When the dust cleared, Nami could only look in horror. Every house in the cannon's path had been completely obliterated, all of them reduced to rubble on the street. Buggy had that kind of power at his disposal and had no problem using it for fun. He was far more dangerous than she thought.
Sabine stared and felt a tight clench in her heart. This…this reminded her of home. The ruins and devastation from an endless war that would only grow thanks to her involvement.
The Buggy Pirates cheered and celebrated at all the devastation while Buggy himself merely sniggered. "That was flashy," he said. "With these Buggy Balls and my Devil Fruit powers, I should have no problem conquering the Grand Line. Right, ladies?"
"Right," Nami quickly said. "Yes of course."
"Sure," Sabine said, barely listening, lost in her own thoughts.
"Huh?"
Everyone turned at the noise, looking over at Luffy in the cage. "But it's my destiny to conquer the Grand Line," he complained.
That snapped Sabine out of her thoughts and she groaned softly. Damn it Luffy.
Buggy clenched his teeth, growling a little in annoyance.
"And then I'm going to become King of the Pirates," Luffy continued.
"Shut up, idiot!" Nami said to him but it was too late.
"Heheheheheh," Buggy chuckled sinisterly. "I can see why you're sick of him, Nami."
"Yeah I know," she said, fake smile once again plastered on her face. "He never takes anything seriously, thinks that life's a big game. He acts like a little kid."
"I see," Buggy nodded. "Then how about I give you a Buggy Ball to blow away your old boss."
"Huh?" Nami said, confused for a second.
"Oh no," Sabine mumbled. Things had just gone from bad to worse.
"It'll be a great opportunity for you to prove your loyalty to me your new captain. Men!" he cried out, causing Nami to inhale sharply. At his command, the cannon was wheeled around to face Luffy this time.
"That's alright, Captain. We don't have to finish him off quite yet. Let's get back to the welcoming party and just have more fun," Nami tried. As much as she didn't like pirates, she didn't want to just blow one away like that. And as idiotic as Luffy seemed, he definitely didn't deserve this.
Sabine, however, readied her guns again. She already knew Buggy wasn't going to back down from this so there was really only one way out. She would just have to time it right. She just wondered if Nami would end on their side or betray them.
"Heheheh. This is my idea of having more fun," Buggy informed them before placing the matches in Nami's hands.
She stared down at them, her insides going cold while all the other pirates kept yelling "fire! fire! fire!". If I don't shoot, I'll be killed. But if I do shoot, than I'm no better than these pirates.
In all the years she'd been a thief, sneaking onto pirate ships and into Marine bases, she'd never once killed anyone. She'd injured a few, some pretty badly, but she never killed. And now, here she was, about to murder someone else just to save her own skin.
Sabine saw the conflicted look on Nami's face. Maybe she wasn't that bad after all. But now it seemed like their problems were going to get worse. But if she could find the key to Luffy's cage, that could give them more options. But where was it?
"Now, light the fuse Nami!" Buggy cried out.
Nami continued to stare at the matches while Luffy stared right at her, both of them unsure of what would happen next. Sabine continued to make her way around the tables, still looking for the key. Where the hell was it? Where were they keeping it?
"Hey!" Buggy suddenly called out, causing Nami to gasp. "You're not wimping out on me, are you?"
Nami grimaced, her hands trembling, as she just stood there. She didn't know what she could do right now. She had gotten Luffy into this situation, literally handed him over, and now was being asked to kill him. And even if she took off right now, she would be leaving him for dead. How would she be able to live with herself if she did that?
"What's the matter?" Luffy asked her, causing to her look up. "Your hands are shaking. That's what happens when you take on pirates with half-assed resolve."
Sabine couldn't help but smirk at that. It was moments like these that she knew why she had picked Luffy as her captain. Unfortunately, it looked like their time was up and she still didn't really have a plan since the key was nowhere in sight.
"Resolve? To do what? To kill someone like it's nothing? Is that a pirate's resolve?" Nami asked angrily.
"No," Luffy replied firmly. "You gotta be willing to risk your own life."
Nami stared at him, the words taking root inside. But before she could do anything, the matches were suddenly snatched from her hands.
"Here, you chick. Quit being such a tease," a pink-shirted pirate said, holding up the matches. "Let me show you how to light the cannon."
He instantly lit up the match and dread filled Nami up. She watched for a second as he lifted the match up to the fuse, ready to light it up. Luffy's eyes widened in fear and Sabine froze.
But before any of them could do anything, Nami acted on instinct. She whipped out her detachable staff from her belt, reconnecting all 3 pieces into its true form before striking the pirate upside the head right before he could light the fuse and knocking him out cold.
Everyone gasped as one, Luffy and the pirates in surprise, Buggy in anger, and Sabine in fear.
"Oh, now we're in for it," Sabine muttered.
Nami looked down at the fallen pirate, fear practically dripping out of her. What she done? She had basically just betrayed Buggy, right in front of him and his entire crew, with no plan. What the hell was she going to do now?
"My mistake, sorry," she tried.
But Buggy wasn't having it. "Nami!" he cried out angrily, fists clenched. "What's the meaning of this outrage?"
"I'm sorry," she said profusely, even bowing to him. She had no idea how she was going to talk her way out of this one.
"What's wrong? Just shoot him already!" Buggy bellowed. He was beginning to think that taking her on so quickly hadn't been a good idea.
"Huh," Luffy said curiously. "So, now you've decided to save me?"
"Don't be so stupid!" Nami said. "I'm not doing this for you., you idiot. I just don't want to lower myself to the level of these inhuman pirates."
"Ok, thanks anyway," Luffy told her. He truly had no idea what was going on, but so far he was still alive so that was a win.
"Pirates took the life of a person very dear to me, I'll never be one of them!" Nami cried out, the memory of one last smile and the gunshot flashing across her mind. She didn't know why she was telling him all this, why she felt the need to explain herself. There was just…something about him.
"Oh, I see," Luffy nodded in understanding.
"Oh Nami," Sabine muttered.
"AHHHHH!" Luffy suddenly cried out, seeing the fuse for the cannon was lit and seconds away from firing. "Nami! The fuse!"
Nami gasped, turning to see the problem. Things just kept getting worse it seemed.
"So you think pirates are just inhuman filth, is that right?" Buggy asked. "Get her men!"
At his command, his troops charged forward, weapons at the ready to slice Nami down. She readied her staff to hold them off but they hadn't made even a few paces before there was a loud gunshot and one of them collapsed, screaming at the bullet hole in his leg.
"Take one more step, and you're next," Sabine warned, pistols at the ready. "And just so you know, I'm a really good shot."
"So you're a traitor too huh? I should never have let you join!" Buggy seethed.
"Nami, take care of the fuse," Sabine called. "I'll deal with these guys."
"Oh will you now? Men, get them both!"
The pirates divided up, half coming for Sabine while the others all charged Nami. Sabine got off a few shots but it barely slowed them down. Taking a new approach, she grabbed several smoke bombs and hurled them into the crowd. Instantly, the Buggy Pirates were coughing up a storm, blinded by the multicolored smoke. Sabine dove right through, knocking aside as many as she could before making it out the other side to see Nami holding off four pirates at once with her staff. In the cage, Luffy's head was turning back and forth as he muttered 'water, water, water, water' over and over again.
And all the while, the fuse got shorter.
Sabine fired off two more rounds, taking out two more pirates and giving Nami enough relief to shove off the other two and start running. Before the pirates could give chase, Sabine leapt in front of them, blocking them.
"Go!" she ordered.
"I know, I know!" Nami replied.
"Not good," Luffy mumbled, staring right at the fuse and the cannon about to blow him away.
Nami reached the cannon and grabbed hold of the fuse with her bare hands. She screamed out from the pain, her hands burning, but she still held on. Luffy may have been a pirate, but he didn't deserve to die like this. So she held on.
Luffy stared at her in shock. "Whoa."
"Damn, Nami," Sabine muttered right before knocking another pirate out.
Nami gritted her teeth, doing her best to ignore the pain. The fuse was smoking in her hand but slowly that began to die out and she didn't feel the fire as much now, but it still hurt a lot.
Sabine grunted behind her, ducking from one sword. Another struck a glancing blow off her head but didn't leave a scratch. "Huh?" the pirate said in confusion right before Sabine walloped him with her pistol.
"Idiots! That's Mandalorian armor! You won't break through it with just a sword. Go for the neck!"
"This is getting tedious!" Sabine growled, shooting one pirate before knocking another aside. Two more swords came at her, one striking her in the shoulder which was deflected by her armor again. The other was going for her neck but she managed to dodge that one in time. If not for her armor, she'd be dead by now. She wasn't really a frontline fighter and she wasn't sure how much longer she could last.
"Now men! Get her!" Buggy cried and ten pirates all came charging at once. Sabine raised her guns but before she could fire, two figures leapt up beside her. One held five of the pirates at bay with two sheathed blades striking their faces while the other held the remaining five with Nami's fallen staff.
Zoro and Shang-Chi had arrived.
"Hey now," Zoro said. "It's not very nice of you guys to gang up on the poor girl."
"Though I'm sure Sabine had it handled," Shang-Chi added.
Sabine sighed in relief. "Thanks guys."
Luffy grinned from the cage. "Zoro! Shangy!"
With swift movements, the two dispatched the charging pirates with ease, sending them tumbling back. The remainder of the Buggy Pirates huddled up, most of them having finally recovered from Sabine's smoke attack.
"You hurt?" Zoro asked, glancing back at Nami.
"Eh…?" Nami mumbled, not sure what to say.
"I said, are you hurt?" he repeated.
"Uh no, I'm fine I think."
"Whew! What a relief," Luffy said, letting out some pent-up breath. That had been a close one. "I'm glad you guys found us. Now hurry up and come get me out of here."
"How did you get in there in the first place?" Shang-Chi asked curiously.
"Yeah. First a bird flies off with you and now we find you trapped in a cage," Zoro added.
"It's an interesting story actually."
"It's really not," Sabine said. "Don't worry Luffy, I'll have you out of there in a sec."
Meanwhile, the Buggy Pirates were staring at the newcomers in shock and fear, especially the swordsman. "That's…?" one asked.
"Yeah. That little brat just called him Zoro."
They all knew that name. The Pirate Hunter Zoro. A demon who hunted down pirate crews left and right, one of the most feared men in the entire East Blue. And he was standing right in front of them.
The Pirate Hunter Zoro is on his crew too, Nami thought in shock. When Luffy had talked earlier, part of her had thought that he and Sabine were it. But apparently there were two new members and one was Zoro himself. What's going on here?
"So you're Zoro?" Buggy checked while Sabine started walking to the cage. "If you're here for my head, you've got quite the struggle before you."
"No, not interested," Zoro replied. "I gave up pirate hunting. I'm here for my friend."
"But I'm interested though. Killing you would bolster my reputation."
Zoro gave him a hard look. "If you try, you'll die."
"Oh, is that so?" Buggy asked cheerfully, flipping his knives in his hands.
Shang-Chi eyed the pirate captain carefully. "Buggy the Clown. Worth 15 million Berries. Be careful Zoro. Those other pirates claimed he had a Devil Fruit and we don't know what it is. We should not underestimate him. Even if he does look like an idiot."
"What'd you say!" Buggy roared. "I'll kill you for that!"
The Buggy Pirates all formed up around them, cheering their captain on while the three of them squared off. Buggy looked like he was about to go for Shang-Chi, licking his blade in a creepy manner, but Zoro stepped in his way, placing his third sword in his mouth.
"Don't worry, I'll make this quick," Zoro promised while Buggy grinned.
The others all stared, distracted by the approaching fight. Shang-Chi took a few steps back to him his crewmate space.
Buggy suddenly launched himself forward, cackling manically, and Zoro raised his swords in defense. "Die flashily!" Buggy screeched, leaping at his enemy.
With one thrust, it was over as Zoro cut through his opponent, his blades slicing him into pieces. Nami grimaced and turned away from the sight. The Buggy Pirates all gaped for a second while Sabine just sighed and Shang-Chi stared.
Zoro sheathed his blades as Buggy's pieces fell back on the ground, staring back at his opponent with contempt. "That wasn't much of a fight, now was it?"
"Oh, wow," Luffy cheered. "He's weak. Way to go Zoro."
"After all that bragging, I was kind of expecting more," Sabine commented. "Guess he was just all brag."
"The higher bounty must have been from those Buggy balls of his," Shang-Chi said, looking back at the devastation one had caused. "Still, I wonder what his Devil Fruit was and why he didn't use it."
"No way," Nami muttered under her breath, staring in surprise at Buggy's fallen form. After all she'd heard about him, she expected him to be way stronger than that. But before she could think on it further, she started hearing some soft chuckling. The others did as well, seeing the sly grins on all the other pirates' faces as they began to laugh harder.
"Hey, why are they laughing?" Luffy asked curiously.
"Their captain is lying dead on the ground and yet they're still laughing?" Nami wondered. "What's going on?"
Shang-Chi felt a churning in his gut. This wasn't good. There was something else going on here that they weren't seeing. Buggy had a Devil Fruit, so…
"Fellas, what do you find so damn funny?" Zoro demanded just as Shang-Chi turned back.
"Zoro look out!" he cried, seeing Buggy's fallen form rise back up again, but it was too late as Zoro suddenly gasped and his body went rigid, a blade through his side.
"AHHHH!" Zoro bellowed, blood seeping across his clothes.
"Zoro!" Shang-Chi moved to help when a flash of movement caught his eye. He brought his fist up to block it and yelped in pain, another blade impaling his hand. And holding it, was a dismembered hand.
"Zoro! Shangy!" Luffy cried, struggling against his restraints.
Nami gasped at the sight, seeing Buggy standing up as well as the two floating hands holding the blades. "Buggy's still alive!"
"Damn it!" Sabine growled, readying her pistols. They had made a huge mistake underestimating their opponent and now their two fighters were down.
"What the hell?" Zoro mumbled, pain coursing through his body. He looked back as the blade was suddenly yanked away, now floating in the air. The one that struck Shang-Chi pulled back as well, joining its twin. Then the two glided right back down to Buggy, who was missing both arms.
"The Chop-Chop Fruit," Buggy said, glaring at them all as his body floating around in different pieces. "That's the name of the Devil Fruit that's given me my powers." Within seconds, his body reattached itself and he was whole once more. "I'm a Chop-Chop person and now I can never be defeated by the sword!"
"His limbs…reattached," Nami said, trying to process it while Buggy laughed at them. "And I always thought that Devil Fruits were just a story that pirates told."
"So that's his power. Damn, that's not good," Shang-Chi muttered, tearing off part of his shirt to wrap around his injury. He'd made a clumsy mistake, assuming the fight was over just like that, and cursed himself.
"So he's a chop-chop man?" Luffy asked. "That's pretty freaky."
"Aren't you a rubber person?" Sabine asked him.
"What does that have to do with anything?"
"Oh, never mind."
"I didn't hit any vital organs, but that's a serious wound you have there so I'm guessing that I am the winner!" Buggy cheered while the rest of his crew chanted his name with excitement.
Oh crap, the tables have turned, Nami thought. If we don't do something quick, they're going to kill all of us.
"I let my guard down. A stupid mistake," Zoro grumbled to himself, shaking.
"You can never be defeated by the sword, huh?" Shang-Chi asked, stepping forward and raising his hands. "Well how about the fist?"
Buggy just laughed at him. "Why don't you give it your best shot?"
"With pleasure." Shang-Chi leapt forward, fist raised to strike. But before he could hit, Buggy's body separated again and Shang-Chi's flew right between the chest and legs. He rolled on the ground, ready to leap again when his eyes widened at the flying blade coming for him. He instinctively dodged, grimaced from the painful throbs of his other hand.
The blade kept coming for him so he ducked his head to the side and brought his palm up, striking the flat of the blade and shoving it off to the side. He then moved forward, attacking Buggy again, this time with a kick. But, like last time, his kick just went right through the pirate, missing him. He tried again, striking for the other arm, but it dissected and floated away. Meanwhile, Buggy continued to laugh at Shang-Chi's attempts, grating on his nerves.
No matter what he tried, he couldn't get a hit in. All his moves were made ineffectual by Buggy's powers. Even with his father's extensive training, it seemed he was no match for someone like this. And that really pissed him off.
He also had those flying blades to hold off. He could only use one hand right now and it was difficult to hit the flat of the blade each time and even harder to go for the hand holding them.
Some warrior I am, he thought.
"You got this Shangy!" Luffy cheered him on.
"That's still not my name!" he shouted back. Damn, how do I beat this clown? he privately thought. No matter what move he tried, Buggy saw it coming and dodged it. If he could move faster that might help or else maybe…
He smiled inwardly, an idea hitting him. He would have to act fast but it might just work. He raced forward again, throwing a kick right for Buggy's midsection which, predictably, he dodged by separating himself and having his upper half float up.
"Nice try, but you won-"
Buggy was interrupted when Shang-Chi's shoe struck his face, right in his big red nose.
"You were so focused on my kick that you didn't see me throw that, did you?" Shang-Chi told him as he nursed his nose. "Now I know your movements. You are quick, but predictable. This fight is mine now."
"You bastard. You hit me there on purpose!" Buggy cried out.
Shang-Chi blinked in confusion. "Of course I did. Why would I not?"
"How dare you strike my nose like that!"
Shang-Chi frowned. His nose?
"For that you will pay!" Buggy screeched and attacked with four knives around his hand. Shang-Chi dodged easily, kicking the arm aside. When he attacked himself, again Buggy had his arm soar out of reach but this time Shang-Chi was ready for it, suddenly shifting his body's position to launch his leg forward faster than Buggy could react, striking him in the abdomen.
"Ow! Damn you are pretty fast," Buggy acknowledged, wincing.
"Yes! Go Shangy!"
"You got this!"
"Just hold him there til I can stick my swords in him."
"Too bad you're not that smart on the uptake," Buggy grinned.
Shang-Chi frowned. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"You mean you never noticed?" Buggy asked, wiggling his fingers.
On one hand.
Shang-Chi's eyes widened as he realized and instantly whirled around, ready for the attack. But none came. On him at least.
"Ahhh!"
"Sabine!" he cried, turning back to see her fall, Buggy's missing hand having stabbed her in her hip, right in an open slot of her armor.
She clutched at the injury, pain enveloping that area. She'd been so focused on the fight that she hadn't seen it coming. But of course a pirate like him would do something as low as that. She should have shot him when she had the chance. Well, she had it now so raised her pistols. But before she could do anything, the blade came at her again and she was forced to duck.
"Stabbing her in the back was a cowardly move, you big nose!" Luffy screamed.
Dead silence reigned as the Buggy Pirates all stopped their cheering, instead now looking on the scene in fear. Buggy himself began shaking with rage while Shang-Chi winced, already guessing where this was going based on the pirate's previous comment.
You idiot! Nami thought, glaring at Luffy. Don't call him that. What are you doing?
"What's that…you…said?" Buggy seethed, glaring over at the boy, fury filling him up. If there was one thing he hated most in the world, it was when people insulted his nose. "Who's got a big nose?"
As he said that, he whirled around and threw his arm forward, sending it and the knife in his grasp right for Luffy. The others all saw it but reacted too slow, the blade striking their captain in the face.
"Luffy!" Zoro gasped.
"Damn it!" Shang-Chi growled.
"Luffy, no," Sabine muttered.
"Buggy!"
The cry from the cage took them all aback as they got a better look inside, gasping as they saw the blade trapped between Luffy's teeth. "I'm going to kick your ass as soon as I get out of this cage," he promised around the knife right before snapping it apart with his teeth. He had seen how Buggy had fought, striking Luffy's friends when they weren't expecting it like a coward. It made him furious.
"Damn, that was badass," Sabine said, getting back to her feet.
Buggy just laughed in response. "You kick my ass? You've got a lot of nerve kid. No, I'm afraid all five of you are going to die here today. By my own hand. So if you're going to do any ass-kicking, you better do it soon. HAHAHAHAHAHAHA."
Zoro growled, trying to get back on his feet. He couldn't let his crew down like this.
"We're done for, it's all over," Nami bemoaned.
"We're not finished yet," Shang-Chi told her, stepping forward.
As if in response, Luffy suddenly burst out laughing. "HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! I refuse to die!" he cried out, taking everyone by surprise. "Zoro! Sabine! Get up!"
"What?" Zoro muttered, staring.
"Huh?" Sabine asked.
"You better have a really good plan or else we're all dead," Nami warned him. "So what are you guys going to do?"
"You're the one that got us into this mess, why don't you do something!" Sabine yelled at her.
Luffy just grinned right at them all. Zoro and Shang-Chi stared back at him for a second before smiling.
"I gotcha," Zoro said.
"Understood captain," Shang-Chi said.
Nothing makes sense anymore. This is why I hate pirates, Nami thought, feeling like she would fall over at any second.
"Impudent fool!" Buggy cried out, attacking. Shang-Chi moved to intercept but Zoro got there first, his swords clashing against Buggy's to hold the pirate captain back. "Time to die!"
Zoro started to smile, feeling his strength return from the adrenaline of combat. While he wasn't able to attack just yet, he could defend and he kept his swords in constant motion to do just that, his and Buggy's blades striking each other in a constant dance of metal.
Then, Buggy's eyes widened as Zoro moved, his sword bisecting him across the middle. His upper half instantly rose up and Zoro dove forwards through the gap. A second later, Buggy drifted back down to reconnect.
"Your three-sword style has no effect on me, I already told you. I ne-" He suddenly stopped as he realized Zoro was now behind him, running back to his crew. "Hey, listen when I'm talking to you!"
Zoro ignored him, reaching the cannon where Shang-Chi was already pushing up on the barrel. Without saying a word, he grabbed one end and helped him out, pushing it with all his strength.
Together, it took them only a couple seconds to send the cannon's barrel toppling back so that it was now facing direcly towards the Buggy Pirates, still loaded with the Buggy ball. Zoro practically collapsed from the effort while Shang-Chi huffed, holding his injured hand gingerly.
"WAHHH! Crap, the cannon's pointed at us!" Buggy screamed while his men all wailed in terror. "No!"
"Hurry," Zoro said. "Light it."
"Huh?" Nami asked, confused by everything.
"Do it now!" Zoro glared.
"Already done."
They all turned to see Sabine standing at the fuse, match in hand.
"WAIT! JUST WAIT!" Buggy screamed at them. "The cannon's still loaded with a special Buggy ball. I don't want to go out like this! Done in by my own balls!"
"Oh that's just nasty," Sabine grumbled, a disturbing image entering her mind as she lit the fuse. "You deserve this."
"HAHAHAHA!" Luffy cheered from inside the cage, glad his crewmates had understood what he wanted. The rest of them got down and covered their ears.
"I can't believe you just did that, you ungrateful little girl! Wait! N-N-No! Stop! Stop it now!"
The fuse reached the end and the barrel lit up. An instant later, the Buggy ball shot out, striking the pirate encampment and sending it and everything else in its path up in a flashy explosion, the Buggy Pirate flag going up in smoke. The explosion lasted a few more seconds, the sky lighting up from it as a second wave of destruction was unleashed on the town.
But Luffy and his crew weren't there to see it. As soon as the cannon had gone off, they had taken off, Shang-Chi pulling on Luffy's cage while Sabine and Nami helped Zoro.
"You ok Zoro? How bad are you injured?" Luffy asked from within the cage.
"Don't worry about me, let's just concentrate on getting out of this. Here, let me help," he said, moving to aid Shang-Chi who was carefully maneuvering the cage down the roof.
"No way," Sabine stopped him. "You'll make that injury of yours much worse. Shang-Chi's not doing his hand any favors right now but at least he wasn't stabbed in the side."
"Well what about you?" Zoro complained, pointing at Sabine's injury.
"Exactly why I'm not helping him."
"It's fine, I've got it," Shang-Chi grunted, struggling just a little under the cage's weight. "But let's hurry it up, ok."
Nami just stared at him as he maneuvered the cage, mostly with a single hand. "Who is…this guy?" she wondered aloud.
"Oh yeah, that reminds me, who is this?" Zoro asked, gesturing to Nami.
"Oh right, she's our new navigator," Luffy told them.
"She is?" Shang-Chi asked, turning in surprise. "Oh, good."
"Um, I'm not so sure about that. Who are you guys anyway?"
"I thought you would have realized by now. We're pirates of course. Now would you mind moving, you're kind of in the way," Shang-Chi informed her, pulling the cage her way. Then, as she watched in amazement, he lifted it up with one hand and took a shaky step forward.
"Whoa," Sabine muttered. "Shang-Chi, are you-"
"No distractions!" he growled, taking another step. "I need to concentrate here."
"I should-" Zoro started but Sabine held him back.
"Stop," she told him firmly. "You're going to make that injury worse. And we don't know if we took out all the pirates with that blast. We might need you in fighting shape later. Here," she pulled out some bandages from her belt and began wrapping them around his chest. "Will hold for now but we need to get that treated soon."
Nami just watched them in astonishment, her opinion of pirates changing right before her eyes. One of them, despite his injury, doing everything he could to help his friend, while another held her friend back from hurting himself and insisted on treating his injury. They were nothing like the pirates she'd encountered.
"I guess even lowly pirates can still rescue their friends," she muttered, before turning and walking away.
Those five think they can mock me? Buggy thought furiously to himself. He had just barely managed to avoid the Buggy ball and now that he was safe again, he was looking for some payback. Screw that! I consider this act of aggression a declaration of war.
There was a tremor as a large paw came down on the pavement and a beastly form emerged from the smoke, growling loudly.
"There you are Mohji."
"I hope you wouldn't mind if I took the Pirate Hunter's head," the man riding atop the beast said.
"Heheheh. Be my guest. But just hold on one second. All of them at once may be a little too much for you. So let's ensure success. Pulver!"
Another figure with an armored getup and a dome-shaped helmet emerged from the mist as well. "Yeah boss?"
"Wait on the sidelines when Mohji attacks before taking any real threats out. Got that?"
The figure grinned fiercely. "Understood boss. They won't know what hit them."
Well I hope you all liked that cause it was really fun to write. As you can see, some small changes to canon but the big ones will be coming up soon, one of the biggest next time. Speaking of which, if anyone can guess who Pulver is and who the second new Buggy addition is (and if you guess Pulver, you should be able to make a guess on this one as well) I'll tell you who the next three members of Luffy's crew will be. New ones, I mean.
Until next time, thanks for reading and please leave a review if you can.