"Luffy": talk
"Sabo": whisper
"ACE": shout
"Gomu Gomu no": the skill's name
'idiot': thinking
<Joyboy>: voice of all things
-Into the story-
It was an unusual peaceful day for the crew, because usually they would hear the sound of their captain and sharp shooter running around while playing their childish games with each other. But that silence didn't stay long as Luffy suddenly jumped up excitedly, and held out a black flag with a poor drawing of a white skull with a replica strawhat with Luffy's.
"It's done! Our Jolly Roger"
The three crewmates then stopped whatever they were doing and looked at the abomination in Luffy's hands. Each one of them had a different expression on their faces. Usopp was the first one to comment.
"Isn't a pirate's flag supposed to make others fear when they look at it?"
"Well, it sure looks scary, but I'm more scared of his talent to be honest", Nami said while placing her hand on her head.
"He still nailed it though. If I'm his enemy, I will definitely run away because of cringe". Zoro smirked
Luffy then put his hands down and pouted at his crewmates. The captain knew he wasn't the best when it came to art, but it couldn't be that bad, right? Usopp then walked up to Luffy and took the brush inside one of the painting buckets near them.
"Your draft is.....terrible, Luffy. Let's a pro with 50 years of experience like me show you how it's done"
"It's not a draft. Besides, doesn't that make you an old man", Luffy pouted quietly while sitting in a corner.
Usopp then started to paint another Jolly Roger for the crew. But the thing was that Jolly Roger wasn't the same as Luffy's. The flag has a white skull with brown hair and a long nose, a brown hat with striped patterns, and a slingshot in place of one of the crossbones. Zoro and Nami were speechless as they saw the second flag in Usopp's hands. Luffy rushed to Usopp and gave him a bonk on the sniper's head as soon as he saw the flag.
"WHO TOLD YOU TO PAINT YOUR OLD FLAG, DUMBASS"
"Now, now, they said the third time is a charm, right?" Nami calmed Luffy down
Usopp then attempted to draw the flag again, but this time it was a perfect Jolly Roger for the Strawhat Pirates. Luffy looked at it with satisfaction and nostalgia, while the others were grinning happily.
"Alright, Usopp! Now on the sail", Luffy said cheerfully.
After everything was done, Luffy suddenly felt sad as he remembered their old times. Even though the captain had lowered his hat to hide, Zoro had noticed it ever since he joined Luffy. The swordsman then decided to ask his captain later.
Suddenly, they heard someone calling to the den den inside Luffy's room, which was the captain's quarter. Luffy then rushed to his room and left his crewmates to go back to what they had been doing before he showed them the flag. The captain quickly picked up the receiver and asked
"Hello?"
"Luffy? Where are you right now?" A cold voice spoke up
As soon as Luffy heard the voice from the other line, he immediately realized that this was his beloved uncle calling. Well, this was something he could foresee, since they were close to Baratie and Mihawk would arrive there to have a battle with Zoro, but he wasn't sure if this time his uncle would show up again.
"Uncle Hawkey! We're on our way to Baratie", Luffy answered cheerfully.
"Are you going to show up again?" The captain asked.
"Yes, I need to check Zoro's skill, it has been quite a long time since I last saw that kid. Tell Zoro to prepare, and Perona is going to come too."
"Sure, I will tell him later."
"See you soon then"
"See ya", Luffy said, then hung up
Suddenly, Luffy heard a sound of canon fire, so the captain went to check what was going on. As soon as he came out, Luffy saw everything was just like it was before, nothing changed, so it wasn't the enemy attacking them.
"What's going on?" He asked.
"I-I.......I hit it! I HIT THAT ROCK!" Usopp, who was standing behind one of the ship's canons, shouted happily.
"See! You are a talented sniper". Luffy smirked proudly at Usopp.
Usopp was happy to be praised by the captain, but then he turned to Zoro and gave him a smirk as if he was provoking the green-haired man. Zoro slowly opened his eyes and sent a deadly glare at Usopp as a warning, and it was very effective, as Usopp was hiding behind Nami while his whole body was trembling and his face was really pale. Looking at them, Nami had to give out a tired sigh, who knew pirates could also act childish like them. Luffy then remembered what happened after Usopp fired that canon the last time, so he turned to Nami and ordered
"Nami! Take us to that rock."
Nami quickly complied while the others looked at Luffy with a questioning look, but then Zoro noticed two familiar presences and one of them was very weak as the ship came closer to the rock. The swordman figured out that Luffy might have sensed them before him.
As the ship had finally pulled up near the rock formation, all of a sudden a figure jumped up to their ship, his hand was holding a sword. He then started to shout angrily at them.
"YOU DAMN PIRATES! YOU SCUMS DIDN'T JUST ATTACK US WHEN WE ARE VULNERABLE, BUT NOW YOU EVEN WANT TO FINISH THE JOB BY COMING HERE! IT WON'T BE THAT EASY..."
As soon as the figure caught the sight of Zoro, he immediately stopped and looked at the swordman with a disbelieved look on his face.
"Z-Zoro-aniki?...You're a pirate now?" He asked.
"You guys know each other?" Nami asked.
"Yeah....something like that", Zoro answered Nami, his hand was scratching his neck.
"Johny....Where is Yosaku?" Zoro asked worriedly, as he had figured who the weak presence belonged to.
Johny's shoulder dropped at the mention of his friend, he then made his account of what happened. As soon as he told them about the canon that shot them, Usopp quickly felt guilty, his face had a blue tint while his body was trembling again.
"I-I'm so sorry!" Usopp apologized while bowing at Johny.
"Take your friend onto our ship", Luffy said.
Hearing this, Johny felt like his friend finally had some hope, so he quickly obeyed. As soon as Johny carefully took his friend into the Going Merry, Luffy then gave out order again
"Nami! Take a look at him, will you?"
Nami then once again complied with Luffy's order. After a while of carefully checking, Nami then looked up at them.
"Is he going to be alright, Aneki?" Johny asked.
"I'm not a doctor but his condition clearly said that he has scurvy", Nami replied.
"Usopp! Go to the kitchen and get some limes from the fridge, squeeze it and bring it here" Luffy commanded.
Usopp then went to the kitchen and followed Luffy's instructions hastily. He then came back with a cup full of lime juice. Luffy took it from him, slowly approached Johny's friend and helped the poor man drink it. Nami and Usopp were impressed at how Luffy knew how to handle the situation.
"Luffy, how do you know what scurvy is and how to handle it?" Usopp asked.
"Well, it's a well-known disease when you're sailing on the open sea like this, isn't it? Besides, having a bunch of brothers who were doctors can be quite handy", Luffy answered.
"OK, he should be fine in a couple more days" Nami said after Luffy was done
"Really? Aneki, Anikis? He's going to be OK?" Johny asked in relief.
"Stop calling me Aneki!" Nami said, slightly angry.
"And yes, he should be fine soon. Just make sure he has enough Vitamin C in the future", she continued.
Just as Nami finished, Yosaku suddenly got up and looked at his hands while his face showed his disbelief. Yosaku was thinking that this was some kind of a dream, but then he caught the sight of his friend, Johny. Yosaku's tears flew from out of nowhere, which caused others around him to be shocked
"I'm.....I'm alive! Johny, I'm alive", Yosaku said Johny's tears had also started to flow down
"He's better! What a miracle!" Johny said.
Then both of them began to dance around the ship, celebrating Yosaku's recovering. Later on, Luffy and Usopp also decided to join in, which caused Nami a headache from their child-like behavior. Not so long after that, Yosaku slowly passed out again, Johny once again mourned for his dear friend. The crew looked at the duo speechless while Luffy just laughed it off like usual.
"Like I said, it should be a couple more days not now, idiots. Let this be your lesson! On an endless sea, anything can happen, so we have to carefully prepare for our long journeys", Nami said.
"Then let's find a cook!" Luffy said playfully.
"If you guys want a chef, then I know a place that sounds promising for you guys" Johny said.
"You don't have to, Johny, I already have one in mind and I'm sure Usopp knows him quite well". Zoro looked at Usopp and gave him a smirk which made Usopp's face heat up.
"Where to go then?" Nami asked.
"Baratie" Zoro said
"ALRIGHT! EVERYONE, TO BARATIE!" Luffy shouted excitedly.
Two days later, everything was normal on the Going Merry. But then the excited voices of Yosaku and Johny broke the crew out from what they had been doing.
"Zoro-aniki! Luffy-aniki! Nami-aneki! Usopp, we've arrived" they both said while running to the crew.
"I told you to stop calling me that, didn't I?" Nami said coldly, which made the duo feel scared.
"Why am I not aniki?" Usopp grumbled while crossing his hands.
"So that is Baratie!" Nami said.
The group all showed different expressions when they saw the flowing restaurant with a fish figurehead. Usopp and Zoro were normal because they had known this place since they were kids. Nami was smiling and gave out a small whistle as she examined the restaurant. Johny and Yosaku had an awe look because this was their first time actually seeing the restaurant. Luffy was looking at it with full excitement, he couldn't wait to meet his favorite cook again. He even jumped up and down to show his excitement while grinning like an idiot he was.
"Seems like we have company" Zoro said.
As soon as he finished, a Marine ship pulled up next to the Going Merry. The hunter duo, Nami and Usopp suddenly stiffened as they saw someone walking onto the deck of that ship.
"Filthy pirates! I've never seen your flag before. I'm Lieutenant Ironfist Fullbody. Who is your captain? Identify yourselves scrums", the Marine officer said with a disregardful voice.
"I'm this crew's captain! My name is Monkey D. Luffy, the man who will become the pirate king", Luffy said proudly as he stepped forward.
"Our flag was just made a couple days ago!" He countinued thankful that Usopp didn't butt in this time
"Consider you're lucky, I'm only here just to eat. But the next time we meet, your life will be forfeited"
That was what he said, but as the ship was close to the restaurant entrance, Fullbody turned to the on-duty Marine and pointed his thumb down to the ground.
"That ship is an eyesore. Sink it"
The Marine then obeyed his command and went to prepare for the canon. Fullbody then noticed a lady standing near them, so he quickly took her hand and led her inside.
"Come on darling, our food is waiting". Fullbody said
On the straw hat's side, they quickly realized that the lieutenant wouldn't let them leave that easily, so they waited for the Marine's next move.
"LUFFY-ANIKI! THOSE BASTARDS ARE FIRING AT US" Johny yelled frantically.
Usually, Luffy would gladly take the canonball and shoot it back at them, but this time he didn't have to stay and work for the old man Zeff, so he didn't want to risk it. Luffy turned to Zoro, who the swordman quickly received an unspoken order from the captain. He then readied his two swords and jumped up facing the canonball. Zoro then gave it two simple cross cuts on the canonball, then jumped down and put his swords back. The canonball quickly exploded after that and created a big wave on the sea surface. Suddenly, Luffy shouted as he saw them keep firing.
"USOPP! FIRE BACK!"
"YES CAPTAIN!"
Johny and Yosaku then helped Usopp prepare the canon while Zoro and Luffy took care of the enemy's canonballs. After a while, a canon fire could be heard, but it was from Luffy's side. With just one shot, Usopp had succeeded in sinking the Marine ship. Now they were truly shocked as all of them turned to Usopp at the same time, which gave the poor sniper a spooky feeling. Everyone thought they would have a second or third shot to take down the ship, not in one go.
Going Merry, then slowly went past the Marines who panicked at the sight of the ship slowly sinking. Each one of the crew members then gave them a provoking look or mischievous smile which pissed the Marine off pretty quickly.
"We're going now! See ya" Luffy said while sitting on the railing of the ship, smiling widely.
The Strawhat Pirates then all went into the restaurant, only leaving Johny and Yosaku outside to watch the ship. They quickly met a waiter with a large build at the front door of the restaurant.
"Hello you horrid scrumbags. I'm Patty, and I'll arrange your seat"
The crew all sweatdropped at the man, they wondered how he could say something vulgar like that, but could still sound so sincerely. After Patty had led them to their seats, Fullbody suddenly burst into the restaurant with a clearly pissed off expression.
"YOU DELINQUENTS! HOW DARE YOU SINK OUR SHIP! I'LL SHOW YOU WHERE YOUR AUDACITY WILL LEAD YOU TO" He shouted at them.
The crew all turned to look at him with an uninterested look. Nami then gave out a tired sigh and spoke with a patient voice.
"You attacked us first, of course we would fire back. What do you expect us to do then?"
"I EXPECT YOU ALL TO DROWN LIKE THE USELESS SCUMS YOU ARE!" Fullbody continued to scream and didn't even notice the uncomfortable look that the other customers had given him.
"Well, too bad. It won't happen" Nami said teasingly.
"Piss off or I'll kill you! We came here to eat and find a cook, not babysit a manchild" Zoro coldly said while giving them a dead glare, and put out his sword a little to threaten them.
Fullbody didn't seem to take the threat seriously. The man then stomped over to his crew's table with a dark, vengeful scrowl, but he was stopped by a blond-haired chef with spiraled eyebrows who walked toward their table and ready to take order.
"Welcome to Baratie, and call me Sanji"
Sanji then looked up from his small note to have a better look at his customers. The strawhat boy who had a bored expression a few minutes ago, seemed to be excited about something. Sanji wondered if it was because the boy could finally eat or it was because of something else. Other than that, Sanji then caught a sight of a beautiful lady with orange hair which Sanji's eyes quickly turned into a heart-like shape, but when Sanji saw a certain boy with long curly black hair tied up in a low bun, his face immediately heated up. But as Sanji turned his head away from Usopp, the chef saw a smirk that made him surely feel annoyed.
"Still work as a waiter, I see?" Zoro said teasingly.
"Piss off, stupid Marimo" Sanji said with an angry voice,
"Can I get your order now?" Sanji said with a tired tone.
"FOOD!" Luffy shouted.
"You have to be more specific, kid!" Sanji said, getting quite annoyed.
"MEAT!" Luffy shouted again.
"That is more like it, but I still need a little more...."
"Sorry waiter, but I need to have a talk with them" Fullbody interrupted Sanji, trying to stay as calm as possible.
Sanji then took a look at the lieutenant in front of them. Even though the Navy officer had quite a high rank, he didn't seem to be that strong. Sanji then spoke up with an unbother voice.
"First of all, I'm not a waiter, I'm a chef. Second of all, we don't appreciate fighting inside the restaurant, so if you like, please go outside and settle it"
Luffy then pouted as he heard what Sanji had said. There was no way he would fight with an empty stomach. The captain had been starved for a few hours already, he couldn't wait anymore. Looking at Zoro with his body lying on the table, the swordsman quickly knew Luffy needed to eat soon or else the captain might lose himself and start to cause a ruckus.
"Sorry, but we would rather eat now, and kick his ass later". Zoro said
"There is your answer! You guys can fight each other senseless once they finish eating", Sanji said.
"THEY'RE NOT EATING ANY SHIT. AS FAR AS I CARE, THEY CAN BE LEFT THERE AND STARVED TO DEATH." Fullbody screamed.
Fullbody had finally lost himself in anger. He quickly raised his fist and brought it down to the crew's table, trying to break it. Keyword: Trying
As Fullbody's fist was touching the table, Luffy had quickly coated it with his Armarment Haki, so the table wouldn't break. No way in hell that Luffy was going to wait for another couple of hours just because this jerk felt like breaking their table. Luffy, still lying on the table, decided to take a peak at Sanji. But as soon as Luffy saw Sanji's expression, the captain and his crewmates quickly flinched as the cook was releasing a very dangerous and deathly aura. The crew then almost felt bad for the poor Navy,..... almost felt bad for him.
"Seems like someone needs to be taught about table manners", Sanji said while lighting his cigarette.