Chapter 35: Amusement Parks Are Not For Hiding!
I don't own One Piece
.....................................
3rd Person
.....................................
The Straw Hat crew surrounded their captain, who held the crew's artist on his back. Each crew member had a frown on their face, and glares angled to the two pirates who stood in front of them.
Two pirates. One red headed and the other blue haired.
Lone Star Sato. He was as tall as the blue haired pirate next to him, standing closer to six foot though not quite making it yet. Clearly he was still young as his voice still had a boyish tone, being in his teens which made him even more dangerous to the government given his current strength. Similar to Red Haired Shanks, he had the same red hair and the same jawline. Though his hair was longer, resting just a little below his shoulders and was pulled back into a ponytail. His eyes were more narrow, but it didn't hide the blue of his iris. Located just below his left eye was a star shaped scar, left from a previous wound. A black cloak, which was tattered at the ends, draped around his body. The cloak had been something he had taken from Shanks, and while his Uncle had demanded it back he had yet to give it. Though he held no weapons visible, the power that surrounded him was enough to make anyone hesitate from standing against him in a fight.
Silent Bullet Makoto. Though he stood as tall as the red head next to him, he still tried to claim he was taller. He too was clearly in his teens, though compared to Sato he looked more mature. His blue hair wasn't nearly as long as Sato's, though it was allowed to grow out some from his childhood years. His bangs constantly having to be pulled back and clipped out of his eyes. Shanks had finally stopped teasing him for his 'too large of a head', and Sayomi had been proved correct when she had assumed the boy would grow into it nicely. Though his jawline wasn't as strong as Sato, he had a softer jawline which he was sure Mitsu would later call 'girly'. Even his eyes were a little larger than Sato's, though they fit his face nicely. His clothing choice was simple, just a white button up shirt with the sleeves rolled up, a black pair of pants, finished with a red belt to hold his guns. While the air around him didn't hold the same power as Sato's, one could easily tell Makoto was not a pirate to take lightly.
"Luffy," Sato, the red headed pirate, said. "We'll meet you guys here in three days, with Mitsu."
"No." Luffy glared. "She's my nakama. She'll stay with us. We'll protect her."
The captain didn't care that Sato had been one of his favorite people when he was younger. He didn't care that he thought of Sato almost as high as Shanks. He didn't know of what was coming for them. What he knew was that Sato and Makoto were trying to take away one of his nakama while they weren't conscious. She would wake up and would be confused, that's what Chopper told him, and he didn't want to confuse her anymore by having her wake up somewhere strange. So, he would keep them all together.
He would not let them separate. And he would keep them all safe.
Makoto groaned, "Look here, Monkey. You've already made things difficult, as you have no self control." The Straw Hat's didn't miss the look Sato sent the blue haired pirate. "So any danger Mitsu was in has likely doubled. We just want to take her with us like we all had agreed to before, and we'll bring her back to you all. Three days, once your ship is coated and you can leave."
"I said no!" Luffy glared, "Captain's orders! And her name is Katsu!"
Luffy didn't like this other name they insisted on calling her. Her name was Katsu. That was that.
"She hasn't woken up yet!" Chopper jumped in. "We don't know what she'll remember and we don't want her waking up somewhere completely unfamiliar! With us at least we can help ease her back and not push her too much." The reindeer glanced at the artist with concern. "Besides, as a doctor I can't just leave her in this condition." Chopper knew Katsu enough to know after she woke it, it wasn't likely she was going to let another doctor look after her. Which meant he absolutely had to be there, to ensure the girl healed properly.
Having been listening into the conversation, or rather argument, Rayleigh smiled. He had been listening in for a while now, curious as to what exact crew managed to get his niece to join. Of course the two well known pirates claiming to be her brothers spiked his interest as well.
"Katsu's quite lucky to have met you guys." He finally said, gaining everyone's attention. A smile formed on his face which crinkled his eyes. "I'm happy my niece is in good hands."
Sato and Makoto blinked, their mouths opening in shock. "Niece?" Then they looked over to each other. What kind of connections had their sister made to be claimed as a niece from someone like Reyleigh?
Then Sato nearly snickered, remembering how fond their uncle was- is of Mitsu. "Ah, Uncle Shanks is gonna be jealous, don't you think, Makoto?" In response to Sato, Makoto nodded with a small smile.
Luffy ignored the two brother's interacting and paid attention to the old man. He nodded towards him with a serious expression, as if to reassure Rayleigh. "Katsu'll be okay with us. We'll just hide in the amusement park."
The crew's navigator caught on quickly to her Captain. With a swing of her hand and an eye twitch, she punched Luffy's head. Though she did put some caution as to not hurt the artist the captain was holding. "Idiot!" She scoffed, "We can't hide there, you'll just play around and get us caught."
Both of the lone pirates winced at the thought, sharing a glance towards each other. Sato knew Luffy when they were younger, and he was starting to wonder if the boy had matured at all. It wasn't looking like it.
"Ah, Luffy," Sato tried again, softly reaching a hand out.
"No." Luffy pulled away from Sato, even though he wasn't close enough to reach either the captain or the artist. "She's our nakama. Not yours."
Rayleigh chuckled, stepping forward and slapping his one hand down on Sato's shoulder and the other on Makoto's shoulder. "You two are fighting a losing battle. Mamoru already told me about Luffy. Once he sets his mind, there's nothing that will change it." He looked up at the captain with a growing smile of amusement. "He followed around Katsu the whole week and asked her every hour or so for her to join his crew. The only thing that got him to stop was when she agreed."
Each of the Straw Hats, with the exception of Katsu and Luffy, nodded their heads in agreement. Some had tired looks in their eyes, having remembered their own time being demanded to join his crew.
Both brother's shared a glance before they deflated in defeat. Sato sighed, "Fine, but the cook holds her." When the crew looked at him in confusion, he responded. "I knew you as a kid, Luffy. I'm iffy about you holding my sister, you'll probably drop her as soon as you see some food."
Once again the crew nodded in agreement, meanwhile Luffy's ears had perked at the mention of food.
"And the cook looks strong enough to run and protect Mitsu." Makoto added, looking at Sanji. "But, no funny business. Don't think we won't show up and hesitate to beat you into the ground if you try anything." His eyes narrowed onto Sanji, who was lighting a cigarette. "Don't you know she hates those? The smell is too strong for her."
Sanji didn't hear the last part, having been too busy being insulted by Makoto's comment before. He would never do such a thing to a Lady, though the thought did almost trigger a trail of blood from his nose.
Instead, Chopper gave the brother's a frown towards the last comment. "Katsu has no sense of smell though."
Both pirates blinked, clearly remembering their sister with a strong sense of smell. Our of the three of them, her sense was far stronger than the both of them. They had often joked she had the same sense as a dog, well Sato had joked. Makoto had the best eyesight of the three of them, and Sato had the best hearing. Together they paired very well.
Well they used to pair well. Now the brother's weren't sure. They knew Mitsu, but they know nothing of Katsu.
"I would never do such dishonorable things to a lady!" Sanji finally yelled, glaring at Makoto offensively. "Especially to Katsu-chan!"
"Yeah, yeah, shitty cook." Zoro sighed in annoyance, "They've already moved on. You should too. Just grab her so we can go."
Before Sanji could turn to face his annoyance towards Zoro, Robin quickly stepped in. She had a calm smile on her face, "Cook-san, please hurry. We wouldn't want an admiral finding us all standing here and kill us instantly."
Sato gaped at the bluntness while Makoto tried to hide a smirk. Meanwhile Usopp practically had tears streaming down his face.
"Yes Robin-swan!" Sanji cooed, twirling away from Robin to face his captain and hold his arms out for the red head. Though he did quickly toss his cigarette onto the ground and crush it with his foot before continuing. Seeing as Sanji was ready, Luffy turned around and allowed the chef to take the girl from his back. "I got her." This time he spoke quieter, almost as if she was just sleeping and he didn't want to wake her.
"Stay safe." Rayleigh smiled, lifting his hand in a half wave. "I look forward to catching up with Katsu later on."
"Yosh! Let's go!" Luffy grinned, "To the amusement park!"
"Idiot!" This time Nami didn't hold back as much, hitting her captain in the head where he voiced a complaint. "We're not going there!"
As the crew began walking, Sanji went to follow but was stopped. Looking behind him, the Chef locked eyes with the brother pirates. Sato being the one to pull Sanji to a stop.
"Kuma's likely to see you guys. If it's the real one, I think you'll be okay. He owes us a favor." Sato whispered, wanting to keep this between them. "Anyone other than that, you run. Especially since you have Mitsu. They know of that mark on her arm, even if it's hidden now, and the government wants her back."
Sato and Makoto had managed to meet with Kuma a few days ago. Luckily Kuma actually liked Sato, so coming to an arrangement was easier done than said. Though Makoto was sure it was going to be easy to come to an agreement, not just because his brother was there. They had held up their end of the bargain, and now they expected him to hold up his.
"Understood." Sanji nodded.
"And in the case you guys do get separated, make sure she has this." Makoto murmured, placing a few objects in the girl's bag she still had strapped to her. "You should all also make a plan b in case your crew gets separated as well."
"We won't be separated, but I'll bring that up." Sanji nodded again.
Sato stared at Sanji, making the chef believe he knew more than he was saying. "Make sure you protect her."
"I will, stop fussing." Sanji sighed, though he understood the brothers' worry.
Both pirates gave one last look at their sister before Makoto slammed his hand on Sato's shoulder. With a nod from Sato, they disappeared.
Sanji frowned, staring at the spot both pirates had been standing a second ago. Then he looked at Katsu. "You seem to have dangerous family, Katsu-chan."
"Sanji! Let's go!"
Jumping to attention, Sanji twirled around and ran back towards his crew. "Coming, Nami-swan!"
..........................................
"I vote we hide at the amusement park!" Luffy cheered, causing his crew to groan once more.
"No Luffy." Sanji groaned, the only reason he wasn't screaming by now was the female in his arms. "We all know you would be too busy playing and give us away."
The captain pouted, not pleased with being told 'no' again. However, his pout didn't last long as he shrugged and carried on. He would bring it up again in a little bit, eventually they would have to crack.
Sanji paused, feeling Katsu stiffen in his arms. The whole time they've been walking she hadn't moved. The crew was quick to notice the lack of movement from their chef, and stopped as well to look at him in confusion.
"Sanji?" Robin asked, glancing at the red head in his arms.
Then the girl jerked, her breathing quickening. Her face squished up into a look of panic. Sanji quickly tightened his hold in fear of dropping her.
"Katsu?" Luffy asked, tuning around to look at her fully, his face full of confusion.
"Shanks is coming!" She cried, her eyes shooting open as she managed to jerk herself out of Sanji's hold. The chef panicked as Katsu fell out of his arms, but luckily their captain reacted quickly. Before the girl could greet the ground, rubber arms had stopped her fall.
She was covered in a layer of sweat and he heart raced. Her eyes landed on the straw hat, the owner's face still hazy. "U... Uncle?" She managed to whisper, tears welling up in her eyes.
"Katsu?" Luffy tilted his head, "I'm not Uncle. It's me Luffy!"
"Luffy." She muttered, blinking as his face came into view only for a moment before her eyes rolled and she fell limp.
When the crew went to take another step towards the girl, Chopper held up his hands. "Careful! She needs space. I don't think those memories were pleasant, and if she does wake up she might be as disoriented as she just was." He frowned in worry at the female. "We don't want her freaking out again and passing out like that. We'll need to work slowly until she can fully focus."
"Did she remember everything?" Zoro asked, suppressing a wince at the girl's actions.
Chopper frowned, shrugging. "We'll have to wait and see, but it's not likely. She must have remembered a decent chunk though."
Sanji stiffened, his attention drawing onto another figure walking towards them. "Luffy, give me Katsu."
"Huh?" Luffy grunted.
"Target's acquired."
................................
The ship which was typically surrounded by loud drunken laughter waited in anxious silence. It only grew when two figures appeared. With the crew only seeing two figures, disappointment formed through the crew.
"Uncle!" Sato shouted, walking quickly towards the crew's captain.
Shanks turned around with a big smile on his face, then his eyes landed on Sato and Makoto. "Oh, it's just you two." Shanks mumbled, slumping as his smile dropped.
"Gee, hold in your excitement why don't you?" Makoto rolled his eyes, picking up a cup from Ben and swishing the liquid in it before tasting it. His face curled up in disgust much to the first mate's amusement before Makoto handed the cup back to him.
"So was it not Mitsu?" Lucky Roo was the first to address the question that was nagging everyone. His smile wasn't as wide as it normally was, prepared for bad news.
Makoto shook his head, walking after Sato as he rested his arms behind his head. "Oh, it was Mitsu for sure, right Sato?"
The younger teen grinned and nodded. Finally happy to at least know where his sister was, even if she wasn't with him currently. "Ah, it was definitely her."
The crew blinked, then shared looks towards each other in confusion. Shanks looked at the brother's, his eye twitching in annoyance as he glared at them.
"Then why didn't you bring her?" He demanded, "I wanted to see my adorable niece! It's nothing compared to seeing a picture of her!" He held up the bounty that he had stashed in his pocket for safe keeping.
Yasopp nodded eagerly, having remembered the small red headed girl when she was younger. "Why isn't she with you?"
"Ah, her captain refused to let her leave." Sato explained, shrugging as his lips twitched upward. "Luffy is very protective of his nakama, I guess he learned something good from you."
At the mention of Luffy, Shanks busted out in a grin. "Who would have thought Mitsu would end up on Luffy's crew?"
"It fits for sure," Makoto shrugged, having heard enough stories about Luffy to fill his lifetime. "She never wanted a boring captain that was super responsible. It makes sense that Luffy would end up being her captain, I bet she doesn't have a single dull moment."
Sato huffed in agreement, "He still seems as stupid as ever." Shanks smiled at that. "But their doctor said something about her remembering something. He said it was likely seeing Makoto and I that triggered it. Because of that he didn't want to leave Mitsu without him, since he figured she would need a doctor when she woke up."
Shanks looked to Makoto, "It was the marines that messed up her memories, right?" The teen nodded, "Have you figured out who did it?"
A loud sigh, bordering a huff, sounded from the teen. "No. But I'm looking into it." He was, though so far it was ending up to be a big problem. It appeared only high ranking marine members knew what had happened, and getting information from them was a problem in itself. Even with the help he had.
"Well we left some contact information with her." Sato said, "Hopefully when she wakes up she'll contact us."
Pleased with the news, Shanks demanded another round of drinks. "Let's celebrate! Soon we'll be reunited with Mitsu!" Cheers erupted from the crew as a drink was placed into Sato's and Makoto's hands. Sato grinned while Makoto frowned at the drink in his hand.
........................................
"Where'd you send her?!" Luffy demanded, his chest heaving.
He said he would keep Katsu safe. He said he would keep his nakama safe. He swore it.
Spread across the field stood the rest of the crew, with the exception of the artist. Some were completely frozen in shock and some a mixture of shock and fear. Others were shaking in fury.
Sanji could kick himself. He had placed Katsu down for a second to make sure she wasn't hit as he tried to stop an attack towards Chopper and Nami. No where did he think that the warlord would see Katsu and go for her immediately. Especially with Sato's words from earlier.
"Oi! That was a cheap shot!" Zoro growled, his hands clenching his swords at the large warlord. "Where's Katsu!"
Rather than answer, the warlord simply looked down at the swordsman and swiped his hand. Another pop sounded through the grove.
Luffy's eyes widened as his first mate disappeared. "Zoro!"
Things weren't looking so good for the Straw Hat crew.
....................................
End of Chapter 35!
Well, Katsu hasn't woken up yet. You'll get to see her wake up next chapter. I've already figured out where she's being sent, and I'm pretty excited about that. Any ideas? I'm just curious about what you all think she'll learn during the time skip.
This is not edited.
Bạn đang đọc truyện trên: AzTruyen.Top