Welcome back, everyone! It's been a while since the last chapter, but now we're all ready for Luffy to hand out an eviction notice!
Chapter 8: Chase Out the Clowns! Luffy's New Crew vs. The Buggy Pirates!
Once the pair of dinghies had left Shells Town behind, Luffy was appreciating the fine weather while Zoro polished his swords and Nami dug through her loot. As she counted another stack of beris, a blissful smile was on her face. Luffy couldn't help but find it adorable.
"850,000… 860,000… 870,000…" she counted off.
"So, does this make me your best friend?" he joked.
"Hmmmm… We'll see about that later. For now, let's take a look at this!" She reached in and pulled out the aged parchment she grabbed. She was expecting a treasure map or a sea chart only to gasp.
"Damn it!"
"What?" Luffy looked at the parchment and was greeted by the image of a jolly roger, one with a bulbous red nose on the skull. Written beneath it was "This map of the Grand Line is now flashily mine! – Buggy the Clown."
"Hey, Zoro, who's Buggy the Clown?" Luffy asked.
"Pretty big deal, wanted for 15 million beris, heard he's got some kind of special cannonballs that are way more powerful than normal ones," the bounty hunter replied, "Why? You wanna go after him next?"
"Are you crazy?!" Nami yelled, "Buggy the Clown isn't some joke like Alvida! He's got a bounty that high for a reason!"
Luffy just scratched his chin. He knew that the East Blue average was 3 million beris, so five times that was a big deal. But by Grand Line standards, Buggy would be chewed up and spat out if that was his bounty.
"Nami, do you want that chart of the Grand Line?"
"W-Well… Yeah, it would sell for a ton of money… But it's not worth-!"
"If you believe in something, you should go after it. If you don't, then you'll never forgive yourself once you miss out."
Her mood seemed to plummet, curling up on herself. "We're not all superhuman like you, Luffy. Some of us are just normal people trying to get by…"
Seeing her so demoralized made Luffy scowl. Something was clearly eating her up inside, but prodding her at this point could make it worse. Instead, he decided it was time to let her in on a vital skill.
"How about I teach you something I learned from my granddad?"
Luffy crossed his legs and covered his eyes with a hat. "Try to hit me."
"Huh?!"
"Come on. Trust me."
Figuring she had nothing to lose, she assembled her bo staff and swung at his head only for Luffy to duck just out of the way. She tried again and again, going for quick jabs and wide swings, but Luffy would always either dodge or block with just a single hand. Once the girl was winded, he raised his hat to reveal his eyes were shut the whole time.
"Okay… That… Doesn't make sense…" she huffed, "What kind of… Devil Fruit…?"
"It has nothing to do with my Devil Fruit. It's called Observation Haki, and it's really common with pirates and Marines on the Grand Line. Zoro, you want to learn it?"
"Sure, why not?" He paid attention as Luffy explained that Haki was the manifestation of one's will, drawing from your inner resolve to grant power. Observation Haki was the most common form, allowing the user to gain extra-keen senses. The most proficient users could even see attacks before they happened, a brief combat predication that made them extremely adaptable in battle.
Nami and Zoro both crossed their legs and began to meditate, channeling all of their concentration. They had to block everything except their deepest desires, their dreams.
"I will become the World's Greatest Swordsman. Kuina… I cannot let her dream die with her."
"I will free my village. Arlong, it won't be long now. I can't wait to kiss your ass goodbye."
Minutes passed, their boats drifting along the waves until Luffy poked Nami in the forehead. She snapped her eyes open. "I… could feel something?"
"We'll work on it more later. For the other thing you can learn… Zoro, swing your sword at me."
The man just raised an eyebrow before unsheathing one of his nameless katanas. Luffy hopped into the other dinghy and held up his left arm.
"Are you sure about this?"
"Trust me! You're both going to want this!"
Figuring this was what Luffy asked for, Zoro swung down only for his sword to clank against the outstretched limb and refuse to budge.
"WHAAAAT?!"
"Cool, right? This is Armament Haki! You can't see it, but I coated my arm with it before he attacked."
Despite being so different from the first form of Haki, Luffy explained that all that needed changing was the application of the user's will. If Observation was focusing it through the mind, then Armament was channeling it through the body. Nami and Zoro once again focused, trying to take those same feelings and direct it into their bodies. This time, Luffy tried gripping Zoro's arm and told him to try and shield from his grip. The swordsman squinted and Luffy could feel the barest resistance from his still limb.
"Okay, good progress so far. Once we get a bigger ship, we'll go over the other things I know. But if you regularly practice Haki, you'll get it down before long. Now then, what do we do about this Buggy?"
"Last I heard, he set up shop in Orange Town," Zoro told him, "Small trading port, nothing much of note. My guess is he's just there partying it up."
"So, what do you say Nami? If you need money, then that's a big chunk of change for you!"
The girl looked down, still reeling from the knowledge that Luffy had just shared. To think that she could do such things, and that he would freely hand it to her after only knowing each other for a few days. For years now she had been running, never being strong enough to face her problems directly. But if Luffy kept teaching her things like this? Then she could finally put on a brave face and fight him.
"Alright. Let's go after this clown!"
Zoro nodded in satisfaction while Luffy grinned. Soon their course was set for Orange Town, about a day away thanks to Luffy subtly manipulating the currents to keep their speed up. In the meantime, the young revolutionary continued coaching his new friends on Haki. Once they had a proper ship to practice with, he would really begin training them into something great.
By the time they arrived at their destination, both had found a clear preference in Haki. Nami was better at Observation, able to detect anything or anyone in a five-foot radius as long as she kept focused. Zoro had gained Armament strong enough to imbue his swords, if only for a few decisive seconds before an attack landed.
As soon as they stepped off their little boats, they noticed how abandoned the town was. According to Nami, this was supposed to be a quaint hub for traders who brought their best wares home. Now it was lines of empty houses on deserted brick roads with a palpable silence, with the answer sitting right in the harbor. A huge, multicolored galleon with a circus tent on deck was proudly docked in front of town.
"What's even the point of occupying this place?" Zoro asked as they wandered around, "There's money here, but not a ton."
"It's an easy victory," Luffy told him, "The nearest Marine base is Shells Town, so they'd never get here in time to answer an SOS."
"Not like it'd do them any good if Morgan was there only hope…" Nami grumbled, the very sight of the empty town boiling her blood. The only sounds were the shutters flapping in the breeze and the faintest sounds of music and reveling. Looks like Luffy was right that the pirates were here just to party.
Before they could go any further, a rhythmic thumping catches their attention. Soon the three feel the ground begin to shake and a low, menacing growl fills the air. The crew turned to see a massive lion was stomping their way, with a strange rider on its back. Dressed in blue pants and what appeared to be a white fur sweater to match the hair that framed his face and topped his head with round ears like a bear, Zoro sneered.
"Well, looks like we found one. Mohji the Beast Tamer."
"Ah, and with those swords on your belt, you must be the Pirate Hunter!" Mohji proclaimed, "I'm afraid this is as far as you go. Ritchie here was just getting hungry!"
"Oh yeah? You think you're a big deal just because you terrorize innocent people?" Nami snarked, only the faintest quiver in her voice.
"You better watch your mouth, little girl! Pirates like us don't take kindly to being insulted."
"And you better step aside, or else we'll turn your pet here into rations for when we capture the clown's head," Zoro warned, katana already in hand.
"Fine! Enjoy being Ritchie's lunch! GET THEM!" The lion bellowed out loud enough to rattle the windows and charged ahead. Luffy just smirked as Zoro was already leaping aside, his blade gleaming as he reaided it overhead.
"One-Sword Style: Flying Cut!"
With the proper angling of his sword and how to incorporate one of the Six Powers, Zoro grinned as his sword swung right and a blade of air ripped ahead. Mohji could only scream in shock as the attack slammed into the lion, stopped so suddenly that he was sent flying off his mount. When he got up, Ritchie was howling in pain and covering up his muzzle as blood leaked out between his paws.
"RITCHIE, NOOOOOO!"
"So, had enough yet?" Luffy asked.
"THAT'S IT, I'LL MAKE YOU ALL SUFFER!" The beast tamer ran ahead, fists at the ready. Luffy just leapt aside of a sloppy right hook so he instead swung at Nami, her eyes closed in concentration.
The Buggy Pirate smirked as he went for a kick only for her to jump out of reach. He ran in again this time with a haymaker, but she ducked and slammed the end of her staff into his knee. Thanks to Observation Haki, Nami was anticipating Mohji's move and using the holes in his defense to whittle him down. It helped that the fuzzy-haired pirate was average at beast at CQC, clearly used to letting his steed do the heavy lifting.
After giving Mohji a few bruises and riling him to a froth-mouthed frenzy, Nami's eyes snapped open before blocking his fist with her staff. As he flinched from damaging his knuckles, the redhead gave a final swing right between the eyes that left the other pirate on the ground unconscious.
"Holy… I… I did it!"
"Heck yeah you did!" Luffy cheered, "I told you, you're a natural with Observation Haki! Keep up your meditation and training and soon you can read even Arlong like a book."
The girl then turned to see that Luffy had dealt with Ritchie in the meantime, a hole directly in the lion's head from one of Luffy's arrows. Nami gulped before checking Mohji to see if he had anything valuable on him. With nothing of note, Zoro slung the beast tamer over his shoulder as they followed the music to the center of Orange Town.
Once they found the large tavern, along with several rows of demolished houses, they noticed the large circus tent pitched on top of the bar. They could now clearly make out jaunty piano music and rollicking laughter as the Buggy Pirates celebrated their "hard-earned" victory over this town.
"HEY!" Luffy shouted, "Where's Buggy the Clown? I'm here for his bounty!"
"Eh?! What flashy fools dare interrupt my party?!"
The trio soon met the clown of the hour. Dressed in a striped shirt, a flaring orange captain's coat, and his bright blue hair tied in two braids underneath a pirate hat. And true to the clown moniker, his nose was a bright red sphere.
"You get one chance to stand down and leave before we take you down!" Luffy warned, only to be met with a wave of laughter from the Buggy Pirates. Zoro simply threw the unconscious Mohji in front of them, silencing them.
"C-Captain Buggy…" the beast tamer croaked, "Th-This bastard… Killed Ritchie…"
"WHAT?! How dare you assault one of my crew AND kill another?! I'll flashily bury all of you!"
Rather than jump down to face them or sick his crew on them, Buggy ordered a cannon be rolled to the edge of the roof and aimed down at them. They watched as one of the pirates loaded a bright red cannonball emblazoned with the clown's jolly roger into the barrel.
"Uh-oh…" Nami gulped, "Pretty sure that's the special cannonball."
"Right you are, girlie! This is my signature Buggy Ball, the weapon that'll blow away all of my competition to the One Piece! Prepare to meet your flashy demise!"
Luffy raised his hand, as if he was going to catch the explosive shot much to Zoro's surprise and Nami's horror. As the Buggy Pirates all laughed as the fuse was lit and burned away, the straw-hatted kid was still as a statue.
With a little help thanks to Observation Haki, Luffy timed the exact second the cannonball would reach his hand. The moment he made contact, he thrust his hand upwards was hard as possible, sending the Buggy Ball thousands of feet above Orange Town where it exploded with enough force to break up nearby clouds.
"WHAAAAAAAAT?!" Buggy and his men cried. Luffy's own crewmates weren't much better, staring at him in shock.
"Holy shit…"
"What are you?!"
"No time for that now. Zoro, you're with me on point. Nami, stay behind us and lock the doors to the tavern. We're taking these bastards down!"
The trio then ran into the tavern's front doors, making it so the Buggy Pirates couldn't try another cannonball without blowing themselves up. The clown screamed for his men to run down and kill them all while he checked on Mohji.
By the time Nami ran in and closed the doors, barricading them shut with some spare chairs for safety, the main floor of the bar was becoming a warzone. Luffy and Zoro were tearing their way up to the stairs, met by over a dozen pirates in flashy colors and war paint on their faces wielding swords and pistols.
Luffy was practically a phantom, moving so fast his limbs were blurs as foe after foe to his attacks. Zoro's swords were holding back five or six pirates at once before he swung with all his strength to send them flying. Seeing an opportunity, Nami pulled out the burlap sack she kept bunched up under her shirt and started looting every fallen member of Buggy's crew.
The second floor was trickier since Buggy's crew had actually formed a firing line. As soon as Luffy entered the room, they let loose a hail of bullets.
"Zoro, stay behind me! Iron Body!"
The swordsman watched in shock as the rounds plinked off his body as he stood perfectly still, the Buggy Pirates all scrambling to reload and wondering what kind of devil they were dealing with. That gave Zoro all the time he needed to run in and cut down the human barricade.
"Nicely done!"
"Thanks, Captain!"
"You're telling me!" Nami said, somehow already done picking the fresh batch of pirates clean. Luffy blinked in surprise. Even he hadn't noticed her come up behind them.
By the time they reached the roof, Buggy was left waiting with only a few members of his crew remaining. Among them was a man with a large scarf with checkered blue and white, half his dark green hair shaved down, and baggy white pants with swords gleaming on his side.
"To think I'd see the infamous Pirate Hunter in the flesh, and with help for a change," the other swordsman grinned, "I've always wanted to cross blades with you…"
"Tch, don't get your hopes up," Zoro scoffed, "I'm here for the clown's head, not a playdate."
"Cocky little bastards! You think you can just interrupt my party, attack my crew and insult me to my face?!" Buggy snarled, "I'll pay you back tenfold for all this indignity!"
"Oh yeah? You might want to tell that to the townspeople you chased out of here," Nami taunted, "Tell me, how impressive is it to take over a town with no Marines around or defenses whatsoever?"
As the red-nosed captain growled at her, Luffy noticed that someone had tried to sneak up from the lower floor. Before he could step in, Nami turned and smacked the goon over the head with her staff before grabbing his gun and firing at Buggy. The clown, however, just split his head and arms away from his body before seamlessly reconnecting them.
"What the?! A Devil Fruit?!"
"Right you are, you trickly little brat! This is the power of the Chop-Chop Fruit! I can split myself into pieces and put myself back together right as rain! So you can also forget your swords, Pirate Hunter, because no weapon can touch me!"
"Oh yeah?" Luffy cracked his knuckles before summoning his trishula, spinning it in his hands before aiming the middle point square between Buggy's eyes, "Let's test that."
As two hands clasping four knives each flew at Luffy with intent to kill, the last few Buggy pirates charged ahead only for Zoro to stop them all with his blades.
"Take one more step, and you're dead," he warned through the Wado Ichimonji clenched through his teeth. With one grand sweep, he pushed the crowd back and began to cut them down. This left Nami to deal with two stragglers who managed to get past the swordsman.
"You're gonna pay for shooting at Buggy, bitch!"
"Yeah! Just wait until we're done with you!"
Nami gulped down her last bit of fear before readying her staff. Before, the thought of facing two armed pirates on her own would have made her turn tail and run for cover. But with her new crew by her side? Now she had nothing to fear.
With her eyes closed, she focused her Haki and her staff blocked both their sword strikes. She pushed them both back before rushing in, jabbing one in the throat and then reaching for the other's pistol hastily shoved in his pocket. Though managed to back away, Nami swept her leg under his before spiking his face down into the roof.
She then looked up to see that only two combatants on Buggy's side was left. One was the clown himself growling at Luffy as he kept trying to shank the younger pirate with his detachable hands to no avail. The other was Zoro facing off against the same swordsman from before… On a unicycle.
"You've got to be kidding me…" Zoro sighed, "What are you, a swordsman or a sideshow?"
"I am Cabaji the Acrobat, Chief of Staff of the Buggy Pirates! Now prepare yourself for my high-flying swordsmanship!"
The enemy pirate pedaled ahead, showing some impressive balance as he carried a pair of cutlasses. Zoro easily blocked the charge, his teeth gritting before pushing Cabaji back. Before he could charge in, the acrobat began rapidly spinning around.
"Acrobat Technique: Murder in the Steam Bath!"
"Really? A smokescreen?" Zoro sighed. He should have figured someone on this crew wouldn't give him a straightforward fight but he was already getting tired of this.
"Zoro! Ten o'clock!" Nami shouted.
On instinct, the swordsman swung where he was told and a bloodcurdling scream rang out through the town. He looked down to se Cabaji off his unicycle and cradling his left leg which was now missing from the knee down.
"MY LEG! YOU FUCKING BASTARD, YOU CUT OFF MY LEG!"
"What kind of moron tries throwing a kick in a swordfight?!" Zoro bit back, "That's what you get for pulling cheap tricks!"
"CABAJI!" Buggy roared, "You bastards, now you've crippled my right-hand man! I'll make you regret the day you were born!"
"Lay one hand on him, and that'll be you," Luffy said with a glare so severe it made Buggy flinch. The Shiva-man ran ahead, batting Buggy's knife-laden hands aside before readying a punch. If Buggy were paying attention, he would have noticed the water gathering around Luffy's arm.
With the power of Fishman Karate, his fist landed with the power of one of Buggy's infamous Buggy Balls. The clown felt his ribs crack before he split off into dozens of pieces, like saucers of flesh flying around Luffy trying to disorient him.
"GWAHAHAHAHA! Your fists may be powerful but they're meaningless when you-AAAAH!" He was cut off by Luffy snatching a random part out of the air, what looked like a piece of Buggy's leg, and crushed it in his grip.
"And your Devil Fruit has a serious weakness, and you don't even try to fix it. Quit talking trash and start fighting already."
Gnashing his teeth at the threat, Buggy became a cyclone of parts spiraling around Luffy. He had to admit this was a little more impressive, a decent show of intimidation that showed off how surreal his Chop-Chop Fruit could be. Alas, with Luffy's Haki he could easily track where Buggy's hands were. All it took was Luffy waiting for the right time to grab them both out of the air and then squeezing until Buggy's parts dropped to the ground in shock.
With Buggy distracted, Luffy grabbed Buggy's disembodied head and ripped open a barrel of water. "Alright, you've got two options. One is I shove your head in this barrel and keep you there until we get to the nearest bounty office. The other is the two of us have a talk, but you have to leave town first. Meet me about fifty miles offshore after midnight."
"Fine, fine! Men, retreat to the Big Top at once! And somebody help Cabaji get to the ship!"
And with that, the buccaneer-themed pirates ran for the docks with only whatever was left in their pockets. Zoro and Nami watched in confusion as their supposed quarry left although the latter was still lugging a huge sack of loot.
Once they left the tavern, they were met with a huge crowd of people all wielding makeshift weapons all looking very confused. In the lead was an older gentleman in rusted plate armor and a crude spear behind his back.
"I'm the mayor of this town! We noticed the huge explosion in the air and decided to run those pirates out of town!"
"Oh, you don't have to worry about that anymore!" Nami assured them, "These two chased Buggy and his pirates out! Just look at the dock!"
The people of Orange Town all turned and saw the Big Top sailing away at top speed, proving once and for all that the clown was gone and their beloved home was safe. A wave of cheers rang out for Luffy and Zoro with the mayor assuring Nami that she could keep the stolen treasure since the collateral damage was kept to a minimum.
That evening was a merry celebration for the crew, heralded as the heroes of the hour. At their private table, Nami raised a glass to her new partners-in-crime.
"But there is one thing bothering me…"
"Why'd I let him go?" Luffy answered, "I'll explain tonight. I figure it'll be best to say this all out on the open sea."
The next several hours passed quickly, filled with the three being thanked countless times for their noble deeds. Zoro's frustration about a lackluster swordfight was fixed by the many people excited to meet the famous Pirate Hunter. Even if he was blushing mad half the time and insisted he was only doing it so they would leave him alone, Zoro demonstrated many of his three-sword style techniques to the crowd. Nami was also approached by many a townswoman, amazed to see someone seemingly like them stand up to the big, bad pirates.
They were, of course, offered the chance to stay in the nicest suite the local inn could provide free of charge which Luffy humbly accepted. But once a quick check of Observation made sure most of the town was asleep, Luffy woke his new crewmates up and sped one of their dinghies away from the town and off towards their rendezvous.
"So, um…" Nami asked, hands fiddling with her staff, "…Is this some sort of bounty hunting trick?"
"What, you mean letting them sweat to capture them later? Not unless you're an idiot," Zoro shrugged, "Whatever it is, I'm not sweating it. Either we get a payday, or Luffy has something else in mind."
The minute their little rowboat pulled alongside the infamous galleon, a rope ladder dropped down and Luffy let himself on board. Zoro followed soon after with Nami needing to steel herself for a few seconds before joining. She noticed all of the Buggy Pirates now glanced at them in fear, clearly expecting another beating.
Luffy and company were led below deck to a massive dining hall, one clearly meant for the kind of raucous parties Buggy liked to engage in. Dozens of seats alongside a single, massive table with the clown himself sitting at the head.
"Well? Don't just stand there, sit down and let's get this over with," Buggy ground. To his left was Cabaji, clearly glaring at Zoro for the loss of his foot. On his right was Mohji, eyes red from the loss of Ritchie. Luffy ignored them both and sat a few chairs away from Buggy's left with Zoro and Nami next to him.
"Thanks for agreeing to this," Luffy started off.
"If you're trying to butter me up, brat, it's a little late for that. State your demands and then off my ship."
"Demands? I'm not here for your money, Buggy." He sent a quick side-eye to Nami, making the redhead pout. There went her idea for this little excursion.
"Oh? Then you just want to revel in my humiliation? Spit it out! What do you want?!"
"Just some answers, nothing else. Tell me, does the name Shanks mean anything to you?"
Buggy's eye twitched as his lips sneered on instinct. "Unfortunately, yes. You can barely open a paper without some mention of that upstart."
"I don't mean in the general sense. I mean personally to you."
"And what business is that of yours?"
"Because I happen to know Shanks. He was a good friend of mine, and my inspiration to set out to sea. And he would tell all kinds of stories of his voyages, but occasionally he'd mention how he was a cabin boy on a boat."
Buggy's eyes started to widen as Luffy went on. "And how under his old captain, he was one of two deck swabbers. The other? Blue hair, crossbones painted onto his face, and a big, bulbous red nose. Sound familiar?"
"Captain… Is that true?" Cabaji asked, "You served on the same ship as Red-Hair…!"
"Finish that sentence, and you won't like what happens next…"
The acrobat wisely shut his trap before Luffy chuckled. "Yeah, that part is pretty neat but that's not what gets me. He also told me the name of the ship you two were on… The Oro Jackson."
Zoro, Nami, Mohji and Cabaji all gasped in shock. Of course, they knew that name. It was only the most infamous ship to ever sail the seas. The only vessel to ever reach the end of the Grand Line and back again…
By now, Buggy was wishing his Devil Fruit would let him kill with his eyes. Luffy, still, looks more amused than anything. "So, tell me, Buggy. What's a former crewmate of Gold Roger, King of the Pirates, doing attacking some no-name towns in the East Blue?"
"Because, brat, you should know what happened to everybody else on that crew. They have to sleep with one eye open, terrified of meeting the same fate as Roger. Because I have firsthand experience at what a madhouse the Grand Line is, and that was more than enough for a lifetime!"
Luffy nodded along before standing up. "Okay, so you want to avoid the Navy, yeah? And you clearly have an eye for money so here's an opportunity. To be something more than some small-timer slumming it in the weakest sea."
Buggy raised an eyebrow. "Go on…"
"You can keep this up, attacking little towns until someone like me comes along and stomps you into the ground. It could be a Marine captain, a bounty hunter, or even just some do-gooder. And they won't give you an option to walk away like I did."
"Or… You can put your skills to an actual cause that can pay you well, and keep you hidden from anyone who disagrees with your 'work history.'"
"Feh, if this is a pitch for some black market scheme then count me out."
"I want you all to join up with the Revolutionary Army."
The whole room froze at that, including the clattering that signaled several of Buggy's men were listening behind the door. The captain himself was just as shocked, scanning Luffy for any tell that he was lying. After minutes of looking, the man gulped.
"You're… You're entirely serious."
"Yep. You've got some skills, Buggy, but you're wasting them here like this. Do you really want to just scrape the bottom of the barrel and spend your life on the run, or do you want to take control and fight back?"
"And what's in it for me and my crew?"
"You mean aside from the money they loot from slave traders?"
All three of the Buggy Pirates lit up at the mention of money, as did Nami. "Oh yeah, that was my bread and butter while I was there. And you wouldn't believe the millions and millions I hauled away, all of it now sitting in our base ready to be used."
"Is it now? Hmmm, I'll give you credit for making an enticing offer, but what's to stop me from making money this way?"
Luffy made a tiny astra ball, no bigger than an ice cube, on his pinky before firing it at the chair across from him. The wood exploded into shrapnel, making Buggy and his men duck for cover.
"Because I'm right here, and I could easily finish what I started. I was serious, Buggy. The next time someone stops you, they won't show mercy. And that goes double for me."
Luffy then reached under his hat. "If you call this number, they'll know you're in. The next town I'm in, I'll call in and ask about you. If I hear about you, then I'll let bygones be bygones. If I don't…"
And with that, he stood up and left. Cabaji and Mohji both glanced up in surprise, locking eyes with Zoro and Nami respectively. Both of them looked just as alarmed, but followed Luffy off the Big Top and back onto their little ship until they rode back to Orange Town.
"Well, now I get why you don't just go blurting that out…" Zoro admitted once they were all back in their suite, the door locked for extra security. According to the clock, it was almost two in the morning but it never hurt to check.
"So, you're in the Revolutionary Army…" Nami said, as if making sure she was hearing herself, "I knew you mentioned Dragon was your dad but…"
"I get it. And yeah, I'm an agent who's out on a long-term mission. Long story short, I'm going to pretend to be a pirate to screw over every corrupt Marine and pirate I can find."
"Then why'd you co-opt Buggy of all people?"
"Because I could tell he's only in this for the money. The real scum pirates do it because they want to. Buggy feels he needs to, especially given his connection to Roger. They believe in sins of the father' or captain in this case."
"But, you're serious about it?" Zoro asked, "Taking down the whole government? The hell are you gonna do then?"
"What I'm doing now, honestly. Beating the crap out of anyone who disturbs the peace, letting people live their lives, and having a good time doing it."
"Hey, as long as it doesn't stop me from getting my title, then I'm in," Zoro shrugged, "And I'm not gonna lie, if it means screwing with more Marines like Morgan than I'll enjoy it too."
They both turned to Nami, who was staring firmly at the floor. "Nami?"
"You were talking about slaves before. You mean the World Nobles, right?"
"Yeah."
"So, you'll fight anyone, then?"
"Uhhh, yeah?"
Nami then stood, eyes hidden behind her orange locks. "Okay then. I'll join your little operation as your navigator full-time, but you have to promise me one thing first."
Luffy stood himself, almost two feet taller than her and yet he could feel the intensity. One hand was gripping her left shoulder like she wanted to tear it off.
"Alright, what's the promise?"
Nami then stared up with the eyes of a woman possessed, cold fury etched in every inch of her face. "I want you murder Arlong the Saw."
So, I was going to have Luffy off Buggy but then two words came to mind: Cross Guild. This clown's clearly meant for bigger things so why not give him a little push into an organization that could help him along? Next time, the crew bonds and we move onto our next island and Syrup Village.
Thank you all so much for reading! Feel free to leave a review along with any questions or comments.