Emotions are dangerous. Travelling the sea is dangerous. Being a pirate is dangerous. What could go wrong combining the three?
The Straw Hat Pirates continue along the Grand Line and encounter new friends and old enemies. Darkness looms above one o...
Danni Well our first island with me in the crew is coming up! This is so exciting! Although the island doesn't look...great.
It is completely barren, the only trees seemingly dead and lifeless, the sand a dull colour. Almost grey, like ash, the sky determinedly overcast. "Think they'll have any nice meat?!" Luffy asks from his usual sitting position, turning to us and wobbling slightly. "Careful, you idiot!" Nami orders, as bossy as the newspapers make her out to be as she puts her hands on her hips and glowers at him. "If you fall one of us has to jump in to save you!" "Nami is so beautiful when she's angry!" Sanji comments, love hearts more or less appearing in his eyes: Zoro rolls his looking rather fed up of this. I giggle: I have the feeling that every island will be fun with this group. "Let's go explore!" Luffy says with a grin. "Gomu Gomu no Rocket!" With that he launches himself to the beach, landing on the balls of his feet in the sand. "He is totally going to launch himself into the sea again soon," Nami mutters, stomping off. Well at least he'll have the crew to save him from trouble...like they always do...Heh.
As we walk around it becomes more and more clear that something is wrong. There are ruins of formally beautiful buildings- which we only know that from Robin's comments. "Recently destroyed too," she adds. "It's possible that those who did it are still here." I hear a small 'eep' sound: I glance at Usopp but he doesn't expand on the cute eep. I mean. Uh... Um...Not cute...Oh shoot. Thank God I didn't say that aloud. I decide not to comment on it because I probably will just end up embarrassing myself. "There are also flakes of dried blood," Robin adds. "Given the colour it isn't old, at all. And there is a lot of it so there is a lot of violence I'm guessing." "You know, all of this has reminded me I have IfIGoThroughThisDeadlyIslandI'llDie Disease," Usopp comments, looking increasingly more worried. "I'd better go defend the ship!" "Scared, Usopp?" Sanji asks with a smirk. "I...No! The brave captain Usopp isn't scared of anything!" Usopp protests with an indignant expression, crossing his arms. I doubt anyone is buying it except maybe Nova who seems to buy anything and everything.
We eventually get to what seems to be the main area where there are buildings still intact but they seem like the smallest wind would send them flying away, the derelict walls and ceilings more patchwork than structure. There's little to them but there are small glimpses of individuality. A washing line adorned with colourful and tatted clothes, some drawings in the stained window which are clearly drawn by a child or someone with little talent, a swing chair which seems straight out of a horror book. There are people who seem absolutely terrified, giving us wary looks. "What is with this place?" Nami mutters: I have a feeling we'll find out soon.
A little girl- maybe six years old- runs over, short blonde pigtails bouncing up and down in time with the skips in her step. "Are yu the Stwar Hat Piruts?" she asks with a noticeable lisp. We all nod. "Are yu going to beat up the bad guys?" "Yes!" Luffy says with a wide grin. "What bad guys?" "Luffy don't agree to fight people you know nothing about!" Nami snaps. "Why not? The little girl wants us to," Luffy retorts. "And there are bad guys to fight! Fun!" He turns to the little girl. "What bad stuff did they do?" "They killed people and overtook the iywund," she says, tears forming in her eyes and running down her cheeks. "My mummy and big bwother were killed and my daddy is hurt and the gwron ups say he may not make it cus all the doctors were killed." "Right. We'll take them down," Nami promises her, changing her tune completely. It makes sense though: the same thing happened to her so she clearly doesn't want this little girl's childhood to be ruined. "Reawwy?" she asks: Nami nods. "Yay!" "Chopper, you go with her," Luffy instructs. "Try to help her Dad and anyone else who needs it. We're taking these guys down."
We all head towards where the little girl said they are, except for Chopper who goes with the little girl. There is definitely going to be a fight. "Nova? You do know how to use that bat, right?" I check. He nods. "Good, because I think you'll need it..."
Nami These guys are going down and I don't care how powerful they are. I don't care if they pay me millions of beli to leave them alone. From what I have heard these guys are like Arlong and no one deserves to go through that. I'll take their money then take them down because yeah, I won't refuse the chance at money. I think everyone is aware of that by now and I don't care.
We reach the outside of the base and the silence says it all. These people are messed up beyond belief. Skulls are on spikes around the entrance, dried blood on them. The only thing that bites back being sick is pretending that they're fake and paint although I am pretty positive that this is legit. "These guys are clearly messed up," Robin says in her usual calm voice, looking at one of the skulls. "This isn't old and it's a child's skull." Child's skull...what the actual fuck? That's vile. I mean skulls on spikes are vile anyway but this somehow got worse. Luffy throws open the door and storms in, the rest us following through the dimly lit, poorly decorated building that holds the slight stench of decaying flesh. Ugh, this is vile. "These guys have totally gone too far," Luffy says, cracking his knuckles. "They are totally going down!" This is one of the times I agree with him. "Agreed," Sanji says, putting cigarette out with his shoe on the carpet. Ordinarily that would be rude in someone's base but the carpet is already stained with red and what looks (and smells) like vomit. I cover my nose with my hand so my vomit doesn't join it.
Luffy pushes another door opens and we step into what looks like the main room. There are several people lounging around, sharpening large weapons, a few throwing knives with curved blades at targets. "Who the fucks are you?" one demands, glaring in direction, his left hand noticeably an extremely sharp battleaxe. "Yo boss, they look like the pirates who are always in the newspaper," one says, sitting by a canon, his yellow teeth pulled into an unpleasant smirk. Someone really needs to be introduced the idea of toothpaste. "Hmm, interesting," he says with a laugh. "Kill them, I'll take down their pathetic leader." Now he really is asking Luffy to crush him – he looks even more pissed off- so this guy won't be a problem.
One of them aims the canon at Nova throughout the fight which is generic as fights go. They are the same as all others we go throughout. Well. The ones that are other in minutes given the better fighters all of us have taken down. Nova knocks the canon right back with more force, going right into the guy's gut. He coughs, face draining of colour and crumples to the floor unconscious. Nova grins cheerfully, twirling the bat back into the holding place, all the idiots here in varying states of unconsciousness. The leader flies halfway across the room, slamming into a wall, a crack forming on the stone. Easy to say we won this one! I kick the unconscious guy I was fighting in the head to make sure though because really, fuck these guys.
"Was that necessary?" Zoro asks, rolling his eyes. I glare at him. "If Nami~San did it, it must be necessary!" Sanji says. "Whatever you say curly brow..." Zoro says. "Shut it moss head!" Sanji retorts. Yup, some things will never change and that includes these two being annoying. Although it is cause for amusement and, as much as we all like him, they won't be as annoying as our captain. "Well let's go let the townspeople know that they're free of these guys," I say, giving the guy one final kick. "Oh and Nami? We're giving them the money," Luffy says. I huff. "All of it. They'll need it to get back on their feet." "What about supplies?" I ask, knowing we're running low. Luffy shakes his head. "We'll have to make do til the next island," Luffy says. "It won't be fair to take anything off them after what they've been through." I open my mouth to protest, then look at Luffy's unusually serious expression. And, yeah, he's right. Even I have to admit that. If we take anything from this island now we are no better than the oppression they've been under. Or, even worse, Arlong.
We may be pirates, yes. But we aren't like Arlong or Crocodile or Kuro. We have a line that shouldn't be crossed. We actually care about people. Very rarely that gets in the way of money so I should maybe try to accept that.
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