new, but they couldn't.

"Yeah, I definitely hear it!" Nami confirmed.

"N-now that you mention it..." Usopp muttered.

"What? What is it?" Zoro asked.

"There's a place just like this to the North too!" Usopp yelled, holding his head as he began sweating.

"You don't suppose..." He trailed off and Luffy took a step towards him.

"You mean this is the wrong shore?!" Luffy asked incredulously.

"This is where they had their secret meeting, so I just assumed..." Usopp said with a worried look on his face, his emotions in turmoil again.

"Hey! Let's hurry! They're gonna get into the village!" Luffy said urgently.

"Right! If you run straight North from here, you'll get there in three minutes! The terrain there is almost exactly the same, so we just need to stop them at the slope!" Usopp told them, Luffy listening carefully.

"Don't worry! We'll do it somehow!" Luffy assured him before Nami had a sudden realization.

"Oh no! The North shore is where our boats are! They're gonna take our treasure!" She shrieked.

"Don't worry. I'll be there in twenty seconds!" Luffy told them, crouching and letting his blood begin pumping faster, steam rising off of his body, and his skin turning pink.

"W-what the-?!" Usopp asked in shock, everyone watching with wide eyes.

"Gear second," Luffy muttered, and in a blink, he was gone, leaving the three stunned on the slope. Thanks to his gear second, Luffy was at the North shore within seconds, just as he'd said, and because of that, he was able to see the many pirates congregated at the bottom, all beginning their ascent up the hill. They were all filled with greed and determination as they ran, but Luffy didn't care about any of that as he stood at the top of the slope, glaring at them.

"Hey! There's someone at the top of the hill!" One of the pirates called once they noticed him. Everyone stopped moving as they took in Luffy's figure, and Luffy recognized one of them as the man Kuro had been talking to on the shore.

"You!" They said, looking at Luffy for a minute.

"... Who are you?" He asked after a second, not recognizing Luffy.

"My name's Monkey D. Luffy! I'm not gonna let you attack the village!" Luffy yelled to them, remembering his anger towards Kuro yesterday and letting it filter into his glare, some of the pirates stepping away at the intensity of it.

"You're not going to let us? Oh... I guess we should go then." The man said, the many pirates around him sweat dropping.

"Captain, we can't just leave, remember?" One asked him, the man straightening at that.

"Ah, that's right!" He said as if he'd forgotten what the whole idea for this attack was.

"Captain, shocking news!" Another pirate yelled, Jango turning at that.

"Really?! That's bad!" He yelled.

"No, it's good! We found treasure in those weird boats!" He yelled back, pointing to Nami and Luffy's boats where another pirate was carrying a sack of treasure, showing it to Jango.

"An incredible amount! Maybe 4, no 5 million berries!" He told him.

"What?!" Jango asked in surprise, Luffy's eyes narrowing.

"Oi!" He yelled to them, everyone turning back to look at him.

"That's Nami's treasure. Leave it alone!" He shouted to them. Jango frowned, holding onto his hat.

"You fool, We're pirates, you know. We're obviously going to take this treasure!" He called back. Luffy's glare hardened and he took a deep breath before lowering into another stance.

"I'm a pirate too, and that's why I'm gonna stop you from taking that treasure and hurting this village!" He told them, many scoffing and laughing.

"You?! A pirate?! What are you, 15? You're just a kid!" A pirate yelled to him. Luffy began to grin at that, hat shadowed by his eyes.

"And you're all a bunch of old men who decided to attack the wrong island!" Luffy said, tone low and menacing, making a few of the pirate's worry. Suddenly, behind him, Luffy both heard and felt someone running over and looked to see Usopp, panting and sweating with his slingshot in hand and goggles on.

"Oh, Usopp!" He called, menacing look gone and replaced with a regular smile, making the pirates exhale in relief.

"L-Luffy! What was that thing you did?! You got here so fast!" Usopp said as he put his hands on his knees, panting.

"That? It was Gear Second. Wasn't it cool?! I can move super fast with it!" Luffy said with a laugh.

"Oi, did you forget about us?!" One of the pirates yelled angrily, making Luffy frown again as he glared to him out of the corner of his eye.

"T-they're here..." Usopp whispered in fear, taking in the group of pirates below them.

You ready to fight Usopp?" Luffy asked the teen, voice low again and all joking gone. Usopp nodded, standing tall again.

"I-I'm completely ready to fight!" He said, and despite this, Luffy could see the man's shaking legs, as well as feel his fear. However, he could also feel the determination in him, the conviction and resolve to stand in the way of these pirates and protect his village. With a small smile, Luffy nodded, lowering into a stance again.

"Are you two done talking?! Nevermind, on 'One, two, Jango', you two will let us by!" Jango shouted, holding up a shiny metal ring on a string and letting it swing back and forth in the air. Luffy watched the ring in confusion while Usopp 'eeped' in fear, thinking the ring was a weapon.

"One, two," More running footsteps behind them had Luffy turning to see who else was coming.

"Jan-"

"Who's taking my treasure?!" Nami shrieked with sharp teeth as she came barreling forward, knocking Usopp over while Luffy sidestepped the woman.

"Nami! You're here too! I tried telling 'em it was your treasure, but they weren't listening to me." Luffy told the woman honestly with a smile.

"Captain! This is no time to hypnotize yourself and let people by!" A pirate reprimanded Jango while Usopp stood from the ground.

"That boats treasure is mine! I won't let you have a single berri!" Nami shouted, pointing to the pirates angrily.

"That hurt!" Usopp whined as he brushed himself off.

"You were in the way of my treasure!" Nami said as if it were Usopp's fault.

"You didn't have to knock me down like that!" Usopp said back, Nami frowning and closing her eyes.

"What're you talking about?! After I just saved you!" She said indignantly, Luffy watching in confusion.

"Huh?" Luffy and Usopp asked.

"I forgot to mention it, but don't watch his ring all the way through! He's a hypnotist!" Nami said, pointing to Jango who frowned back at her.

"H-hypnosis?!" Usopp shrieked, looking to the man as well.

"Hypotenuse?" Luffy asked, tilting his head in confusion.

"Hypnosis, idiot! He can make you do whatever he says if you look at the ring!" Nami explained, Luffy putting a fist into an open palm in understanding.

"Oh! So don't look at the ring! Got it!" He said with a wide smile, Nami sighing and rubbing her forehead in exasperation.

"Anyways, what was that thing you did back there? You disappeared!" Nami said, still a little surprised by that. Sure, she was able to understand that Luffy was a rubber man and could do some strange, non-normal, things, but what did rubber have to do with disappearing as he had done?

"That was gear second!" He said as if she should know what that meant. As Luffy and Nami talked, Usopp began walking back behind them, slingshot on his shoulder.

"Alright guys, I'll take command here. Go kick their butts! I'll cover you!" He told them, pointing to the pirates who were growing angrier by the second.

"Right! Go ahead Luffy!" Nami said sweetly, her wooden bo staff resting against her shoulder as well as she smiled to the teen.

"You guys aren't gonna fight too?" Luffy asked with a raised eyebrow.

"There's no way I can take on that huge army. I'm weak you know!" Nami said to Luffy who gave her a look of confusion.

"But if you fight you'll get stronger." He said as if it were obvious, but Nami wasn't having it.

"If I fight I'll get hurt!" She yelled. Luffy frowning.

"Nah, I won't let 'em hurt you." He said, making Nami and Usopp blink.

"We don't have time to mess with them. Crush 'em and head for the village men." Jango told the pirates who all cheered, Usopp and Nami stiffening in fear.

"H-here they come!" Usopp said as he and Nami took a step back, watching the pirates charge up the slope. Luffy lowered again, fists raised in preparation for a fight.

"Oh yeah! I have caltrops!" Usopp remembered, shoving his hand in his bag.

"Oh! You do have some good stuff! Gimme gimme!" Nami grinned, pleased that it didn't seem like she needed to fight at all. The two held a handful each of the spiky metal pieces, lowering as they got ready to throw them.

"Caltrop hell!" Usopp yelled as he and Nami released them on the pirates, Luffy watching in awe.

"Ow!" All of the pirates shrieked and yelled as they stepped on the spikes, or as the spikes landed on their clothing, poking them all.

"Wow! See, you guys are doing great!" Luffy praised.

"Yes! We got 'em" Nami cheered, she and Usopp grinning.

"Now! Special Attack: Lead Star!" Usopp called as he pulled his slingshot back, taking aim before firing the pellet into a pirates face, knocking him to the ground.

"Bastard!" A nearby pirate yelled.

"Way to go, keep it up now! I'm gonna quit fighting for a bit." Nami praised, patting Usopp on the back.

"You haven't even fought yet!" Usopp screamed as he watched the redhead begin to leave, only to stop short.

"What is it?" Luffy asked as he turned as well.

"There are caltrops behind us too..." She said dejectedly, pointing to the metal surrounding them.

"You moron! You dropped 'em there!" Usopp yelled, not paying attention to the pirates behind him anymore.

"Outta the damn way!" One of them yelled as they swung their hammer back, jumping in the air and planning on hitting Usopp. Usopp paled, realizing he couldn't get out of the way fast enough, and Nami gasped, having the same realization.

"Oi!" Luffy yelled, swinging his fist back and punching the pirate away from Usopp.

"Attacking someone's back isn't fair!" Luffy told the man with an angry expression, Nami, and Usopp both watching with wide eyes. Some of the closer pirates staggered back at the show of strength, but Jango looked undeterred.

"T-thanks..." Usopp said with large eyes.

"No problem. I told you I wouldn't let them hurt you. You're a sniper, right? You stay back and cover us. Nami, we're going down there now." Luffy said, looking to the pirates.

"W-we are?! I already told you, I can't fight!" She said shakily, Luffy only grinning.

"It'll be fine! Besides, you can't go anywhere else, right? Those spiky things are in the way." Luffy said, Nami realizing he was right as she looked back to the caltrops.

"And they still have your treasure, too," Luffy added, spotting the bag that one of the pirates still held near the boats.

"My treasure! Alright, let's do this then." Nami said, lowering and holding her bo staff tightly in her grip.

"Let's go, guys! Captain Kuro is waiting!" He suddenly shouted, the pirates stiffening as they remembered.

"They're about to fight. Ready?" Luffy asked Nami, the girl taking a deep breath before nodding. It was just in time as the pirates began charging up the hill again, swords at the ready. One of them ran right for Nami, swinging the metal weapon towards her which she effectively blocked with her staff. Luffy, after making sure she could handle it, turned his attention to two more pirates heading his way, back bending under the first ones swing and standing on his hands, lifting his feet into the air and kicking the man away before standing again.

The second went to attack him next, but he was able to sway out of the swords way, bringing his fist down on the mans head, making him crumble to the ground. Looking to Nami he saw her block another swing from a sword, but the power behind it knocked her back. Before she could fall Luffy stretched his arm out, steadying her before she could hit the ground. She blinked in surprise, watching as Luffy's arm snapped back to his side, but was forced to face her opponent again as he got ready to attack again.

"Special Attack: Lead Star!" Usopp yelled again, the pellet hitting Nami's opponent in the face and knocking him back enough that Nami could right herself. Gripping her staff, she swung it back before swinging it forward and into the man's stomach, throwing him to the ground.

"Hey, you guys! Quit bothering with them and get going already!" Jango yelled in annoyance from where he still stood on the shore.

"B-but Captain Jango, these guys are strong!" A pirate called back, eyeing the three teens wearily.

"Have you forgotten Captain Kuro's plan?! We have a schedule to keep! If anything happens to throw off his plan, he'll kill every one of us!" Jango yelled, scaring the pirates enough that they got a second wind.

"Do you understand that?!" The man asked, the pirates sweating as they looked to each other.

"H-hey now,..."

"Yeah, hurry to the village!" With a roar, the pirates began running again, reaching the top of the slope where they stood. Nami shrieked in fear, because she could barely handle the one pirate, much less the tens of pirates running at her now.

"D-damnit, that's not good! They can't get to the village!" Usopp said worriedly, legs shaking again.

Luffy, however, didn't look worried in the slightest, instead lowering again and throwing his leg back.

"Gum Gum Whip!" He shouted, swinging his leg out and knocking the front row of pirates back, starting a domino effect as they knocked down the next few rows. No longer were the pirates at the top of the slope anymore. Now, they were all knocked back to the shore where Jango stood. Usopp paled at Luffy's strength, remembering once more he was a Whitebeard Pirate.

"W-what is this Captain Jango?"

"Nobody mentioned guys like them were in the village!" They said fearfully.

"Finally, I made it." A new voice said, Nami, Usopp, and Luffy looking to see Zoro there, panting and sweating.

"Zoro, you made it! Did you get lost? You took forever!" Luffy said, realizing Zoro had taken a while. The man was annoyed, and a bubble of guilt and slight fear came from Nami, directed towards Zoro which confused him further.

"I didn't get lost! Nami! How dare you kick me down there!" Zoro shouted to the woman who squeaked, before laughing nervously and rubbing the back of her head.

"That was an accident! It couldn't be helped!" She tried as Zoro glared at her.

"Besides, it's better for one person to be saved than for two to stay down there..." She said, only making Zoro angrier.

"Then you should have stayed!" He screamed.

"Night is long gone now. He- Captain Kuro- he's short-tempered... Hey men! Don't tell me that brat did you all in?!" Jango asked the fallen pirates around him. Everyone looked back to them, Zoro raising an eyebrow.

"What's with them?" He asked, not having seen Luffy's attack.

"U-uh, w-well, Luffy kind of... kicked them," Usopp explained nervously, eyeing Luffy wearily.

"Huh," Zoro said, pleased with his Captain's strength.

"Listen! We don't have time to be dilly-dallying here!" Jango said to the slowly rising pirates, digging in his jacket pocket and pulling out his metal ring.

"If your enemy is strong, we just need to be stronger! Now watch this ring closely! On 'one, two, Jango' you guys'll grow strong. Your wounds will be completely healed, and you will grow stronger and stronger!" Jango told the watching pirates.

"What're they doing?" Zoro asked.

"Its hypnosis! He's trying to convince them to be stronger! How ridiculous!" Nami told him with a frown.

"Stronger... stronger! One! Two! Jango!" All around him, the pirates who had been struggling to even sit on their knees, suddenly jumped to their feet and roared loudly. One of them even punched the cliffside beside him, cracking it into pieces.

"No way!" Nami exclaimed in shock as the pirates cheered.

"H-he gouged out the cliff!" Usopp exclaimed in an equal amount of shock.

"What power!" Zoro yelled with a sweatdrop.

"They really did get hypnotized!" Nami said next.

"With that many people that strong..." Usopp trailed off, wondering if, even with Luffy, they would be able to take them down. Speaking of...

"Go! Crush anyone who gets in the way!" Jango screamed, pointing to the four standing on top of the slope. The pirates cheered again before running up the hill as fast as they could.

"You guys get back!" Zoro yelled to Nami and Usopp, unsheathing his sword.

"We'll handle this!" He said, referring to himself and Luffy. The two began to scramble behind the swordsman, happy to do as he said, while Zoro and Luffy stood motionless as they watched.

"Oi, Luffy," Zoro asked, turning to look at the silent teen. He was glaring, a frown on his face, and unmoving.

"Luffy?!" He asked, wondering if he was ok. Suddenly, with a roar, Luffy raised his hands in the air.

"You got hypnotized too?!" Zoro screamed. Without saying anything, Luffy took off down the slope towards the incoming pirates, Zoro, Nami, and Usopp watching in surprise.

"W-what a simple-minded person! I told him not to watch the ring!" Nami said from where she stood safely behind Zoro.

Roaring again, Luffy held up both fists, throwing them in front of him as fast as possible.

"Gum gum... Gatling!" He screamed, his fists moving so fast it looked like there were multiple of them hitting the pirates. This made them pause, and it wasn't before long that Luffy had knocked them all down again.

"Damn you, Captain Kuro... You didn't warn us about this!" Jango said in a mixture of anger and worry.

"These guys are no ordinary brats! But- wait..." He said with a bead of sweat running down the side of his face.

"This guy couldn't be... the Whitebeard Pirate he told me about, could it?" Jango asked himself softly, eyes widening in fear at this thought.

Meanwhile, the pirates tried getting up again, but Luffy's roar made them realize the danger they were in as all of them quickly began running back down the slope while Luffy chased them. The pirates fell to the ground at the bottom of the slope, but Luffy kept running, right to Jango who began sweating profusely in fear, holding his hat. He crouched, preparing himself for an attack, but Luffy ran right past him, instead heading to the ships.

"What is he doing?!" Zoro asked from where he watched. Luffy ran right to the pirates' ship, grabbing onto the black cat figurehead and gripping it in his arms.

"Wha-?"

"What's he planning to do?!" The pirates asked with tears falling, bleeding from wounds all over them. With one more roar, Luffy pulled the figurehead off of the boat, muscles straining at the strength it took.

"Go! Luffy!" Nami and Usopp cheered from behind Zoro, the swordsman watching with wide eyes and a gaping jaw.

"He's gonna destroy the ship!" A pirate screamed fearfully. Holding the entire figurehead in his arms now, Luffy stumbled back with it, turning to glare at the pirates.

"No! He's not!"

"He's gonna crush us with that!" Terrified, the pirates began running back up the slope as Luffy slowly began carrying it their way.

"Please do something, Captain!" Jango stiffened, looking around desperately.

"Crap! Crap! This was no time to be gawking!" He told himself, turning to watch as Luffy continued growing ever closer. Quickly, he pulled his ring back out, letting it swing in front of him.

"On 'one, two, Jango', you'll get sleepy! One! Two! Jango!" Zoro, Nami, and Usopp watched with wide eyes as suddenly, Luffy's eyes closed and he fell asleep, the figurehead falling on top of him as a result. The pirates screamed as they were hit by the long piece of wood as well, many of them being crushed by it. Nami and Usopp moved up to the cliff itself, Zoro looking at the scene below them carefully.

"Looks like they're just about wiped out!" Nami said.

"I guess so," Zoro replied with a blank face.

"Hey! Nevermind that, Luffy's trapped under there!" Usopp said worriedly, thinking the teen might be seriously injured.

"He won't die," Zoro said confidently, confusing Usopp.

"Damn that brat! Now the plans really screwed up! If Captain Kuro caught sight of this, he'd slaughter all of us, too!" Jango said, teeth chattering in fear as he looked around at all the fallen pirates.

"Hey, Butchie! Come look! This is bad stuff!" A new voice said.

"What the hell?!" Another asked, Jango stiffening in surprise and turning back to the pirate ship.

"We still have a trump card! Come forth, Meowban Brothers!" He called. At his words, two figures jumped off the ship, landing on the wood from the figurehead and grinning to him.

"You called, Captain Jango?" The green-haired man asked.

"You called?" The one with a bell around his neck asked next.

"Siam..." The green one said, standing in a cat pose.

"...and Butchie!" The other said, doing the same.

"Together we are the Meowban Brothers!" They announced with grins, jumping in front of Jango and kneeling.

"Butchi! Siam! We absolutely must get past this hill, but as you can see, an obstacle is in the way! Get rid of it." Jango ordered, the three turning to look at Zoro who stood menacingly at the top of the hill, a sword over his shoulder. Suddenly, the two blanched, stumbling back and sweating.

"W-we can't possibly do that! Right, Butchie?!" Siam asked his brother.

"Yeah, he looks strong!" Butchie agreed. Nami, Usopp, and Zoro watched in a mixture of surprise and confusion.

"And besides, we're just supposed to guard the ship!"

"Yeah! This isn't really our place to fight..." Siam and Butchie said, taking another step back towards the ship.

"W-what? They're not their trump card?!" Usopp asked in confusion.

"Siam! Get going already!" Jango ordered again.

"Eh?! M-me?!" Siam shrieked in fear.

"Hurry!" Jango barked. Siam and Butchie shrunk back at the harshness, Siam even beginning to cry.

"O-okay, okay! I'll go!" Siam conceded.

"He's in tears! What's he trying to do?!" Nami asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Whys he making him fight?" She continued. As she said this, Siam began crying as he ran up the hill.

"Hey, you! Get ready! I'm gonna scratch you good with these claws!" Siam cried, waving his hands in the air.

"What am I supposed to do?! Hey, you! Stop or I'll kill you!" Zoro said in an attempt to stop the man before he had to hurt him. As Siam grew closer, his entire demeanor changed in an instant. No longer was he crying, instead, he was grinning and moving confidently towards Zoro.

"If you can!" He growled, surprising the three.

"What?!" Zoro asked, barely managing to block the claws on Siams hand with his sword.

"What the hell?!" He muttered in surprise.

"You! You just underestimated me, didn't you?!" Siam growled out, jumping away from Zoro now.

"I'm impressed you could block that, after my innocent cat act! You seem to have a little skill, but I wouldn't underestimate Siam of the Meowban Brothers!" Siam said as he stood in front of Zoro, licking his hand. At this point, Zoro was quick to realize the weight at his side was gone.

"Missing something? Don't look at me though..." Siam said, Zoro's two swords on his back.

"There it is..." Jango said quietly.

"'Cat Burglar'" Butchie continued.

"Give those swords back!" Zoro growled out angrily.

"Give them back? But you already have a sword. These are just in the way." Siam said as he took the swords off his back, throwing them behind him and angering Zoro more.

"Alright! Now I'm much lighter!" He said as he licked his claw. Furious, Zoro charged towards the man with his single sword.

"You're supposed to take good care of other people's things!" He yelled as he sliced the man's side, running passed him and towards his two swords laying on the ground.

"Bastard!" Siam screamed as he jumped into the air and landed on Zoros back, grabbing both of the swordsman's arms.

"What?!" Zoro asked in both surprise and confusion.

"What did you cut?! I can bend like a cat!" Siam told the swordsman as his weight pushed Zoro to the ground.

"You're up Butchie! Get 'em!" Siam yelled to the other who ran their way.

"Right, brother! Cat..." The bigger man jumped into the air in the same way Siam had, holding his foot out to where Zoro's head lay.

"...Astrophe!" He screamed, Zoro rolling out of the way just in time as Butchies foot landed where his head had been, crushing the ground.

"Damn! He got away!" Siam growled in annoyance behind Butchie, having jumped over there when Zoro moved.

"Hey! Hold him down Siam!" Butchie yelled in frustration.

"My bad! The bastards way stronger then I thought!" Siam said with another grin.

"He's not getting away this time!"

"That's right!" Siam and Butchie said as they prepared to attack again.

"I'm not that great at One Sword Style, but..." With that, Zoro lifted the single sword up, readying himself.

"Let's do it Butchie!"

"Okay! Let's go, Siam!"

---

Hello once again everyone! How have you all been? These past two weeks have just been crazy, especially with everything that's happening in the world right now. Let's not get into all of that right now though, I don't want to bring down the mood.

As for this chapter though, the fight between the Black Cat pirates and Luffy and co has begun. Not only that, but Usopp is coming around to Luffy's abilities as well. Oh, and Whiskey made an appearance too! Well, it was her voice, but it was Whiskey all the same! I really enjoyed writing this chapter and adding in Usopp's reactions to Luffy. While it broke my heart for Luffy to be so sad about a possible failed friendship, I felt like that was what would have happened had this universe been canon.

These chapters are beasts for me to write and edit, but I truly do love every second of it. If I had it my way, this would be all I did with my time, but sadly, life just doesn't work out that way.

Also, as always, thank you all so much for the feedback and support! It means everything to me to see how much you all love my stories!

I hope all of you stay safe in this crazy world. With that said, I'll see you all in two weeks with the next chapter.