2- Buggy's Pirates

My eye twitched. "Seriously? You guys have no sense of direction?" They shook their heads. I groaned and fell to my knees. "We're doomed! You guys are such bakas!"

Zoro chuckled darkly. "I'd like to see you do better."

I gave him an evil glare. "At least I know my directions!"

"Alright, then which way are we heading?" Was his come back.

I huffed and stood. "That's easy. All you have to do is find a land mark and-" No land marks. Just open waters.

"Not so easy, is it?" Zoro smirked.

"Hush! I'm thinking!" Let's see, when in doubt, look to the sun. I shielded my eyes and looked up at the sun. So, if that's west, then... "Alright. That's west," I pointed the direction the sun was going. "That's east," With my other hand, I pointed the opposite direction. "That way is north," In front of me. "And that's south." Lastly, I pointed behind me. "We are currently heading North east."

Luffy awed and clapped his hands. "We have a navigator!"

I sweat dropped. "I'm only an ameture... I don't know the seas because I've been stuck on that damned island since I was a child." I sat down and ran my hands in the water. It was cold.

Suddenly, the wind picked up and I held my hat down. Luffy wasn't so lucky. "Ah! My hat!" He reached for it and almost knocked us over board. Zoro stood up and grabbed it before it landed in the water. "Thanks, Zoro. This is my treasure." He was suddenly lost in thought, probably remembering how he got his hat. We sat in content silence for a while.

After a while I looked up to the sky and saw a bird. My stomach instantly growled. "Food!"

"Where?!" Luffy was searching in the water.

"Baka! In the sky! A bird!" I shut my mouth tight before a loud meow could escape.

"I've got it! Gomu Gomu no... Rocket!" And he took off, only to get stuck in the bird beak. "Guys! I'm stuck!"

"Ah shit! Luffy!" Zoro grabbed the oars and rowed after them. I held onto the edge and gave him directions.

"Zoro! People dead ahead!" I shouted.

"So?!"

"Keep rowing!" I cried out and the pepole in the water screamed.

Me, being a nice person, forced Zoro to stop and let them on. They were sopping wet. "Why did you run us over?!" They shouted.

Zoro pointed to me. "She told me to."

"Well, now that we're on your ship, we're taking it over!" They lunged at us...

... And within five seconds, Zoro had them beaten up and rowing for us. I scanned the sky, searching for the bird that took Luffy. There was no sign of them. I squeezed my eyes shut to control my temper. I have a very high patience, but when I lose a friend or someone dear, it's like walking on a thin wire around me.

"Way to go guys!" I smacked them upside the head, adding yet another lump. "You lost our friend! Row faster!"

"Yes, ma'am!" They picked up the pace.

"So, who are you guys?" Zoro asks them.

"We're from Buggy's crew. He ate a Devil's Fruit and is now one of a kind." They replied.

In my mind crawled a bug. That's all I could think of. "Who's Buggy? What kind of bug is he? And why is your captain a bug?"

They gaped at me. "How can you not know the feared pirate Buggy the Clown?!"

I snickered "Clown? Does he have a big red nose that squeaks? Ooh! One of those clowns came to the island when I was younger and his nose squeaked when he squeezed it!" I rambled.

The crew members' mouths were touching the bottom of the boat and their eyes bugged out of their heads. "WHY WOULD YOU SAY THAT?!?! If Buggy was around, he'd kill you on the spot!"

"So, his nose doesn't squeak?" I ignored what they said.

"NO!! Why would you think that?!" Snot and tears started to run down their faces. "If word of this gets out to Buggy, we're dead meat..."

"You'll be dead meat if you don't hurry up and row!" I shouted when they stopped. They screamed in fear and started rowing again. I shook my head at them and glanced over at Zoro. He was staring off into the distance. I checked to make sure my hat was still in place before I spoke to him. "What do you think our idiot captain is doing now?"

He shrugged. "Probably landing in a town or something."

---------

Luffy

My face met concrete and I just layed there. Why would they just shoot the bird out of the air with me on it?! I got up and dusted myself off. The people around me gasped. "Well, wasn't that an interesting experience?"

--------

Mira

We made land fall and began our search for Luffy. "Where did that guy go?" I wondered as I scratched my head. "He's got to be here 'cause I saw the bird fall."

"Time to wander." Zoro suggested and I followed the hopeless navigator. We ended up at the docks three times before we heard a loud explosion. I poked my head through a long row of houses. "I think I found Luffy." I said as I followed the path made by whatever that was.

"Geez, it just destroyed these houses without a second thought." Zoro commented and I nodded. At the end of the houses, I spotted Luffy in a cage and a huge cannon pointing at him.

"Zoro!" I pointed to where he needed to go and he was off. I followed behind him at a slower pace to pin my hat in place. Then I took off after him. I arrived in time to see Zoro cut a clown to pieces. "Did you do it?"

"I think so." Then the clown put himself back together.

Then I saw his nose. "Oh my God!" Then I fell to the ground holding my sides. "It's so big and red!" I said through fits of laughter. All activity around me froze and all you could hear was my laughter. I stood and saw the look he was giving me. Let's just say that if looks could kill, I'd be a pile of ash. "Hey hey! I've a question for you. Does your nose squeak when you squeeze it?" Everyone but Zoro and Luffy paled.

The clown launched himself at me with his sword. "Die, you bitch!" I dodged him easily. Suddenly, his hand popped off and headed straight for me. I gasped and ducked and it went through Zoro.

"Zoro!" Luffy and I screamed. It was now my turn to glare at this clown. "You bastard!" I pulled out my pitch black katana blade and sliced off his head, only to see it float in midair. This got me even more pissed and I started hacking wildly at him, cutting off piece after piece of him.

I was panting hard by the time he was in tiny, bite sized pieces. I groaned when he put himself back together. "You can't cut me! I ate the Bara Bara no Mi fruit and now nothing can cut me!"

I blew a strand of hair out of my face and checked my hat. "You haven't met anyone like me, then."

"You're a coward with a big red nose." Luffy says from behind.

The clown got really pissed at that and threw a knife at him. "You will die for saying that!" Luffy caught it in his teeth. Zoro went after the clown to fight. I glanced over and saw a girl with orange hair standing by the cannon.

"Just a little farther..." She whispered. At that point, Zoro cut through the clown's midsection and flips the cannon so it's pointing at the clown. Then she lit the fuse.

"AH! That cannon is still loaded with the Buggy bomb!" I covered my ears as it blew up the clown and his crew.

Once the dust settled, Zoro helped me lift Luffy's cage and walk through town. We set him in front of a pet shop to rest. As soon as he's set down, Zoro fell to the ground and passed out. "Zoro!" I collapsed to my knees beside him and tried to wake him up. "Zoro! Zoro, wake up!" I heard a dog bark and I hissed at it. He growled back at me.

"You look so pathetic in that cage." I look up and see the girl with orange hair toss a key at Luffy. As he reaches for it, the dog swallowed it.

"GAH!" Luffy starts strangling it. "Spit it out, you damn dog!"

"Hey! Leave the poor dog alone!" A man ran up and stopped Luffy from hurting the dog any further than he has. "Oh, your friend here is injured. I'll take him to my place to fix him right up." I raise an eyebrow at him. Why is he being nice? After he took Zoro to his place, he came back and explained the story of the dog and why it's here, not that I care. Dogs and I don't really get along.

A loud roar suddenly sounded in the distance and the weird dude who took Zoro to his house ran off. The girl with orange hair ran after him, wondering why he left.

Luffy sighed. "Ah, something's coming. Can you give me back the key?" The dog just stared at him. Soon, a huge lion came up behind Luffy.

"So, your comrades abandoned you, huh?" He asked in a sinister voice.

"Who are you?" I asked lazily. I was just about ready to try and pick up Luffy's cage when he showed up.

"I am Mohji the Beast Tamer!" He exclaims.

"What's with the costume you're wearing?" Luffy asks as he laid down on his back in the cage.

"What do you mean?! This is my hair!" He shouted.

I snorted and Luffy just stared. "That makes it even more weird."

"I can tame any beast! Watch," he gets off of his lion and walks up to the dog. "Shake." the dog earns a small amount of respect when he bit the man with the weird hair style (which, may I add, makes him look like he's wearing a fur outfit with blue jean shorts.) "I was going to kill you anyways..." he says to the dog. "Now, tell me where Roronoa Zoro is!"

"No!" Luffy shouted at him. I sat against the shop and watched the whole thing fold out.

"Ritchie! Kill him!" The lion lifted his massive paw to strike the cage. The bars bent and broke, creating a hole large enough for Luffy to get out.

"Yes! It broke!" Luffy shouted when he jumped up out of the way of the paw, only to be thrown into a building. It collapsed on impact. All the while, the stupid dog is just sitting in front of the pet food store.

"He dies." The tamer stated, though I know it's not true. "Okay, Ritchie. Let's go find Roronoa Zoro."

I sigh at his stupidity. "You dare mock me, girl?!" He shouts at me.

"No, you just bore me." I shrugged.

He blows me off and spots the dog. "What's wrong?" He asks as he crouches in front of it on the lion. "Oh, I see. This is a pet food store. If you want to get food, better move fast."

I snort. "Baka! He already ate before you got here."

He ignores me. "What? Is that dog really guarding the store?"

I shrug. "I don't care. I didn't listen to the story. All I know is that he's just there."

The lion snarls at me. "Quiet, you!" Mohji shouted at me. He then walks to the store and the dog starts growling and barking at the pair. If that dog tries to go up against that huge lion, it's gonna die. I really don't care if it dies, I just don't want to see it die by the hands of something bigger than it. I stand up and point my katana at the weird furry man.

"Listen, weirdo. This is not a free for all. I suggest you leave and never come back." I made myself as threatening as posible.

"Or what, girl? It's just you and one army! There is no way you can take me down by yourself!" He scoffs.

I get into a ready stance. "We shall see,"

"Ritchie!" The lion charges at me and I run toward it, only to have his paw swipe me into a building. I use this to my advantage and spring off the wall and plunge my katana into its side. It howls in pain. I pull out my weapon and do a back flip off its body and land a few feet from them.

"How dare you injure my Ritchie!" He flailed his arms at me.

"He's weak." I state simply.

"He is not! Ritchie! Destroy the shop!" The lion suddenly charges the shop and cuts the shop to bits, sending the dog flying. Then, that stupid lion starts eating all the food from the shop.

"You sick bastard! Your fight is with me!" I charge at the lion and cut open his back leg. It jerks, but doesn't pay attention to me. I begin to swing my katana at the lion over and over again, but he ignores me as I slice him to bits. The dog is also attacking and biting the lion to hell.

Soon, the lion has had enough. In one massive swipe, he sends both me and the dog flying into a building. I hit my back on the shingles and fall face first. The dog bounces off the roofs onto the ground. Ritchie is soon standing over us with an unhappy snarl on its face. I slowly get up and fix my hat.

I glance over and am amazed at the bravery the dog is showing to the lion fifty times its height. Even when he is all bloody, he is still fighting to protect his shop. I watch as he jumps at the lion, teeth bared. I gasp in horror as the lion takes his paw and swipes a huge gash in the poor dog and blood seeps from its side.

"Now it's your turn, girl." The guy and lion turn to me.

I got into a defensive stance. "I think not." So, after being swatted around by the huge lion and getting a few jabs in myself, I'm laying in a pool of my own blood and the shop is on fire. I try to move, but the wound in my side is throbbing. Why am I losing to this bastard? Did I not train enough? Have I lost my touch? I think to myself as I lay there, not being able to help the dog and his shop.

The poor dog is sitting there barking and howling at the burning shop, each yip and yowl full of heart break and sadness. I try to move to the dog to comfort him, but it causes me too much pain. I glance up and see Luffy standing with his fists clenched watching this all happen and seeing the heart broken dog.

He walks off to go find the guy who did this to the shop and I somehow manage to get up and follow him, leaving the dog to mourn in peace. My strength was slowly returning and my wounds healing. Thanks to the Neko blood in me, I heal abnormally fast.

I spot Luffy getting ready to fight the tamer. "Hey!" He shouts at Luffy. "I thought I killed you back there?" Then he spots me. "And how are you still standing?!"

"Intelect? Bravery? Luck? Or just because I'm not what you think I am." I offer.

He snorts. "I know what you are. You're a weak girl who can't fight her own battles."

That struck a nerve. "You think I can't handle myself?" My voice turns icy.

"I know you can't." He crosses his arms and smirks.

"Have you walked a mile in my shoes? Do you know what I've gone through?"

"Well, uh, no. But-"

"I am not the weak girl you think I am." I slide into an offensive stance. "I was abandoned by my parents at the age of four because I was different. I've been living on the streets for thirteen years and everyone hated me back at the island I lived on. They said the exact same thing you did."

"Hm! I know a lot of kids who go through that!" He also got into a fighting stance (er, his lion did. The tamer just sat there with his arms crossed).

"My parents spread a rumor that if I were to ever leave the island, I would cause a catastopic event that would desrtoy the world!" I shouted. "Don't compare me to those other kids! They know nothing of what I went through! Their life is heaven compared to mine!" We ran at each other at the same time. I caught a quick second of Luffy charging from a different angle and closing in. I dodged the lions large paw and sliced his side open as Luffy rammed into his other side with a Gomu Pistol. It knocked the tamer off the lion and onto the ground. I kept him occupied while Luffy took care of the lion.

He twisted his arms together, grabbed ahold of the lion, and swung him in the air as his arms unwound and slammed his head into the ground. "Ritchie!" Weirdo tamer cried. As the dust cleared, the tamer spoke. "What the hell are you?!"

"I..." Luffy started to say. He was very serious. "Ate the rubber fruit."

The tamer became scared. "C-could it be you're like Captain Buggy having the power of the Devil's Fruit?" Silence as Luffy's hat falls to the ground. "I understand! I apoligize for everything that has happened here!"

Luffy stood up from the knocked out lion. "It doesn't matter if you apologize."

I was then right behind the tamer. "You took what was precious from that dog. He can never have it back because of what you did."

"That dog's treasure won't come back." Luffy added. "That's why... I will kick your ass!" His arm stretched and grabs the tamer as he tried to run away. Once he is right in front of Luffy, he slams the tamer head first into the ground and Luffy's hat rolls at my feet. I bend down, pick it up, and hand it to him. "Thanks."

We walk back to the burnt pet food store together and see the girl with orange hair standing there. "Oh, pirate. You're still alive? I thought the lion would have eaten you by now. You're a pirate, you'll do all those same things! Before you can gather more comrades and fight together..." She began to pant heavily. "I'll kill you right here!" The strange dude from before ran up and held her back.

I fixed my hat. "Save it, orange top. We're here to help the dog."

Luffy started walking to the dog. "You don't have the power to kill me."

"I haven't ever started!" She shouted after him.

"Orange top, just chill." I gave her a cold stare. I looked over to Luffy and watched him place a bag of dog food before the dog. She stopped struggling at what she saw. Luffy walked around the dog and sat at its other side and stared at the burnt rubble with it.

"This is all I could bring back." He told the dog. "He ate everything else already." The girl stared at Luffy in shock and amazement at what he did.

I crossed my arms and put my katana back in its sheath. "He's not like all pirates you hear about. He actually cares. It's because of him I was able to leave my island prison of a home." She looked at me and I gave a small smile. "The names Elmira Hojosen, but call me Mira. Everybody does."

She gave me a grin in return. "Nami."

"You fought real bravely," Luffy told the dog. I turned my attention back to them. "Although I didn't see it, I can tell." The dog grabbed the bag of food in its mouth and walked off. Before it left, it turned back to Luffy and barked at him. "Yeah! You did your best too!" He called to the dog. It gave one last yip then wandered off to knows where with the food in its mouth. Nami gave a happy laugh.

"Told you he wasn't like the others." I told Nami.

We stared at the rubble where the shop once stood. It was a sad sight to see one's treasure so horriblily destroyed. "Sorry about before." Nami said to Luffy. He grunted a responce. "For thinking you were bad."

Luffy looked up at her with a silly smile. "No problem, you have your reasons." He stood. "I don't want to hear them though."

The strange man suddenly growled. "I'm so useless!"

I raise an eyebrow at him. "Hi, So Useless. I thought you were the mayor of the town?"

"Eh? You were paying attention?" Nami asked, surpirsed.

I shrugged. "Somewhat."

The mayor ignored what we said. "Both ShuShu and the brat fought hard, but I, the mayor of the town, couldn't do anything to save this town!" He clenched his fists and shook in anger. Nami and Luffy ran up beside him.

"Mayor! Calm dowm!" Nami begged.

"Fourty years ago," He continued. "This place was just a field. All of us worked together to build houses and shops. That's how this town was born. Whether it's the citizens or another part of the town, they're all treasure to me!" We stared at him like he had gone crazy. "I can't let them do whatever they want to this town!" He shouted.

Suddenly, there was a flash of bright light and a loud explosion. We turned where the cannon had struck and gasped. A huge chunk of the town was destroyed in the blast. "Even my home..." The mayor said sadly.

Luffy stared for half a second at the house before, "AH! ZORO WAS SLEEPING IN THERE! ZORO!!!"

"Is he dead?" The mayor asked.

"Hey! Zoro! Are you still alive?!" Luffy shouted. Nami and I stared in horror at the house.

The smoke cleared and the lazy piece of shit emerged from the rubble. "What an awful way to wake someone up." Luffy laughed in relief. "I wanted to sleep some more." Zoro said as he held his head.

"Why is he still alive?" Nami asked, confused and shocked at the same time. I was wondering the same thing. He should have died in that blast!

"Thank goodness you're alive!" Luffy cried.

The mayor became serious again. "Something like this is unforgivable. I can't take it anymore! They have no right to destroy our fourty years of hard work!" He suddenly slipped into a determined stance. "I'm the mayor of this town! I will protect this town!"

Zoro sat there and stared at the man.

"Wah! Wait a minute, mayor!" Nami cried as the mayor tried to struggle out of her hold while he brandished his spear that was on his back.

"As a man, I must fight until death! Am I right, brat?!" He asked Luffy.

He smiled. "That's right, old man!"

I face palmed. "Idiots." I whispered. "I'm surrounded by idiots."

"Don't encourage him!" Nami shouted. Well, at least someone has some common sense. "What can you do against that guy?!" She struggled to hold him back. I decided to help keep him at bay by pushing on his chest.

"Clown guy will kill you in an instant!" I shouted.

"It's reckless!" Nami added.

The mayor turned on her. "I know it's reckless!" Nami and I stopped holding him at his out burst. He then took off running. "Just you wait, Buggy the Clown!" We stared after him.

"The mayor was crying." Nami said softly.

"Really? I didn't see it." Luffy said stupidly.

I hit him upside the head. "Yes, really! Baka!"

"Seems like it's getting crowded." Zoro suddenly said.

Luffy snickered at that. "Looks like it."

My eye twitched at what they said. "This is no time to laugh!" Nami cried.

Luffy turned to face her. "Don't worry. I like that old man. I won't let him die!"

I rolled my eyes. "So considerate."

"If you say so..." Zoro sighed. They walked after the old man.

Nami ran after them and I stopped beside her. "You're going too?! With that wound?!"

Zoro tied his bandanna around his head. "An injury like this hurts my name more than it hurts me."

"Our destination is the Grande Line." Luffy added. "We're going to get the map back from those pirates."

"Nami," She looked at me. "They're men. They want to hold their pride. If they get killed, they get killed. To them, they'll still have their pride." I walked after them.

"Hey! I thought you had some sense just then!" She shouted after me.

I looked over my shoulder. "I do. It's just that these idiots were my ride off the island. Plus, I need a way off of here."

"Be our comrade, Nami." Luffy suddenly stopped and said. He held out his hand.

Her eyes narrowed. "I will not become a pirate." She smirked and smacked his hand away. "But I will join you guys for the sake of our goals." A large grin spread across his face.

"Yosh! Let's go!" So we headed out to help the mayor so he wounldn't get hurt. Honestly, people nowadays can be so stupid. Upon arrival, we found the mayor at Buggy's base challenging him. I face palmed myself.

"Really? Is he really doing this?" People these days. Suddenly, the mayor began to be lifted into the air by the clown man's hand by the neck.

"I'm a man who's about to enter the Grande Line and gather all the treasure in the world!" The clown guy said.

"Shouldn't we help him?" I asked the group.

"In a minute." Luffy replied.

"All the treasure in this world belogs to me!" He continued. "No one else in the world will have any. Since this town is so important to you, I will let you disappear along with it!" He had a very tight grip on the mayor's throat and he was dangling in midair.

"Before you bullshit," He gasped out. "Fight me!"

"Don't make me laugh." Clown guy sneered.

"Who's the clown again?" I asked. I was never good with names.

Nami dead panned. "The clown is Pirate Captain Buggy the Clown." She answered.

"Does his nose squeak? He never gave me his answer when I asked." I placed a finger on my chin. "I'm honestly curious."

"Trust me," Nami said. "You don't want to find out."

"I won't let you destroy this town!" The mayor shouted. "Even if I lose my own life!"

Buggy snickered. "I'll kill you!" He suddenly cried out in pain. "The guy with the straw hat!" Luffy was squeezing the hand by his wrist at the veins and holding the mayor at a safe distance. I walked up beside him and stared at his hand.

"Not so tough, are you?!" I called up at Buggy.

His eyes narrowed at me. "You. The one who made fun of my nose."

"Hey! You never answered my question! Does your nose squeak when you squeeze it!" I asked again, hoping for an answer.

"Just who do you think you are?" He asked in a menacing tone.

I fixed my hat then flipped my hair over my shoulder. "I'm Elmira Hojosen, and I'm trying to prove that I am not a disgrace to my island prison."

"Huh? Hojosen?" He brought his other hand to his chin. "Where have I heard that name before?" He began to pace two steps by two steps while repeating my last name over and over.

My eye twitched. "Yeah, my parents have that exact same name as well. Josten Hojosen and Kira Hojosen. What's so important about them?"

"I swear I heard their names befor-AAHH!!" Luffy tightened his hold on the hand's wrist.

"Pay attention to the fight." He said in a serious tone. Suddenly, a huge grin spread across his face. "As promised... I came to kick your ass!" Determination was visible in the air as it flowed off of his body.