141
"10,000 kilo umbrella meteor!" Miss Valentine grunted her last attack, her body littered with blade wounds as she fell from the sky like a meteor.
Johnny panted, looking up. He raised his spear up and thrust it upwards with all of the strength he could muster.
Both the point of his spear and Miss Valentine's umbrella made contact, creating a large boom. The ground beneath Yosaku cracked in spider webs, due to the weight.
"Kyahahaha… you will die here, squished underneath my feet!"
But even with 10,000 kilograms behind it, the female agent was struggling until it finally cracked.
"I will never give up!" Johnny yelled as he pushed his body to its limits, the muscles on his arms flexed up, inflated.
She smiled only for it to turn into horror when her umbrella broke and the spear went past her, missing her face by an inch. The last thing she remembered was Johnny kneeing her in the gut, before the world turned black.
With that the fight ended, Johnny landed on the ground on his knee while Miss Valentine fell to the ground, raising a dust cloud due to the heavyweight.
The fight was over, they had won. It wasn't that tough, yet it felt like quite the achievement. Fighting off grandline bounty hunters. And they were surprised when the surrounding public started cheering for them.
"See… the friends of the straw hats had it under control." One of them said.
"Yeah, they took down the Mr. 5 pair with minimal injury!" Another said, as all of them clapped.
All the bounty hunters that had gathered were cheering for them as they won. Johnny wanted to stand up, but almost fell due to exhaustion. But Luffy was there to help him, putting his arm over his shoulder, he helped him stand up.
"Uh… thanks, Big Bro Luffy," Johnny said, smiling a bit. "I didn't lose."
"Like I said, it would have been a shame if you did." Luffy grinned back.
Johnny chuckled, before looking around the crowd. "But what should we do about this…?"
"Just wave, boys. Just wave." Luffy said smiling as he waved to the surrounding bounty hunters who for some reason were cheering them on. Johnny didn't know why, but he followed his teacher/captain's command and waved, the cheers getting louder.
Yosaku was also lost in awe, and had to be broken by Sabo, who gave him a thumbs up. Before he also started waving.
Both Johnny and Yosaku had a smile on their faces. So, that's what it was like, being a hero.
.
The people of Whisky Peak were in an uproar. Mainly because of the incident where Mr 5's group attacked the town. Many of their buildings that were near the plaza were destroyed and one of them, Miss Monday, had been killed in battle.
Luckily the straw hats were there to stop their terror and from anyone else from getting killed. All of the townspeople already had huge respect for the straw hat crew, and it grew even more.
But, all of them wanted to know the true story and they were eager to know it from Mr. 8, Mr. 9, and Miss Wednesday. Even though they were Baroque Works agents, they knew and trusted them more than the other upper ranks in the organization who didn't even bother meeting the lower ranks.
And so with Luffy's instruction, Igaram spun up a lie about how some of the agents from the upper ranks of Baroque Works had gone rogue and was trying to take over the organization, but nothing was heard from the top boss Mr. Zero.
As he might have already been killed.
And so Luffy and the rest of the straw hats promised to investigate the situation.
That was also why they were taking Mr. 5 and Miss Valentine with them, to hand them over to the marines. They might not be pirates, but they were criminals and they had around 17.5 million bounties on their heads.
So as Johnny and Yosaku were the ones to beat them, they would cash in the bounty.
Most of the residents of Whisky Peak knew that not all of the people that were on the Going Merry were part of the pirate crew. Mainly that Johnny and Yosaku were bounty hunters and friends of Zoro and Kuina. Same with Hatchan and the masked individual who also refused the claim of being a straw hat pirate.
But mainly Johnny and Yosaku stuck around cause they wanted to get into the grandline. So Luffy was only helping them cross the Reverse mountain. It also made the residents of the town appreciate Luffy even more, for helping fellow bounty hunters.
They already knew how unjustly Luffy and the rest of the crew were labeled pirates so they were happy to know that they were right about him. They even helped them pack up for the journey with tons of rations and other stuff.
With that Luffy and the rest of the straw hats along with Vivi, Mr 5, and Miss Valentine left for their next Island.
"I still can't believe that they bought the whole story," Vivi mumbled while the island of Whiskey Peak started getting smaller and smaller.
"Well, what else do you expect, sure there are holes in the story. But, first of all they don't even know who their boss is… and most of them worked with either your pair or the Mr. 8 pair. So they trust your words more than outsiders." Zoro said.
"Though, there is always a chance that one of the upper-rank agents from Baroque Works might come here and tell the full story," Coby said.
"Yeah, let's hope that doesn't happen," Vivi said, near Karoo, the super spot-billed duck. As both of them looked back at the island. "Igaram is still there… he said, he would do something about creating a fake trail for the others to follow…"
Vivi still couldn't believe what was happening. She wouldn't need to hide her identity anymore and with the Mr 5 pair taken care of she had less to worry.
And that's not including the fact that at breakfast, Sparky and Hatchan seemed to enjoy some otter and vulture meat. Who she was sure was from the Unluckies, Mr. 13 and Miss Friday.
All in all, all of this was feeling like a dream. And all of that happened because of the boy called Luffy. She just hoped he would be enough to stop the Warlord. She didn't want her people to suffer anymore. But at the same time, she didn't want to endanger her new friends.
142
"I'm still worried about the whole Warlord situation," Nami said, worry evident in her voice. As the ship sailed away from the island, Nami breathed a sigh of relief. "But then again knowing Luffy, he would have jumped and fought him regardless."
"Awww… you know me so well, dear." Luffy mused as Nami ignored them.
"Still, Luffy, going against a warlord… I know we have to help Vivi." Usopp said. "But with this we will be putting a big target on our back." The sniper shivered saying that.
"I wouldn't mind fighting him," Kuina said, nonplussed, as she took care of her sword.
"Of course, you would say that!" Nami growled, before sighing "At least we are in the clear for now."
"Good thing, too. Baroque Works would have been here soon," a voice said.
"Yeah, good thing we escaped," Nami answered. "The sea is very windy here…"
"Watch out for the floating rocks around here, so you don't damage the hull," the voice suggested. Usopp blinked, not recognizing the voice. He looked around, trying to find the source of the voice.
"Right, you can count on me, I will help Momoo guide the ship." Nami said confidently. After a few seconds, she turned nervously to Luffy. "Um…was that you…?"
Luffy just smiled, shook his head, and pointed over his shoulder with his thumb. All eyes turned around to see an unidentified woman sitting peacefully on the railing. Half of the ship's occupants immediately panicked, while the other half pointed their weapons at her.
"This is a nice ship," the intruder said with a serene smile.
Luffy turned to her. "Glad you like it." Tipping his hat towards her. Sabo, who was on the side, also half-focused on the interaction. He was honestly in favor of going back to his nap. Still, he had to look out for his little brother.
Both of the brothers knew when the woman boarded the ship, but didn't do anything as Luffy had it under control.
"Who are you?" Usopp said, pointing both his revolvers at her, goggles already on his eyes.
"Miss All Sunday, am I right?" Luffy revealed casually.
"My my… you even know my agent name." Miss All Sunday, or Nico Robin said. "I have to say, I'm impressed."
"Why are you here!? Miss All Sunday!" Vivi shouted.
The intruder continued smiling, resting her face in the palm of her hand. "Hello, to you too Miss Wednesday," the woman greeted, completely ignoring her question. Again looking at the Straw Hat captain, "I was there the whole time, you know. I have to say, quite the good story you cooked up there. It seems you are planning to take over the organization after beating Mr. Zero."
"Aww, you are making me blush," Luffy said, rubbing the back of his head. Well, having a literal bounty-hunting organization would be a good source of stable income. But who knows…
"You do know, I can just go there and ruin your whole plan. I can also capture Mr 8 and Mr 9 that way."
"Shishishi… now wouldn't that ruin the fun."
"Why have you come here, Miss All Sunday." Vivi asked. "Did you come here for Mr 5 and Miss Valentine?"
"No, I'm not here for those fools. I'm here just to give you a warning."
"Who is she?" Nami finally asked. "Which pair does she belong to?"
"She's part of the Mr. 0 pair, Crocodile's partner," Vivi whispered.
Nami looked extremely worried now, and Usopp was visibly cowering, though to his credit, he did have both of his guns pointed at her.
Johnny and Yosaku were ready, along with Bartolomeo who was ready any time to use his devil fruit powers.
"Get ready, this might get bloody." Zoro said, hand over his blade. Same with Kuina, as she was already ready to jump and slash at the intruder.
"She's gorgeous!" Sanji swooned, doing his noodle dance. Completely ignoring the others.
"Don't even think of making any sudden movements, I'll knock your head off!" Gin threatened, spinning his tonfa into an aggressive stance.
Coby growled a bit, as his claws came out his knuckles.
Only Luffy and Sabo seemed truly relaxed. Sparky wasn't there with them, he was spending time with Hatchan, enjoying the breeze. But the monkey knew exactly what was going on, he knew that they wouldn't need any help.
"She's the one I trailed to find out Mr. 0's identity," Vivi continued, she also had her peacock slasher ready.
"Correction," the woman said. "Actually, I let you follow me," the woman corrected, still as nonchalant as ever. "I just want to see what will happen from this. Will the princess be able to save her kingdom from the big, scary predator, or will it crumble to dust and ruin despite her best efforts?"
Ms. All Sunday gave a smile, something moving just behind Luffy. Of course, Luffy knew but he didn't react.
The sprouted arm lifted his hat and flung it through the air like a frisbee. The agent caught it easily, plopping it over her own hat.
"You're stepping on a mine," Zoro warned.
"You better give that hat back before we make you." Nami said, her eyes drilling into the intruder. Luffy had told them how important that hat was to him.
"Touchy," Ms. All Sunday chuckled. "I've had our spies dig up information on you, Monkey D. Luffy."
"Oh, really?" Luffy mused, not worried at all.
"Supposedly, you are the Grandson of the marine hero. Only that information I'm not sure of." She said, "But other than that, you killed your first pirate with a bounty of 50 million, when you were what; sixteen? Quite admirable going against the likes of Captain Kuro of the Black Cat pirates and Don Krieg. Not to mention you also finished off the escapee ex-marine Captain Morgan. All of them with very little ease, I might add."
"Oh, she's good at this, brother," Luffy said, to Sabo, who nodded. Even Sabo was impressed at the info gathered by her.
"You also happened to clash against Warlord Dracule Mihawk and the bounty hunter of the grandline Ryokugyu Aramaki, leaving alive both times." She said, "Hmm… did I miss something? Oh, yes, You also beat Arlong the Fishman, after all."
"That was me, Mademoiselle!" Sanji pointed out.
And that made Robin blink a bit, as her information was wrong.
Luffy and Sabo chuckled at her reaction, but she quickly fixed it.
"Unusual, but that makes this interesting for me, you need to reach Alabasta, and you're not going to get there if you follow your log pose to the next island. Here," – she held out what looked like an hourglass, but rather than sand, there was a needle pointing in one singular direction – "take this eternal pose to Namiwasho and skip Little Garden. If you go there, we wouldn't need to lift a finger to end your resistance."
"Well, thank you"
143
"Hmm… as a return gift, can you give me those fools back. I did say, I didn't want them, but taking back Mr 5 and Miss Valentine, will make Mr. Zero happy."
"You think we will let you take them?" Gin growled.
"You can take my heart instead!" Sanji seriously offered.
She sighed, "I really didn't want a fight here…"
All of them were ready for a conflict before a sudden blast of Conqueror's Haki diffused the situation. The two stiffened and looked at their captain questioningly. Even Sabo raised an eyebrow.
"Enough," Luffy said, taking back his Haki. "Stand down, guys."
Miss All Sunday was looking down at Luffy curiously as a bead of sweat slid down her cheek. Despite this, she kept smiling. Luffy looked her dead in the eye. "You're on the losing side of this game, Robin. And thanks for the log pose, but I don't trust you. Also, I'm sorry, but I can't give them to you. You should be glad that we hadn't already killed them."
Sabo frowned, Robin, so that was her name. It seemed Luffy knew her. But Robin was a very common name in the seas, so he couldn't make the connection.
The woman's composure instantly slipped away along with her smile, and her eyes widened slightly. There was a moment of silence before she regained her bearings and spoke. "So, you know my identity. You've piqued my curiosity, Monkey D. Luffy."
Luffy winked. "Well, it's always lovely, gaining a woman's attention. And you look just like the wanted poster," he replied, smoothly. Miss All Sunday smiled again, but Luffy could sense her discomfort.
"I see," is all she said. It wasn't a lie. She did look strikingly similar to her 8-year-old self. "It would seem you might have earned your reputation, Fallen Hero Straw Hat Luffy or should I say Mario." Luffy's smile twitched a bit, but he still kept a straight face. It seemed that Robin found amusement in that.
"It's really sad that I have to return empty-handed."
"Well, let's make a deal. You don't tell Croc about this conversation or my little secret back in Whisky Peak. And I won't inform the World Government about you." Luffy said as Robin's smile finally dropped. "How does that sound?"
"You have me there, straw hat. Just keep your promise." She finally said.
"Oh, you have my promise, scout's honor." He mused. "We will meet again next time."
"Again, you won't make it to Alabasta," she said as she jumped off the ship and onto a rather large turtle, she turned towards them one last time. " I wish you the best of luck, seeing as you'll need it. Farewell." The turtle swam off, leaving the pirates to their devices.
"To the Mini Garden, then," Luffy said.
"Little Garden," Coby corrected.
"Yeah, that."
"Well that was rude," Gin commented, his weapons lowering.
"She just called it Little Garden," Nami wondered. "Do you know anything about it, Princess?"
"Nothing," Vivi replied. "I hope she was just trying to scare us."
Before Nami could ask Sabo or Hatchan, Luffy called out. "I know about it, but it shouldn't be something we should worry about. I did prepare for it."
Nami just nodded, trusting her captain.
"Hey, did something happen back there?" It was Hatchan, it seemed that he wasn't able to hear what was happening due to the wind.
"Nothing Hatchi."
"Okay, if you say so."
And with that the ship sailed towards Little Garden.
.
The journey continued, the straw hats going through their usual routines. They took a short break near a marine base to drop off Mr. 5 and Miss Valentine for their bounties.
Luffy could have easily killed them for their devil fruits, but opted not to. Sure both Mr. 5 and Miss Valentine were criminals, but they weren't as bad as the rest.
Also, they were Johnny and Yosaku's opponent, if they didn't kill him. He wouldn't force them to do it. And about them killing Miss Monday, well. Almost all of the agents in the organization had some blood on their hands. Does that mean, Luffy had the right to kill everyone?
Nope, unless they were a threat to Luffy and his crew, or in the future, he wouldn't kill them. But if his crewmates do kill someone, he wouldn't stop them.
And with how much Luffy scared them with Haki, he was sure they wouldn't be coming for revenge any time soon. Also, both Mr. 5 and Miss Valentine changed for good later down the line, so if they somehow survive then great. If not, he didn't care.
Johnny and Yosaku went to drop them off at the local marine base. This way, both of them could gain a reputation on being recognized as bounty hunters, not pirates. Sparky went along with them, using the invisible device.
The C-6 marine base was near Whisky Peak. And it seemed that the captain in charge of it was a rotten one. So, Sparky had raided all the treasury from him, all without the marines knowing.
With the 17.5 million bellies from the agent's bounty, combined with the stolen treasury they made around 30 million in gains.
"Hm… that's quite the profit." Luffy hummed as the Going Merry sailed towards Little Garden.
Nami danced around Luffy and hugged him. "You are the best! You are the best!" she said, in euphoria. Jumping in joy like a little child.
Vivi sweat dropped seeing the scary orange-haired girl act so carefree when around money.
The journey continued, and while Vivi was worried about being too late to stop the Warlord. With Momoo pulling the boat, the journey wouldn't take that long.
In the meantime though, they did some small-time training.
Vivi was quite amazed by the work ethic of the pirates. Almost all of them were training in one way or another.
Mr. Bushido was sparring against the female swordsman of the ship.
The cook seemed to be helping Hatchan make Takoyaki.
The bounty hunters, who were also secretly pirates, were sparring against the tonfa user and claw devil fruit user. Both having gained more injuries from the sparring than they did in actual fights.
Usopp seemed to be helping Sparky in maintaining the ship's weapons, along with adding modifications to his guns. Him and Sparky had already trained for a bit.
Even the crew's captain, Luffy, seemed to have his eyes blindfolded, ears plugged and was trying to defend himself from Sabo. The masked individual finally revealed his identity to her. Other than telling her that Luffy was his brother, and his name, he said nothing else.
Luffy seemed to be getting a bit beaten up with the added drawbacks of having multiple bumps on his head. Vivi winced each time the blonde hit Luffy with the metal pipe, but it seemed that Luffy was improving with this.
Vivi was truly amazed by how different the pirate crew was. But then again Luffy was more of a hero to her than a pirate.
Almost two days passed and the straw hats could finally see the island of their destination. Little Garden.
144
"Woohoo! Our second Island on the Grand Line!" Bartolomeo and Usopp shouted together side by side, arms on each other's shoulders.
They just had breakfast, and morning training was done. So almost all of them were thrilled to explore the new Island.
Two days passed on the Going Merry, each of them just as crazy to the crew and company.
Even though most of the storms were luckily avoided by Nami's caution and Momoo's speed, they still had to go through a lot. The weather was never consistent for more than a half-hour, and more than once were the pirates forced out of bed in the middle of the night because of a storm, but the chaos and Vivi's willingness to help quickly made her as much of a crewmember as anyone else aboard.
The blue-haired princess was now accustomed to the happy-go-lucky tune of the Straw Hat Pirates. Still, the princess didn't like the training the captain of the ship put her through. But training was mandatory for anyone that sailed on the Going Merry, so she complied.
And she didn't regret it so far, learning a lot about her strengths and weaknesses in her fighting techniques.
All of them assembled on the deck as the ship pulled into a river that led deeper into the island, thick greenery rising from the shore on either side. Above the treetops in the distance stood two mountains, both as white as sun-bleached bone and with multiple holes that must have led to impressive cave systems. Bestial roars echoed through the jungle, each one making Usopp and Nami jump.
"W-what was that?" Usopp shrieked looking at Nami who was just as frightful.
"Must be the volcano or something, nothing to worry about." Gin said, making both of them sigh in relief. Coby wanted to point out how wrong he was, but Vivi spoke first.
"We should be careful… I'm worried about what Miss All Sunday said about this island…" Vivi reminded them. The Island came into a clearer view, still a few hundred meters before they would reach the shore. A loud screech from a bird flying above the island surprised them.
"Y-y-you don't think there are m-monsters here, do you?" Usopp stuttered as he fell to the floor, suddenly losing his excitement.
"Hot Pot!" Sparky said, with saliva dripping from his mouth.
"Yes, Sanji can make hot pot out of them, if you are able to catch one." Luffy said, nodding.
Speaking of Sanji, the cook came out of the kitchen with a bunch of lunch boxes for each of the crew-mates. "Lunch boxes for everyone." Even though not too long ago they had breakfast, all of the crew mates accepted the additional food. But they wouldn't be eating it anytime soon.
With the visit to a new island, most of them might miss Lunch, so Luffy told the cook to make something carriable for the whole crew. With how tough the training was, good recovery and nutrition were very important.
So missing a meal was not an option.
Almost all of the crewmates had visible signs of muscles in their body. Most notably was Coby, who hit a growth sprout of some sort. Gaining a height of almost six feet and most of the baby fat on his body were now gone. Now he didn't look like the scrawny kid of the crew anymore.
"So, this is Little Garden, huh?" Kuina muttered. "Just what about this island is little? I wonder."
"This Island… It's like a land yet to be explored by people. The entire island is a thick jungle." Sanji commented.
"Hey, it's just large trees and stuff… I'm sure nothing dangerous is here." Gin said, being the only optimistic one in the crew. "I think the Sunday lady was just trying to scare us."
"Yeah, nothing bad will…" Usopp stopped mid-sentence when a large crocodile was fished out of the sea by an even larger bird. "Did my eyes just play a trick on me?" he asked Nami, who looked equally frightened.
Nami shook her head, sadly. All blood drained from her face.
"We are screwed!"
Their fear only worsened when a tiger five times as large as any tiger should be limped out of the treeline. It growled at the ship, only to wince as the blood dripping from its stomach began to form a puddle under its body. With a final wheeze, the tiger keeled over, exposing the deep lacerations that had caused its demise, its eyes losing their light.
"This is definitely not normal!" screamed Nami, frightened.
"Y-yeah, let's not set foot on this island!" Usopp decided. "I think I can feel my Don'tGoOnThatIsland Disease acting up."
"I second that!" Bartolomeo agreed, shivering, his fingers already in a crossed position. In case he needed to shield the whole ship.
Hatchan and Momoo even they looked worried.
"Let's just wait quietly on our ship… and leave the very second our Log Pose finishes recording! After all, we have to hurry on to Alabasta as soon as possible."
"As much as I wish we could, Nami-swan, we don't have that option," Sanji replied, "Our food stores are running low and won't get us to the next island, no matter how much we try to ration."
"That means we're going hunting," Zoro grinned.
Kuina shook her head. "Boys and their challenges…" Though for the record she looked equally as excited about the prospect.
"Oh, before I forget… Tada!" Luffy said, taking out something from his pocket. A bug spray.
"What's that?"
"A bug spray!"
And after that Luffy swiftly sprayed the whole crew, even Hatchan and Momoo. All of them coughed due to sudden exposure to gas.
"What the heck was that Luffy?" Nami asked, coughing.
"Yeah, *cough… I can barely breathe in this." Usopp said.
"I have to agree, captain." Coby said, "What kind of bug spray smells that bad? And I stink now… Blah!" As he had a sensitive nose, he felt double the side effect.
Luckily Sabo already had his plague mask on, so he didn't have to face the side effects. As a revolutionary he knew about the island, so he was prepared.
"This is a special kind of Bug spray, having very strong effect." Luffy pointed out. "Something that will help us survive here… you see there's a reason why Robin said that we won't survive Little Garden. Well, it's because of the Island's ecosystem."
"What?! Does that mean, this Island has dinosaurs?" Usopp cried, half in fear, and half in awe.
"This is a prehistoric Island, filled with God knows what kind of disease, that's why I bought some bug spray along with some protective medicine for all of the crew." Luffy said before addressing the sniper. "And, yes. This Island does have dinosaurs, amongst other things."
Luffy finished speaking just as the Going Merry docked the prehistoric Island. "Now, who's ready to explore the Island with me!"
145
Luffy finished speaking just as the Going Merry docked the prehistoric Island. "Now, who's ready to explore the Island with me!"
"No one!" Both Nami and Vivi screamed at the same time, before both of them blinked looking at each other.
"Ignore my future wives, people. It might be that time of the month." Luffy nonchalantly said.
"I'm gonna kill him!" Nami grabbed a dagger.
"Not if I do it first!" Vivi said, reading her peacock slasher.
Zoro was the first one to jump off the ship. "I'm going to hunt something to kill my boredom."
"Just wait on a second! Where do you think you're going!?" Nami asked.
"Look, we're pirates. We'll face weird stuff all the time, that's the life of piracy. If we back off then, we won't be able to get strong. Also, I'd rather not wait cluelessly while I could go get something done on the island." Zoro insisted.
"I agree with the green one." Sanji said, ticking Zoro off. "Come on, Nami-swan. This Island might be filled with danger, but it's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see prehistoric stuff. Actually, when I was little, I've read about this Island in a picture book. Seeing it right now, I'm also going to explore it."
"I agree with the blonde one," Kuina said, making Sanji coo, before also jumping off the ship. "But I'm going to mostly go for a walk."
"Fine, who else wants to go?" Nami grumbled. And she blinked when Vivi raised her hand.
"Could I come along with you?" Vivi asked Kuina.
"If you wanna come, sure."
After that Vivi mentioned that she was worrying about Alabasta and that taking a walk would clear her head. Nami actually understood her, almost to a personal level. Crocodile was Vivi's Arlong in her story.
"Eh, I would have told her to go with Zoro, to make sure he wouldn't get lost. But this works as well." Luffy joked as he finished his last meat. The straw hats snickered. It had become a universal knowledge that Zoro had the worst sense of direction in the crew.
"What was that!?" Zoro grumbled from the ground.
"Oi Zoro, don't forget about the food."
Zoro promptly ignored that. "We need food and I'm gonna go catch something way bigger than anything the Shit Cook over there can."
"That sounds like a challenge, Marimo," the chef growled. Lightning seemed to tie their gazes together. While they were bickering, Kuina and Vivi had already left.
Luffy had cautioned Sabo and Sparky about the Baroque Works Agents. And as Hatchan was going to stay in the ship, he cautioned him and Momoo as well.
The three members that had Observation Haki, they would have easily been able to find the enemies. But it was a bit hard on this island as all of the life forms here shone brightly, maybe because all of them were strong, so finding other humans would be a bit tough for them. Even a non-haki user could hide in a place like this.
"…it is a challenge, then." Zoro continued. Bringing everyone's attention back to their bickering. "Hell, I'm sure pinky over there, could catch something bigger than you could."
"Please leave me out of this," Coby groaned.
"So that's how it's gonna be, huh?" Sanji snarled. "Then let's go! You and Coby will be on a team and I'll take Gin with me… just don't cry like a baby when we beat you… The group that brings back the most meat wins."
"Deal," the swordsman agreed. "Pinky, get down here!"
"We don't have a say in this do we?" Gin deadpanned looking at Coby, before smirking. "But I'm sure we will win."
Coby sighed, before he also smirked. "Heh, we will see about that."
"Mad, all of them are mad!" Usopp screamed, before wailing on the ground. "And they got Coby too…! I still remember the boy being so innocent. It feels just like yesterday…"
Nami and Barto patted his back, mirroring his concern.
Luffy chuckled. "Hey, wait." Stopping both of the teams. Luffy brought one of his hands up, holding three fingers. "Let me give a time limit then. Three hours. Finish by then. Also, don't exhaust yourself too much. Mainly you Zoro and Sanji… you have other challenges to run."
Both the swordsman and cook blinked at Luffy, before nodding. It would be some form of training they presumed.
"Also, try to give some pointers to both Coby and Gin. They are having a bit of trouble with their techniques, maybe help them with that."
Both of them again gave nods, before going their separate ways. They now had a time limit, so there was no time to waste.
Also, now that both Zoro and Sanji were almost equal, this challenge would really bring in good results.
In the past few days, Zoro had improved a bunch, almost catching up to Sanji. Getting proper training and fighting against Luffy or Sabo all the time improved the swordsman to a much higher degree.
At the same time, Sanji's growth was getting a bit staggering. With his body, he had no interest in learning Tekkai, but he was trying to learn life return to properly use his already given healing factor.
Mainly being one of his father's failed experiments, his exo-skeleton wasn't as strong as his siblings. So with Life return, he could fix that or even improve it. Though he wasn't gaining any significant success in that technique.
Kuina on the other hand was very close to mastering Life Return. She always valued skills over raw strength. And unlike the other two, she also showed interest in learning Rokuogan.
Mainly to use it along with her sword later on.
"I don't get how they could be casual about the jungle." Nami started. "There are freaking dinosaurs out there."
"But they're strong… Maybe that's why they're so nonchalant about it…" Usopp said.
"Usopp… Nami… What are you talking about? You two are powerful in your own right too, you know? Stop looking down on yourselves."
"Wh-what!? But we haven't been able to get any of the Rokushiki techniques down." Usopp countered, Nami and Bartolomeo nodded sadly.
Luffy sighed seeing the inferiority complex act up amongst the crew mates.
146
"Usopp! Do you remember the day we saved Kaya and your village?" Usopp nodded to Luffy's question. "What did you promise?"
"That I would be the greatest sniper in the world!" The long nose declared, of course he wouldn't forget that day.
"And do you think you can reach that goal in one day?"
Usopp shook his head.
"Then are you willing to put in more than a decade to fulfill that goal?"
The sniper nodded again, but this time with resolve in his eyes.
"Well, all of them, with the exception of Coby, have been training for more than ten years. Of course, they would get one of the techniques down. It would have been an insult if they couldn't. Now, Coby might be fist-smart like me, but you… you my friend are the most talented sniper I know so far. It won't take that much time before you even surpass Sparky."
Usopp blinked in surprised when the six-armed monkey gave him a thumbs-up. Could he really do that…
Even Coby had been worked to the bone on Alvida's ship before he joined the straw hat. And Usopp had only started. Maybe he was getting a bit impatient… but the long nose won't let that stop his growth.
"And let's not forget the fact that you have taken down a pirate like Kuro, Kuro of a Hundred Plans. That's saying something. That man had been fighting for almost all of his life, but you beat him." Luffy said, jabbing his finger on the sniper's chest. "So don't look down on yourself. Same goes for you two, Nami and Barto."
Bartolomeo was awed that Usopp stopped a pirate like Kuro. Kuro was very well-known a few years back. Also… Usopp even with all of his storytelling, never mentioned that story. The green-haired barrier user wanted to know about that.
With that Luffy spun around before extending his hand toward the forest.
"This… this forest is filled with exotic animals that won't just die from normal bullets… So, why don't you and Sparky use this chance to polish up your sniping skills?" Luffy suggested. "Try out that new skill that I talked you about."
Usopp wanted to say something, but what Luffy said did make sense. Both Sparky and him had been trying to do something that Luffy deemed to be possible.
It was curving a bullet, and with the added muscles on Usopp's frame, he was sure he could make it possible.
"Also, take Barto with you," Luffy said, looking at the barrier guy. "As a sniper, I don't want you to be directly involved in a fight. That's why you and Barto should work on team-ups, in finding a high-ground for sniping, and looking after each other's backs."
Both Bartolomeo and Usopp looked at each other. What Luffy said did make sense. As a sniper, his first priority was finding a good place to hide in and shoot from there. But if he did get found out, then having Barto with him would be very good rather than being alone.
Before either of them could say anything, Luffy grabbed both of them by the back of their collars and tossed them a few miles into the Island. He was sure Barto would be able to use his ability to protect them from most of the things.
Also, people in this world were tough. Even a normal untrained man here would easily be able to survive a falling from a four-story building. And he trained both of them, personally, they shouldn't get hurt… too much.
"Just for safety measures, Sparky follow them." The six-armed monkey didn't have to be told twice as he used Sky Walk to catch up with the thrown pair.
"Now, who's next?" Luffy questioned, dusting his hands. As Johnny and Yosaku unconsciously took a step back.
"Oh, don't worry. Both of you would be coming with me." Luffy grinned, for some reason both of the bounty-hunting pirates started sweating. This won't end good. "That goes for you too Nami… you just started using the staff. There should be a few animals that you can be capable of smashing their skulls in."
"I hate you."
"Nah, you love me." Luffy then looked at Hatchan. "Lastly, Hatchi, stay in the ship. I'm sure Baroque Works won't give up just yet… they might try to do something while we are gone."
"Aye Aye Captain!" Hatchan said amusedly, saluting.
He was going to try and improve his takoyaki dish. So he could do that.
"Eh… what about me?" Sabo asked. Honestly, the blond felt a bit left out.
Underneath his mask, Sabo snickered at the fact that how similar Luffy was to Dragon in motivating people. It seems that the apple doesn't fall far from the tree.
"I totally forgot about you…" Luffy said, rubbing his chin. "Eh, just take a nap on the ship if you aren't interested in exploring, I guess. Something interesting will happen a few hours later, then you can come. Also, we can have a sparring match after that, if you wish."
Sabo shrugged his shoulders. "Fine by me." He answered. Honestly, most of the time with the Revolutionaries he wasn't able to sleep that much. So, he was trying to catch up on the years of long lost sleep. With that, he fell asleep standing up.
No one questioned the logic behind it and accepted it as it was. Though, there were still a couple of sweat drops among the audience.
Luffy just laughed his odd laugh, honestly. He wouldn't be getting used to antics of this world any time soon.
147
Crocodile was inside his casino hearing the reports of his agents and he was just about finishing a call.
"…keep me updated, Miss All Sunday." The Warlord said. "And as for those fools, Mr 5 and Miss Valentine, you don't have to worry about them… I will send someone else to deal with their situation."
Something else was said from the other side.
"No, you did the right thing. Return back for now… also with how things were going, we will be moving the plan forward."
With that, he ended the call.
Crocodile stood up, walking near to his window as he looked at the country. The Country of Alabasta. By the end of this month he should have everything prepared and he will have the whole country under him.
The people of Alabasta already saw him as a hero. So, after toppling the monarchy here, he wished to take over the country himself.
There were many reasons why he wanted to have the country under him. One of them was an old rumor of the ancient weapon residing beneath the land. But in all honesty, it would be rather foolish of him to bet on a tall tale like that.
No, the reason why he wanted the country was because he wanted manpower. And what better way then having a whole country under you. The World Government didn't care who the rulers of said land was, as long as they paid the Heavenly Tribute.
And his plan was almost complete, but now, he wasn't sure. All because of one rookie pirate.
Monkey D. Luffy
A boy from the east blue, who has already gained quite the fame. Enough to even make one of the Marine Dogs call him up and deal with him, if he comes by Alabasta.
His plan of taking over Alabasta wasn't as secure if the boy has the Alabastan princess on his side. Things can go bad, if the marines were to get involved.
But then again, he hid his tracks pretty well. Even if Vivi outed him as Mr Zero and the one causing all the problems in the country, he was sure that the sleeper agents amongst the local revolutionaries and the Royal Palace, which he planted over the years, won't make anything easy for her.
But still, his plan on taking over Alabasta needed to be sped up if he wanted things to go smoothly.
If these were any other newbie pirates he would have sent one or two pairs to deal with them in Little Garden but he knew that wouldn't work for them. There were too many loopholes to the plan.
Actually, he was going to send two teams anyways to capture the giants living on that island, but the plan needed to be postponed.
A boy that in his first year of sailing survived not only Dracule Mihawk, but also Ryokugyu Aramaki. He was not to be taken lightly.
Crocodile was confident in facing the newbie pirate. He had sailed the seas for years, fought and survived against a Yonko, so of course he wouldn't mind a brat-playing hero. His devil fruit alone would be enough. But with his plan to take over the kingdom, he needed to act carefully.
With what Miss All Sunday or Robin said about the boy and his crew, they are most likely to go towards Little Garden. A place where he sent one of his teams to capture the giants, a few months back. Though they failed the task, that pair was quite useful.
As far as Crocodile knew, the log pose would take a lot of time before resetting there, and if they followed the log pose from there, then they are most likely to cross Drum Island.
An Island of snow, very small compared to this Island, but big enough to be something more useful. Crocodile grinned as something came to his mind. Wasn't there an incident happening on that island? Maybe he could use that to his advantage.
With that he went over to his transponder snail, intending on calling his black horse agents. The Mr 6 pair. The same pair, he few months back sent to Little Garden. Though they failed, they were able to return alive. And that was quite the feet, with the addition of new power one of the agents gained on that island.
Robin didn't tell Crocodile everything about Luffy, which included the burning mutiny in Whisky Peak that the straw hat set up. Still, it wouldn't have bothered Crocodile much anyway. If his plan worked, then he wouldn't be needing Baroque Works anymore.
But Robin also forgot to mention a key detail about the Going Marry to Corodile. But who could blame her actually, she was too shocked by the fact that a newbie pirate knew about her identity and threatened her with it.
.
On the Going Merry, Vivi had her mind constantly on Alabasta. She was glad she had decided to take a walk on the island. It had calmed her down considerably. She plucked the fern growing wildly near the riverbank.
'This kind of plant… I've never seen something like this before!' She kept her eyes on Kuina, she had the sense not losing herself in her own world after all, as much as the prospect of learning about these things excited her.
She could still remember riding on Pell's back as they flew above the desert of Alabasta.
"What is that, Pell?" She had pointed at the large pair of purple lizards running across the desert.
"That's the Sandora Lizard. It's a menace to our caravans when crossing the desert. Remember Vivi-hime, they are dangerous and always hunt in pairs." He had said.
Rather than frightened, Vivi was excited, back then. "Is that so? Are they male and female pairs?" She asked.
"You're a curious little princess, Vivi-hime!" She was a little girl back then enjoying her ride below the clouds.
She shook her head, if only things could go back to those simpler days.
148
Just as Vivi looked back, Kuina had taken down what seemed to be a dinosaur. It snapped her out of her thoughts. "When did you do that!?"
"When you were contemplating your life choices," Kuina answered.
Vivi blinked, opening her mouth and closing it.
"Something is on your mind. Speak it." The swordswoman said directly.
"Miss. Kuina… Can I ask you a question?"
Kuina nodded.
"Why are you pirates going so far to help us? Why is Mr. Captain so determined? I know he is called a hero and all… but why drag his neck to the chopping board for me?" started Vivi.
Even if Luffy was good-looking and smooth with his words. He was still a pirate, and when she thought about it, she became doubtful. She knew they were already targeted by Crocodile for knowing his identity.
Judging by the strength Luffy had shown so far, she was sure he could go against Crocodile.
And not to mention the others in the crew, even Kuina here, she was pretty sure any agents short of the Mr.0 pair or the Mr.1 pair wouldn't be able to handle her. All of them were very strong for a new pirate group and that made her a bit doubtful on what other intentions they might have.
"I don't know exactly what Luffy is thinking, but as far as I have known him. Our captain has a bad case of hero complex." She said, chuckling a bit. "One of the things I admire about him. From the beginning of the journey, he had helped people." Kuina said as she started walking, Vivi followed behind her.
"Did you know, he helped Usopp and Nami out of a similar mess? Like yours… in a way, he did inherit some part of his grandfather, the hero part at least." Kuina chuckled a bit.
"Wait, Luffy is really the grandson of the marine hero, Garp?" Vivi asked. "But… it doesn't make sense… Why is he a pirate then?"
"Who knows, but from what the captain said, the marines aren't what they appear. I had a few personal experiences of the corrupt marines. But it seems to me that there are even more things that Luffy knows that made him join the pirate life instead." Kuina said. "Though, it's my theory. If you ask him, he will probably say it's because Shanks inspired him to be one."
Vivi didn't know who this Shanks she was speaking of was, but nodded non the less. Of course, she would never suspect that a Yonko had inspired him to be a pirate.
"Why do you say that, then?" Vivi asked. Of course, she knew some marines were bad, but as an organization as a whole, she believed them to be good.
"You have seen Coby… well, he wanted to be a marine. But Luffy made him change his beliefs, now he just looks up to the captain. Honestly with how many bad marines we saw over the journey… anyone with an optimistic view on the marines might start rethinking it."
Vivi just nodded. She would have to look into the marine organization as a whole after she returned to Alabasta.
"Also… Luffy considers you his friend, and maybe even more than a friend." Kuina smirked when the blue haired teen blinked in surprise. "I've never seen him give up on helping a friend in dire need. You're lucky to have caught our captain's interest. And if Luffy wants to help you with this Shichibukai Crocodile problem, or whoever it is in his way, we will just have to face them.
The Straw Hats were a quirky bunch. As they had sailed to Little Garden, they were having fun and playing around, training hard, even though they were just threatened by the presence of Miss All-Sunday and the identity of a Shichibukai as their adversary.
"Don't worry about us. Luffy promised you that we'll bring you home safely, and so he will. Our captain is a man of his word."
.
"Hohoho! So you were training with those dinosaurs… You must be strong! Hohoho."
'Red Ogre' Brogy the Giant was a mountain of a man standing at 69'10 feet (21m) with tanned skin. His blond beard wasn't that long, but impressive on his Viking-like armor, and a blue cape flowed down his back. A helmet, axe, and shield – each supersized to fit a Giant – sat next to him, even bigger than the cask of ale he was drinking from.
The giant, Brogy, had met the four small humans on his hunt for some Brachiosaurus meat.
"Of course! I can kick your ass if I wanted to!" Luffy replied, laughing along with the giant.
'Luffy… Please don't aggravate things!' Johnny, Yosaku and Nami internally shouted, anime tears on their face as they mulled over their fate. It was over for them. The giant will be pissed off and crush them!
Brogy went silent, pausing his drinking. "Really?" he said, raising an eyebrow.
"Of course," Luffy said, flexing his biceps. "I train everyday."
'We're dead!' They thought together.
"Hohoho! Maybe we can duke it out sometimes! Hohoho." laughed the giant as he and Luffy enjoyed their dinosaur meat.
With things calming down a bit, Yosaku was the first one to question.
"H-how come you're so huge, Brogy-san?" Yosaku braved himself to ask, seeing Luffy so friendly with the giant.
Brogy explained that he was a giant, and he hailed from Elbaf, Land of the brave warriors of the seas. Nami took the chance to ask how long the Log Pose would need before the island's magnetic forces are recorded and the next island would show up on the Log Pose.
"One year." Nami fainted comically.
"I-Is she okay?" The giant asked with concern.
"Shishishishi… she does that sometimes." Luffy said, "Anyway, you use a shield and an axe right?"
The giant nodded, with a raised eyebrow.
Luffy then jabbed his thumb at Yosaku. "Well, he does as well. Mind giving him some tips?"
There was a resounding silence, only broken by the giant's laughter. "Hohoho! You really are brave, straw hat. Asking me to teach your crew mate… why not, I could use a change of pace." He said, before leaning down at Yosaku.
This time the bounty hunter didn't cower and mustered all the courage he had and stood tall.
"Hmm… he does have a good body for learning the axe and shield."
Johnny looked back at his captain who was smiling. He wondered if Luffy actually knew about this place beforehand.
149
"I hate you Zoro!" Coby yelled, a bit of panic in his voice as he ran through the trees of Little Garden. A group of velociraptors, numbering more than twenty, each being at least ten feet in height with a sail-like spine and a mouth full of razor-sharp teeth, were chasing after him.
Now, some might be wondering how Coby got into this position. Well, when both Coby and Zoro had teamed up, they first thought of just hunting down the beast by themselves.
But soon things became clear when after killing a few, the rest of them would run away from them. Zoro grumbled about it being counterproductive.
So Coby suggested that they should use something as bait. And that made Zoro grin evilly at the young pink pirate.
Coby really should have kept his mouth shut as even with his regeneration; he would rather not experience getting chowed down by prehistoric beasts. And even worse; getting prehistoric rabies from them.
"One Sword Style: Demon Wind!" Zoro said, swinging Sandai Kitetsu, as a powerful wind slash came out of the sword. This sword, like his Akaiittou Nozarashi, was a bit unruly, and hard to master. And as a swordsman with three swords, he had to give each sword his attention. That also made him glad that his third sword, Yubashiri, was an obedient one, unlike those two.
Coby hastily ducked, but he was damn sure he got a haircut from the attack. He was going to give his two cents to his green-haired crewmate. Well, that was until he heard some falling noise behind him.
But when he looked back, he was almost gaping as almost all of the beasts had their heads cut clean off. Okay, maybe he would not be giving his well-too-powerful crewmate an earful.
Nodding, Zoro jumped down from the boulder, his blade casually resting on his shoulder. He wasn't going to use any flames on the hunt as he didn't want to char the beast, nor give it any more trauma before killing it. "That makes it seventy."
"Really, a thank you would be appreciated," Coby grumbled picking himself up from the ground and dusting his clothes.
Zoro mused at the pink-haired boy, it seemed that the boy did grow a spine in the few months he stayed with them. Zoro had to say, Coby really had talent, but it seemed that he was going at it the wrong way.
"Hmm… why don't we go for something that's a bit tough." Zoro said, as if to answer him, a giant-sized triceratops, came out of the nearby bush. Zoro grinned, eagerly, before stopping himself. "Hm… you know what, why don't you take on this one?"
Coby blinked pointing at himself. "Me?"
"Why, you a wimp?" Zoro shot back.
To answer Zoro's question Coby flipped him off, before turning around and taking out his claws. "I needed to blow some steam off anyways."
The Triceratops huffed angrily like a bull, dragging some dirt along with his feet as he eyed Coby.
The beast moved wildly at Coby, who also moved forward using his newly learned 'soru'. The speed wasn't at the level of a mastered one, yet it gave him blinding speed to normal men.
Except that a Triceratops was not a normal man; Coby's claws were stopped by the three-horned predator, making the boy wide-eyed. He was expecting his claws to pierce through the beast's skull, but it seemed that his skull was made out of harder stuff. Almost like steel. Before Coby could do anything he was suddenly pushed back to Zoro's side.
Coby had to drag his feet to stop himself from falling to the ground.
"Like I thought, this one is different." Zoro smirked, casually resting Sandai Kitetsu on his shoulder. He then pointed at the beast. "I would have loved to cut you down myself, but this boy here…"
"Did you just call me a boy!?"
"…needs to learn a valuable lesson." Zoro finished ignoring Coby's comment.
"Hey, I'm only three years younger than you."
Zoro gave him a side glance, "Like I said, practically a baby." he snorted. "Can't even take down an oversized cow." The Triceratops huffed angrily hearing that.
"Hey, I can take that one on myself." Coby shot back, before standing up, drawing his claws.
"You could… but that's not the point."
Coby blinked, before raising an eyebrow. "What, are you gonna teach me something?"
"Well, that depends." Zoro smirked, "Do you want to learn how to cut steel…?"
Coby was wide-eyed for a few moments before a challenging grin made its way to his face. "Yeah, why not."
.
"Gegyagyagyak! So Broggy's guests are friends of yours, eh? I guess that makes sense. We don't get many visitors. He described them as one of them having a straw hat and an attitude to go with it."
"Well, that does sound like captain." Sanji said, as he was trying to set up the flame for cooking. He had already skinned down and peeled the few beasts that he would be using for cooking.
Both him and Gin had found the giant along with Usopp, Barto, and Sparky. It seemed the resident giant here helped them get out of a mess. So as a thank you, Usopp requested Sanji to cook something for the giant.
Speaking of giant, 'Blue Ogre' Dorry the Giant was a mountain of a man standing at nearly 2260 cm (74'2 feet) with tanned skin. His black beard covered much of his Viking-like armor, nearly touching the ground, and a blue cape flowed down his back. A helmet, sword, and shield – each supersized to fit a Giant – sat next to him, even bigger than the cask of ale he was drinking from.
At first, Sanji didn't want to cook immediately because of the challenge with Zoro. But when Dorry didn't mind and casually said that he hadn't eaten anything made by a chef for a hundred or so years, then things changed.
So feeding the giant came first. And while he was at it, he would make food for everyone in the crew. He did pack them lunch, but with so much game, and he knew not all of them could be taken into Merry.
The ship was getting crowded in the male quarters already. The ship was getting a bit too crowded, and so they already had rations from Whisky Peak, so refusing to let good food go to waste, Sanji went cooking.
He had two giants and his crew to feed.
While Sanji was in his own world, the others enjoyed the tales from the giant. The giant was 158 years old, and had scars, all of them having stories behind it.
"I got this one, when I first went to the sea. Accidentally went to the calm belt due to the winds." Dorry said, showing a bite mark scar on his forearm. The rest hearing the story shivered as something similar almost happened to them. "A sea king tried to break our ship, had to stop it with my bare hands… While that wasn't the problem, that particular sea king was an eel… I was up for a shocker. Gegyagyagya! Broggy is still jealous of this scar. Gegyagyagya!"
The rest, especially Usopp and Barto, had stars in their eyes. They had seen Luffy and Sanji fish out large fish, and even small sea-kings, but a giant fighting giant sea kings, that's something they wanted to see.
Gin also noticed a similar scar on his other hand. But this one looked fresh, "Dorry-san, that other scar… did you also get that from a sea king?"
The giant looked at the scar and shook his head as he stroked his beard. "No, this one is recent. Before you guys came here… we had two other people visit us. But they were here for our bounty. Lest to say, one of them had gotten a hold of the devil fruit we were hiding in our treasure chest… and things went from there."
The other blinked at who would be stupid enough to fight giants… or even steal from them.
"Wait… if that scar is because of the devil fruit. What kind of…"
"A zoan fruit… quite a powerful one." Dorry hummed. "It made the human quite the big beast… though it was still small compared to us. And like a wild dog it bit me… Gegyagyagya! But I did smack the shit out of him."
"Well… ah Dorry-san, if that fruit is so powerful. Why didn't you guys eat it beforehand?" Barto questioned.
"Well, we didn't know what fruit it was. We found it a few years back… also, we don't have a boat. And in case we need to return to Elbaf… we need our swimming abilities."
The others nodded, much in awe and respect. To swim from one island to another… so that was the giant's way.
150
All of them watched as both of the giants duked it out, their giant weapons clashing against each other, creating sparks and shockwaves around the island. Dorry and Brogy were not holding back, their blades clashing with each other.
Almost the full crew of the straw hats sat while the giants fought. They had already had the extended lunch, it was odd really. Sanji didn't expect all of them to gather again, Little Garden wasn't a small island. But then again he had made enough food for all of them.
Sanji even made sure that the giants had their own fill. And with more energy to spare the giants are more enthusiastic about the battle.
Luffy, Sparky, and Zoro grinning with excitement, while the others were in a state of awe. Even Sanji had a challenging smile on his face.
Gin looked around, Nami and Usopp seemed to be panicking while Coby seemed a bit nervous by the sheer power on display. Johnny, Yosaku and Barto had stars in their eyes.
Sabo was here as well but the man seemed to have gotten bored, and with Hatchan and Momoo on the ship, he came to see the giants as well.
Only Kuina and Vivi were missing but Gin had trust in his female crewmate as she was more than capable of taking care of herself. He had fought alongside her and against her —in sparring matches— she was a very powerful swordswoman. Her reputation as a well-known bounty hunter did her justice.
No wonder her aim was the top. After joining the crew, Gin had challenged Zoro and her first, they were quite powerful. And her skills seemed to have only improved from there.
Gin himself had learned Tekkai, rather than going over any other techniques, he was trying to master it. He wanted to use it while on the move, which was harder said than done.
But Luffy was more than willing to share his own experience with that technique. Gin very much appreciated that. His captain might be young, but he was a damn competent one. Kreig wasn't even comparable to him.
Gin already had good speed, of course, it was nowhere comparable to Sanji or Kuina, more so now that both of them knew Soru. But he was fast with his feet, and along with his weighted tonfa, he was a madman in the battlefield. They didn't call him the 'Man-Demon' for nothing. So now with Tekkai, he wanted to have more power behind his attacks.
His Tonfa were a unique weapon that had a lot of destructive potential. And now that Usopp had modified them and given them spikes laced with sea stone, they became even more deadly. Usopp was a damn genius with that stuff.
Gin loved his new home amongst the straw hats. All of them had grand dreams, great goals, and Gin was more than willing to give his life to make sure they accomplished them.
That is how he was. He was a loyal man.
And for that he wanted strength. Gin would be lying if he hadn't felt down after what happened back on Sakura Island. Aramaki. Both him and Hatchi got floored, that sick fuck one shotted them.
And that was why he needed strength. He didn't want to lose again. And even though he threw himself at training he wasn't seeing much improvement. Sure, he improved a ton after joining the crew and he was sure he could beat his previous self in less than ten seconds now…
But it still wasn't enough.
While hunting with Sanji, the cook gave him a few tips; using more spins to generate more energy with his special tonfa, get faster, and be unpredictable. But it honestly came down to fighting stronger opponents, a death battle.
Fighting crewmates made him strong, but there was no real danger. And only danger can make you improve.
He hated to admit it, but by getting his butt kicked by Aramaki, his gains in strength increased. However, that wasn't a fight, more like a one-sided beating. That's why when he was watching the fight between the giants, he started to wonder if he could reach that level.
No… he shook his head. He needed to reach far beyond that if he wanted to stay by his captain's side. His captain was no ordinary man, he had grand goals and even grander ambitions, so of course he needed to be strong to stand by his side.
Speaking of his captain, Luffy seemed to be a lot more excited. Maybe seeing the battle between the giants set something off inside him. And so, Luffy jumped on his brother with his naginata drawn, his brother countering with his metal pipe.
"You really want to do this here?" Sabo questioned as he pushed back against Luffy. "This won't end well for you."
Luffy ignored the threat. "I have been itching to fight you… Shishishi." He grinned as he pressed down on his naginata, his blade going black. The color of the armament. Of course, not everyone could see it. "I want to see how much stronger you are."
"Well," Sabo shrugged as his own metal pipe turned metallic black. "You have been warned."
And with that, both brothers started duking it out as well. Slashes, strikes, punches, kicks, toppling trees and creating shockwaves of their own.
"What are they doing?!" Nami yelled. "This is no place to fight…!"
"Speak for yourself, witch," Zoro said as he clashed three of his blades with Sanji's feet.
"Don't call Nami-swan that, you green-headed bastard!" Sanji said, kicking Zoro, which the swordsman ducked as his Akaiittou Nozarashi caught flames.
"Well, who's gonna stop me? You, shitty cook?!" Zoro grinned, while Sanji's feet also caught flames.
"Oh, I'm going to enjoy this more than I should," Sanji said before his grin also matched Zoro's. Both of them turned into blurs of flames as they started their own match.
"Let me show you what real flames are…" Zoro was cut off when he had to duck against another kick, before jumping back from another.
"My flames are better than your match sticks any day, Marimo!"
"T-They've lost it." Nami groaned.
Gin also sighed, before he quickly crossed his weighted tonfa to block against Barto's barrier-encased fist.
"Well, I'm going after someone that's reasonably on my own level." Bartolomeo said, as he punched again, this time with Gin kicking him away.
"And you think I'm reasonably on that level?" Gin questioned with a raised eyebrow. He was almost amused.
"Nah, but Coby is already getting his ass kicked by Sparky," Barto said, jabbing his thumb behind where the pink-haired boy and monkey were duking it out. Sparky not using his fruit, of course, because that would just be unfair. Still, Coby was at a disadvantage with the six-armed monkey.
"You know, this won't end well." Gin said, before a savage grin made his way toward his face. "Today, I will show you why they call me the Man-Demon."
"Well, I'm already called the 'Man-Eater' Bartolomeo, myself." Barto said with a puffed-out chest, before he had to dodge a series of strikes from Gin's spinning weapon. Now that it had silver spikes on it, it became a lot more dangerous, especially for a devil fruit user like himself.
It won't strip away all of his power, due to the grade of sea stones being lower quality, but it would severely weaken him nonetheless.
The one kilogram of sea stone powder they got from Logue town was of lower quality, Sabo had said, after examining them. There were even higher qualities that the revolutionaries had in their storage. And that's not even questioning what grandline marines had with them.
So even though most of their crewmates had their weapons laced with sea stone, it wouldn't take away all of the devil fruit users powers. More so, weaken them.
"This is madness." Johnny said.
"Yeah." Yosaku agreed.
"At least someone is reasonable…" Nami sighed only to be cut off by their next words.
"Let's join them," Johnny said as he used the stick portion of his spear to attack Yosaku.
"Yeah, well. I'm gonna win." Yosaku said while he had his shield up before striking with his axe.
Which Johnny took head-on with his tekkai.
"God… help these morons." Nami groaned before her eyes sharpened as her neck snapped to her side. Looking at Usopp who had his mini slingshot out, and was about to shoot at her "Don't even think about it, long nose."
Usopp gulped, taking down his slingshot. Yeah, that was not a good idea. Maybe not today… or any day for that matter. Nami was just scary!