"Who the hell are you?"
"I'm Luffy. The man who'll become king of the pirates, and I'm gonna kick your ass."
The captain snarled at the declaration. Without hesitating, he swung his legs down from off the table in front of him and slammed the palm of his hands down onto it, forcing himself to stand. He slowly approached the crew, his aura radiating evil intent. "You're messing with the wrong person, bastard. Don't you know who I am?" he said with a malicious grin.
Luffy merely glared at him in response with a deep frown.
"My name is Viper. I'm an elite pirate with a bounty of 70 million Beli and you've got some nerve, squirt." he reached down inside his pocket to pull out a handgun and placed his finger on the trigger as he pointed it at Luffy. "I'll consider sparing your life once I hear you beg for mercy."
"I don't care who you are, I'm still gonna kick your ass."
Viper growled and immediately pulled the trigger, a loud bang echoed throughout the bar. Seconds later, the bullet was sliced in half, the two pieces of metal landing on the ground with a 'clank'. In front of Luffy stood Zoro with a smirk, sword in hand.
The captain let out a low growl and lunged forward towards the crew.
"Gomu Gomu no.. Jet pistol!" shouted Luffy as he proceeded to stretch a rubbery arm out to strike Viper right square in the face, causing him to go flying back into the wall on the other side of the bar. Dust and debris flew about and a moment later after composing himself, the captain roared. He was livid.
"Get them!" he yelled out and then all hell broke loose.
"Cinco Fleur!"
Dismembered arms wrapped around the necks of several goons.
"Clutch!"
They fell to the ground with a vicious 'snap' as Robin twisted their necks violently. Zoro was occupied slashing away at another group of underlings whilst Sanji wiped out several others with a swift kick. Chopper and Franky were inconspicuously trying to extract the townsfolk who still remained inside the bar.
Viper dusted himself off and had a deep scowl on his face. He charged at Luffy, however, the raven-haired captain effortlessly dodged the swings and punches that came his way. "Go to hell!" screamed Viper as he struggled to keep up with Luffy's agility.
Nami used her Clima-Tact to create a flurry of dark clouds above them. "It's time for some thunder!" The navigator held her weapon tight and swung it forward. "Thunderbolt Tempo!" suddenly a flash of thunder struck some of the underlings and they instantly collapsed, their flesh charred black and sizzling.
After a while, all the underlings were taken down by the Mugiwara crew and only the captain remained. Luffy had to admit, the bastard was persistent but his strength could not come close to that of the raven-haired boy.
"Viper! Your face is really starting to piss me off!" said Luffy. "Gomu Gomu no.. Jet Gatling!"
Luffy delivered multiple powerful blows to Viper's face, causing him to crash into the ground for good. His face was bloodied and he laid on the ground, arms and legs sprawled out. He coughed up blood and struggled to stand. Although he was successful, he instantly collapsed on the ground, falling unconscious.
After a few moments of silence to ensure Viper was taken care of for good, there was a sudden eruption of cheers and clapping. Outside the bar, a group of onlookers gathered to applaud the defeat. Stepping outside to see what the ruckus was about, the crew found themselves smiling awkwardly at the sudden crowd that whooped and hollered. They were no strangers to praise, however as pirates, they found it unnecessary to bask in it and avoided being called "heroes".
"They did it! They defeated Viper and his gang!"
"Yatta!! That's what the Mugiwara crew is capable of!"
"Our saviors!!"
"Shut up! That doesn't make me happy at all, you bastard!" announced Chopper cheerfully as he blushed and wiggled his body about, the rest of the crew chuckling and standing tall before the crowd.
Blaze sprinted up to Luffy and bowed his head low with gratitude. "Mugiwara, the town and I are immensely grateful. There was no doubt in our minds that you could defeat him. Thank you!" he raised his head back up, a look of relief washed over his face. "If there's anything we can do to repay you, please don't hesitate to ask".
"You got any food?"
This idiot...
Nami sweat-dropped and raised her arm to elbow the captain gently against his side. "Luffy!" she retorted sotto voce.
"What? I'm hungry!" he said with a pout.
Blaze cracked a smile and let out a hearty laugh. "Of course we have food! Better yet, let's throw a feast to celebrate, on the house of course."
Luffy's mouth began to water at the mention of a feast and he had no objections. He always welcomed being thanked in the form of food. The raven-haired boy reached into his pocket to retrieve a baby Den Den Mushi and phoned the ship.
"What's up, Luffy?"
"Usopp, come meet us here and tell Brook to bring his guitar. We're having a party!"
_______
If there's one thing the Mugiwara crew enjoyed, it was a grand soirée with lots of food, music, and laughter. The bar was packed with a plethora of townsfolk. The news had spread across the island that Viper had been defeated, and many of the citizens had gathered at the bar to celebrate the victory. Brook was preforming one of his songs while Luffy, Usopp, and Chopper all stood on top of a table, kicking away together to the beat of the music. Zoro was engaged in a drinking contest with a few other men and so far, he was in the lead. Sanji sat on a couch in the corner of the room surrounded by a few women, he had hearts in his eyes as he swooned over them and vice versa. Robin and Franky sat at a table conversing amongst themselves and Nami sat at the bar.
"They're quite a rambunctious bunch, aren't they?" Blaze stood across from Nami on the other side of the bar, wiping down some glasses as he enjoyed the sight with a bright smile.
Nami's elbow was propped on the counter of the bar and she held her chin in the palm of her hand, sipping away on a fruity cocktail she had ordered. "A rambunctious bunch indeed." she said with a chuckle as she turned around to eye her crew.
"You probably hear this all the time, but I admire you, Nami."
"Me?" she turned back to look at him and blinked, raising an eyebrow questioningly.
He nodded in response.
"And why is that?"
"My father was the navigator of a pirate ship. Unfortunately, he lost his life at sea when I was a young boy."
"I'm sorry to hear that."
"Thank you, Nami. He taught me so many things about weather patterns and cartography. I don't think there's a single soul that doesn't know about your exceptional navigational skills. After hearing about you, my love for navigation only deepened. You serve as an inspiration for many."
Nami's jaw slackened a bit and her cheeks caught a beautiful shade of pink. She was at a loss for words. The navigator wasn't used to getting genuinely complimented on by strangers unless it had to do with her looks or her body, so she was appreciative of the praise that came her way. She felt a sense of pride swell within her and she smiled wide, showing him her pearly whites.
"Thank you, Blaze. That's very sweet of you. If you like, I could share with you my most recent studies?"
"Please, by all means." said the bartender with a grin.
From across the room, Luffy observed the scene unfold in front of him. He saw as the pair converse at the bar, Blaze not taking his eyes off of his orange-haired navigator for even a moment. They spoke for a while and Nami seemed to be enjoying the conversation.
That's weird... Why is she smiling so much?
He saw her blush at something the man said, thing that left him thoroughly perplexed. The captain felt a pull in the pit of his stomach and his chest felt strange. It hurt, but not the way it usually does when he thinks of Nami. He came to the conclusion that he didn't like the feeling, and Nami speaking to Blaze seemed to have been the source of his discomfort.
What are they even talking about?
He saw Blaze getting close to her, squinting at the sight.
Nope. Too close.
He had always had the bad habit of being selfish when it came to sharing the things that brought him immense joy, and was a habit that he had no intention of giving up any time soon. This time was no different.
"Oi, Luffy?...Earth to Luffy?"
"Hm?" he hummed without looking away from the pair.
Usopp waved a hand in front of Luffy's face in attempt to get his attention, but he refused to peer his eyes off the pair and found himself encompassed with a really unusual emotion.
"You alright?"
"...No."
Nami would get upset with him, but he didn't care anymore, he just wanted her far away from the auburn-haired man. So that's what he was going to do. Not wanting to waste another second, he stormed off.
The sniper shuddered at his changed demeanor and watched as his captain promptly marched his way across the room to the bar with his fists balled at his sides. It looked as if he was on a mission. There was a slight frown on his face, and Usopp felt pity for whoever had just rubbed his captain the wrong way.
Nami and Blaze were still deep in conversation, discussing different weather patterns of the New World that she had witnessed thus far. They were both laughing and Blaze was leaned forward over the bar, inches away from Nami. Luffy eyed the man with a savage look in his eyes.
Too close. Too close.
When Nami noticed Blaze's eyes waver, she looked at him questioningly and then she heard the slapping of sandals hitting the ground getting increasingly louder. Luffy approached her and she turned to look at him, her eyes slightly widening.
Why does he look upset?
"Luffy? Is something wrong?" she asked.
Without a word, the raven-haired boy took Nami by the hand and whisked her away from the bar, completely disregarding the befuddled man behind it. She gaped at him with wide eyes and wanted to give him a good scolding for rudely interrupting her conversation, but refrained from doing so when Luffy tightened his grip on her hand, making her stomach flutter.
"Luffy?" she called out once more.
Still not responding, he tugged her along with him until they made their way outside.
Most of the crew had witnessed the unusual interaction that just unfolded before them between their captain and navigator and only one word could come to mind as they all exchanged curious glances.
...Interesting
To be continued..