6- Fight with the Meowban Brothers

"Alright, they're going to attack from this shore at day break." Usopp explained as we hiked up the slope. "But the only route to the village is this slope. Everything else is cliff, making it harder to come through. In other words, if we defend this slope to the death, the village won't get attacked."

"Oh!" Luffy piped up. "That's easy!"

"Talking about it is, but the rest depends on our strength. What can you guys do?" He asked us.

I stiffened slightly. I can do many things, but they all involve my cat-like reflexes. "I use a katana." I decided to go with that.

"Cut."

"Stretch."

"Steal."

"I can hide." Really Usopp...

"You're gonna fight!" We all yelled at him.

"I'm just kidding," Luffy had him in a head lock. "Geez..."

~~~~~

I watched as they poured the last of the oil onto the slope. "Tell me again why we're doing this?" I asked as I put the last of the pins in my hair.

"By doing this, they won't be able to climb the slope." Usopp explained. "With all this oil, they'll just be slipping all over the place!" Uh-huh... "We'll let them slip and slide on the slope, then beat the crap out of them while they flail about!"

"Oil, huh?" Nami walked to the edge of the spill. Zoro walked with her.

"No matter what, we will protect this slope!" He said with confidence.

"Conversely, lets just hope none of us slip down there." Nami said.

"Yeah, that would be bad..." I stood on the other side of Nami.

"It would be like diving into an ant-lion pit." She elaborated. Luffy slid his foot in the oil.

"I'm surprised you can think up stuff this cheeky!" Luffy added.

"But of course!" Usopp crossed his arms. "When it comes to cheekiness and slingshots, I'm utterly confident!" We all grinned at him.

Zoro suddenly looked out to the horizon. "It's almost day break. They'll be coming." The sun was just starting to barely rise above the horizon line. We stood there and waited for them to come as it got higher and brighter. A steady wind blew around us.

The sun rose, and there was still no sign of them. "Where are they?" Luffy asked in a whiny voice. I was sitting on the ground next to him, picking my nails. I'll have to cut them again... They're looking more like claws than nails now. "The sky's all bright now. What's the deal?!"

"Maybe they overslept or something?" Zoro offered.

"No, they're coming. Lots of them."

"Huh?" Nami pushed her hair from her ears and cupped them with her hands. "Say... Maybe it's just my imagination, but I hear 'Yaaah!' coming from somewhere." The boys looked around. My ears picked up on the sound instantly. "Yeah, I definately hear it."

"Hey, Usopp," He turned to me. "Is there another clear slope on this island? Anywhere at all?"

"N-now that you mention it..."

"What?" Zoro asked. "What is it?"

Usopp clutched his head. "There's a place just like this, to the north!" He began to shake slightly. "Y-you don't suppose..."

"You mean this is the wrong shore!" Luffy cried.

"This is where they had their secret meeting!" Usopp defended his reasoning. "So I just assumed..." Nami placed a hand to her head.

"Hey! Let's hurry!" Luffy shouted. "They're going to get into the village! Where is this place?!"

"If you run straight north from here, you'll be there in three minutes!" Usopp answered. I stood up. North... That's... "The terrain there is almost exactly the same, so we just need to stop them at the slope!"

"Don't worry," Luffy comforted. "We'll do it somehow."

Nami suddenly gasped. "Oh no!"

I turned to her. "What?"

"The north shore is where our boats are!" She screamed in terror. "They're gonna take our treasure!"

"I'll be there in twenty seconds!" Luffy ran off north.

"My oil plan was for nothing!" Usopp cried. He turned and ran after Luffy.

"My treasure..."

"Hey!" Zoro called. "What are you doing?! Let's go!"

"Yeah," She started to run. "We have to hurry." I saw her foot slip on the oil. She screamed and latched onto Zoro's katana sheath. Zoro gasped and fought to keep his balance. I turned and grabbed his arm to help...

...But we fell...

"Help!" Nami called. "I'm falling!" Zoro was clinging to the slope as best he could and I had my legs wrapped around a nearby rock as I held onto his arm. We slipped farther and my grip was failing.

"Let go, you moron!" Zoro shouted to Nami.

"Sorry." Then I saw something in her eye. "Perfect." She climbed up Zoro and over me. "Thanks Zoro, Mira!" As she got off him, her foot pushed his head and he slipped down, me right after him.

We slipped and rolled over each other all the way down. "Sorry! The treasure's in danger!" Nami called back.

"The treasure!" I shriek. "You care more about the treasure!?" She ran off.

"You bit-" At the bottom, I landed onto of Zoro and my lips were on his. We sat there for a few seconds before I flung myself off his chest. My first kiss... Was to Zoro... "Th-that was my first kiss!" I screamed at him. Blush covered my neck and face. I spun away from him and began to try and climb the slope. I fell a couple times and dung my nails into the slippery rock.

Zoro got up behind me and tried to climb back up as well. He got a running start and was beside me, only to slip back down again. I was on my hands and knees beside him. I was covered from head to toe in oil. Yeah, this plan worked well... I lifted my hands, ready to run again, when I saw them sharped a bit. What the? I smirked. Perfect.

I charged the slope again. Half way up, I lost my footing. I willed my nails to grow a bit longer and as I hit the ground. I stuck my now sharpened claws into the rock. Now I can climb up without any issues. Soon, I was at the top. I sat down and waited for Zoro to get up after me. It was really funny watching him slip and slide. "Come on, Zoro!" I called down to him.

"Damnit!" He was almost to the top. "What do I do?! I can't climb it!" He slowly began to slide back down.

"Zoro! Use one of your sowrds and stick it in the ground!" I offered. He didn't listen as he slid back down. "We don't have time for this!"

"Damn that Nami!" He said through breaths. "She's gonna pay for this!"

"If you don't hurry your ass up, she'll never get her payment!" I shouted down to him. I touched my lips, still feeling his lips there. That was an accident. It couldn't be my first kiss. Things like this happen all the time...

"Use your swords, damnit!" I called down again. He sat up and unsheathed two of his swords. I cheered when he finally listened as he was soon up the slope. I stood. "Good! Now lets' go! North is his way!" I did an about face and headed north. He followed me and we were soon on our way to the north shore.

"Luffy!" I shouted when I spotted him. "I know where the north shore is!" We ran past him and he followed behind Zoro. We made it just as a huge group of pirates got to the edge of the slope. Luffy, Zoro, and I flung them back down the hill.

"Jango! No one told us that there were people like this at the village!" The crew shouted as they fell back onto the ground. I rolled my shoulders.

"Let's get this started right." I said as we tried to catch our breath after running for so long.

"What were those unchallenging guys just now?" Zoro asked.

"I think those were the pirates, but I can't be too sure..." I pulled out my katana and readied myself.

"Don't look at me!" Luffy replied. "I'm still not satisfied!"

"Nami! How dare you kick us down there!" Zoro shouted at her. His eyes were shadowed by his bandanna.

"Usopp, you jerk!" Luffy cried. "You didn't say which way was north!"

My turn to scream. "I just wanna fight these guys! So quit your yapping and let's get going!"

Usopp looked to the defeated people then back to us. "Y-you're that strong?!"

Luffy nodded. "Yeah!" He was serious.

"What took you guys so long?!" Nami asked as she scowled at us.

Zoro growled at her. "You're the one who got us stuck down there!"

"That was an accident!" She retaliated. "It couldn't be helped! It's better for one person to be saved, than for three to be stuck there.

"Then you should have stayed there!" Zoro was not happy.

I listened in on the conversation between Luffy and Usopp. "Seriously! How am I supposed to know which way north is and isn't!" That's right, he has no sense of direction.

"What?! You're the one who ran off first all full of confidence!" Usopp shouted back.

I sighed and crossed my arms."Guys, can we just get to the fight already?" No one listened.

"It's long past night now." Weirdo said. "He- Captain Kuro- has a short temper." He shivered. "Hey, men! Don't tell me those three brats did you all in!" Slowly, they all stood up back to their feet. "Listen! We don't have time for this. If our enemy is strong, then we will be stronger!" He pulled out a large, silver ring. "Now, watch the ring." Everyone looked at it intently. "On 'One, Two, Jango!' you will be strong! Your wounds will be completely healed and you will grow stronger and stronger!"

I watched the ring. I curse my Neko reflexes at this moment. It started to sway and my eyes followed it. "What're they doing?" Luffy asked.

"It's hypnosis!" Nami answered. "He's trying to convince them to be stronger! How ridiculous!"

"Stronger... Stronger..." Jango cooed. My tail began to twitch. "One! Two! Jango!"

"Don't look!" Zoro, Usopp, and Nami looked away. Suddenly, a huge roar came from the crowd. "N-no way!" Nami cried. One of the crew members slammed his fist into the rock and it cracked, causing a land slide. At that, they cried triumphantly. I watched the ring be put away and I blinked.

"H-he gouged out the cliff!" Zoro said in shock. "What power!"

"They really did get hypnotized." Nami was stunned. I felt her eyes glance over at me. "No! Mira was staring at it too!"

I stood up straight and fixed both my hat and skirt. "What kind of hypnosis is he?!" I crossed my arms. "It's supposed to work for all who gaze at it." I glanced over at Nami. "What?" Her mouth was down to her chest.

"Why didn't it work on you!?" She shouted.

I shrugged. "It's because I'm-" I paused and looked down at Usopp who was staring at me. Can't let him find out. "Because I'm awesome!" I mouthed the word "Neko" to Nami and she nodded.

I cast my gaze to Luffy. "Well, it did work..." The people below us cried out and began to charge us.

"You guys get back!" Zoro ordered. Nami didn't have to be told twice, and neither did Usopp. I pulled out my katana and stood beside Zoro and Luffy. "We'll handle this. Hey Luffy," He didn't respond. "Luffy?!"

Luffy threw his hands in the air and let out a roar of his own. "You got hypnotized too!" Zoro shouted. Luffy charged at the group at full speed.

"What a simple minded person!" Nami didn't seem to happy about him being hypnotized.

"GOMU GOMU no... GATLING GUN!!!" His hands flew out in all directions as he plowed through the crew below. They went flying everywhere. He let out a gurgling sound in the back of his throat. The group shrunk back at the sight of him. Again, he charged and they scatteder and fled. I was so certain he was going to go after Jango, but face palmed when he ran right past him to the ship. He grabbed the helm and pulled it right off the ship.

"Go! Luffy!" Nami cheered.

The entire crew was certain they were going to get crushed. Jango quickly pulled out his ring, but I couldn't see it with his back turned. "Jango!" Suddenly, Luffy fell asleep and the helm fell onto him, breaking in half as it crushed both him and the crew.

"Idiot," I ran my hand over my hat. "That idiot."

"Looks they're just about wiped out." Nami observed. Usopp was leaning on her shoulder.

"Yeah," Zoro agreed.

"Never mind!" Usopp interjected. "Luffy's trapped under there!"

I placed my hand on my hip. "We'll get him in a few minutes."

"He won't die." Zoro added. "Worry about your own injuries or somethin'."

I looked back to the wiped out crew and saw Jango sit up. "Damn that brat." He stood. "Now the plan's really screwed up! If Captain Kuro caught sight of this, he'd slaughter all of us, too!"

"Hey, Butchie! This looks like bad stuff!" A voice said from the ship.

"What the hell?!" Another shouted.

Jango turned around to the voices. "We still have a trump card! Come forth, Meowban Brothers!"

Meowban? Are they Nekos? My hopes soared. I'm not the only Neko in this world! I was so happy and ready to meet them, but the world came crashing down on me when I caught sight of them. What the hell is this?!?!?!?! One was extremely over weight and the other was super skinny. The thin one has moss green hair and green eyes and fake claws on his gloves. The fat one had super short black hair and a bell around his neck. These are not Nekos!

"You called, Captain Jango?" The thin one asked.

"You called?" Fatty mirrored. My anger boiled slowly at my feet.

"Siam!" Skinny stood.

"And Butchie!" Fatty stood.

"And we are the Meowban Brothers!" They ended in unison. My anger rose to my ankles. I clenched my fists and bowed my head.

"Mira?" I barely heard Zoro ask. The two brothers landed in front of Jango.

"Siam! Butchie! We absolutely must get past this hill!" Jango ordered. "But as you can see, an obstacle is in the way!" He was refering to Zoro and I. "Get rid of it."

Under both of our stares (mine more of a glare) they were frightened. This pissed me off even more. Anger now to mid-calf. "W-we can't do that!" Siam squeeked. "Right, Butchie?"

"Yeah, they look strong!" He agreed.

"Huh?" Zoro was confused, but I was boiling mad. Knees.

"And besides," Siam continued. "We're just supposed to guard the ship!"

"Yeah, this isn't our fight!" Butchie backed up.

"W-what? They're not their trump card?" Usopp was confused. Mid-thigh. You could literally see my anger traveling up my body as it neared the boil over spot. I quivered in pure hate and rage. These are Nekos? They are not Nekos! I'm a Neko! Not them!

"Siam," Jango stated. "Get going."

"Eh!" He shrieked. "M-me!"

"Hurry!" They flinched back.

Siam began to cry. "O-okay! I'm going."

"Zoro," I turned to him and he leaned back a bit. "Take care of him. I need to settle down a bit."

"Alright." He got ready.

Siam came running up the slope in tears and screaming his head off. "Why is he sending him to fight?!" Nami asked.

"Hey you! Get ready!" He was flailing his arms above his head and running lopsided. Waist. These guys sicken me! "I'm gonna scratch you good with these claws!"

"What am I supposed to do?!" Zoro didn't know whether to attack or defend as the Brother got closer. These idiotic brothers were pissing me off! I wanna strangle them and rip them to pieces! "Hey you! Stop or I'll kill you!" He shot at the fake neko.

Something changed in his eyes. "If you can!"

"What?!" At the last second, Zoro blocked his claws with his sword. Bits of rocks flew from the nearby rock wall. He was faking it! That just infuriates me! Neck. "What the hell?!"

"You!" Siam growled. "Just underestimated me, didn't you?! I'm impressed you were able to block that after my innocent cat act!" He jumped back and had two of Zoro's swords strapped to his back. "You seem to have a little skill, but I wouldn't underestimate Siam of the Meowban Brothers!"

Innocent?!?!?!?! "You two infuriate me!!!" I hollered. "Me" echoed over the walls for a few seconds before it disipated. All was silent as they stared at me. "You are not a Neko! A Neko never fakes their actions! A Neko never backs down to trick someone! An a Neko never, ever, makes fun himself or other Nekos!" I bared my teeth at him. "You are a disgrace!!" The last word hovered in the air for what seemed like hours, when in reality, it only lasted ten seconds.

Siam scoffed. "How would you know about Nekos? You're just a human; and a girl at that! You seem pretty useless to me!"

A tiny spark was ignited. I didn't care if they knew who I was; I didn't care if they think differently of me. I have to show them what a real Neko really is. "How do I know so much?!" I completely forgot about the pins in my hair and ripped my hat off, letting my ears pop to give off the full affect. I pulled the back of my skirt down a bit and my tail flicked out behind me. "Because I'm a Neko!" His mouth hung open to the ground.

Usopp let out a half scream. "She's a Neko!"

I ignored him. "How dare you two insult me." I hissed at them. "You two make me sick." I was expecting them to say something, but no one moved. I glanced back to Usopp and found him still pointing at me with his mouth hanging open, but he also wasn't moving. You couldn't even hear the waves, like they weren't even there.

I froze time again.

I took this opportunity to get Zoro's swords back. I moved at an even pace and snatched them off Siam's back. Time slowly started to move again as I placed Zoro's sword in his hand and the other one in his mouth. Then everything was back to the way it was. Zoro was ready and Siam was freaking out.

"How did she do that! One second she's yelling at me, the next, the swordsman has his swords back?! What the hell is going on?!" He honestly seemed scared of me.

I glared back evenly. "I'm a true Neko." Was my answer. "It's what I do."

"Butchie! Help me get them!" Siam screamed.

"Right!" He ran up the slope.

"Zoro, take your pick." I slid my feet apart.

"Fatso."

"Good. I have a bone to pick with Skinny." I cracked my neck and streamed down the slope after him. "You're gonna pay for insulting me!" My nails grew abnormally long and I slashed out at Siam. I knew I missed because when I landed behind him all that landed around me was his shirt. "Damn."

"I move like a Neko!" He shouted at me as he went for his turn.

"You're not a Neko! You're an insult to humanity!" I used the same line that was used on me several times over. It felt good to be the one saying it instead of recieving it. We clashed claws and had a stare down. "Filthy. Ungrateful. Horrid. Disgrace. Insult. I had to live with those names since I was a little girl. But now, I can finally fling them back on someone!"

"How dare you, you bitch!" He growled.

I gave one hard nod. "Dealt with that one too." I kicked off my shoe and landed a solid slash to his mid section. He gasped. "I am a real Neko. You are a phony." I hissed and landed more claws to his side, stomach and chest. "I dealt with their insults! I learned to live with who I am! I don't care if people think that being a Neko is bad! I embrace being a Neko! You sicken me and all those others who might be a true Neko!" Each word was followed by scratches and slashes from me to Siam.

"Now that I have someone to inflict true pain on, you shall feel the pain and suffering I went through since I was four years old!" Soon, I had him on the ground, panting as he fought for breath. Blood dripped from everywhere on him. When he tried to get up, I stuck my back claws into his back and held him down. "Let me tell you a little story."

I froze time again, but Siam was still moving, but no one around us was. "Once, there was a little Neko girl who really loved her parents. Her parents were fully human, but she didn't care. She loved them with all her heart." He didn't say anything. "At the age of four, her parents left her because they didn't want to deal with a child who was a Neko. They spread a huge rumor that if she ever left the island, she would end up destroying the world. She lived with that for the next eleven years, being beaten and being called horrible names and being treated like trash!"

"Let me tell you about this island. It was home to a Marine base. Imagine how hard her life was because of that." I dug my nails in deeper and he grimaced. "She was forced to live off the streets and no one was to talk to her. Her house was destroyed when her parents left her. When a lone pirate came to the island looking for a crew, she was grateful he accepted her to go with him. That girl was me!" I ripped my nails from his back and he cried out.

Time unfroze. "You have lived the high life for the past three years and I'm just starting to find out what freedom really is. You will not ruin this for me or my new friends and comrades." I unsheathed my katana and drove it into his back. He let out a pain filled scream as I turned the hilt, leaving a large, open, bleeding wound in his back. I had aimed so that he wouldn't be able to move; I got his spine and snapped it in two. "Relive my suffering for me, Siam, Fake Neko." I turned from him and went to help Zoro with Butchie.

Butchie had already sliced open Zoro's chest, oblivious to what happened to his brother. But we didn't have to do much. Kurahdol was right at the top of the hill with a look of disgust on his face as he stared at the scene before him.

I knew right then and there that most of us were in deep trouble. I say most because Kurahdol was going to most likely go after his own crew first.

"Night is long gone now." He said in a deathly tone. "So it seemed odd that the plan wasn't making any progress." His crew was scared beyond belief. "WHAT IS ALL OF THIS?!?!" He shouted to all who could hear.

I smirked slightly. All of his crew were toast. He. Is. Pissed.