AN:
This is a shorter chapter and not a ton happens but it sets up nicely for the next one which is currently in progress. This chapter would have come sooner, but FF has been acting up on me lately so I haven't had the chance until now. Anyway, not a ton to say on this one other than I hope you guys enjoy it at least a little bit, lol.
Also had some things I wanted to address after reading the comments from the last chapter. In regards to Haki being visible and able to be caught on camera, that is something that is unique to this fic. As far as I'm aware haki isn't supposed to be visible in canon OP but with this fic, certain forms of it will be able to be seen and caught on camera. I hope that's not too offputting to anyone... If it is... Oh well. There will be cases where that isn't the case all the time, but I'll do my best to explain why in the story.
Another mention was romance and like I've said before, it won't be the main point of the story. I really am just a huge tease, lol, as upsetting as that may be for some of you to hear. The last thing was how our brave marine managed to snap a picture of Super Saiyan Luffy and I would have explained it in the chapter, but I didn't feel like it was super necessary so, for now, we will go with, yes, cameraman got that dog in em'.
The next chapter is being worked on as we speak so I'll try not to keep you guys waiting too long. Anyway, this dragged on a little bit so, I'm out! I hope you enjoy this one and let me know what you think!
---
Chapter 39: Unexpected Visitors
"Captain!", Onion screamed in panic, his two companions desperately trying to keep up with his rapid footsteps.
Usopp let his slingshot drop back down to his side and curiously turned away from the target dummy far off in the distance, toward the voice calling out to him. "Onion?", he questioned at seeing his three subordinates rushing in his direction.
"Captain!", the young boy yelled once again, his feet skidding to a stop in front of the long-nosed teen. His hands dropped to his knees and his breaths came out in gasps, "It's pirates, Captain!", he exclaimed, wide-eyed and worried, "We saw them from the beach!... There are pirates coming to the island!".
The words sent a jolt through Usopp's body, a wave of excitement accompanying the feeling... Was Luffy there to pick him up?... Was it finally time to set sail?...
"What should we do, Captain?", Carrot asked, his legs shaking slightly in nervousness. The ship had been really big and scary... There were probably a ton of bad guys on it...
The soon-to-be pirate moved his vision to where the three children had come from, his anticipation growing at the thought of seeing his friends again. A large smile rose to his lips and he shot it at his little crew members, "Well...".
"I don't know about you guys...", Usopp's feet started moving seemingly of their own volition and he passed through the trio of boys, grin still plastered in place as he headed in the direction of the beach, "But I think we should go give them a proper Gekko welcome.".
---
A few days had passed since Luffy and Nami said their goodbyes to Cocoyashi, and, as emotional as they were, the orangette could only look back on the memory fondly. She smiled, not only at the warmth she could feel on the majority of her skin as she lay out on her favorite chair but also at the thought of being back on the Merry... This ship... It... It just felt like home...
"Alright!", Nojiko exclaimed, wiping her hands on her pants as she stood from her place by the trunks of the newly replanted tangerine trees, "That should do it.".
Genzo groaned when he straightened out his back, grinding pops sounding from underneath his skin. "Finally...", the man sighed. He was getting too old for this kind of shit...
"Thanks for helping me carry them, scar guy!", Luffy shouted in appreciation, approaching the new additions to the ship. He stared at the pair of fruit-bearing plants in excitement before turning to his navigator, "This was such a good idea, Nami! Now I can have tangerines all the time!". The thought made his mouth water in memory of how good the one from earlier was.
The orange-haired girl scoffed at the words, making her way back down to the main deck, Nojiko following in her footsteps. "Not if you don't start peeling them you won't...", she smirked over her shoulder, lightly laughing at the small pouts she could hear leaving her captain's mouth while letting her eyes roam over their ship... She honestly hadn't even realized how much she missed it... She shook the thought away and turned to the girl behind her, a small conflicted smile rising to her face.
"... I guess it's that time, huh?", Nojiko mused, meeting her sister's moistening eyes. "Oh, don't do that.", she laughed emotionally, grabbing the girl in a tight hug, "I already told you... I want you to go chase your dream.".
Nami's grip tightened and she sniffled, sucking her unshed tears back up before they could fall. She stayed unmoving for a few more seconds before loosening her arms and taking a step back, her smile growing firmer, "Thanks, Nojiko.".
"Don't cause too much trouble out there.", Genzo chimed in, his feet halting next to the blue-haired girl. He smiled and opened his arms, motioning Nami in his direction.
The orangette turned to the man and her features softened as she stepped in the man's direction. "No more pinwheel I see.", she mused before wrapping her arms around his middle.
The words made Genzo's smile widen, his chin landing on top of the orange-haired girl's head. "There's no more need for it... Besides...", he pulled away and nodded at her left shoulder, "... I think that works pretty well as a replacement.".
Nami glanced at the skin on her arm and smiled at the new tattoo that rested there. "Yeah... I guess it does.", she said, staring for a moment before facing the man once again. She grabbed him in another tight hug, "... Thanks for always being there for us, Genzo.".
The scarred man had to resist the urge to laugh, dropping his arms and making his way in Nojiko's direction. "I don't know that I really had a choice in the matter, Nami.", he said over his shoulder, a hint of humor in his voice, "If I hadn't... I think your mother may have killed me again when I eventually meet her in the afterlife...".
Nami couldn't help the small giggles that left her lips... There was a lot of truth to that statement... Her light laughter petered out and she turned to face the two preparing to climb back down the side of the ship. Before either could take a step, she rushed forward and once again pulled them both in a tight hug. "... I love you both.", she whispered into their shoulders, "... So much.".
The two looked at each other, smiling, and wasted no time in wrapping their arms around the girl. "We love you too, Nami.", they said in unison.
The trio stayed tightly connected to each other until the orangette's arms loosened and she backed away, sending another smile in their direction, "I'll be back someday, I promise... Until then, look out for us in the news.". She turned to the tangerine trees now resting on top of the galley, knowing her captain was somewhere up there, and her smile turned into a grin, "... I'm sure we'll be making waves in the near future.".
"Then we'll be sure to keep an eye out for you guys.", Nojiko remarked, turning to make her way off the ship. She stepped over the railing and her feet found the small rope ladder leading down into the water, turning to look at her sister one last time, "Be safe out there, Nami... We'll miss you.".
Before the orangette got the chance to reply, the older girl's figure disappeared from her sight, a small splash echoing from the waters below... Had she even used the ladder?...
"She's right.", Genzo said stepping over the railing to follow Nojiko's lead. He looked over his shoulder and smiled brightly, "You will be missed, Nami... But, don't worry about us.". He turned away and looked down to the ocean below, Nojiko already making her way to the beach. "Just... Be free.", he implored, choosing to ignore the rope ladder in favor of jumping off the side of the boat, "And above all else!...". He took a deep breath and bent his knees before suddenly launching himself into the air with a hoot of joy, "Go out there and have some fun!".
Nami rushed to the side of the boat to watch the man's figure splash into the water with nothing but fondness in her heart. She smiled for what felt like the millionth time as she watched him swim to the shore and when he was finally standing with her sister once again, her voice called out to them for the final time.
"Be safe, you two!", the orangette shouted, a mischievous grin replacing her smile when she lifted two objects in the air to put on display, "And, thanks for the spending money! I really appreciate it!". She watched their figures begin to scramble as they searched their persons for their missing wallets and couldn't help the laugh that rose from her throat.
"Alright!", Nami yelled, still softly chuckling while she turned away from the shouting duo on the shore, "Your navigator is ready, Luffy... Let's get a move on.". Her feet carried her up to the front deck and she stopped behind a laughing Luffy who sat in his special place tightly holding Levi's reins... It was finally time to start chasing her dream... Finally time to start being free...
Luffy nodded in agreement, the grin he wore not leaving his face for even a moment. "Alright, Levi! Let's get going!", he exclaimed, keeping a firm grip on the rope in his hands and turning to shout in the direction of the shore, "Bye, scar guy! Bye, Nami's sister! See you guys again someday!".
The orange-haired girl scoffed in amusement... They had both told him their names several times... She shook her head and her eyes came up from the boy's back to look out at the glowing horizon, thoughts of drawing maps of places she'd never seen making her shiver in anticipation.
An expression matching the one Luffy wore rose to Nami's face, her eyes dancing with excitement as they glinted in the sunlight, "Where to first, Captain?".
"Namiii...", Luffy moaned, pulling the girl out of her thoughts.
The straw-hatted pirate captain groaned in jealousy while he watched his friend swim in the water below, "I'm boreeeddd...". He still wasn't healed enough to go swimming yet... Or do really anything fun for that matter... He wanted to try out all the new stuff he'd learned so bad! But, he knew he'd only end up injuring himself further if he pushed too hard in his current state... Plus... Nami had said no...
Nami sighed and sat up from her chair, closing her tanning mirror in irritation, "You're injured, you idiot... It's not supposed to be fun.".
Luffy pouted at the words, drooping in depression, "I knowww but-".
"No buts.", the girl interrupted. She took a glance at her skin and shrugged to herself. She'd probably gotten enough sun for today. "You're stuck steering until you've healed enough to 'have fun'.", she added, standing up to move in the direction of the pouting boy.
"You're starting to sound like Gramps...", Luffy mumbled, almost jumping out of his clothes when a face appeared right next to his.
"What was that?...", Nami smiled maliciously, threateningly holding her clenched fist in the air above her captain's head.
The teen slowly shifted his gaze upward and gulped, his wide eyes coming back down to meet his navigator's, "... Nothing...".
The two stared at each other for a long moment before Nami's smile eventually turned more genuine, dropping her hand and sitting with her back against the front railing, "That's what I thought.".
Relief shot through him and Luffy let out a breath he didn't know he'd been holding... For all her concern about his injuries... He was almost certain the girl would have hit him if he gave the wrong answer... A small shiver ran through his body... Girls were scary...
"Hey.", the oragnette said, grabbing the boy's attention again. He turned to face her and the jewels on his necklace glinted brightly in the sunlight, her original question immediately falling to the back of her head... She'd been so caught up in relishing being back on the Merry that she'd almost completely forgotten to ask about all the crazy things she'd witnessed during her captain's battle with Arlong... She shook her head. First things first, the necklace... Her other questions could wait... What?!... She couldn't help it!... The thing looked like it would be worth a lot of money...
Nami stood from her sitting position and leaned into Luffy's personal space, her hand lifting to cup the charms that hung from the leather cord in curiosity. Her eyes glanced over the lightning bolt in the center and shifted between the two on the outside of it. They looked like... Exactly what they were... A purple gemstone shaped like a fruit and a black one shaped like a crescent moon... But... There had to be more to it than that... Right?... She'd seen the way they glowed when Luffy used that strange power and, in her mind, that meant they weren't just pretty charms...
The girl's eyes drifted back to the lightning bolt in the middle, the memory of watching it meld itself to the leather it hung from floating through her mind... That had also been strange...
"Nami?", Luffy questioned, curiously watching the girl examine his treasure.
"What exactly is this necklace, Luffy?... And what are these stones?", Nami asked, eyes shifting back to the two gems for a moment before she looked up to her captain.
The boy's eyes dropped down to the item in question and came back up just as fast, confusion shooting through him. "... It's my necklace... And those are its charms...", he answered slowly, genuinely not understanding what she was trying to ask.
The orange-haired girl huffed in irritation at her captain's simplicity, pointing down to the gemstones still resting in her hand. "These aren't normal charms, Luffy... And this necklace sure as hell isn't normal either.", she said, shooting the boy an expectant stare, "So... What are they?".
The words sent a light bulb dinging through Luffy's head. "Ohhh!", he exclaimed, finally catching onto what his navigator wanted to know. He lightly lifted his necklace from her grasp and held it up, pointing to the two gemstones that hung from its leather "These are devil fruits!", he exclaimed brightly, moving to point at the necklace itself, "And this, was made by a devil fruit power!".
Nami couldn't help the shock that shot through her. "Devil fruits?...", she asked in shock, "... Aren't they just myths?".
"Nope!", the straw-hatted teen replied with a laugh, pointing to the purple stone, "This one is apparently the Gum-Gum fruit!". His eyes shifted to the black moon-shaped charm and he grabbed it, eyeing the jewel in curiosity, "... And I've got no idea which one this is...".
The orangette stood still in the wake of the revelations that had just been dropped on her... She knew how bad of a liar Luffy was, so she knew he was telling the truth... That meant devil fruits were actually real... It only took a moment for the realization to hit her and, after another long moment of staring, her shock began to be replaced by something else... All of her other questions were forgotten and her mind was slowly consumed by one thing... Greed.
"Nami?...", Luffy questioned, nervously scooting away from her. He really didn't like the way she was looking at him... He imagined it was probably similar to the way he looked at meat... He wasn't meat though... So... He should be safe... Right?...
The girl's eyes suddenly flashed and their usual brown color was exchanged for Berri symbols, thoughts of devil fruits swimming through her head... Those things had to be worth a fortune...
Ice suddenly shot down Luffy's spine and a scream of terror left his lips when his navigator suddenly launched herself in his direction, a roar fueled purely by avarice leaving her lips. With almost no avenues of escape, he only really had one option, closing his eyes and letting Levi's reins fall from his hands... Hopefully this wouldn't hurt too bad...
The orangette's Berri-filled eyes widened when her reaching arms met nothing but air and she curled her body to roll against the wood of the deck, a loud splash echoing up from below along with a grunt of pain. She was almost immediately back on her feet and rushing to the front rail, a growl leaving her lips when she saw Luffy floating in the ocean below, "DAMN IT, LUFFY! GET YOUR ASS BACK UP HERE! YOU'RE INJURED!".
"Nuh uh!", the teen shouted back, grabbing onto Levi's side as he lifted them out of the water. Most of the time, he thought it was funny when her eyes changed like that, but right now... Right now, it was VERY frightening...
"YOU'RE GONNA GET BACK ON THIS ON THIS SHIP AND GIVE ME THOSE DAMN DEVIL FRUITS!", the orange-haired girl ordered, her head lifting to the sky as maniacal laughter began to leave her lips, "AND THEN... WHEN I SELL EM'...". She looked back down to the water and her eyes met the black of her prey's, loud cackles continuing to burst from her throat, "... I'M GONNA BE RICH!".
Luffy tore his frightened gaze away from the cackling girl, her laughter still suffusing through the air, and his arms wrapped around his friend to grab him in a tight hug,"You'll protect me from scary Nami, right buddy?..."
Before the beast even got the chance to reply, a screech pierced the air.
"WHAT THE HELL DID YOU JUST SAY?!".
---
Usopp moved as fast as he could in the direction of the beach, his anticipation growing with every step taken. He couldn't wait to see his friends again!
"Alright men, gather 'round!".
The voice made the long-nosed teen skid to a halt, his eyes as wide as saucers... That didn't sound like Luffy... He quickly moved from the open path to the trees on the right side and slowly made his way toward the cliff looking over the beach. As soon as he'd made it close enough, he flattened himself to the ground and army crawled to the edge, eyes widening at what met his gaze when he peeked down to the beach below.
"Our captain should be arriving shortly!", Jango said to the multitude of men surrounding him, "He was supposed to meet us here when we landed, but, I imagine three years of time might have made him a little forgetful...". He looked through the crowd of pirates, "In any case, we will wait here for him. And, remember, his name is no longer Kuro, so don't call him that... I'm gonna be honest... I don't remember what he goes by now... So... I guess just call him... Captain?"... Maybe he was the forgetful one...
The color drained from Usopp's skin... This was Khlahadore's old crew... He scooted away from the edge of the cliff in panic... What the hell was he going to do?... He couldn't handle an entire pirate crew all by himself... Right?...
"Captain!", Pepper screamed as the trio approached the older boy, all of them huffing in exertion, "We told you! There are pirates do-".
"Shhh, Pepper!", Usopp frantically whisper yelled, corralling his crewmembers and pushing them in the direction they'd come from, "They might hear you.". When he felt they were far enough away, he got down to his knee and gathered them at his front, "Alright, guys.", he breathed out nervously, "I've got a really important mission for you... Think you can handle it?".
The three members of the Usopp Pirates frantically nodded their heads in confirmation.
The teen stood from his knees and patted each one of them on the head, "Alright then, I need you guys to go back to the mansion and protect Kaya... Because I'm pretty sure they're here for her.".
The boys paled at the words.
"But...", he tried his best to hide the nervousness in his voice, "I'm gonna stay here and... Fight them...". He gulped, panic already beginning to settle in his stomach... Could he really fight off an entire crew of pirates... By himself?...
"But, Captain! We can fight too!", Onion cried, "We can help you!". He pulled out the small slingshot from his back pocket, the two beside him doing the same, and held it up for the older boy to see, "Isn't this what you've been training us for?...".
Usopp couldn't help the upward turn of his lips at seeing the slingshots in their hands, getting back down to one knee. "Of course it is, guys.", he reasoned, looking each of them in the eyes, "That's why I'm giving you this job... That's how important it is... So, I need you to listen to your captain and make sure nothing happens to her. Can you do that for me?".
A pause hung in the air as the trio thought it over but, eventually, the young children once again nodded their heads in confirmation and steeled their nerves, already turning to run back in the direction of Syrup. They had a job to do, and their captain was counting on them.
"And don't mention anything about this to Kaya!", Usopp said to their backs, "I don't need her getting worried!". He watched them disappear down the dirt path and shrugged at receiving no response... She probably wouldn't believe them anyway... He turned back toward the beach and took a deep shaky breath... He didn't have Zoro and Luffy here with him this time... He was the island's sole line of defense... A part of him almost immediately wanted to crack under the pressure that came with the thought... However, he steeled himself, another shaky breath leaving his lips as he moved toward the beach.
When he'd made it back to his previous position, the soon-to-be pirate lay prone once again and crawled to the edge of the cliff, looking down to get a rough estimate on how many pirates he was about to be fighting... It was... A lot... He backed away and could feel shakes starting to roll through his body, the slingshot in his hand being held with a white-knuckled grip...
"I think you should come.", voiced the verdet, "Luffy won't try to make you because he knows what you're doing here is important to you.". He looked Usopp in the eyes, watching carefully for his reaction, "But you and I both know he wants you to come.".
The words made the younger boy think. Zoro was right and he knew it but... Something didn't quite sit right with him... He didn't think this was about Luffy. And, if it wasn't about Luffy, that made him think it was more about who he was talking to. "Why, though?", Usopp asked, and it was a genuine question. Why would he want him to help with bounty hunting?... Zoro knew how weak he was. He'd seen him cower in the face of danger that night. And yeah, he'd gotten a little stronger since then but still, why would he want him to come?...
"For Luffy.", replied the green-haired teen, simply, "I want you to come because I want you to get stronger. For him.". He looked Usopp in the eyes, "Our future captain is aiming to be the Pirate King... That means we'll be the crew of The King of the Pirates.". He let the words sink in for a moment before continuing, "That means we have to be strong... Very strong.".
Usopp steeled his nerves and grit his teeth, the grip he had on his slingshot somehow growing even tighter as he tried to rid himself of the growing knots in his stomach... It was time to see if all those months spent bounty hunting had paid off...
The long-nosed boy slowly backed away from the cliff and made his way back into the forest, his legs shaking the whole way... What was he going to do?... There looked to be somewhere close to forty pirates waiting for him on the beach... How was he supposed to take out that many all by himself?...
Usopp shook his head and glanced at his satchel. He had enough ammo, he just didn't know the best way to go about using it... Usually, Zoro was there to at least give him some direction when it came to fighting, but here... He was all alone this time... Thinking of his friend, he began to wonder would he would do if he were in his situation. The answer came rather quickly and he sighed... He and Luffy would just rush in and start punching or cutting people... But, as a sniper, he just couldn't do that. He was much more suited to attacking from afar...
The thought made the soon-to-be pirate's eyes widen... He was a sniper... He only needed to keep them from getting up the hill... If he could do that... He could just take them out from the safety of the cliffs... They would obviously probably have guns and would definitely retaliate, but he had an idea for that too... His eyes glanced down to the green slingshot in his hand and he couldn't help but be thankful for all the practice he'd gotten in since he'd been home... It was about to prove useful... Hopefully...
Usopp smiled to himself, his nerves beginning to settle as his plan slowly came together. He turned on his heel and rushed back in the direction of town in pursuit of the things he needed to enact his plan. The guy with the weird glasses said they would be waiting for Kuro, so he wasn't too worried about them leaving the beach while he was gone. After all, he'd watched the man die, so... He probably wasn't going to be showing up any time soon...
---
"Conqueror's what now?...", Nami asked in confusion, eyeing Luffy's soaking form in irritation... Part of her was still peeved at his comment from earlier... She was NOT scary...
"Conqueror's Haki.", Luffy answered, nervously glancing over his shoulder. His eyes shot back forward when his gaze met his navigator's, a slight bit of greed still present in the brown orbs... He really didn't want scary Nami to come back...
"And what exactly is this 'Conqueror's Haki'?", the orangette questioned, turning away from the boy with a sigh as she made her way back to the main deck... It was going to be hard having to look at her captain's necklace all the time now that she knew how valuable it probably was...
Luffy scrambled to find the words for an explanation. "Uhhh... I think it has something to do with willpower...", he replied uncertainly. Shanks had explained it to him back when he was learning to control the power, but that was a LONG time ago and, honestly, he felt like he remembered not really understanding even then... "Apparently, not a lot of people can use it.", he explained, trying to think back to his younger days, "I think I remember Shanks saying it was something like... One in a million, maybe?".
Nami set her chair down on the front deck and sat down in it, pushing her sunglasses down to cover her eyes while she laid back, "So, the weight pushing on my shoulders that night was... What? Some physical manifestation of your willpower?...".
The straw-hatted pirate captain turned to face the girl. It was his turn to be confused... "Physical mani-what?", he asked blankly.
The orange-haired girl huffed in annoyance and waved the question away. She was satisfied enough for now. She probably wasn't going to get much more than she'd already gotten... However, she was still curious about one other thing. Her eyes once again locked on the braided leather cord around his neck, "Is that why the devil fruits on your necklace were glowing?".
"Oh, that?", Luffy replied, glancing down at the charms in question, "Yeah. They've always done that when I use Conqueror's Haki.". It'd been happening ever since he'd first used the power while wearing his necklace and he'd gotten so used to it over the years that he just didn't really notice it anymore... A part of him was curious as to what exactly was going on, but most of him just thought it was kind of cool and could be satisfied with that.
"... I'm guessing it's pointless to ask WHY they do that?", Nami sighed, already knowing the answer she would receive.
Laughter bubbled from the boy's chest, "Yep! I've got no idea!". He went to say more, but a small dot suddenly appeared on the horizon and he lost his train of thought, excitement taking him over. "Faster, Levi!", he yelled down to the water, "I see an island out there!".
The orangette stood from her chair and walked to the railing, looking in the distance as the Merry began to increase in speed. She couldn't see anything, but she knew how good Luffy's eyesight was, so she was sure the island he'd mentioned was probably there.
The thought made Nami smile and she made to sit back down in her chair... She was excited to see them again... The smile on her face grew wider when she lay back down and looked up to the bright blue sky before she turned to glance around the place she now called home... The action made her grin grow wider and she turned back to the front, eyes finding her captain's wet form once again... Her heart just felt so... Full.
The conversation settled as the two sat in comfortable silence before it was broken by Nami standing from her chair, "Alright, Luffy. It looks like we'll be getting there soon so I'm gonna go wash up and change. If we make it before I'm back, WAIT for me before you go off trying to find Usopp.".
"No promises!", Luffy laughed over the wind blowing by his face. A fist suddenly buried itself into the top of his head and he groaned in pain, turning to face his attacker in outrage, "What the heck, Nami!". He watched the girl turn away with a satisfied smirk on her face and pouted to himself, lightly probing the small bruise bump growing out of his head. "Meanie...", he whispered, before turning back to face the island in the distance.
The pirate captain's pout quickly faded and was once again replaced by excitement, his eyes locked on the landform in the distance slowly beginning to grow larger, "We'll be there soon Usopp!".