Chapter 2: Beware the Kitsunami! Zoro's Task and Helmeppo's Lie.
Hello! Welcome back to Lightning Strike on High Seas. This time, we'll introduce Zoro, Luffy's Official first mate, and another member of the expanded crew from the Sonic side. I don't want to add too many extra characters from the Sonic side of things to Luffy's crew besides Surge and Kit, but I will give hints. Throughout this story, new gaps in the crew that the Straw Hats didn't even know needed filling will get filled. Surge, once she joins officially, can scout out places faster. As for Kit… well, you'll see his position demonstrated in this chapter.
Even better news, we also get to touch base with another major player in this newly unified world, but… not in the way you might think. Keep Zuffy's interference in mind after all.
With that being said, I've kept you all waiting long enough! As always, all characters, unless otherwise stated, belong to their respective owners.
One Piece and its Subsidiary Series rights belong to Toei Animation, Funimation, Fuji TV, and Eichiro Oda.
The Sonic the Hedgehog series as a whole is owned by Sega.
Please Support The Official Releases of both!
Text and Italic Guide
"Speech"
'Thought'
emphasized words and FlashBack text
[Insert Music]
Special Moves
Devil Fruit Descriptions, Character Titles, and Location Names
Cover Page Side Story - Series One – "Genesis Scramble – Diamond Edition" Part 1
A group of Mobians consisting of a Yellow Wolf, a White Sheep, and a Lemur with a long tail, are all found collapsed at the shore of Swallow Island in the North Blue. Six floating, multicolored, squid-like beings try their best at waking them all up, as the blocky, blue, three-eyed one stares towards the camera in curiosity. A shadow looms over the three Mobians ominously.
An Unknown Island, located somewhere in the East Blue (Year 1522)
A black boot kicks the window off the wreckage of the Egg Wily Machine on the island's shore, making it shatter onto the sandy shore with a resounding crash. Who it belonged tow was… not unknown as he climbed out of the wreckage, grumbling and cursing not only his former collaborator but the being that ruined his plans in the first place… white bald head growing as red as the nose over his glorious bushy brown mustaches as his thoughts drifted towards… the hedgehog…! No, no. It's the chaos factor, the unknowable variable. His assurances calming him down as he pushed up his glasses to hide the whites of his eyes- wait… he just saw them in the eyewear's reflection. His sclera was white instead of black… they're white now?
[Insert - Sonic The Hedgehog(2006) OST – "Dr. Eggman Appears"]
Realizing he was on the shoreline of an island, he rushed towards the shoreline to inspect what else had changed. Relief washed over him as his changes were minimal at worst. While his body was fully organic again, he still stood tall at 6 feet 3 with his burly frame, he still had his favorite red coat adorned with four golden buttons on each side of the chest, each accompanied by white straps running to additional identical buttons on the back. He inspected the Egg Goggles on his head and was confused at the new anti-hypnotism feature. He didn't remember- instantly he clutched his gloved hands to his face as new memories flooded his brain, of places he's never been, people he's never seen, plots foiled that looked awesome… but were dismantled when they went out of control by a stubborn platypus that wanted to share control of his world. His empire. No… Dr. Ivo D. Robotnik would not share Gaia with anyone but himself.
Wait. He stood up straight. D? Gaia? He growled as he walked back to the wreckage, "Stupid Genesis Wave altering my history… Orbot! Cubot!"
No one seemed to answer him. He could have sworn Orbot and Cubot were in the cockpit with him when he crashed into that accursed Blue Rodent. As he was about to climb it, he heard the rapid footfalls of a group of people behind him. He turned towards it, glaring until he recognized the insignia on their uniforms. They were wearing an insignia that matched his face, and they were wearing a white version of his uniform.
Before he could ask anything, they all lowered their weapons and saluted him. "Captain!" The nearest one exclaimed happily, taking off their helmet to reveal that they were… mobian? A mobian fox at that. "We were worried when you went missing a day ago! I thought the marines held you up, but sure enough, here you are on the shore of potential Eggman territory!"
He paused at that, jumping down and landing in front of him. He stroked his unkempt, bushy brown mustache in curiosity. His personal history was changed by interfering with the hedgehog, and that cloud entity must have done something else to hinder the restoration process… so… what did that mean for him now?
"My…" He asked, his glasses gleaming as newfound curiosity filled him. "… potential Territory?"
"Don't you remember, sir?" The deer mobian tilted his head, his companions each looking at each other, confused. "We're on this island to expand our operations to Roger's old stamping grounds, the East Blue. It's a perfect way to show the World Government that the 5th Emperor of the Sea, Dr. Eggman of the Eggman Pirates, means to take the world after he finds the One Piece!"
Ivo, or rather Eggman, found his eyes widening upon hearing that. He fought back the urge to grin, new knowledge of a bested former rival proclaiming where he left everything filling his head. "And… refresh my memory, lad," he said as knowledge of what used to be the Dark Egg Legion slowly converted into something more… his style in this new world. "How large… is my Egg Fleet now?"
"Ummm… I believe 200 or 300 ships strong, with Egg-Bosses leading each division splendidly in the grand line."
The mad doctor begins chuckling to himself before increasing his volume. The chuckle grew into a mad cackle as he reveled in this newfound form of victory… while his subordinates joined along with him in confusion (a few younger members tried to abstain, but the senior minions elbowed them to join, not wanting to undergo any consequences for not laughing). He might not be able to conquer Mobius anymore, but now… ohoho, now~! He has an entirely new world to conquer, and if his new memories are correct, the hedgehog hasn't been spotted in years. If there's no Sonic… then there's no one who can stop him now!
[Insert - End]
Shells Town, Yotsuba Island Region in The East Blue (Year 1522)
"So… This place is 'Shells Town'?"
[Insert – Sonic Advance 1 OST - Neo Green Hill (Act 1)]
Surge, Koby, and Luffy stood in the middle of the island's plaza. For a pirate, Luffy sucked at navigation. Koby was the one who managed to sail Luffy and Surge to the Island, and… he was great at it! Calling it the bare minimum an aspiring marine would need to join the Navy. If Luffy were a more ruthless person like her, he'd keep Koby forever… but he was Luffy's friend (and Surge's, but she would rather die than admit it), and they needed to honor his wishes. "Yeah, it is!" Koby said bashfully, "But… if you're going to survive on the sea, Luffy, you need a navigator. You can't keep floating around aimlessly." Then, as if to prove his point, the moment Koby and Surge took their eyes off Luffy, he disappeared and reappeared in front of a merchant selling apples.
It wasn't the most remarkable Island in the region or even a remarkable town, really; the houses and shops were normal fare for any other island town. The most remarkable thing on the island was the naval base at the end of a long straight street in the middle of it. Eyeing the base, Surge drew parallels to the old abandoned nuclear power plant towers from her original world, only covered in holes where cannons were situated. Made sense; they needed to defend themselves in case pirates attacked.
"What a cool place," Luffy exclaimed, food in his hands as he ate ravenously, "No Wonder Zoro lives here!" The rookie pirate began walking around the market, eyeing anything interesting.
"Luffy, listen to me," Koby ran after him, "I know you're hard set on Zoro being a part of your crew, but you gotta be more realistic!"
"I am being realistic," Luffy said as Surge caught up to them both, "I really think he has a place on the crew."
"That's not what I-!" Koby closes his eyes, takes a deep breath through his nose, and clasps his hands together, regaining his composure, "Luffy. Zoro is a Pirate Hunter. You're a pirate. Those two concepts. Don't. Mix. At all!"
"Well, if he's a good guy," Luffy said, stopping in front of a restaurant called Food Foo. "Then I'll ask him if he wants to join!"
"He's IMPRISONED precisely BECAUSE he's not a good guy, Luffy!"
Surge sighed and opened Food Foo's restaurant doors. With tensions running high, maybe some food was needed to prevent Koby from manhandling the Rubber-Man. Thankfully, she was correct. After ordering their respective meals and eating them, Koby seemed a lot calmer. It was silent for a couple of moments before she cleared her throat.
"So… Luffy. You gonna explain what that 'Devil Fruit' business is about?"
"You don't-" Koby started, but interrupted himself once he thought about it more, "Right, you don't know most things about the Grand Line, so you wouldn't know anything about Devil Fruits. Well… if you eat one, you gain a random superpower. Some of the strongest users can become mythical animals, bend the elements to their will, or…" Koby motioned a thumb towards Luffy, who was stretching his mouth to make room for more food, "Well, do that. We don't know how many of them there are, but we've managed to record over 100 of them."
"So these fruits are powerful, eh…?" Surge stroked her chin, a dangerous grin forming. New ideas and possibilities to even the playing field in case a familiar cocky blue jerk showed up again began filling her mind.
"There's a catch, though," Luffy added, interrupting her thoughts, "We can't swim! Anything deeper than knee-deep stillwater weakens you to where you can barely move, and if you're in a lake or, god forbid, the sea, you sink like an anchor. Plus, anyone really stupid enough to attempt to eat another Devil Fruit when they've got one already explodes."
"What?"
To add emphasis to Luffy's statement, he made an explosion noise with his mouth.
"I'm good," Surge blurted out. The message is clear: never let herself or Kit eat any weird-looking fruit in this world.
Luffy chomped off another bite of meat, but talked with his mouth full, "But Surge, I could have sworn what you had was a lightning devil fruit."
Surge frowned, about to share something before Koby interrupted. "Well, it could be the adaptation of her Mobian Speed Gene."
"'Mobian Speed Gene?' What's that?" Surge and Luffy asked in unison. Surge's voice was dumbfounded and confused, but Luffy's reflected the excited stars forming in his eyes.
"Uhh… well, the exact science isn't in-depth, but I read a section about it while studying inter-island diplomacy. Mobians can accelerate themselves to points past human perception by harnessing internal Chaos Energy. We don't know what causes it, but due to the Mobians' connection with the mythical Chaos Emeralds, the Speed Gene can manifest their abilities in different ways depending on their personality… kinda like devil fruits… but weaker and more chaotic."
Surge paused in thought. This world was… strange to say the least. At the very least, though, this explanation gives her the chance not to revisit the harder times from her original world. So… she adapted. "Oh… Oh! I mean, duh, of course it is!" She laughed uproariously, trying her best to hide her deceit, "Yeah! Mine lets me store electricity to speed myself up!"
For a moment, her eyes dart towards Luffy's. He's staring at her intently, as if he's slowly digesting information that she was hiding. Did… Did he not buy it? By some miracle, he stopped staring and turned his attention back to Koby. "Well, Koby, I guess this is it. I hope you join the Navy and become a great Sailor!"
Did he change the subject for her sake? She set it aside, looking towards Koby, tears welling up in his eyes. "Th-thank you, Luffy! If it weren't for you and Surge-"
Forgetting about herself for a moment, she passed him a napkin and gave him a small, toothy smile. "Think nothing of it, kid. You're stronger than you think."
Koby wiped his eyes with the napkin, still crying, "I hope you both become great pirates… even if it means we'll be enemies moving forward!"
"What kind of talk is that?" Luffy asked, "We might part ways or be on opposite sides, but we'll always be friends!"
Almost as if to affirm that she thought the same way, Surge gave him a light punch to the arm, "You better not hold back on us either!"
Luffy smiled at her before turning in his chair, "First things first, we gotta learn where Roronoa Zoro is-"
There was a loud rumble of people fleeing their seats in response to the name. The trio shifted their glance to the other restaurant goers, all of them huddled on the other side of the building, fearfully. Leaning towards Surge and Luffy, Koby covered his mouth so that the customers couldn't see him whispering. "You probably shouldn't say that name here… maybe I can calm them down by changing the subject."
Both nodded as they turned back towards their conversation. "Well," Koby said aloud, "I hear Captain Morgan runs the base here-"
[Insert - Stop]
There was an even louder clatter of abandoned plates and silverware as all the customers fled the restaurant in fear. The only people left were Koby, Luffy, and Surge. Now… Surge could understand why the people were afraid of Roronoa Zoro from the stories Koby told her about him. However, if the marines in this world are so respected and revered… why the hell would they be afraid of Captain Morgan?
(LSHS)
A bit after their visit to Food Foo and the uncomfortable silence that came from the various implications of the townspeople, Luffy and Surge walked Koby up to the Naval Base. The pinkette was way farther ahead of them, but Surge took the opportunity to touch base with Luffy. "Before I say anything else… I just wanted to thank you for..."
"If you don't want to say what was bothering you, I'm not going to force you to," Luffy interrupted bluntly… but not dismissively. "I don't care about my friends' histories, I care about my friends. If they want my help, then all they have to do is ask."
Surge stopped walking and stared at him. Friend... the word is almost foreign to her. He might be the dumbest person she knows now as far as raw intellect goes… but now she figured, maybe Luffy wasn't a fool when it came to reading people. She fought back a smile as she smacked her palms to her face. She needed to focus, find Kit, and then figure out the rest from there. "Did you still want to say something?"
Luffy had stopped, with Koby looking back at them both, being further ahead but not willing to leave either of them in the dust, as he motioned for them both to follow. Surge shook her head and walked with Luffy. "R-right…" She stammered in uncertainty, "Is it safe to leave Koby here? Like, yeah, granted he wants to be a marine, but… does he have to enlist here if people are afraid of the captain this much?"
Luffy rubbed his chin and looked up at the sky. He did that for a while before shaking his head. "Well, we'll be here for a bit until we find Zoro and he joins the crew. So if this Morgrim guy is trouble, we can take care of him quickly and find another base for him to enlist."
Surge chuckled at the obvious mispronunciation. Whether Kit likes him or not, Surge liked the rookie's style. It would be nice though… even if she didn't like Sonic's stupid friends (or rather a particular few of them)... she would be lying if she wasn't at least curious about what having a group of people she trusted was like. Her thoughts were interrupted once she realized they were at the front gate of the naval base… and Luffy and Koby had climbed the wall to peek into the courtyard.
[Insert Start – Sonic Adventure 2 OST - Trespasser]
"Idiots," she let out an exasperated sigh as she climbed up the wall with them, taking the rightmost side to them both. "Oi, catch me up what are we looking-" Surge stopped herself as her eyes registered what they were looking at. It was a man in what seemed to be his late teens. He had a white shirt, green haramaki around his waist, black pants, and a distinctive black bandanna on his head that hid his messy green hair. Guess multicolored hair wasn't restricted to Mobians in this world, then. Neat.
The man was alone in the dirt-filled courtyard, tied up to a cross-shaped post by his arms and set up in the most uncomfortable position she had ever seen. "His appearance matches the rumors…" Koby shivered; she assumed the fear was making it hard for him to maintain his grip. "That's Roronoa Zoro…"
"All we need to do is untie him, right?" Luffy stated simply, almost like it were as easy as inviting someone over for tea. While Koby was busy chastising him for his nonchalance, Surge was analyzing the situation a little more closely. This Zoro guy had to be strong to become the most feared bounty hunter in all of the East Blue, right? Yet here he was, captured in the courtyard. For that matter, why even arrest him in the first place if he was making the marines' jobs easier, that's the point of the bounties after all! What about-
"Get lost!"
An unexpected voice cut through her thoughts as she finally realized that the bounty hunter was staring straight back at her. He then spread his attention to Luffy and Koby as he finished his statement, his voice hoarse and strained, "You all are eyesores…"
"Well, you heard the man Luffy," Koby stammered, trying and failing to pull his attention away from the bounty hunter. "Let's see if we can't find someone in town who-"
There was another interruption caused by a wooden clatter. Turning to her right, the direction it came from, she saw a little girl who couldn't have been older than 6 or 7 climb up the wall with a tied-up bag made of cloth. She had brown hair, pigtails, and a striped sundress. Not the most typical choice of dress for someone who seemingly wanted to view the most notorious Pirate Hunter, but something else was amiss. Surge could smell something sweet coming from the makeshift bag the little girl had. "Hey, kid, whatcha-?"
The little girl shushed Surge, making her turn her head towards her two acquaintances with the most appalled, offended, and incredulous frown on her face. Koby shrugged while Luffy giggled at the sight, but the attention was on the Little Girl as she climbed over the wall and ran towards Zoro's position, the bag of what Surge assumed to be food was being clutched tightly to her chest.
"Oh no," Koby said, face paling, "Stop her! Zoro's gonna kill her!"
Before Surge could step in, Luffy stretched his hand over to her and put his palm on her shoulder. She stared at him, confused, until she looked into his eyes. He was taking the risk seriously, but… was he testing the waters to see how Zoro would react?
"I thought I told you," Zoro said, attempting to keep his voice low but couldn't due to the sudden intrusion, "They'll kill you if they find you here."
'Red Flag.'
"W-well…" The little girl stammered, holding up the food towards him. They were neatly made rice balls. "You haven't eaten in almost a month, so… I made you these! It was my first time making them."
'He hasn't eaten in almost a month?!' Surge almost screamed in her head, 'How is he alive? Is every human in this world a freak of nature?'
She didn't have a chance to ponder further, as she saw the glint of something in one of the windows. A Sniper Rifle. They had Snipers posted on the base in case he escaped! She looked over at Koby and Luffy, while the pinkette was focused on how bizarre the scene was and the small bits of information on how wrong the marines were acting here, Luffy was also looking in the direction of the sniper rifle… but also not.
As she traced his glance, she saw a blur of blue and yellow jump out from some shrubbery near the building. Initially, she thought it was him, but she paused, focusing further. The blur was Argentine blue instead of cobalt, there was eggshell white fur on his muzzle and his teardrop-shaped chest instead of peach skin, and what the newcomer was wearing wasn't red sneakers at all, but rather… yellow boots with black tips. Of all places he could have been…
"He was here?"
(LSHS)
[Insert Skip – Techno Cinema - Imposter Syndrome]
The little girl was back. Again. Zoro was trying to get her to leave again. The young Fennec Fox was posted at his position, making sure that whatever was going on, Zoro would survive the full month with him around. He was his best bet for finding Surge.
"P-p-please…" he begged the bounty hunter, not sure what to do. "I-I-I was carrying my… my big sister away from a fight, a-a-and now I don't know where she is."
"Does it look like I know where anyone is, kid?" Zoro deadpanned. "I don't have time for this right now. I can't protect you from the snipers posted up there, and I have to wait until my deal's over before I can leave."
Kitsunami, or Kit as he chose to be called to dissociate himself from Starline, paused at his words. Looking up at him, "Do you think they won't just shoot you to dishonor your deal?"
"...Shit."
"I can prevent that from happening," he monotoned, and there was an ominous purple glow in his eyes. "In exchange, you help me find her when this is over."
Most people, when Kit's more ruthless nature was finally shown, would probably slink back in fear. But this regular human man, not even an eccentric genius like that diva Dr. Eggman, fired back with his terrifying response, "Deal. Unless you think you can't back up your end of the deal, little man?"
Kit regarded the memory with little relevance. Ridiculous. Of course, he could back it up, he was molded precisely to be backup. He wasn't Surge, but he was still a big enough threat to keep people on their toes. To prove his point, he blocked gunfire 9 different times today alone – protecting Zoro as if they were firing at her. She was green, he wore greenand had green hair – they were similar enough for his mental programming to deem him good enough to listen to and support.
He powered on his hydro pack, a yellow and oval-shaped backpack-like device that allowed him to store water for use with his natural hydrokinetic powers, and leaped into action. For some reason, since waking up in this strange new world, he was faster (but not as fast as Surge, of course) and could perceive time a quarter of a second quicker than he could prior, and it allowed him to see two shots fired at Zoro and the little girl. Extra water needed to be spent. Surge wanted love and affection from the masses. Surge would be mad if he didn't try to help her as well. It was a simple choice.
He opened his Hydro-Pack's valves and constructed a shield made of water in front of himself as he landed right by Zoro and the little girl. Should he throw the two bullets back at the sniper? No, it ruins his plans. It would escalate things, make it seem less like the sniper was crazy, and make his job harder. "No one will believe you…" Kit had his tendrils drop the bullets to the ground, ignoring the exaggerated shouts of amazement in the distance as his matted, messy hair darkened his brow. He made his amethyst eyes glow menacingly as he shouted this last command to the sniper to make sure they had heard him. "Get Lost."
The Sniper, getting the message, did not need to be told twice as the rifle dropped carelessly from the 2nd story window, making it fall and break upon impact. Kit let out a sigh and let himself relax. Chaos in the Sea and Gaia below, how did Surge keep up the intimidating aura all the time? Dismissing the water back to his pack, he turned towards Zoro and the now amazed little girl, "Sniper dealt with, Mr. Zoro."
"J-Just Zoro kid," he replied, a sweat drop forming, "You earned it."
He smiled, about to go back to his post, before he noticed the gate open. The captain's brat again…
[Insert Stop]
(LSHS)
Of course, he was here. He was right here in front of her and she couldn't do anything but watch as this stuck-up, blond helmet haired little pissant wearing a tacky purple suit (or at least she assumed he was a stuck-up pissant given how he just strolled in with his twin marine entourage like he owned the place). "You look alarmingly well, Roronoa Zoro," He sneered, swiping the food away from the little girl as he spoke. He eyed the kid and Kit, if he even laid one finger on the short Fennec Fox, she was going to make trademarks on his gray matter. "Visitors? You know, there are no civilians allowed on a naval base as a punishment is carried out, let alone giving food to prisoners!"
[Insert Start – Pirate – One Piece OST]
He got into the little girl's face, smiling as he looked down his nose at her. She could hear someone gripping the stone next to her tightly. 'Well, Luffy's taking this about as well as I-' When she turned to look, she froze. Luffy was just as surprised as her, as both watched Koby's hands tighten around the makeshift hold so hard he was making himself bleed. "BLEGH! WHAT DID YOU PUT IN THESE?!"
The loud gag drew her attention away from the short boy as she watched the Jerk in the suit growl at the little girl, "You're supposed to put Salt in rice balls, not sugar!"
"B-b-but…" Tears began forming in the little girl's eyes as she stammered out her justification, "I thought they'd taste better sweet instead of savory…"
Before anyone could do anything, he threw the apparently sweet rice balls to the ground and stamped on them repeatedly. Occasionally, he would grind his shoe on them as the little girl cried for him to stop desperately. It was a sickening display as Surge found herself picturing the sweet little girl from the Clean Sweep tournament who expressed support for her in the human girl's place. For some reason, it made her grit her teeth in anger.
"I-I…" She hiccuped, kneeling towards the ground as she picked up the remains of one of the rice balls. "I worked so hard on them..." The purple suit wearing moron motioned to the two marines wordlessly. They initially stood their ground in silent protest until he sneered and waved a paper in front of them. Looking down at the ground in shame, one picked up the little girl by the arms,
"Didn't you hear the decree, little girl?" the Jerk said ominously, "Captain Morgan himself let everyone know that those who help criminals will be executed…"
The little girl gulped, and before Kit could step in, the other marine grabbed him in the same manner. He needed at least one arm free to activate his pack. He was in danger! "Looks like even a brat like her remembers how scary my dad is~!"
"Dad?" Surge asked aloud, Luffy's voice unifying with hers.
"He's Captain Morgan's son?!" Koby asked in incredulous anger. Now it made sense to Surge. His daddy's got power and an iron grip on the town, and he's taking advantage of that. The gross little shit just made himself even more disgusting with his behavior.
"Toss 'em over the wall." He ordered coldly.
"B-but sir, they're children!" The one holding the human girl (who was struggling to get out of his grasp) retorted, finding a bit of courage to speak up. "The fall and force might critically injure-!"
"DO IT! Or do I have to get my Dad on you…?"
Both marines stiffened up and resigned themselves to what they were about to do. She did notice both marines whisper in their respective captives' ears right before both kids huddled in on themselves. Did they… tell them to compress themselves to take away from the impact? No. She couldn't ponder further, they were about to...!
"Surge, catch the girl!" Luffy said suddenly, "I got the Blue Guy!"
[Insert Stop]
Before she could protest, both kids were thrown over the wall. Surge immediately ran down the wall and rocketed back up, using the momentum to launch herself high and catch the little girl out of midair. She landed with both feet on the ground with a loud thud, shrugging off the impact as she looked up at how Luffy planned to save Kit. Luffy's rescue was… nowhere near as graceful. The rubber man jumped and stretched his arms to grab Kit and pull him closer to his body, allowing himself to be used as a cushion as he rolled back onto the dirt trail leading to the base. His straw hat landed gently on the ground next to him.
Surge set the little girl down before the human could thank her, not listening as she rushed over to Kit and Luffy, Koby following her just as fast. "It's fine…" he assured, the Fennec tight in his grasp, "We're okay."
Surge sighed in relief before adjusting herself. She wasn't worried about him, nope, not one bit! "W-w-why did you help me?" Same old Drippy, cringing when he didn't need to be. Luffy stared at him like he had grown a second head. "Isn't it obvious? You're important to my friend, so you're important to me. If she won't join my crew, then I'll at least make sure you're safe."
Surge paused in realization. He would have saved Kit regardless of whether she wanted to join his crew or not. For that matter, he wanted to save Kit because he saw her as his friend. She could see it if she were already a part of his crew... but he just met her yesterday! Why did he-
[Insert Start – One Piece OST – "Gold and Oden"]
"Y-y-your friend? Who's-" Kit stopped when he finally registered who he was talking about and stared at Surge. She found herself tearing up, at least before she wiped them away and looked away from him in a huff. She didn't miss him at all. Nope! She... had something in her eyes! Yeah! And like a good big sister, she didn't want to give him the wrong idea… yeah! That was it!
"Took you long enough to notice, Drippy," She said, the warm tone in which she said the insult taking away from the bite. No other words were needed as he rushed into her arms and started crying out his usual apologies for matters he couldn't have predicted, which made her assure him it was alright. The surrogate siblings were together again… they could breathe easy with a friendly, familiar face. As she was about to thank him, she noticed Luffy don his straw hat again as he jumped over the wall and walked towards Zoro.
"That idiot! Wait here," She ordered Kit, subsequently climbing back up the wall to provide him with backup. The marines and that brat were... gone. They had left Zoro there alone. Huh. She would've expected him to stay longer to gloat. Surge let herself sigh in relief as she powered herself down. Wait. She was expending charge and didn't realize it? Was it because she thought Luffy was in danger? Ugh, it doesn't matter; she'd better see why he's talking to Zoro.
(LSHS)
Zoro, at this point… was emotionally exhausted. He was glad both kids were okay, but now he had to deal with this straw hat wearing kid and his neon green companion that not even a moment ago was letting loose electricity from her body. What is with the uninvited visitors today?
"So~!" Straw-hat beamed, "I hear you're a pretty bad guy! Strung out here for all the town to see!"
"Is there a point to this?" he grumbled impatiently. It was already torture enough that he had to stand here for 21 days and even deny the food from that little girl, but now he had to deal with this idiot. "You can't afford to stay still here. Helmeppo and his father's men could come back at any moment."
"So… how long was Kit helping you?" the green one asked, ignoring his warning. Huh. Mobian… just like the blue kid. She had similar yellows and blacks to her shoes and other clothing, like the blue kid's.
"He just appeared yesterday on day 12," Zoro assured, "Offered to help me last my remaining 9 days here. You must've been the one he was looking for then."
She turned away, hiding an embarrassed blush, "W-w-well… he didn't need to be concerned about me anyway."
Zoro grinned at that, "Heh. Well, I'm glad you found him… tell the kid I'm sorry that he wasted his time here, but I can take care of the rest."
The green one paused for a moment and nodded, looking towards Straw-Hat to see what he'd say next. "So you've gone 12 days without food? Wow~! I wouldn't have lasted nearly as long."
"The point," he almost growled, "Get to it."
Straw hat sighed and looked up to the sky, "Geez, I was just complimenting you! But the point is, for my dream, I'm looking for good and strong people to join my pirate crew. Was originally gonna ask you, but you got a bad reputation."
Zoro paused at the mention of dreams, absorbing the rest of the information with a light chuckle, "Bad rep, eh? Well, I guess I follow your logic – if I had said yes, you untie me and I join your crew from then on."
"Yup!" He replied simply, eyes closed and grinning widely like an idiot. "But I haven't decided yet if I want to extend the offer... at least not yet, anyway."
"Well, keep it – I don't need your help. Morgan's dumb-ass son promised me I'd be out in a month, and 9 days is nothing. Once this is over with, I'll be free to pursue my dream!"
The straw-hat man stared into his eyes, and for a moment, Zoro could swear he saw… interest in his eyes. Not only that, but… pride? In someone he barely even knew? "I see~!"
The greenette rolled his eyes, "You and I are different, and our goals clash. You already got her," referring to the only other green individual in the courtyard, "on your crew. You can find someone else."
Immediately after saying that, Straw-hat began looking around, "Who?"
Zoro's pupils disappeared in blind rage as his eyes bulged out of his socket, his rage filled yell joined by a more feminine one as they shouted in unison, "I'm/He's referring to her/me, dumb-ass!"
"Ohhh," He said, before turning towards Surge, "I thought you said you weren't joining unless I got your brother to join too?"
"Yeah, but- wait," she said, "how did you know he was my brother? We're not even the same type of Mobian!"
"He reminded me of how I was with my brother, plus how you reacted was how he would have if he knew I was in danger."
The tenrec and Zoro paused at that. He was nowhere near as dumb as he was letting on. "Er… before you go… can you pick that up and throw it into my mouth?"
Straw-hat and the tenrec stared at the crushed rice balls on the ground. Both of them looked at him and pointed straight at the ruined food in confirmation. "Yes, those," he growled, opening his mouth up wide for emphasis, "The little girl worked hard on them, least I can do is finish 'em for her."
Straw-hat… smiled as he picked them both up (the tenrec was fighting back the urge to vomit as he did) and tossed them into his mouth. Oh god, this was a horrible mistake. Was it bad because of it being the girl's first time cooking, or because that trust fund brat never cleaned his shoes? Don't think, Zoro, swallow! Swallow, for god's sake!
"Jeez, man," The tenrec said as she watched him struggle to swallow it, "that was mostly dirt, you trying to kill yourself here?"
"Tell the kid…"
Both tilted their heads towards Zoro in confusion.
"Tell the kid… it was the best thing I ever ate in my life."
Both of them gave him a small smile before they left. Whatever they were testing him for, he passed… apparently. For pirates… or would-be pirates, they didn't seem half bad. If they get big, maybe he'll reconsider. But he can't do anything so long as he's stuck here. 9 more days. Hold out for 9 more days, Zoro… For your dream. To become the world's greatest swordsman… he'd endure it tenfold.
[Insert Stop]
(LSHS)
"He liked it?!"
Luffy smiled as he took in the glow of the little girl beaming happily at him, "Yup. Ate every last bite too!"
The group retreated to Food Foo, the restaurant that was owned by her family. Each one of them was sitting around a table by the window as Luffy ate ravenously. Surge and Kit were seated close to each other, squeezing his hand under the table to let him know he was safe and she wasn't leaving him. While the little girl giggled happily at the news, Luffy turned his attention towards Kit. "So you can morph water with your mind, right?"
Surge grimaced, seeing a familiar, dangerous glint in Luffy's eyes, which she appropriately named "Join-my-crew vision." She needed to change the subject, not only because this would force an answer out of her (and she was dangerously sure she would be saying yes when she wasn't ready), but also because they had more pressing matters. Instantly catching the discomfort, Kit spoke up. "Yeah, but… should we leave Mr. Zoro like that?"
"He has a point," Koby added, "For a dangerous pirate hunter, he didn't seem evil at all."
"That's because he isn't," the little girl interrupted, "Everyone in town's afraid of him… but he let himself get captured in my place."
All 4 outsiders listened intently as she told them everything that happened. Her name (which was Rika), that her family she was attacked in the middle of her family's restaurant by one of Helmeppo's out of control coyotes, and that before she could hit it with her broom – Zoro stepped in and cut it down instantly, wounding it but not killing it outright.
"So that's why he's in there," Kit said, rubbing the bottom of his furry white chin in thought. "The captain's brat put him in there out of revenge…"
"It makes sense," Koby added, pushing up his glasses with his now bandaged hands, "Pirate hunters only ever go after outlaws and pirates with bounties. So he wouldn't ever go to prison or be imprisoned for that."
"So the only reason he's there," Surge leaned back, growling as her cobalt blue eyes watched the ceiling, "Is because the idiot townspeople are so scared of Morgan that they believe whatever he tells them to."
"Yeah," Rika confirmed with an annoyed huff, "Helmeppo and Captain Morgan are the bad ones here, it's just... no one wants to do anything about them."
Before Luffy could say anything, the restaurant doors were kicked down by Helmeppo. The townspeople who weren't staff instantly got out of their seats to make way for him, bowing as he sat down at the table next to the group. "I'm hungry! You hear that staff, the great Helmeppo and his bodyguards want a free meal!" Helmeppo guffawed loudly, as his marine bodyguards looked at him with disgust. If they're so opposed to what he's doing, shouldn't they do something about it?!
"Quit Dawdling," he bellowed to a terrified waitress, "Hurry up and bring me some booze!"
She did what she was ordered and brought him a whole platter of food, which he stuffed into his mouth piece by piece. Surge couldn't help but recall how the Mobians back home blindly worshiped Sonic before dismissing the thought entirely. Much as she hated the Blue, stuck-up snob, she had to admit he was a decent goody-two-shoes like Koby underneath all the ego. This brat and what little she could assume about his daddy, however, there was no fondness in how he treated them at all, no respect, and certainly no patience. Only disdain. He was high off the power and all it could give him, and she hated him for it.
"It's been sooo boring lately, even Zoro's giving me anymore fun," he yapped, not even bothering to swallow the mush in his mouth before speaking again. "So I'm just going to ask Daddy to execute him tomorrow!"
Surge's pupils shrank as the idiot in front of him said that so casually, guffawing boisterously as if he said the funniest thing in the world. She dashed out of her seat, hearing a second chair fall as she did, as she and her unknown assistant delivered an uppercut to him from where he was sitting, with two loud cracks coming from his jaw. It was the most satisfying punch she's ever thrown since she came here, but before she could deal any more punishment, the second assailant beat her to the punch. It was Monkey D. Luffy, giving him blow after blow as the townspeople watched in awe.
She would assume that the only reason they weren't cheering for Luffy was because of Morgan's influence… but she saw that it certainly didn't stop a couple of them, even the two marines with Helmeppo, from letting themselves smile. The beating didn't stop until Koby ran in to hold him back. "Stop it, Luffy!" Koby shouted, deeply restrained anger evident in his tone, "He's not worth it!"
"Y-you hit me!"
[Insert Start – One Piece OST – "Overtaken"]
Duh! Of course they did, and if Surge was correct, given how she and Luffy were thinking the same thing earlier, they'd do it again even harder if given the chance. "I-I-I'll tell my dad on you," he babbled nonsensically.
"Bring him over then!" Luffy dared him, holding the back of his fist towards Helmeppo threateningly, making him shrink in fear. "I'll give him double what I'm giving you! Especially for raising a spinless wimp who can't even finish what he starts!"
"B-but Luffy," Koby asked nervously, "Do you want the navy to come after you all-"
"Let 'em come!" Surge interrupted, planting her foot onto Helmeppo's chest and knocking more wind out of him. She ground her sneaker into his chest as she let the words in her head flow freely, getting caught in the moment, "Me and Luffy are pirates Koby, and if all navy captains are power-hungry little shits like him and his father, then we'll dance on the ashes of their burnt down empire without a second thought. Right Kit?"
"Right, ma'am!"
There was Kit's confirmation. She needed to teach him to think a little more independently. But still, turning back for them both now. "So… captain Luffy," she said, ignoring Helmeppo's demands to let him go or he'd sic his father on them, "What'll we be doing now?"
Koby let Luffy go, "Sorry if this ruins your chances, Koby… but I'm making my decision now."
Koby's eyes widened in surprise, pupils shrinking as he immediately knew what he was getting at.
"You aren't seriously suggesting-!"
"Yeah… I've decided," He stated, eyes narrowing as he walked out of the restaurant, "The bowl-hair isn't going to let Zoro free if he has his way… and the town's too scared to stand up to him and Morgan. If we're going to recruit Zoro, we have to stop them from breaking their deal by breaking it ourselves first! We're busting Zoro out… and he's joining my crew!"
To Be Continued
Chapter 2 done and dusted! Now, to address some of my changes.
Zoro's Sentence. I mixed in the manga justification for why he ended up in the Shells Town base with the anime's justification. Those who read the manga might even notice that I omitted Helmeppo sneaking in to beat Zoro up while he was tied up, and that was purposeful. I wanted to make it slightly more believable that his problem was nurture rather than nature. Snipers being posted in case Zoro tried to escape also seems a little dumb since he's tied up, but I wanted it to be a little more overt that had Morgan had his way: Zoro would never leave the base alive.
Eggman is the 5th Emperor of the sea. It's a sonic crossover, guys, you didn't seriously think I'd leave Eggman out of the fun, did you? So I made him the 5th emperor of the sea and captain of the Eggman pirates. Why a pirate? Well, he isn't the type to join his empire's hands with the 20 nations, he's dangerous enough to pose a threat to the Celestial Dragons, and he gives orders… he doesn't take them. He's a conqueror through and through, and his being a king, a warlord, or a government scientist wasn't doing the threat level he posed enough justice, especially if he didn't have the push and pull. Plus, I have other sonic villains (and heroes *wink-wink, nudge nudge*) across all the comics and games in mind for those positions.
Will Luffy, Surge, and the Straw Hats fight the good Doctor in the future? Yeah! Is it going to be soon? No… at least not in person yet. For now, the foiling of his plans is going to be a little more casual and unaware until the final arc of Book 1. I have a short original arc planned after Arlong Park, and I think you guys will be excited for what I have in mind and who I have in mind for the 3rd extra member from Mobius.
With that out of the way, a little update for all of my exclusive audience! At the time of finishing this chapter, I also posted the director's cut version of the story to A03. While this version serves as a decent way to read the story, every chapter I finish or am close to finishing, I go back to the previous chapter to add some extra details, a bonus! This time was a polished version of the Eggman Reveal in this chapter. So… more story coming with updated experience as a writer. will get the changes eventually once a book is finished (or an arc if you follow my other story), so if that sounds fun and you want to see the changes early, check it out!
Any comments, feedback, or concerns with the story help it grow a lot more than you think, and I'll address questions from here on out about the story's world on all platforms in SBS-like panels before each introductory author's note.
Otherwise, I'll see you all next time in chapter 3! Make sure to Comment, Review, and Favorite!
