I do not own One Piece
It is owned by Oda
I just now my OC's
Enjoy!
Reverse Mountain/Whiskey Peak opening: Gamushara - Miyuna(Black Clover OP 5)
[No POV]
The Going Merry was finally making her first voyage into the Grand Line. The sun shone in the sky until a few moments later, snow began to slowly cascade and drift onto the caravel and completely cover the deck. On the main deck, Luffy and Usopp both played in the snow, and with them was Sanji, who shoveled snow at Nami's request. Jou, currently wearing a grey jacket and a black scarf around his neck blew on his hands in an attempt to warm them, even rubbing them together.
"Can somebody please tell me why it's snowing?" Nami questioned irritably. The navigator herself was bundled in a snow jacket, scarf, and earmuffs. Both she and Jou were inside the kitchen, using the room for shelter from the snow but it didn't stop the frigid, cool air. "It was hot and sunny just a few minutes ago."
"This is the Grand Line..." Jou spoke. "It's not like we would've known the weather would do a complete turn-around like this."
"You're telling me," Nami remarked.
"When I was a kid, I've always wanted to see snow..." Jou commented. "It sounded like fun to run around and play in it."
"Bet you're having second thoughts on that now..." Nami replied.
"Maybe, I didn't think it would start snowing right when we reached this ocean," Jou shrugged and looked out at the circular window, giving a clear view of the main deck. "Well, at least some of us are finding enjoyment in this."
Nami rose her brows at him until Jou smirked and jabbed a finger at the window, only for her to see Usopp and Luffy on the deck building creations from the snow. Luffy placed a stick into his own creation, a proud smile on his face.
"Perfect!" Luffy exclaimed. "All done!" He gave his snowman a gentle pat. "Well, look who just dropped in? It's Mister Snowbarrel."
"Haha!" Usopp gave a mocking laugh. "You amateur. You call that pathetic blob a snowman?"
"What...?" Luffy questioned, looking at the sniper and his creation.
"Behold!" Usopp announced having created a beautiful woman made from the snow. "A soulful, inspired work of art: The Snow Queen!"
"Woah, nice!" Luffy praised. "But can your lady do this?" Luffy pushed one of Mister Snowbarrel's arms with enough force, causing it to fly and obliterate Snow Queen's head. Usopp screamed at the destruction of his creation and in retaliation kicked Mister Snowbarrel.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?!" Usopp shouted.
"Hey, you big bully!" Luffy screamed, the two of them starting a scuffle in the snow, to avenge their separate works of art. Nami sighed whilst looking at the two outside.
"How they can be so freakin' energetic in the freezing cold is beyond me," Nami sighed.
"Nami~!" Sanji called. "Shall I shovel some more for you?"
"Just keep going 'till it's gone!" Nami told the cook. "Doing great!"
"Thank you~!" Sanji said. "My pleasure~!"
Other than Jou and Nami in the kitchen, were Mr. 9 and Miss Wednesday. They sat at the table, each of them wrapped in their own blanket and not at all content with the current weather conditions.
"Excuse me?" Mr. 9 questioned. "Doesn't this ship have a heater? This environment is inhuman."
"I'm cold," Miss Wednesday whined. The complaints from the odd duo caused irritation to come over Nami's face, sending an angry scowl their way.
"Shut your mouths!" Nami shouted with shark teeth. "You're not guests here! You wanna warm-up?! Go shovel snow or something!"
"Right, so quit your whining!" Jou agreed. "Yeah, you're cold, so is everyone else. Besides, it isn't like we can politely ask the snow to go away." In the sky, a lightning bolt resounded in the sky, causing confusion to come to Jou and Nami's expressions.
"Lightning...?" Nami wondered. "First snow, now lightning? What's going on with this weather?" Another crack of thunder rang out as the winds started to become turbulent and mixed with the snow, forming into a snowstorm. "One minute it's a cloudless sky, then it's a blizzard. It's like the normal rules of nature don't apply."
"Yeah..." Jou drawled. "It looks like Crocus was dead serious. The rules of nature don't apply to this ocean."
"I know..." Nami nodded slowly. "He was right."
"So, what do you think?" Miss Wednesday questioned. "Ready to turn back yet?"
"You and your friends have no idea how to survive this place," Mr. 9 sneered.
"I noticed you haven't steered for a while..." Miss Wednesday smirked. "Is that wise?"
"What're you getting at?" Jou wondered. "Nami knows we're headed in the right direction."
"Of course I do!" Nami claimed. "I just checked a while ago." She looked at the Log Pose, but what she noticed was something terrible that caused her to scream in distress, which didn't go unnoticed by the others outside, except for Zoro who continued sleeping. Nami stormed out of the kitchen with Jou not far behind, everyone staring at the navigator in confusion.
"What?!" Jou asked. "Tell us what's wrong?!"
"Make a hard turn!" Nami announced frantically. "180 degrees! Hurry!"
"180?!" Usopp repeated. "Why would you want us to turn back?"
"Did you forget something?" Luffy asked.
"180...?" Jou questioned. "If you want us to turn around, then that means...!" Realization seemed to appear on the lookout's face. "How the hell did we end up turning in the other direction?!"
"I know!" Nami shook her head. "I only took my eyes off the Log Pose for a second. I thought the waves were calm."
"You're not a very good navigator, are you?" Miss Wednesday asked rather smugly, earning a pair of glares from Nami and Jou. "You can't trust anything here. Not the winds, sky, waves, clouds. Nothing is as it seems in this sea. The only way to get reliable direction on the Grand Line is with the Log Pose. Everyone knows that." Nami had enough of both Miss Wednesday and Mr. 9's attitudes, booting them both out of the kitchen, each of them screaming as they hit the deck.
"SHUT YOUR CONDESCENDING MOUTHS AND DO SOMETHING USEFUL AROUND HERE!" Nami shouted and let out a sigh, trying to calm herself. Nami went out onto the deck to give out appropriate orders to the crew. "Brace the yard! Force the wind! Starboard! Turn the ship 180 degrees to the left! Usopp, Jou, man the lateen sails!"
"Got it!" Usopp called.
"Yep!" Jou nodded and ran to assist the sniper.
"Sanji! Take the helm!" Nami commanded.
"Leave it to me!" Sanji said.
"Work, you two!" Nami exclaimed to Mr. 9 and Miss Wednesday.
"This girl is crazy..." Mr. 9 whimpered.
For the pirates, it was one thing after another. This was the first time they have ever encountered the offbeat, abnormal weather of the Grand Line. The young pirates and the odd pair fought against whatever strange encounter they came across. Be it the weather changing, nearly crashing into a random iceberg, a sudden fog rolling in, and the Merry suffering damage and leaking below deck. Everyone, but a certain dozing swordsman, did what they could to keep the ship sailing through the storm.
[Jou POV]
Jou's eyes fluttered open, the sunlight nearly blinding him causing him to block his face. He leaned up and looked at everyone who was scattered about the deck. Nami, Usopp, Sanji, and even their weird passengers sprawled out and exhausted from the trouble they went through. Jou noticed Zoro still asleep on the side. The swordsman really slept through all that and never woke up to help them.
"Guy could probably sleep through the end of the world..." Jou grumbled. He got to his feet and stumbled toward the front bow and found Luffy sitting on his 'special seat'. Jou leaned against the rail, resting his head on it with a sigh. It was honestly an effort to even stand and make his way over there.
"Hey, Jou," Luffy greeted.
"Captain," Jou replied with a lazy wave, too worn out to even lift his head. Jou heard a yawn behind him and realized it was a certain swordsman, finally waking up from his long sleep.
"Ah, I'm rested," Zoro remarked. "C'mon." he likely everyone else currently enervated on the deck. "The weather's nice and all but that's no reason to be lazy. We better be on the track. That's all I can say." Jou heard the low angry growls come from the others. Jou knew Zoro was about to be in trouble and he had clue what they'd been through in the last few hours.
"What're you two doing here?" Zoro questioned having finally noticed Mr. 9 and Miss Wednesday. He's been asleep ever since leaving Crocus' lighthouse so he wasn't aware of the promise they made them.
"You fool!" Mr. 9 shouted at Zoro.
"Oh, yeah..." Jou said jabbing a thumb at the two, not even bothering to move his head from the rail. "We're actually taking those two home and to hopefully never see them again."
"How rude!" Miss Wednesday exclaimed.
"I'm just saying," Jou retorted to the woman.
"Their town is called Whiskey Peak," Luffy mentioned.
"Since when did we become a transport service for thugs?" Zoro wondered. "We don't owe them anything."
"I don't know," Luffy shrugged.
"Why did I even ask," Zoro groaned and knelt in front of Mr. 9 and Miss Wednesday. "So, tell me? What were your strange names again? Cause I don't think that you can be trusted."
"Well, my name is Mr. 9," the man answered nervously.
"I'm called Miss Wednesday," she replied with a shaky voice.
"You know those names sound familiar and that's what's bothering me," Zoro stated. "In fact, the more I think about it, the more I'm certain I've heard them somewhere before. Or maybe I have-" Zoro was interrupted with a punch in his head, Nami standing behind him with her fist clenched.
"You jerk," Nami said. "You think you can just sleep while we do all the work! You're lucky we didn't toss your lazy ass overboard!" Just as Jou suspected, Zoro was in trouble, with Nami that is. Nami bashed Zoro a few more times on the head, with three enormous lumps topped over one another. After Zoro's clobbering, Nami turned to address the crew.
"Listen up, everyone!" Nami announced. "There's no way to know what's gonna happen next! During the terror most of us experienced, I came to an understanding of why this sea was named the Grand Line! My navigation skills are useless here! Anything can happen! But mark my words, I will guide us through!" Jou couldn't help but give a smile of pride to Nami. Just because Grand Line just showed them why it's a dangerous sea, she wasn't going to let it stop her from guiding them on their course through.
"Uh, okay?" Usopp said unsurely. "Are you sure about that, Nami?"
"Without a doubt!" Nami smiled. "Just wait and see!" She gestured to an island shrouded in thick fog. "Speaking of which, we're here! Our first journey on the Grand Line comes to an end!"
"It's an island!" Luffy chuckled.
"So this is Whiskey Peak," Sanji commented. "The landscape is unlike anything I've ever seen."
"Sure is a lot cactus...?" Jou questioned. "Or rather cacti?" Jou noticed what probably passed as plantlife on Whiskey Peak and also found that the number of cacti on the island was of varying shapes and sizes. "A lot of them sure are giant."
"Woah, they're humongous," Luffy mouthed in awe. Mr. 9 and Miss Wednesday suddenly leaped onto the rail as everyone looked at them, wondering what they were up to now.
"Thank you but we must be leaving," Mr. 9 stated.
It's been an interesting ride, to say the least," Miss Wednesday added.
"Perhaps we'll meet again someday," Mr. 9 said.
"Bye-bye, baby!" The two leaped off the ship and into the ocean and swam away, disappearing into the fog.
"That was a quick exit," Nami commented.
"I guess we'll never learn what those nut jobs are up to," Usopp stated.
"Who cares, we're landing!" Luffy announced with a grin.
"Well, there's a waterway right up the shoreline..." Nami pointed out. "It looks like we can go inland by ship."
"Umm..." Usopp's body started to quiver. "I'm weighing the possibility of monsters out there."
"That's definitely a possibility," Sanji affirmed. "This is the Grand Line."
"Yeah, I mean who's telling what kind of beasts they have roaming around," Jou added.
"No problem," Luffy chimed. "If we find monsters we can just leave."
"That's not true!" Nami argued. "According to what Crocus said it's imperative we stay on this island at least for a little while."
"But why...?" Luffy wondered.
"The Log Pose needs enough time to record the island's magnetic field," Nami mentioned gesturing to the device on her wrist. "So until that's done, we have to stay put. The Log Pose can require a different amount of time for each island, some take a few hours, others may take several days."
"Suppose this island is crawling with monsters, we'd get stuck here waiting," Usopp mentioned. "That's stupid! We'd be done for! What's the point of gathering navigation coordinates if you're dead?!"
"We're staying," Nami declared.
"Let's not think about the monsters 'till we have to," Luffy grinned. "They're not even there."
"As strange as this seems..." Zoro said. "I agree. There's no need to worry yet."
"Right," Jou nodded. "And we haven't even reached the land yet."
"Now that that's settled..." Sanji remarked. "Let's get going and I'll keep you safe, Nami."
"I don't think I'm gonna be able to make it," Usopp moaned clutching his throat. "It's this cold. It's a condition, really. You guys just go on without me."
"Alright, get ready!" Nami addressed everyone. "And... make sure you're prepared to run as well as fight."
Usopp rambled on about how he had 'Don't-go-to-the-island disease, but his babbling went unheard by everyone. The Merry drifted through the shoreline, not discouraged by the fog clouding its route into the waterway.
"What's waiting for us out there...?" Sanji wondered.
"Please, don't let us die," Usopp pleaded sweat pouring down his head.
Jou squinted his eyes and noticed they were close to reaching the shore. He caught sight of various shadowed figures that seemed to be prancing about. This was an island in the Grand Line, so there was no telling what sort of threat will be on it. Everyone readied weapons, if they held any, and waited for just what they were to encounter.
"Something's moving over there?" Luffy noted.
"You see them, too?" Jou questioned. "Whatever it is, there's a lot of them."
"Who are they?" Sanji wondered.
"Now be on your guard, everyone," Nami affirmed.
"I may have to fight monsters but at least I came prepared," Usopp declared holding his slingshot. "Whoever's out there, I'm ready! Show yourself and face my wrath!"
The ship drew closer into the fog as a faint sound could be heard. Jou's hearing picked up on it, it sounded like cries of... people. Good to know the island was inhabited by citizens, which meant the island had to be a town. The fog cleared away just to find people on the island, waving and shouting cheers. There was an enormous amount of them, screaming and waving and beaming smiles toward the crew.
"Welcome to the Grand Line!"
"Greetings and good times, travelers!"
"We're happy to have you here at Whiskey Peak!"
"These aren't monsters..." Usopp blinked. "They're people and they actually seem happy we're here." Luffy laughed heartily at the people's happy excitement toward them.
"What's the hell's wrong with them?" Sanji questioned.
"Nothing, I think?" Jou said. "Could this perhaps be a trick?" He coiled his chain around his wrist. He eyed the vast crowd and couldn't help but see the happy expressions on their faces, since they all look so delighted at their arrival.
"Pirates are always welcome at our town!"
"Hurray for the heroes of the sea!"
"Oh, yeah~!" Sanji cheered. "I've never seen so many cute girls in one place~!" The cook was more excited about the number of girls among the throng of people, this was probably what he considered heaven.
"I guess some folks consider pirates to be heroes!" Usopp said while blowing a few kisses. "Who knew? Man, I should've come here ages ago!"
"Hey!" Luffy greeted the townspeople with a cheerful laugh. The Going Merry was docked, allowing the entire crew to step onto the land. Jou crossed his arms gazing at the people who were in jovial spirit from their advent. Not long after, a man stepped through the crowd the greet them. The man had big, gray tube-like hair, and carried a saxophone that was tucked under his arm.
"Wel-" He paused before letting out a cough. "Ma~! Ma~! Ma~! Welcome! My name is Igarappoi. And it is my honor as Mayor to welcome you to Whiskey Peak."
"Oh, great," Luffy replied. "I'm Luffy, nice to meet you. Nice hair. I like the curls."
"You'll find that this a place that thrives on making liquor and music," Igarappoi mentioned proudly. "Hospitality is a matter of pride in our town. The smiles roam long and the liquor flows as bountiful as seawater. Would you permit us to throw a party in your arrival so that we may hear-" he cleared his throat. "Ma~! Ma~! Ma~! Your tales of adventure."
"We're glad to!" Luffy, Sanji, and Usopp exclaimed, obvious excitement in their voices. Jou only stood on the side with Nami and Zoro, neither of them sharing the same enthusiasm as the other three.
"Idiots," Nami scolded. "By the way..." Nami spoke to Igrarappoi. "How long until the Log Pose records this island's magnetic field?"
"Log what...?" Igarappoi ignored her question. "Such boring details will have to keep for now. Surely you'd like to rest after your journey." He put an arm around Nami's shoulder, her opposition going unheard. "Now let's prepare a party! Sing and make merry! Entertain our guest!"
The townspeople rejoiced in a cry of merriment. Jou only rose his eyebrows. He couldn't quite put his finger on it. A town that loves pirates? Sounds too good to be true. Jou looked to the only other one standing next to him who happened to be Zoro. The swordsman gave a similar expression of confusion about the carefree nature of this town.
[No POV]
Later that night, the townspeople's party was in full swing, with the pirates joining in the festivities. People were prancing about and playing music and not to mention eating and drinking until their stomachs burst.
"Then I looked 'em straight in the eye and I said..." Usopp started. "Sea King's, you don't touch my friends or you'll have to answer to me." A trio of girls sat across from the sniper, each let out adoring sighs from his tale while other townspeople gathered to hear about it.
"Aww~! Oh wow~! You're amazing Captain Usopp~!"
"Well, even I trembled when facing the deadly landscape of the calm belt..." Usopp grinned. "Trembled with excitement that is."
"Really?" a man asked.
"You're a true hero!" exclaimed another man. Jou, Nami, and Zoro sat down together as Igarappoi approached them, treating them to the town drink.
"Please, don't hold back on my account," Igarappoi grinned. "Drink up!"
"Sure, why not," Jou shrugged and reached for a mug.
"Uh, thanks," Nami shook her head. "But I'm not drinking."
"Don't worry..." Igarappoi cleared his throat. "Ma~! Ma~! Ma~! Don't you worry. What you have there is a very special drink. Made by using the very sweetest of premium grapes. It contains all the flavorful benefits of a fine wine. With 0 alcohol."
"I see," Nami said and lifted the tankard to her lips and took a sip. "Yeah, you're right! It's delicious!"
"We had an excellent grape harvest this year," Igarappoi mentioned proudly. "Now to celebrate that harvest, a traditional toast competition!" This announcement seemed to really excite the townspeople with a massive vibrant cheer.
"What kind of competition is this?" Jou wondered. "Is it just a drinking contest?"
"Put simply, yes!" Igarappoi said. "Take a drink! This continues for as long as you can hold your liquor! Last one standing is the winner! Join us!"
"Haha..." Nami let out a nervous chuckle. "No thanks, you go ahead. I'd rather watch the competition." Jou took a drink of his beverage and gave Nami a side-eyed glance, a knowing smirk spreading across his lips.
"There wouldn't happen to be an award for winning the competition is there?" Jou asked.
"Hmm?" Nami blinked at Jou. "Award?"
"Did I mention that the prize is 100 thousand berri's!" Igrarappoi mentioned pulling a stack of berri bills from his coat.
"Then fill her up!" Nami exclaimed holding out a mug. "Zoro, stand up and join us. You need the money, don't you?"
"Huh?" Zoro mouthed.
"You're joining in too, aren't you Jou?" Nami asked the lookout.
"I knew you would only take part in this if there was cash involved, Nami," Jou grinned.
"You knew exactly what you were up to," Nami smiled back as Jou only held up his arms in surrender. "Okay, for that, I challenge you." Nami pointed a finger at him. "The both of us will drink until we're down to the last two in the competition. How about it?"
"You're challenging me?" Jou asked. "At drinking?" he let out a chuckle. "I was practically raised in a bar. I've outdrank lots of people in my hometown. I don't care about the prize money but I won't back down from a challenge."
"So, you accept?" Nami grinned. "Alright! The last one of us standing in the competition is the winner!" Accepting the terms with a handshake, Jou and Nami joined in the drinking contest with Zoro entering, too. The competition and the party became more lively as it went on. Each of the three pirates challenges every townsperson taking part in the contest.
"Woah! That's his 10th mug!" an islander exclaimed as Zoro downed the contents of his tankard.
"That's it, I'm done..."
"Good," Zoro said.
"That girl's drinking them under the table with mug number 12!" Nami finished her drink with 2 participants passed out next to her.
"Check out this guy!" a man pointed at Jou. "Guys're passing out at his feet as he's finishing his 12th mug!" 3 contest entrants crashed on the floor as Jou finished chugging and wiped his bottom lip.
"Not close to being done yet, so fill 'er up!" Jou exclaimed.
"Give me more!" Luffy demanded, his stomach bloated from the several plates of food he polished off.
"Unbelievable!"
"The captain just finished a meal fit for 20 people!" Luffy's voracious appetite happened to be too much for the town's cook, the chef passed out on the floor.
"And the cook's down!"
"Good night..." the cook groaned.
"Woah! This pirate's trying to hit on 20 girls at the same time!" Sanji was very much enjoying himself while surrounded by a large group of girls.
"We don't stand a chance with these pirates!"
"Hahahaha!" Igarappoi chuckled. "This is truly a fun-" he cleared his throat. "Ma~! Ma~! Ma~! A fun-filled night! It pleases that all are enjoying the celebration with such vigor! Hahahaha!" the mayor's smile fell into a malicious grin. "Oh yes, indeed. I'm quite pleased."
The drinking contest was still ongoing as time went on. More people were unconscious on the floor until they could no longer take part in all the carousing.
"I'm calling it quits..." the swordsman said drowsily. "I need to get some slee-" Zoro finally joined the other contest entries, his head planting against the table with a thud.
"Ah, c'mon!" Nami called a red tinge on her face due to drunkenness. "You quittin' already, Zoro! You wuss!" a fairly large woman dressed in a nun outfit sat across from Nami.
"My child..." the nun spoke. "Forfeit for your own sake. There's no disgrace."
"Hah!" Nami laughed. "Well, I appreciate the concern, sister! But you're not getting me to quite that easy! Hahahaha!" Luffy fell on the floor, bloated from the food he'd devoured along with 3 exhausted cooks dropping beside him.
"This is a new feeling..." Luffy breathed. "I think it's full..."
Nami was victorious in outdrinking the nun. Jou contently sighed once he finished his 15th drink, and walked passed the man he drank against, who fell on the floor as the lookout sauntered over to Nami. Jou and Nami stood in front of each other, both of them giving challenging smiles to one another as the crowd cheered them.
"These guys are the final two! They're going at their 16th mug! Who's gonna win?!"
"Hear that Nami...?" Jou asked in a slight, drunken daze. "We're the final two."
"Seems that way," Nami smirked with a hand on her hip.
"Just let me know when you're ready to call it quits," Jou grinned leaning close to her face. "There's no shame in losing, you know?"
"Yeah, right," Nami stated giving Jou a few pats on his face. "Ain't no way I'm losing out on that prize money!" The two of them started the final round of the drinking contest.
"Whiskey Peak..." Usopp said happily. "What a marvelous town!"
"We've stumbled upon pure paradise!" Sanji agreed his head rested in a girl's lap.
The drinking contest was still ongoing, the townspeople watched with anticipation to see who out of Jou and Nami would fall first. They continued to holler at them as the two kept up the drinking, mug for mug.
"Unbelievable! They're at their 23rd mug!"
"What're these 2 made out of!" From the crowd, a couple of men whispered to each other.
"Relax," the other replied. "They gotta be feeling the effects soon."
"Just give up already, Nami!" Jou exclaimed in a slur. "I've won this!"
"No, you didn't!" Nami retorted groggily. "I'm not backing down! That 100 thousand berri's is mine!" Jou paused halfway through his drink, staring into it. Nami paused her own drinking, blinking her eyes at him in confusion.
"What's the matter, Jou?" she wondered. "Finally realizing this is more than you bargained for?" Nami asked with a cheeky grin as Jou gave out a boisterous chuckle.
"Not at all," he shook his head. "I honestly forgot this contest had prize money involved. You're only in it for the prize money. Me? I don't really care about that. I only did this contest because you challenged me." Jou winked at Nami. "But if I did win... I'd just give the money to you."
"Well, isn't that sweet of you," Nami commented as Jou only raised up his hand.
"But we're too far in it at this point," Jou smirked. "What say we finally finish this. You and I? Sound good?"
"You bet!" Nami grinned. Finally, after the 26th mug, Jou finally felt the effects of the drink. He tumbled over onto his back, the empty mug falling on his face. As he did, Nami gulped the rest of her own mug and rose it in the air, and met with acclaiming praise from the townspeople.
"I won!" Nami cheered with a victorious laugh and fell onto her back. "The prize money is mine..." she murmured letting sleep finally take her.
Later that night, the young pirates were in slumber. Zoro snoozed with his head on the table, Usopp was passed out on the couch, Nami slept peacefully curled up on the floor, Jou laid flat on his back with his hat shadowing his eyes while he dozed, Luffy snored loudly with his bloated stomach rising and falling, and Sanji had a blush on his face while he slept.
"They've worn themselves out partying..." Igarappoi grinned at the snoring pirates. "And are fast asleep. Sweet dreams, brave adventurers."
[Jou POV]
Jou leaned up, stretching his arms above his head. He rubbed the tiredness from his eyes. The exhaustion probably came from when he and others were battling the gruesome weather changes in the Grand Line. He looked around at the others scattered about the party room. Each of Luffy, Usopp, Sanji, and Nami slept soundly. What Jou realized was that everybody who was partying with them was gone?
That's weird? Jou thought. Where did everyone go? What great hosts. Just leave their party guest by themselves.
Jou hopped to his feet, adjusting his hat and smoothing out his cardigan. He opened the door and softly let it close behind him to avoid waking the others. Jou trailed down an alleyway and just around the corner found Igarappoi, Mr. 9, Miss Wednesday, and they were also joined by the nun Nami was drinking with.
"Damn, my head is killing me," the nun complained. "Our guest didn't have the taste to pass out gracefully so I doctored their drinks a little. So, tell me? Was it really necessary to put on an elaborate show for those idiots?" She quickly threw off her nun garb, leaving her in a polka-dot dress that showed off her muscled physique. "I get that nobody wants to hear me whine, but it's my duty to point out the amount of food we wasted when we could've just ambushed them at the harbor. We're already short on supplies."
Jou figured there was something up with this town. A town that loves pirates just sounds too good to be true. Plus, Jou can hold his liquor better than that. No wonder he started to feel drowsy after only 23 drinks. While Jou listened in on the conversation, he heard a set of footsteps making their way behind him. Jou wasn't worried since he already knew it was that was.
"Should've known you'd be up and about," Jou smirked. "Considering the nap you had on the way here, Zoro." The swordsman hid against the wall beside him. "Or I thought you'd be out from the amount of booze they gave us."
"You kidding me?" Zoro replied. "I can hold my booze longer than that." Jou chuckled in response and kept listening to the conversation between the four suspicious others.
"It's not like anyone had high hopes for that whale meat or anything," the 'nun' claimed.
"Well, you go try and kill that damn whale!" Mr. 9 argued. "We tried our best, you know."
"Both of you calm yourselves!" Igarappoi interjected. "Before you question the validity of my plan; you should see this." He held a pair of tan sheets of paper, Jou had an inkling of what those happened to be.
"30 million and 25 million!" the trio talking to Igrappoi exclaimed. Jou should've known they would be in disbelief by the amounts placed on him and Luffy.
"For those morons?!" Mr. 9 shouted.
"Don't be foolish," Igarappoi told them. "Appearances can be deceiving. That goes for... Ahem! Ma~! Ma~! Ma~! That goes for all of you."
"I'm sorry," Miss Monday declared bashfully.
"It's no matter," Igarappoi stated. "Our prey has been trapped. And that's news the boss will enjoy. For now, confiscate everything of value from their ship."
Jou turned his head to Zoro only to find the swordsman was gone. Jou knew Zoro was going about to start this fight. Of course, Jou wanted in on this, but first, he had an idea. He figured Zoro could handle things here until then and made a run back to the party room. Jou found the others still out of it, deciding to let them sleep, Jou's focus was on his captain. Luffy snored, his belly swollen from the food he ate. Jou grabbed Luffy by the arms and hauled him out of the room.
"Geez, you really didn't hold back at all..." Jou strained out. "Didn't you, captain?" Jou managed to yank Luffy's bloated form through the door. He pulled him partway down the alley and propped him against a wall.
Jou pulled out a piece of meat that he'd saved during the party already knowing the townspeople's true nature. He waved it in front of Luffy's face to wake him up. The smell of the meat came to Luffy's nostrils, his nose picking up the scent. He opened his eyes and ate the meat. Luffy blinked his eyes in confusion as he turned his head from left to right.
"Jou...!" Luffy exclaimed. "What's going on?! What're we doing out here? Did we move the party outside?"
"You're not entirely wrong, captain," Jou shook his head amusingly. "I guess you could say we're about to have the after-party," Jou mentioned with a grin as Luffy blinked in confusion.
[No POV]
"So, what do we do with them now?" Miss Monday asked.
"Kill them...?" Mr. 9 wondered.
"If they die the bounty drops 30%," Igarappoi explained. "The government prefers to hold public executions."
"Hey!" A voice alerted them. "Sorry to interrupt." They turned around and found Zoro staring down at them from a building, the full moon gleaming behind the swordsman. "Do you mind letting my friends sleep? Judging by the scowls and cheap disguises, I'm guessing you're all bounty hunters."
"Hey, Mr. 8, Miss Monday!" a bounty hunter joined by a few others stepped out from a building. "3 of them escaped from the room when we weren't looking!"
"Three?" Miss Wednesday questioned. "Impossible?!"
"Looks like we didn't miss the fun before it got started," Everyone looked to find Jou standing atop another building, his red chain over his shoulder.
"That's the guy with the 25 million bounty!"
"So, let me get this straight..." Jou smirked. "You get pirates drunk enough and steal everything they own and if they have a reward out on them, you plan to turn them in for the bounty. Not a bad plan... for a bunch of bounty hunters." Jou looked behind him because he wasn't alone. "Never seen bounty hunters wear such ridiculous outfits. Don't you think so too, Captain?"
From the shadows, appears Luffy. The captain was no longer bloated from the food he consumed during the party. The straw hat covering his head shaded his eyes as he stared down at the big group below on the town street.
"It's him...!" Miss Wednesday and Mr. 9 exclaimed.
"Straw hat!" Mr. 8 shouted.
"So, you guys are really all bounty hunters, huh?" Luffy said. "That fun party you threw for us, the delicious food you gave us was only a trick?" The straw hat captain cracks his knuckles. "If you really think you can take us, then bring it on."
"Now, wait a minute, you two," Zoro said to Jou and Luffy. "I don't need any help. I can take these guys by myself. Hear that? I'm gonna fight all you, Baroque Works?"
"Wha-!" Mr. 8 gasped. "How do you know our name?!"
"You know all these guys, Zoro?" Luffy asked.
"Mind explaining who they are?" Jou questioned.
"Ask me later," Zoro remarked thumbing Wado Ichimonji from its sheathe. "Now if you excuse me?" He was about to rush in to fight the bounty hunters.
"No way!" Luffy called stretching to Zoro's building. "I wanna fight, too!"
"I can handle these, Luffy!" Zoro argued. "I don't need any help!" he looked over to Jou. "You just had to get Luffy out here, didn't you?"
"Hey, he's the captain," Jou shrugged. "Figured he should know what's going on. Thought we could all fight them together."
"You guys had a whole lot of trouble getting us to this island..." Zoro mentioned. "I thought I'd return the favor by taking care of all these chumps. There's about 100 of them."
"100, huh?" Jou wondered. "How do we divide 100 bounty hunters between the 3 of us?"
"Us?" Zoro repeated.
"What?" Jou questioned. "You think I was just gonna sit out, too." At this point, the three of Jou, Zoro, and Luffy each huddled in a circle. Completely absorbed in their own discussion, the bounty hunters all watching them.
"What the hell are they doing?"
"I don't know?"
"They're all distracted? Should we just kill them?"
"Maybe this is a trick?"
"This is your chance to use your new swords, Zoro," Jou said. "Seems like the perfect opportunity for it."
"Then what do we do?" Luffy wondered.
"While Zoro takes care of them..." Jou smiled. "I thought we could take on the tube-hair man and his group of weirdos."
"Okay," Luffy nodded. "That works for me."
"Are any of you paying attention to us?!" Mr. 8 screamed at the 3 pirates with shark teeth. "Enough of this foolishness! KILL THEM!" The bounty hunters pointed rifles at the trio. The men aiming their rifles only found Zoro and Luffy on the building with Jou nowhere to be found.
"Huh? Where did-?"
"Man, you guys are slow," Each of them turned to find Jou standing beside Mr. 8. "Makes me think if this is even gonna be a challenge at all." Jou nudged Mr. 8's shoulder. "Just can't find good help these days, huh?" Mr. 8 growled and smacked Jou's arm away and leaped back. The hunters behind the lookout lined up their guns behind him.
"There! Shoot him now!" Jou vaulted over Mr. 8, leaving the bounty hunter's leader to be the one in their line of fire.
"Wait! Don't shoot!" Mr. 8 pleaded. "Stop! Igarappa!" He blew into his saxophone that fired ammunition from the horn and shot down his own men as Jou landed behind him.
"Wow," Jou smiled. "You had the nerve to shoot your own guys? If that's how you do things, boy am I glad I'm not on your side."
"Dumbass!" a hunter exclaimed. "There's a lot more of us than there are of you!"
"I like those odds," Jou remarked. The enemies pointed their weapons at him, they were about to pull their triggers until an entire row of them were sliced down. They spat out blood, while it also spurted from their wounds. The cause of their current condition came from Zoro, who had slashed through them with Wado Ichimonji.
"Can't help yourself," Zoro stated. "Can you, Jou?"
"You're right, I can't," Jou replied. "I'm gonna get outta here. Have fun!" Jou and Zoro ran off in two different directions.
"Get after them!" Mr. 8 ordered the bounty hunters, the men dispersed into the town after the two pirates that got away.
"What about him?" Miss Monday wondered, staring up at Luffy.
"You all..." Mr. 8 said. "Assist the others going after the swordsman and 'Dual-Chain'!" He glared at Luffy. "Leave 'Straw hat' to me." Miss Monday, Miss Wednesday, and Mr. 9 went off which left Mr.8 and Luffy alone. "You should've stayed asleep, Straw hat."
"I liked you, old tube-hair guy," Luffy said. "But now that I know what you are, it looks like I'm gonna have to kick your ass."
"If that is to be the case..." Mr. 8 said and yanked on his tie, out of his tube hair protruded a few cannons that he aimed at Luffy.
"Woah!" Luffy exclaimed with wide eyes at the new weapons. "Cool!"
"Here I come, Straw hat!" Mr. 8 shouted.
[No POV]
With Jou, Luffy, and Zoro outside fighting in the town. It left the rest of the crew sleeping in the party room. Usopp and Sanji were still out of it from all the partying. But the only one who happened to be awake was a certain orange-headed navigator.
"So, Whiskey Peak is really home to a whole nest of Bounty Hunters?" Nami smirked. "You know, I had a feeling that just might be the case." With the town distracted, for Nami this was the perfect opportunity. To search for treasure.
[Jou POV]
"How are we gonna find that chain bastard? He could be anywhere?"
"Just keep lookin' for him!"
Jou sat on a roof, watching the bounty hunters sprint through the town, searching for him. He wondered if they were actually going to put up a challenge for him in order to take him down. Jou may have initially told Zoro he'll leave these guys to him, but Jou did have a bounty so the hunters would come after him. So it wasn't that surprising. Jou smiled because he obviously was going to have fun with this in any way he can. With that, Jou hopped off the building and snuck behind a few men without them noticing and were too preoccupied talking to each other.
"Where is this guy?"
"I don't know?!"
"He's here," Jou said joining the conversation. "Keep looking for him."
"Easier said than done!"
"That bastard! He can't be all that tough, can he?"
"Maybe the 25 million reward is a mistake."
"Yeah, they want all that for this one guy?" They pull out a copy of Jou's poster. Jou smiled as he walked behind them, each of the hunters not even realizing he was behind them.
"Man, look at that handsome devil!" Jou commented.
"What the hell's the matter with you...?!" the three bounty hunters turned around, their eyes widening the moment they laid the on Jou.
"I mean, could they have chosen a better picture..." Jou continued. "I mean, sure, it isn't like he had a say in what photo they chose." Once Jou finished his sentence, the men raised their rifles and pointed them at Jou.
"Thanks for showing yourself, you son of a bitch!"
The bounty hunter fired his gun as Jou quickly side-stepped, easily evading the bullet. Jou rushed toward them in a flurry of chain slashes. He moved so quickly, that the three men didn't have time to fire another shot, lashing them one by one. They each went down one after the other with Jou standing there with his red chain over his shoulder.
"What was that?" another exclaimed. "I heard shots!"
"Hmm?" Jou hummed as two more bounty hunters appeared around the corner.
"Hey, we found him! Over here!"
"Time to go," Jou remarked and ran off evading all gunfire that passed over him and continued through the town with hunters chasing him. He was definitely going to have fun with this.
[No POV]
Meanwhile on Zoro's side of things. He lucked out since a good amount of the bounty hunters came after him which made this the perfect opportunity for testing his brand new swords.
"Ah, yes..." Zoro grinned. "My new recruits from Loguetown. Yubashiri and Kitetsu the 3rd. Now's a good time as any to see what you two are made of. And with these thugs, we don't need to hold back."
"Haha! Got you now!" a hunter announced. Zoro saw him standing above him on a building, aiming a pistol. "Die!"
Zoro evaded his shots by diving back-first through a door into the building. He rolled to his feet but it wasn't safe as there were more men aiming at him. Zoro bounded over a table using it as cover from the gunfire.
"Up first, Yubashiri," Zoro smiled pulling the blade from its sheath. He cleaved the table in half and sped through all the bounty hunters, each of them spurting blood as they fell. "Light. And well-balanced." Zoro commented impressed with the new blade and sprinted off as more bounty hunters pursued him.
Behind the swordsman, a man wielding a large hammer went to land a sneak attack. Zoro wheeled around to meet the attacker, unsheathing Sandai Kitetsu cutting through the hammer and slashing the hunter across the body. There was something odd about the Kitetsu. It felt like it was trying to fight against him and not obeying Zoro.
"What the hell is it doing?" Zoro wondered glaring at the sword. "Look, Kitetsu the 3rd, your quite sharp but your also a bit of a trouble maker, aren't you? A good sword only cuts when its master directs it to. Cursed or not; you're going to listen to me now."
"Die!" screamed a young kid, running at the swordsman with a small knife. Zoro turned slowly and knocked the blade from the kid out of his hand, the boy fell to the ground.
"No!" A nun made her way to the boy, hugging him. "Please, have mercy on a little boy! I beg you! Please be kind, sir, and have mercy on us!" The nun and boy grinned wickedly, pulling out a cross that let out some kind of powder. "Or try some blinding powder!"
"You'd be better on trying that cheap on someone who's likely to fall for it," Zoro stated and swiftly knocked them out. "The flat of the blade is mercy."
[Jou POV]
"Damn that bastard got away again!"
"Let's hurry up and find him! He can't have gotten far!"
Jou hid behind a building, watching the bounty hunters running about searching for him. He had to admit he was somewhat impressed they were trying so hard to kill him.
"They're persistent," Jou commented. Jou stayed hidden, looking around the corner at the hunters pursuing him, and cupped his hands over his mouth. "OH, NO! I'M LIKE A SITTING DUCK OVER HERE! I'M DEFENSELESS!"
"Now I got ya!" one of the men sprinted around the corner and aimed his rifle and fired. Jou easily dodged his shot and kicked the man under his chin, the hunter falling flat on his back unconscious. Jou dragged the man by his ankles toward the back of the building and tossed him through its window, shattering the glass. Jou climbed into the window himself until the door burst open with two bounty hunters pointing guns at him.
"Hey, it's rude to barge into someone's home!" Jou exclaimed until he crossed his arms. "Oh, right? This isn't even my house. Well, either way, it's bad manners." The bounty hunters fired a bullet each, Jou cart-wheeled to the side evading both shots and pulling out a pair of throwing knives and chucking them while he balanced on a single hand. The knives hit their mark, each of the hunters falling and spitting out blood as they fell. Jou stepped over the hunter's bodies and made his way out the door. He was soon met with more enemies the moment he stepped out the door, this time they were brandishing sabers.
"So you guys decided guns weren't working and went to swords instead?" Jou questioned. "I guess I can applaud you for being consistent."
"Kill him!" the bounty hunters charged all at once. Jou made no attempt to move and instead spun his chains, gathering wind and lashing out with both.
"Dual-Chain Whirlwind!" a spiral of wind caught all opponents, each of them spinning about in the whirling gust until they hit the ground one by one, with Jou crouched down in the middle of them.
Jou slung both chains over his shoulder walking past all the unconscious men on the ground. He walked through the town and looked down one of the alleyways and heard sobbing. Jou approached the crying until he encountered the source of it. A girl, she seemed about his age, maybe younger. Jou stepped up to the girl slowly, the girl brought her head, revealing her tear-stained face, and immediately backed up at the sight of him.
"Stay back!" she screamed fearfully. "Please don't hurt me! I don't want any trouble! You wouldn't hurt a defenseless girl, would you?" Jou will admit, the girl's putting on a good show looking afraid.
"You know..." Jou sighed. "I'd really like to believe that..."
"Huh?" the girl mouthed.
"I would've shown you mercy if a pair of your girlfriends weren't pointing pistols at my back," Jou stated. There were other two girls, both aiming a pistol at Jou, who turned his head and glared at them. While Jou was supposedly distracted, the girl who was fake-crying, held a knife and went to stab him.
"Gotcha!" the girl exclaimed.
Jou effortlessly side-stepped her blade and wrapped his chain around her wrist made a complete 180 spin and hurled the girl into her friends as she gave a surprised cry. She collided with the other two girls, all three of them on the ground unconscious.
"You ladies are lucky," Jou remarked. "I somewhat took it easy on you," he stated while walking away.
It was quiet from Jou's side of the town. He wondered if that was it for his share of the bounty hunters. Jou leaned against one of the buildings and folded his arms, thankful that he had time to catch his breath. But felt he couldn't relax when he heard footsteps approaching where he was. Jou peered around the corner, checking who it was and who he saw caused his eyes to widen. It was Nami, slowly easing her way through the town. Jou waited for her to get close to his building, once she reached around the corner he swung his red chain toward her, encircling her waist causing her to yelp in surprise.
"What the?!" Nami exclaimed and gave out a surprised cry when she was pulled toward him. Jou pushed her against the wall and to prevent her from making any noise he covered her mouth. Nami blinked her eyes at him until she glared, opening her mouth and bit into his hand. Jou ground his teeth in pain and released her, shaking the hand she took a bite in.
"You idiot, don't scare me like that!" Nami shouted bonking him over the head. Jou didn't mean to surprise her like that, he just didn't want her to make a noise. But did she have to bite him? Not mention punch him? Although Jou figured he probably had both those coming so he didn't blame her.
"I wouldn't have done that if this place wasn't crowded with those guys," Jou replied nursing his poor cranium." Anyway, what're you even doing out here, Nami? I thought you were asleep?"
"Sheesh, give me some credit," Nami sighed. "I knew these guys were plotting something from the start."
"You figured it out, too, huh?" Jou figured. "You know it isn't safe. You should go find somewhere to hide."
"I'm alright," Nami folded her arms. "I already know these guys are scouring the entire town for you and Zoro. With you guys keeping them preoccupied, that lets me search for where they got the treasure hidden in this place." Jou wasn't surprised. Of course, Nami was going to look for treasure. Jou sighed pinching the bridge of his nose, he should've known was up to her old tricks, although he did find it amusing and smirked.
"Anything for treasure, eh Nami?" Jou remarked. Before Nami could say anything, another group of bounty hunters appeared aiming rifles at them.
"There's that chain bastard!"
"The girl's awake and with him, too! Shoot 'em!"
The hunter's rifles fired as Nami screamed in panic as Jou grabbed her, lifting her onto his shoulder. Jou and Nami rolled across the ground, he moved off her and stared at her. Jou was relieved not one of those bullets hit her. Nami only lay there, motionless and staring up at the night sky.
"You okay?" Jou asked, she seemed to snap out of the stupor she seemed to be in and looked at him.
"Yeah, you saved my life," Nami said as Jou rose an eyebrow smirking.
"Did I?" Jou wondered sarcastically. "I was just trying to get the hell outta the way. You just happened to be standing there." Nami seemed to pout at him as she pushed him, causing Jou to fall on his backside.
"You're horrible," Nami shook her head, running a hand in her orange hair.
"C'mon, let's get after them!" Those men were still after them. Jou stood and walked up to Nami, who was still sitting on the ground.
"We need to go and fast!" Jou declared.
"Right..." Nami nodded. "Let's-" she let out a startled squeal the moment Jou scooped her up in his arms.
"Hang on tight!" Jou mentioned. She did just that, looping her arms around his neck as he leaped and kicked off a building and another and took one final bound and landed on the very top of a building. Everything was somewhat quiet for now, even though there were bounty hunters still searching for him. Jou looked at Nami, she made no attempt to leave his arms. The two of them continued to stare at each other. Jou will admit the mood felt... idyllic with the moon illuminating a glow upon them.
"Rrraaagh!" an angry cry was heard. Jou turned his head to find the burly woman that was dressed like a nun earlier, Miss Monday they called her, charging at them. Jou, with the Navigator still in his arms, ran the other direction and jumped off the building. He stared at Nami, her arms draped tightly around his neck.
"You good?" Jou wondered.
"Y-Yeah," Nami said a bit shakily. Jou looked upward, noticing a shadow looming over them, Miss Monday had bounded off the building. Jou sprinted with Nami to a safe distance, he halted with a skid, quickly releasing Nami onto her feet. Jou faced Miss Monday, the muscled woman glaring at them.
"Nami, get outta here," Jou insisted. "Leave this to me."
"Right," Nami nodded and dashed down the street. Jou flicked his wrists, grabbed his chains, and swung his red chain over his shoulder.
"I guess this means Mr. 8 was right," Miss Monday mentioned. "Appearances can be deceiving. You must be quite strong to take out so many of our own." she pulled out a brass knuckle and put it on her hand. "But there is no man who can best my strength." Jou only let out a chuckle. "What's so funny?"
"I knew there was something off about you guys," Jou stated.
"And how did you figure that out?" Miss Monday questioned.
"First off, there's no way you could've been a nun," Jou said. "I'm not one to judge but most nuns aren't muscled like you are." he shrugged his shoulders. "Then again, what do I know? I've never been to church."
"My profession may have been a ruse but now I must test your strength," Miss Monday claimed while cracking her fist.
"Sure," Jou smirked. "Let's hope you can fight as good as you can drink since Nami outdrank you earlier tonight." Miss Monday grounded her teeth.
"Here I come, 'Dual-Chain'!" the muscled women exclaimed. She hurled a few punches, causing Jou to weave through each punch thrown at him. Jou leaped back a few steps, avoiding strike after strike.
"You know, we don't have to fight..." Jou ducked under a punch. "Wanna play 20 questions?" he ducked under a right hook. "No?" Jou extended out his hand. "How about we thumb-wrestle?" he leaned away to avoid a left hook. "Okay, guess we're doing this then..." Jou lashed out with one of his chains but Miss Monday seized it with her hand. "Oh, crap..."
Jou was not ready to be spun around over the muscled lady's head. Jou clutched onto his chain to not let go of it while he was twirled about like a ragdoll. Miss Monday with a roar tossed Jou, his vision was rattled, and unfocused as he screamed in surprise. Jou felt his back hit a building, feeling his whole world spinning, he touched his head trying to clear his sight.
"Okay... that was new..." Jou groaned shaking his head. He looked up in time to find Miss Monday leaping at him, her brass knuckle raised. Jou rolled to the right, completely avoiding the brass knuckle nearly striking his face. He was crouched on one knee, seeing the large cracks a single punch did to the side of the building.
"I guess I should be flattered you went after me," Jou commented. "You could've gone after Zoro first."
"It makes no difference," Miss Monday claimed. "After I'm through with you, the swordsman is next. Now you die, Dual-Chain..." she sprinted at him with her fist raised, brass-knuckle ready. "Taste my Superhuman Brass-Knuckle!"
"Fade-Step," Jou took a step toward and avoided Miss Monday's brass knuckle, causing her to only punch the air and nearly lose her balance.
"Dual-Chain...!" Jou called out twirling his chains. "Revolver!" Miss Monday turned around as Jou struck her with both chains in the torso. Jou sped through her, the muscled lady behind him as Jou spun his red chain, flourishing it, and swung it onto his shoulder. Miss Monday spat blood and fell on her back with a heavy crash.
"Heh," Jou gave a short chuckle. "What did you say earlier?" he asked Miss Monday's unconscious body. "'Taste your brass knuckle'? Cause I didn't taste a thing."
[Nami POV]
Shortly after Nami left Jou with that fake nun she ended up in one of the many buildings to search for where they had the treasure hidden. She went about sneaking inside different buildings to find treasure by opening safes whenever one was found. Being a skilled thief she came in handy so unlocking safes was easy.
Unfortunately, Nami wasn't having any luck finding treasure here. Every single building she found was filled with nothing but useless junk and little to no treasure which caused Nami to groan in frustration.
"Oh, seriously...!" Nami sighed. "This is all the treasure they have?! This is a pathetic excuse for a bounty hunter's nest!" she put her hands on her hips. "Whiskey Peak is a thoroughly useless town!"
[No POV]
Luffy was still in battle with Mr. 8. The straw-hatted captain hoped for the fight to be fun, but it wasn't enjoyable as he hoped. The cannons in Mr. 8's tube-like hair were cool but the shots from them didn't affect Luffy's rubber skin. But at least the guy was tough and could actually take some punches.
"You're a strong one, Straw hat..." Mr. 8 remarked. "Maybe that 30 million placed on you wasn't a mistake after all. I wonder how your two crewmates are doing? Maybe they've been killed by the men I sent after them."
"Nah," Luffy shook his head, a plain look on his face. "Zoro and Jou are strong. They'll be fine."Multiple loud screams were heard from the side, being thrown into the air and scattered across the streets. Mr.8 found them to be the faces of the bounty hunters.
"What the...?" Mr. 8 gasped. Zoro appeared wielding two of his katana, making his way to Luffy's side.
"Zoro!" Luffy called.
"Luffy?" Zoro said. "What's the big deal? You didn't finish this guy off yet?"
"I'm just about to," Luffy stated. "What happened to Jou? Is he still around?"
"Not sure," Zoro replied. "He went the other direction. I'm sure he's alright."
"You let that swordsman get the best of you?!" Mr. 8 shouted at the conscious hunter. "And you call yourself a bounty hunter?!"
"W-We tried, sir! That swordsman's too strong!"
"What do we pay these guys for?" Mr. 9 remarked as he and Miss Wednesday appeared on either side of Mr. 8.
"These fools may have had no luck but maybe Miss Monday will succeed where they failed," Mr. 8 claimed. Everyone looked up at the sky to find a large shape cascading. The figure crashed to the ground as the bounty hunters scream in astonishment once they laid their eyes on seeing the motionless state of Miss Monday.
"Miss Monday!" Mr. 9 exclaimed.
"That's where your wrong..." a voice stated. "She failed just like the rest of these jackasses." All eyes turned to find Jou making himself known from the opposite end of the street and going to stand on the other side of the straw-hat captain.
"It's him!" Miss Wednesday shouted.
"It can't be...!" a hunter called. "He really beat Miss Monday?! Just what are these guys?"
"It seems we finally know why 'Straw hat' and 'Dual-Chain' have the amounts placed on them," Mr. 8 mentioned. "I guess the posters aren't blunders by the Marines."
"Yes," Miss Wednesday agreed. "And if we capture those two..." she stared at Jou and Luffy. "We would fetch a high price if we brought them in together."
"Even so, this is disgraceful," Mr. 8 groaned in frustration. "The boss put us in charge of this town and he's not going to be pleased if we lose to a few measly pirates."
"Your boss...?" Jou repeated. "Hey, Zoro? Do you know who their boss could be?"
"No," Zoro replied. "They never told me back then."
"Their boss?" Luffy wondered with folded arms. "I wonder how strong he is?"
"He must tough if he's the one that leads these morons," Jou figured. "Although, that could mean he's just as weak."
"We can discuss that later," Zoro told them. "We still got more to deal with."
"Well, then..." Miss Wednesday spoke. "Looks like we finally get to fight."
"Something you may not know...?" Mr. 9 mentioned. "In Baroque Works, the smaller an agent's number is, the greater their power, as well as their rank in the company. Take the two of us, Mr. 9 and Mr. 8, we're single-digit agents and don't forget Miss Wednesday. Our abilities are much greater than the riffraff you two have been fighting against so far tonight."
"I find that fancy titles mean nothing when it comes to fighting," Zoro remarked with a smirk. "The strongest wins and that's it." Jou and Luffy nod in agreement to those words. Everyone stayed still in the exact same spot they were in while a calm wind drifted through the night air.
"Igarappa!" Mr. 8 blew into his saxophone. Each of Jou, Luffy, and Zoro leaped away to avoid bullets that sprayed from it.
"Let's go, Miss Wednesday!" Mr. 9 announced running toward the pirates.
"Of course, Mr. 9," his partner replied. "Come here, Carue!" She whistled and from her call came a duck, adorned with a hat and goggles on its head and let out a quack in response. It had a blank expression while it pointed a single wing to the right.
"No! Come here!" Miss Wednesday yelled with shark teeth. She mounted on the duck's saddle on its back. "Now c'mon, Carue! Show them how fast you are! Leave them in the dust!" Carue quacked and instead of running, he sat down. "I didn't tell you to sit now, did I?!" Miss Wednesday became so agitated with her duck not meeting her demands and punched him over the head.
"Hey, it's a duck," Luffy pointed.
"Huh, strange..." Jou commented.
"These guys just keep getting weirder by the second," Zoro stated.
"Hahahaha!" Mr. 9 laughed at the pirates. "You all get distracted so easily! You better prepare for..." he pulled out two metal baseball bats. "My Bloody Bats!" Mr. 9 swung his bats at Zoro, the swordsman raising his blade to block it.
"Zoro!" Jou called.
"Jou, Luffy, leave this guy to me!" Zoro said.
"Alright," Jou nodded. "I guess I'm going after the girl." Jou found Miss Wednesday and her duck were gone and sprinted down the street to find them.
"Luffy, that guy's all yours," Zoro gestured to Mr. 8. "Finish him off already, will ya?"
"I got it," Luffy said bringing his attention to the tube-haired man.
"Hahaha!" Mr. 9 chuckled leaping away from Zoro. "You better be careful not to chip your precious blades." Zoro didn't make any sudden moves, only holding up his katana. "Hmm? What's the matter? Are you too afraid to fight me?" Zoro slashed at Mr. 9, the crown-wearing man blocking each attack with his bats, and skipped back gaining distance from the swordsman. "How about we try this? Here's my Homerun Sneaky Bat!" Mr. 9 pointed his bat at Zoro as a long chain extended out and coiled around Zoro's wrist. "Hahaha! What're you gonna do now, tough guy?"
Zoro said nothing and took hold of the chain and yanked Mr. 9 toward him. The crown-wearing man never bothered to release his bats. Once Mr. 9 was close enough, instead of Zoro slicing into the obnoxious man he knocked him out with the pommel.
"Cutting you down would've been a waste on my swords," Zoro remarked. "Didn't want to dull them by cutting you down."
"Igarappa!" Mr. 8 fired his hair cannons at Luffy, the boy effortlessly dodging the attack. "This is the end of the line, 'Straw hat'!"
"It sure is!" Luffy retorted. "For you!" Luffy sprinted toward him, throwing his arms back as they extended several feet. "Gum-Gum...!"
"IGARAPPA!" Mr. 8 shouted in an attempt to stop Luffy. His shots fired just missing Luffy, only knocking the straw hat off his head but that didn't stop the boy's advancement.
"Bazooka!" Luffy's arms shot forward, slamming his palms into Mr. 8's body. The tube-haired man's eyes rolled back as he was sent backward from the force of the attack until he finally slammed into a building and slid off the wall. Luffy stretched his arm to grab his straw hat before placing it back where it belongs as Zoro approached him.
"Guess that's that," Zoro stated.
"Yep," Luffy nodded. "Oh, yeah? Jou went after that weird lady. Should we go find him?"
"Nah," Zoro shook his head. "I think he's got it covered."
[Jou POV]
Jou left to find Miss Wednesday and her duck. He did see them rush off in this direction. How hard can it be to find a girl riding a giant duck? But Jou was having no luck finding them on the street so decided to leap onto a building and spot them somewhere up above. Jou stood at the building's edge, trying to see where the woman and her duck went.
"Looking for little 'ol me?" Jou turned and found Miss Wednesday, who was standing on her duck's back.
"Why don't you just make this easy and give up?" Jou asked as he approached her.
"Give up?" Miss Wednesday mocked surprise. "Why would I do that? When I haven't shown you this yet?" She giggled moving her arms above her head, striking a pose. "What do you think, bad boy?"
Jou stopped walking and blinked his eyes in astonishment, tilting his head. He didn't see this happening. Neither he or Miss Wednesday said a word to each other until the woman's smile faded, her eyes narrowing in a scowl.
"Why are you only staring at me like that?" she asked with irritation in her voice.
"I'm just very confused right now?" Jou wondered. "Are you about to try and kill me or seduce me?"
Once Jou said that everything went silent, neither of them saying a word for only a moment. Miss Wednesday seemed shocked why he would ask such a thing. He was just curious, that's all, Jou didn't know what kind of tactics she had planned. The woman's face seemed to flush a shade of red until she ground her teeth in anger.
"I am not doing anything of the sort!" she spat.
"Oh, good," Jou smirked. "I wasn't interested anyway."
"Besides, I wouldn't want to steal you away from your girlfriend..." Miss Wednesday commented with a smile.
"Huh?" Jou mouthed.
"The bossy navigator on your crew," Miss Wednesday stated. "Enough of this pointless talk. Just watch..."
"Quit the games already," Jou said treading toward her. Miss Wednesday smirked as she opened her hands revealing a pair of perfume bottles, one in each hand.
Perfume? Jou wondered.
"Now, enjoy my 'Perfume Dance'," Miss Wednesday declared.
She swayed her body with slow, deliberate movements, her hips shaking tantalizingly. Jou didn't know what was coming over him. It wasn't just the dance, it was the purple mist that started to swarm around him which found its way to Jou's nose. The perfume smelled good, but that was bad, it overloaded his senses and it started to become too strong for him. He shook his head to focus himself and covered his nose. But it was no use as Jou let go of his chains and dropped to his knees.
This isn't good! Jou thought worriedly. I'm starting to lose consciousness here!
"Hmm... good boy," Miss Wednesday giggled. "And now..." she held a little hoop around her pinky which seemed to be attached to a thin string and at its end was what resembled a colorful feather. "Peacock Slasher! Go Carue!"
Miss Wednesday rode on her duck's back, charging toward Jou. They were quickly approaching, thankfully Jou was still conscious and wasn't out yet. He found his red chain laying at his side and reached for it. By some luck, if Jou didn't get down to grab his chain, he would've been hit by Miss Wednesday's weapon which also caused them to run past him in the midst of their attack.
"You ran right past him!" Miss Wednesday shouted at Carue. Jou swung out with his red chain and wrapped it around Miss Wednesday's waist, yanking her off her duck. She gave a surprised squeak as Carue continued running across the building, eventually stepping off its edge. The duck seemed to realize it was suspended in the air, even attempting to run but its effort was futile when the duck found itself falling. Carue gave out a startled cry in the form of a quack and dropped to the ground below.
"Carue...?" Miss Wednesday murmured staring at where her duck had fallen and looking at Jou as he just frowned.
"You know, you're starting to make me feel sorry for you," Jou stated.
"Don't you think you've already won!" Miss Wednesday snarled.
"I already have," Jou smirked. "Now, thank you for flying air Kusari Jou..."
"What are you talking about...?" Miss Wednesday questioned with wide eyes.
"Please, keep your arms and legs inside at all times and enjoy the ride!" Jou exclaimed.
"Huh?!" Miss Wednesday mouthed, horror evident in her eyes. "No, wait!" Jou hoisted her up, lifting her over his head, jumping with a single twirl of his body, and threw her. If he had to be honest with himself, he kinda held back the power of the toss, so she didn't soar that far from their current building. Jou wrapped his chains around his wrist and looked out at the town, it seemed like the night was finally quiet with the bounty hunters finally taken care of.
[No POV]
Miss Wednesday who'd been tossed by Jou, sent her flying back to where Mr. 8 and Mr. 9 were. Her duck, Carue found where she made her crash-landing. All three agents were on the ground, previously beaten by the pirates.
"I... have a mission to complete..." Mr. 8 groaned weakly. "I must keep going."
The 3 of you lost against a few pirates?" a voice wondered. "Now that's just sad."
The agents looked and saw two others before them. One of them was a man in a red coat, a white 5 on the side. His hair was flared in dreadlocks, and a pair of red sunglasses. Next to him was a blonde woman wearing a yellow dress with lemons on it, a hat to match, white high heels, and holding a yellow umbrella.
"Mr. 5...?!" Mr. 8 exclaimed. "Miss Valentine...?!"
"Hahaha!" Mss Valentine cackled. "Well, that's clearly the difference between our rank and yours."
"You came here just to laugh at us?!" Mr. 8 growled.
"Nah, that's a bonus," Mr. 5 stated.
"Hahaha!" Miss Valentine chortled. "We're here under the boss's orders."
"Haha..." Mr. 9 gave a weak laugh. "With you guys here to fight we can finally defeat them. They don't stand a chance against you."
"That's right!" Miss Wednesday agreed. "Let's track them down and show them what Baroque Works can really do!"
"Heh..." Mr. 5 chuckled. "Seriously Miss Wednesday, you can stop with the jokes. We didn't come here to clean up your mess."
"You really think that we'd come all the way to the end of the Grand Line to hold your hands?" Miss Valentine remarked. "You're even more pitiful than you look."
"B-But then what mission are you here for?!" Mr. 9 questioned.
"You mean you haven't figured it out?" Mr.5 said. "There are people here whose crimes against the company are grave enough that the boss has sent us to deal with them. He said someone had learned their secrets. I don't know what secrets exactly and I don't wanna know but obviously, someone else did, and knowing them is against company rules. Our motto is mystery. Everybody's identity is to be kept strictly secret no matter who they are and if someone is dumb enough to nose around the boss's business. Well, then... that's crime punishable by death."
"So, while we were conducting our investigation to find out who had uncovered the boss' secrets we learned..." Miss Valentine said, going into a fit of laughter. "It turns out..." Hidden and unseen by the strange group was Nami, the navigator listening to the whole conversation behind a building.
"A rather high-ranking individual from a certain kingdom has somehow managed to infiltrate Baroque Works," Miss Valentine mentioned.
"A kingdom...?!" Mr. 9 repeated. "Wait! Wait! Wait! Hold on a second!" he shot up from the ground. "I may be wearing a crown, but I'm not a king or anything like that, I swear! It's just an innocent little hobby!"
"Shut up, you idiot!" Miss Valentine yelled. "You still don't get it? We need the people from Alabasta. They're the ones who angered the boss."
They know...? Mr. 8 thought worriedly. 'It's all over now!' Mr. 8 got to his feet, and pulled his tie, firing a pair of shots at Mr. 5 and Miss Valentine.
"Die! Igarappa!" Mr. 8 shouted. "You will not lay a hand upon our Princess! Not while the Captain of Alabasta Security still stands!"
"Igaram!" Miss Wednesday called. The shots released never affected Mr. 5 or Miss Valentine as they were both left unfazed by the attack from Igaram.
"Igaram, Captain of Alabasta Security," Mr. 5 stated. "And Princess Vivi Nefertari of Alabasta Kingdom." he held up a photo of Vivi. "We have come here in the name of the boss of Baroque Works to see if you're both eliminated!" Vivi had a look of terror on her face as Igaram stood in front of her and fired at the two agents again, blasting multiple blasts at them in an attempt to protect the princess.
"Go on!" Igaram shouted over the gunfire. "Princess Vivi! You have to escape!"
"Igaram!" Vivi exclaimed.
Smoke from Igaram's attack shrouded Mr. 5 and Miss Valentine. Something seemed to be sent out from the smoke and hit Igaram. Whatever it was exploded on impact creating a billowed cloud of smoke around him as it cleared away once Igaram fell to the ground on his face.
"Igaram!" Vivi called worriedly.
"Don't bother!" Miss Valentine shouted as she was floating in the air. She started to drop down to Vivi attempting to kick her but the girl avoided it by ducking her head, the band that kept her ponytail in place came apart causing her long light-blue hair to flow out. Vivi pulled out her Peacock Slasher trying to slash Miss Valentine but the woman dodged it by leaping into the air and gently landing beside her partner, Mr. 5.
"You mean you're really a princess Miss Wednesday?!" Mr. 9 questioned in surprise. "Oh wow!"
"A very busy princess right now, Mr. 9!" Vivi shouted with shark teeth.
"Princess Vivi..." Igaram groaned from the ground.
"Oh, Igaram..." Vivi gasped in worry. "You're hurt."
"Vivi... please..." Igaram said. "Forget about me! You must get away from here! For our homeland... if you're to be harmed, Alabasta Kingdom would suffer. Please, Princess, you must hurry!"
"If you think you can escape from us...?" Mr. 5 wondered. "You're mistaken," he commented while digging in his nose.
"Let's see if you can take me!" Vivi claimed whilst spinning her Peacock Slashers, getting ready to fight. She didn't have to as Mr. 9 got in-between Vivi and the two enemy agents, holding his bats. The sudden act surprised Vivi that her partner would rush to her defense.
"This whole Princess thing is pretty confusing but we've been fighting together for a long time so get going!" Mr. 9 exclaimed. "I'm going to buy you some time for a head start!"
"Thank you, Mr. 9," Vivi said gratefully.
"Heh, pretty manly of me, don't ya think?" Mr. 9 grinned. "Bye-bye, baby!" Mr. 9 called as he cart-wheeled toward Mr. 5 and Miss Valentine. "I hope you are prepared for this!"
"All the boss asks of us agents is to do our jobs and do them well," Mr. 5 mentioned picking a booger from his nose. "Forming such pathetic friendships is for the weak. It's time that you learned that...!" He outstretched his hand, aiming it at Mr. 9. "My Nose Fancy..."
"Bloody Bat!"
"Cannon!" Mr. 5 released his booger with a flick, hitting Mr. 9 directly. The explosion sent Mr. 9 flying backward into the water with a huge splash.
"Oh no!" Mr. 9!" Vivi shouted and knew she couldn't stay here and had to get away from the two agents after her, quickly mounting onto Carue. "Carue, run!" With that order, Carue started to race away with Vivi to escape the enemy duo.
"And off she goes!" Miss Valentine said
"She won't get far," Mr. 5 commented. "Let's go, Miss Valentine!"
"Right behind you, Mr. 5!" the woman followed her partner.
[Jou POV]
Jou, along with Zoro and Luffy were watching the entire scene from behind a building. They didn't know what was happening so they figured they should just stay hidden and let them deal with it. Miss Wednesday was apparently a princess. Jou wouldn't have figured that even when he tossed her in the sky without even knowing it. This is the first he's ever encountered a princess and they just got into the Grand Line.
"What was up with that weird guy...?" Luffy wondered. "He's got exploding booger powers?"
"Yeah, but it's still gross," Jou remarked. "What the hell is going on around here?"
"Who cares," Zoro told them. "Let's just wake up the others and get outta here." There was a weak groan from the ground. Jou looked down to find Mr. 8 or Igaram which was what the princess called him lying face down.
"He's still not dead...?" Zoro wondered. Jou, Luffy, and Zoro approached the injured man. The man quickly reached out with his hand, grabbing Luffy's ankle.
"You're not looking so good," Jou commented. Igaram lifted his head, his eyes pleading as he stared up at each of them.
"Listen to me!" Igaram shouted with blood pouring down his face. "I have the most unreasonable request but I need people with strength such as yourselves! Both of those villains possess Devil Fruit powers! And there's nothing I can do to stop them! That's why I'm begging each of you right now! Please, protect Princess Vivi of Alabasta in my place!"
Jou, Zoro, and Luffy all looked down at the Igaram. Luffy didn't move an inch at all, even with how tight a grip the man had on his ankle. Igaram continued his begging, his eyes going from left to right at the pirate trio.
"Surely you will be rewarded!" Igaram pleaded. "If you can safely deliver the princess safely to our home of Alabasta Kingdom! I am just a humble servant but I'm begging you to do this! Please protect the Princess! I beg you!" Jou knelt down to Igaram's level, taking him by the wrist and causing him to release Luffy's ankle.
"I get it," Jou told him. "You're obviously not strong enough to protect your supposed princess..." he narrowed his eyes. "But you people have been trying to kill us the whole night and you want us to help you? No deal, jackass."
"Hey, now hold on, Jou..." a voice called from one of the rooftops. Everyone looked up and saw Nami, seated on the edge of a roof, a playful cat-like smile on her face with a leg crossed over the other. "I say we hear him out..." she insisted with a chuckle. "After all, he did say we'll be rewarded."
I bet you all weren't expecting that. Not just Jou, but Luffy, too. I mainly did it to avoid you guys reading the exact same thing that happened in the manga and anime. I just want it to feel like Jou actually causes change to happen hence why he went to wake up Luffy.
In this chapter, something almost happened. Let's just say, I didn't want to spoil it once it does happen. You'll find out what it was later.
On another note, I got a job. So, updates could slow down because of that. Other than that, this story is still going.
I'll see you guys next time!
Later!