🏴☠️️Ch. 5: A Terrifying Power Meets the Will of the Seas! Captain Buggy the Clown Pirate!🏴☠️️
Only a few hours later did we all finally reach land. Calder is here, along with Carmela and Ahio, so Luffy's gotta be here also.
Zoro has the three idiots we picked up tie his boat to the dock as I do the same with mine.
🌺We've got trouble.🌺 Carmela informs me.
"Why? What happened." I ask.
🌀Luffy went and got himself captured by those Buggy Pirates. Some orange haired girl tricked him and was taking him to the town's tavern where the pirates occupy as a makeshift base.🌀 Ahio explains.🌀The both of us came back here to give you the full details.🌀
'The orange haired girl. Four times in less than a week, now I'm positive this isn't a coincidence. But still I feel like I know her from somewhere and a promise I need to keep that's somehow connected to her. But what is it?!'
A sudden explosion knocks me out of my thoughts. Whatever caused the explosion decimates a row of townhomes and buildings.
"That was one heck of an explosion."Mutters Zoro.
"You got that right." I respond. "It came from the direction of where the Buggy Pirates base is. So that's where we head." I grab my bag and bring out two pistols and strap them to my dual hip holsters.
Trigger isn't the only weapons expert in the crew ya' know.
"It looks like it was one of the captain's beloved Buggy Balls." One of the idiots said, shaking at the sight of the weapon's destruction.
I snort. "Buggy Balls? Ego much? Knowing Luffy, he had to be smack dab in the middle of all this."
"Just what the heck did I sign up for when I joined this crew?" Zoro asks himself.
"But you've gotta admit that this is more adventure then you had back when you were hunting pirates for money, right?" I tell him.
"Well you're right about that." He chuckles.
"Trigger, Umi, Tito, you're with me this time."
💥You really mean it?!💥 The otter asks me, shocked.
"Of course, I do. I promised back in Shells Town. And since the town is abandoned, you and Umi don't have to hide. Plus, I know how antsy you're getting and you both could use the practice, not that either of you really need it."
🐾Alright! Finally, some action!🐾 He cheers and brings out one of his prized bazookas from his own bottomless bag that he uses to hold his weapons and ammo.
Umi slithers out of the boat and Tito joins my side. I have Carmela and Ahio take boat watch this time.
Taking Carmela and Ahio's directions, with some minor setbacks due to Zoro's terrible sense of direction and me having to drag him back on the right track, we made it to the town's two-story tavern. My ears then twitch at the loud chanting coming from the rooftop.
"Fire! Fire! Fire! Fire! Fire . . ."
"Something tells me that Luffy is in a jam and needs our help to get him out." I tell Zoro.
He looks up to the rooftop and then back to me. "Well then, let's get moving."
We found the entrance to the rooftop via staircase, which was surprisingly unguarded. Probably thought no one would have the guts to even go near a pirate's makeshift base. We peak around the corner from the doorway and spot a gigantic cannon pointed at Luffy, who was tied up in a stone cage. A slim blue-haired man with an appearance resembling that of a clown stands near a massive cannon pointed right at the cage. His face is painted with crossbones going down, forming an X; he also had two blue lines near both of his eyes, red lipstick and his jolly roger on his hat. He dons a striped white and red shirt with short sleeves, white gloves reminiscent of the ones worn by clowns, a sash around his waist and a pair of loose pants reaching to his calves, just above a pair of striped socks and pointy shoes. He also has a scarf around his neck. Hanging from his shoulders there is an orange, fur-lined captain's coat. On his head he has an orange hat with his jolly roger on it, over a neckerchief with the same pattern of his shirt. This is no doubt Buggy the Clown. His epithet matches with him perfectly.
Buggy hands a box of matches to the orange-haired girl. Her attire consists of a white and blue striped shirt, orange mini-skirt with two white rings on each side filled in with orange or brown in their centers and brown high-heeled boots. Her short hair with a particularly curled strand over the left side of her face.
'I knew it! It's the same girl!'
"Now, light the fuse Nami!" Buggy cries out excitedly.
'Wait. Nami?! As in Cocoyashi Village Nami? That's it! Don't worry everyone, I'm back in East Blue. All those villagers...I'll finally free you from your oppressor. Just let there still be time that I'm not too late. Little Namikan has certainly grown up well and just as sneaky and clever.'
Buggy's men continue to chant, urging the redhead to light the cannon. Nami looks at the matches and back at Luffy. She was terrified; she couldn't take a life and if she didn't, it was her life that would be taken away.
"Hey! You're not wimping out on me, are you?!" Buggy demands.
Nami didn't look like she could explain herself for this one. Her hands then begin to shake.
"What's the matter?" Luffy suddenly speaks. "Your hands are shaking. That's what happens when you take on pirates with half-assed resolve." He says with a grin.
"Resolve?" She whispers to him. "To do what?! To kill someone like it's nothing! Is that a pirate's resolve?!"
"No!" He responds back. "You've gotta be willing to risk your own life." He states.
I now see what Luffy was doing. He was testing her to see if she has the right material to become a part of our crew.
One of Buggy's men snatches the box of matches from Nami's hand. "Here, new chick. Quit being such a tease. Let me show you how to light the cannon." He then strikes the match, lighting it up, and starts to move the lit match towards the fuse. I knew it was almost time that we step in, but not just yet.
Luffy looks to be nervous as the match draws closer to lighting the fuse. But Nami on the other hand, had something different in mind. She reaches beneath her skirt and pulls three short wooden rods from a thigh holster and attaches them together that creates a full bo-staff. She then brought the staff down on the guy's head, knocking him out.
I snicker at everyone's shocked faces. Nami looks as if she's coming back around and recalls what she just did.
"My mistake. Sorry." She exclaims over her shoulder to Buggy. But Buggy didn't look to be in a forgiving mood and growls in annoyance.
"Nami! What's the meaning of this outrage?!" He demands of her.
💥Now?💥 / "Now?" Trigger and Zoro ask.
"Not just yet." I say.
Nami bows to Buggy apologetically. "I'm sorry."
"What's wrong?! Just shoot him already!" Buggy shouts.
"Huh . . .so now you've decided to save me?" Luffy asks her confusedly.
"Don't be so stupid!" Nami retorts as she takes up her staff. "I'm not doing this for you, you idiot! I just don't want to level myself to these inhuman pirates!"
Luffy just continues to stare blankly. "Okay. Thanks anyway."
"Pirates almost took the life of a person very dear to me! I'll never be one of them!" She exclaims.
'Bellemere, I hope you're still doing alright. Just hold on for a little while longer and I will fulfill my promise!'
"AH! Nami! The fuse!" Luffy cries out.
"So, you just think pirates are inhuman filth? Is that right?!" Buggy growls. "Get her men!"
Four pirates charge at Nami, all armed with sabers. Nami managed to block them all with her bo staff, but then lost her grip on her weapon. Knowing she won't stand a chance without it, she tries to prevent the cannon from going off, instead. Nami reaches the fuse before it can go off and, without any better ideas on how to stop it, she uses her hands to put out the flame, preventing the fuse from lighting any further and burning her hands in the process. I wince at the sounds of her pain-filled screams. But while she stopped the cannon from going off, she's left herself vulnerable to the four pirates she has her back towards.
"Now!"
It was that moment the five of us decided it was time to step in. Zoro blocks two pirates with his still sheathed katanas, I kick the third one back so hard he crashes into one of the pirates' buffet tables, and the fourth goes to Umi, who she swats with her tail so hard that he's kissing the concrete of the building's rooftop.
"Hey now . . .it's not very nice of you guys to gang up on the poor girl." Zoro grunts.
"Talk about unfair." I agree.
Luffy smiles. "Heh! (First Name)! Zoro! Umi! Tito! Trigger!"
Nami looks at us in shock.
"You hurt?" Zoro asks as he glances over his shoulder at her.
"Huh?"
"I said are you hurt?" He repeats.
"N-No. I'm fine I think." She manages to stutter out.
"Well, your hands certainly don't look fine." I point to the burn marking both of her hands. I pull out a water container I made from a large sugarcane stalk, yank off my crystal necklace and motion for her to give me her hands. I place the crystal into her burnt hands and have them close around it before pouring the freshwater onto my hands and concentrate, letting the water make its way to her hand and as it comes into contact with the burns and the crystal and water begin to glow. When I felt the water had done its job the glow fades and then drips from her now healed hands. I take back the necklace and retie it securely around my neck.
She looks at me amazed and I merely smile back.
"Phew! What a relief." Luffy sighs. "I'm glad you guys found us, now come get me out of here!"
"How do you keep getting yourself into these situations? First a bird flies off with you and now we find you trapped in a cage!" Zoro glares at our captain.
💥Monkey D. Luffy, the young man who can attract trouble like a magnet.💥 Trigger snickers.
"It's an interesting story, actually!" Luffy grins.
"No need! Ahio and Carmela pretty much gave us the gist of everything that's happened so far." I tell Luffy.
Buggy's crew begins to whisper fearfully about 'Pirate Hunter Zoro'.
We make our way to Luffy's cage to break him out.
"So, you're Zoro." Buggy smirks, arms folded over his chest. "If you're here for my head, then you've got quite the struggle for it." I don't like the feel of this. The way he holds himself now was with way too much confidence, like he's certain that no one could beat him.
Zoro shuts his eyes, not bothering to turn to face the opposing pirate captain. "No, not interested. I gave up pirate hunting. I'm here for my friend."
"But I'm interested though." The clown captain says. "Killing you would bolster my reputation."
"I never imagined a man dressed as a clown could hold so much overconfidence." I input.
"You watch your tongue, you . . ." He halts his insult as he takes in my appearance, just like so many other men who I've fought without wearing my cloak.
I smirk. "'You' what? What's the matter? Cat got your tongue, clown." He snaps out of his daze at my insult, several veins sprouting on his face. Oh, how I loved to be such a tease.
"If you try, you'll die." Zoro warns.
Buggy then begins to twirl his knives. "Oh . . .is that so?" He taunts.
"Tch. I tried to warn you . . .but oh well." He says. "Can you find a way to get him out?" He asks me.
"Just leave it to me."
Buggy's crew starts to cheer their captain for the oncoming fight. Zoro readies all three of his swords and Buggy does the same with his many knives between each of his fingers on both hands.
Buggy then races forward to attack Zoro head on, leaving himself wide open from all directions as he leaps in the air. "Die flashily!" The clown shouts.
The green-haired swordsman strengthens his stance and slices through Buggy's right leg, midsection, and his right arm. But it's clear to me that this fight wasn't as easy as it appeared to have been. There was no blood, no cut was too clean, and you couldn't see the clown captain's insides. I place my hand over one of my guns, readying them for the moment when things turn from bad to worse. I signal Tito to be ready to interfere for whatever's about to happen next.
"That wasn't much of a fight, now was it?" Says Zoro.
"Oh wow, he's weak! Way to go, Zoro!" Shouts Luffy in approval, still in his cage.
"No way!" Nami breathes out.
The Buggy Pirates begin to chuckle darkly and then grows to full on laughter. I narrow my sharp gaze at them. I remember the three idiots we picked up on the way here said something about Buggy having a Devil Fruit power; that can be the only reason why the crew shows no worry over their captain's 'death'. So ergo . . .he isn't really dead! My instincts kick in as I see Buggy's disembodied hand with a knife back its way to stab a distracted Zoro.
I grab a pistol from my holster. "Zoro, duck!" The swordsman wastes no time and did as I told him. As soon as he moves out of the way of my shot, I shoot the knife from Buggy's hand. "Tito! Go for it!" The tiger races to the floating hand before it can reach for the knife again and holds the severed limb in his mouth. The clown cries out in pain, feeling the tiger gnawing on his disembodied hand.
"Buggy's still alive!" Nami gasps.
"So that's what your Devil Fruit is. You're immune to being cut by blades and can control your limbs even when they are severed from your body. You can probably even split them of your own free will. But it seems you can also still feel pain from a separated limb." I surmise.
Although clearly in pain, Buggy still manages to laugh. "Beautiful, smart, and an expert shot. You're truly something else, young lady. That's right, my dear! The Chop-Chop Fruit! That's the name of the Devil Fruit that's given me my powers. I'm a chop-chop person and I can never be defeated by the sword!" He laughs maniacally.
I wanted to gag when he refers to me as 'my dear', but sadly because Luffy ate most of our food, I don't have much in my stomach, currently. "And I'd actually believe that, if the move you just pulled wasn't so cowardly and failed." I look to my tiger companion. "Tito, spit that out. You don't know where the likes of him have been." The massive feline spits out the limb and has a look of disgust on his furry face.
Veins once again pop up on Buggy's ugly mug as his hand reattaches itself back onto what was once a stub at the end of his arm.
"His limbs reattach?! And I always thought that the Devil Fruits were just a story that pirates told!"
"Believe me, they're no story. They're real. And they're dangerous as well." I tell Nami.
"So, he's a chop-chop man? That's pretty freaky!" The dumb rubber boy comments.
💥This coming from the guy who ate the Gum-Gum Fruit and became a rubber person.💥 Trigger states.
"I let my guard down. Stupid mistake." Zoro belittles himself. "Thanks for having my back there, (First Name)."
"Don't mention it, Zoro. And don't put yourself down so much. You aren't used to Devil Fruits users. They aren't exactly common here in the East Blue, so don't let it get you down. You're still learning after all." I encourage him. "Besides, that incident doesn't count, seeing as it was a coward's move."
"(First Name)'s right! Trying to stab Zoro in the back was a cowardly move, you Big Nose!" Luffy roars from his cage.
Everything went silent with those last two words. So, insulting his nose must be considered a taboo or something. Buggy's crew was watching with now lifeless eyes and jaws dropped.
"What's that . . .you . . . said?" Buggy growls. "Who's got a big nose?!" Buggy launches a knife-wielding hand at Luffy's cage. It flew so fast, none of the rest of us had time to react.
But Luffy easily catches the knife between his teeth, which was quite the feat considering he is still tied up. "Buggy." He calls out with the knife still being held in his mouth. "I'm gonna kick your ass, as soon as I'm out of this cage." The rubber boy bites down on the knife, effectively breaking it in half.
"You kick my ass?" Buggy laughs. "You've got a lot of nerve kid! No, I'm afraid all seven of you are going to die here today by my own hand. So, if you're going to do any ass kicking you better do it soon!" He mocks, his cronies laughing up a storm behind him.
"Hey! Can't you do something?" Nami is at my side, begging. "You kicked that one pirates like you were swatting a fly."
"Hmmm." I think, looking around for something, anything that could give me an idea for a quick escape and to bust Luffy out of his cage. My eyes land on the cannon. "Hey, Trigger." I whisper and nod my head in the direction of the cannon. He gets that devious grin on his face when he knows he's about to blow something to kingdom come.
Luffy, Zoro, Umi, and Tito catch on, but Nami is still left in the dark.
"Hey, Buggy, wanna bet?!" I call out, moving closer to him but also subtly to the cannon.
"Eh? What's that dear? You think you could possibly beat me?"
"Oh, I don't think. I know I could beat the likes of you." I goad him on. "But my captain has already called dibs on kicking your ass."
"So just what do you plan on doing, beautiful?"
"I'm glad you asked." I smile sinisterly at them and they all flinched.
I put by hand on the bottom end of the cannon's barrel and force it the other way to face Buggy and his crew. "I'm planning on shooting you with your own cannon. Consider it payback for using a cheap shot move on Zoro and tying my captain up and locking him in a cage like some wild animal."
"AH! Crap the cannon's pointed at us!" Buggy screams in terror.
I raise my hands to cup both me, savoring the sounds of the pirates' screams. "Ah, there it is. I love hearing the screams of big shots who love to hear their own voice turn into cowards. Doesn't feel so good when the shoe is on the other foot does it, Buggy?"
"Wait! Just wait! The cannon's still loaded with a special Buggy Ball! I don't wanna go out like this!" He begs.
"Really now? All the more reason to light it. Consider it poetic justice; Being done in by your own weapon." I snap my fingers. "Trigger, light 'em up."
💥Don't need to tell me twice, (First Name)!💥 He grabs the box of matches that were lying forgotten on the ground from all the commotion earlier.
I smirk as the Buggy Pirates and their pitiful captain's cries and begging attempts are silenced by the deafening sound of the cannon's explosion.
☠TO BE CONTINUED . . . ☠
On the next One Piece. . .
"Everyone alright?"
"Well we're all pretty much uninjured."
"What? What are you all talking about we could've been killed!"
"But we weren't."
"Oh no! What's that?!'"
"What an unfriendly little dog."
"I think he's a cutie."
"I'm not referring to that!"
"Oh, there's a polar bear on top of a lion!"
"They followed you guys here!"
🏴☠️️Ch. 6: A Desperate Situation! Beast Tamer Mohji vs. (First Name) the True Tamer of Beasts!🏴☠️️
☠🏴☠️️☠
☠Current Crew: Luffy | (First Name) | Zoro☠
🐾The Pack: Carmela | Ahio | Tito | Umi | Trigger | Calder🐾
🏴☠️☠🏴☠️