One of the major upsides of having a larger boat, for Luffy at least, was finally having some leg room to do a little bit of proper training. Even if it was just punches and kicks, it was still progress in his eyes. He was happy to see he wasn't the only one as Makino and copying his movements while Kuina was practicing sword swings, her blade blurring through the air each time. The only exception was Nami, rifling through her bag for something.
"Hmmm, I know I grabbed that chart… Aha!"
She pulled out the aged parchment and looked eager for a moment before dread overcame her. "Oh no!"
"What's the matter?"
"Look at this!"
She held the chart out to Luffy, immediately he noticed the grinning jolly roger with a giant red nose on the skeleton's face. "'Hahaha! Your flashy map of the Grand Line is now mine!'" he read, "Who's Buggy the Clown?"
"A pretty notorious pirate in the East Blue," Kuina answered, "Wanted for 15 million beris, he's one of the heavy hitters. Even I'd think twice going after him on my own."
"But if he has a chart of the Grand Line, we could really use it," Makino thought, "Nami, do you have any experience with it?"
"Nope, and I know how dangerous that place is! That's the last place you'd want to sail blind! We need to get that chart for ourselves!"
"Hmmm… That does sound useful…"
"What happened to not stealing unless you're stealing your things back?" Nami asked.
He just chuckled. "Heh, I thought you only stole from pirates. You grab the chart, we can take care of this Buggy."
"Wait, really?! You'd do that for me?"
"Of course! I never abandon a member of my crew!"
Nami was about to blurt out how, once again, she never agreed to that… But she finally wrestled it around in her head. Would it be such a bad thing? And besides Luffy, Makino and Kuina seemed decent enough people even if the latter could chug ale like it was water.
"What kind of pir… Person, I mean, does that?"
Makino snuggled up to her captain with a proud smile. "This one does!"
"Awwww, stop!" the two shared a quick kiss before going back to training. Nami was also surprised to see this sort of behavior. Nami was not stupid, she could clearly notice that they weren't picking up any men so far although it had been less than a week. Luffy might have clearly had a thing for ladies, but she could also tell he genuinely cared. As far as she could tell, they kept any hanky-panky to after nightfall.
Nami, thanks to always keeping her ear to the ground, remembered that Buggy was last seen in the quiet Orange Town a few days away at their current pace. With a bit of changing the sails, the foursome was on their way with a fair amount of time to pass. While much of it was spent training and the occasional bit of fun, there was also some time to get to know each other.
Nami was quite shocked to hear that Luffy and Makino came from Dawn Island, a notoriously dangerous spot with little to see aside from dangerous forests and the junkyard that was Grey Terminal. She noticed Luffy's brow darken at mentioning that place, explaining how he and his brothers got into a serious scrape there, and that one didn't make it out.
"Oh… I'm sorry to hear that…"
"It's okay. He's part of the reason I'm doing this…"
"I thought it was that pirate Shanks, the one who gave you the hat?" Kuina asked.
"Well, he's why I want the One Piece. But there's something after…"
Nami balked at that, supremely lost. "Wait, isn't the whole point of being King of the Pirates is proving you're the best? What could come after that?"
Luffy glanced over to Makino. She just shrugged; it was his call.
"Nami. Are you a member of my crew?"
"I… I told you…" she hesitated, nowhere near as forceful as before. Kuina scoffed as she leaned back against the port railing.
"Okay, could you chill with the hate-on you have for pirates already? It's pretty obvious we don't cause carnage for the hell of it. I dunno what one ever did to you but that isn't us."
Nami's hand drifted to her shoulder, taking a long, deep breath before looking Luffy in the eye. "Yes. I am."
"Then you have to swear you don't repeat a word of this to anyone besides the three of us."
That got Kuina to sit up as Nami nodded. And so Luffy let them in on his role as the avatar of Nika and how Makino was gifted a Devil Fruit power. The swordswoman was blown away, astonished at the seriousness Luffy suddenly had. Nami had a very different reaction.
"OH MY GOD! AHAHAHAHAHA! You… You almost had me there, Luffy!" she guffawed, wiping tears out of her eye, "I mean, really?! Gods, ancient prophecies, giving someone a superpower?! I… I can't feel my ribs! I haven't laughed this hard in years!"
She carried on like this for several minutes, the waves bobbing and the others all staring at her. It was only after a seagull flew low over their boats that Nami realized she was the only one laughing. "Oh… You're… Totally serious."
"Yep."
"You actually meant that? All of it?"
"One hundred percent."
Another very close call with a bird happened as Nami processed all of this. She then glanced over to Kuina.
"You actually bought that?"
"Why not?"
"BECAUSE IT'S TOTALLY CRAZY, THAT'S WHY!"
"Owww, my ears…" Makino whined, covering them both as Nami went utterly ballistic for several minutes more.
She called Luffy a deranged madman, insisted that this was all an elaborate joke, swore she wasn't on his crew over a dozen times, and even threatened to drown the rubber-brain. And through it all, Luffy just calmly refuted everything thrown at him with a series of "no", "yes, it is," and "that's not very nice."
After what felt like a battle of its own, Nami ran out of steam and realized that this was no dream. Luffy actually was tied to some chaotic deity who wanted him to revolutionize the world. For the first time, she actually thought her job sounded easy.
"So, convinced yet?" Kuina wondered, "Some of us would like to get back to training."
"I just… You're actually set on this?" Nami asked him, in total disbelief.
"Totally. What's the point of having a dream otherwise?"
The thieving girl felt her breath hitch. A flash of a smiling face with maroon hair hit her, making her want to curl in on herself and cry. The others all noticed, Makino got up to comfort her but Nami raised her hand.
"Don't… I'll be fine…"
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah… We should just focus on getting to Buggy…"
"Except there's one other thing I'm wondering," Luffy declared, moving over to Kuina, "What's up with that?"
She glanced down at the green band around her arm. Now it was Kuina's turn to tense up before sighing.
"I guess this was bound to come up sooner or later…" The bluenette sat up straight, her sword resting on her lap as she reached to untie the sash. The others could all see her gently handling the fabric, despite its basic appearance. Nami would've thought it was just an accessory.
"This… Is a piece of the gi worn by a boy I once knew. His name was Roronoa Zoro, and he wanted to be the world's greatest swordsman…"
Kuina then spun a short story about how a tenacious lad with green hair and a big mouth strode into her father's dojo, swearing he would defeat every person. Despite his bluster, he made good on his word and defeated every boy under her father's tutelage. That was when Kuina met him and defeated him in a matter of seconds.
A prodigy with the blade since she could walk, Kuina even at that age was used to easily beating anyone who crossed her. Only her father was a match and by then the skill gap was small. But unlike so many others, Zoro refused to budge. He swore to break her winning streak one day, challenging her time and again and yet there was no change. Oh, Zoro did get better. He learned to wield a sword in each hand with brutal efficiency, able to tackle the entire rest of the dojo in a minute. But not Kuina.
"…Two thousand times we fought, and two thousand times I won…"
"Wow, this guy was serious," Makino awed, "Where'd all that determination came from?"
"His father was killed by pirates threatening his village while his mother got sick. Although, I only knew that years after the fact. At the time, all I cared about was being the best myself."
A hand tightened around her katana as she recalled how her father used to discourage her, subtly insisting that the title was world's greatest swordsman for a reason. It drove Kuina to train even harder, even as she loathed her own body once puberty started.
"…Then came that one night. Zoro insisted on challenging me with real swords. I brought the Wado Ichimonji, he found two of the lesser katanas we kept. And to be fair, it was our longest duel. It went on for several minutes… And I won again. Zoro went berserk at how he lost yet again, but I… Told him it was only a matter of time before he beat me."
"Bull."
Kuina looked up to see Luffy shaking his head. "Gender doesn't mean a damn when it comes to a fight."
She chuckled. "Heh, he said the same thing. Got even angrier, saying he wanted to win because he was legitimately better and not because he had a dick. So, that night, we promised each other that one of us would become the world's greatest."
Nami could feel a "but" coming a long way into this story. "So, where is this Zoro now?"
Kuina's head lowered and gripped the sash again. "Zoro liked to train away from the dojo, using some boulders. One day, we noticed he hadn't come back for several days. So, me and a few other kids went to find him…"
She presented the gi scrap. "…And this was all that was there, snagged on a low branch in the river…"
Everyone else closed their eyes, Makino especially trying to hold back tears. The thought of some child drowning miles away from where anybody could save them…
"I was the one who told my father what happened. And when I did…"
A twelve-year-old Kuina sobbed as her forehead laid against the mat, prostrated in front of her father Shimotsuki Koushirou. In between them was the sheathed Wado Ichimonji.
"Kuina," the master asked, "You mustn't blame yourself for this. Zoro was a fierce spirit, insisting that no one else accompany him."
"That doesn't make me feel better!" she cried, "He never went to train in the river before! And right after we duel, he suddenly does?!"
"Why did you take the Wado Ichimonji? You could have hurt yourself."
Her head whipped up, glaring daggers at her father. "What, I might have fallen down the stairs?! Don't give me that shit! You'd never talk this way to any of your other students!"
"Kuina, that is no way for a lady to talk…"
"I'm not a lady! I'm a swordsman! And I swear to you that I'm going to be the greatest in the world! So great that even Zoro will know it in heaven!"
"…That night, my father apologized for all the prodding. He said that my conviction was the strongest he'd ever seen, and then passed down the Wado Ichimonji to me. I stayed for a few more years before heading out on my own to improve my skills. I got into bounty hunting to do that while making some money."
Nami could scarcely believe it all, suddenly looking at this lackadaisical woman in a new light. She knew full well how hard it was to work on your own, much less to actually be a bounty hunter. Kuina just retied the fabric band back around her arm, then stood up like she was about to train some more. Luffy placed a hand on shoulder.
"Kuina, I'm glad to have you on my crew. And I want to help you get to that dream. So, would you like a Devil Fruit power?"
The bluenette looked down at her blade, the weapon she'd wielded since she could walk. She practiced day in and day out to strengthen herself so wasn't this cheating? To just be handed power without having done a thing to earn it?
"There's more to it than that."
"Hm?" Kuina saw a determined look in Luffy's eye.
"Having a Devil Fruit doesn't make you stronger. It's a tool, just like your sword. A lot of morons think just having a fruit makes you unbeatable, but it doesn't. You need to learn, just like how you train to aim a gun or swing a blade."
"It's true," Makino added, "Most of Luffy's power comes from his muscles and techniques. The only thing his fruit did was make him rubber."
"Wait, so what about the kicks that make shockwaves or moving super-fast?" Nami asked.
"Just techniques. You'll both learn those too."
After a long pause, Kuina stood up. "Okay. In that case, I'll take it. But when I face him, I won't use it unless I absolutely have to."
"Great! Now hold still…"
Nami watched as Luffy placed his palm on Kuina's forehead, then slumped backwards. She was about to wonder when he snapped back to attention, his eyes glowing gold. The thief flinched backwards in shock as Luffy returned to normal, Kuina glancing at her own hands in surprise. The bluenette then walked up to Makino.
"Shoot me."
"Huh? Why?"
"Not a big burst, but enough to make it hurt."
Figuring there was a point to this, Makino did as asked and gave a tiny shot to Kuina's lower leg. It was only a few pellets, barely enough to make her flinch, but it proved her point.
Kuina channeled this new feeling welling in her gut, and a faint red glow surrounded her. She drew her blade in a blur, then slashed a dozen times in the span of three seconds.
"Interesting…" she mused, "The Wait-Wait Fruit…"
The glow faded and Kuina suddenly felt her leg flare up. The others were all amazed. Kuina could now grant herself a power boost proportionate to the damage she received at the cost of worsening her injuries. Makino bandaged up her injured leg, while the bluenette sat back for a nap.
Soon enough, the foursome was in sight of a small island. And as if the brightly colored caravel with a circus tent docked at the nearest town, they soon got total confirmation of Buggy's presence thanks to the small tugboat with an equally gaudy paintjob and the red-nosed jolly roger emblazoned on its sail. And inside of it were three pirates, the most menacing of which brandished a cutlass right at them.
"Well, well, well, looks like we've got some trespassers!" he threatened, "Alright, ladies and gentleman, hand over all your treasure and no one gets hurt!"
"Good idea…"
Luffy leapt over to the enemy boat in an instant, the lead pirate doing a double take. The laps of his black beanie sporting the Buggy Pirates logo flapped around just before the straw-hatted teen nailed him with an uppercut that sent him flying off into the sky. The other two, a darker more rotund man and a gangly with fluffy orange hair, promptly hopped into the blue and swam off.
"Hey, Nami! Look what they had!" he chuckled as he hauled a weathered wooden chest over his shoulder and hopped back to his own boat.
"No way!" Nami was practically a child on Christmas as she picked the lock in record time and admired the glimmering treasure within. Gold bars, diamonds and stacks of cash were crammed inside!
"This is amazing! Thank you, Luffy!"
He just smiled at her happiness before keeping an eye out for any more surprises. As they sailed closer, Nami muttered how she was so much closer to her goal already, a fact which Luffy filed away for later.
It didn't take much longer for the crew to set foot in Orange Town. The dockside was filled with shops on well-paved roads and yet there wasn't a person in sight.
"No one hiding inside, either," Makino sensed with her Observation, "You don't think…?"
"Doubtful," Kuina scoffed, "Buggy's more the kind to take everything that isn't nailed down. Odds are he's around here partying."
"So, what exactly is the plan here?" Nami asked as they walked through the deserted town.
"We find the pirates, beat them up and grab the chart," Luffy said, "What else would we do?"
"You do know how many men Buggy has, right?"
"You did watch us beat up an entire base, right?"
Nami glared at Kuina, unamused at the taller girl's smirk. They all stopped at the first sign of life in this ghost town; a small dog parked in front of a store that seemed to sell pet food.
"Hm? Somebody's pet?" Makino approached the pooch, gasping as she saw the scuffs and cuts along its coat, "Oh no, he's been hurt!"
"He hasn't budged," Kuina noticed as they got closer still, "Must be really well trained."
"Hey, who are all of you?!"
The pirates turned to find a man with white hair, armor strapped over a yellow plaid shirt and khakis, and a crude wooden spear strapped to his back. Despite his age, he didn't show an ounce of fear at all. "Are you all with Buggy the Clown?"
"Nope. We just sailed in," Nami answered, "Who are you, and who's this dog?"
"I'm Boodle, mayor of this town. This here is Chou-Chou, he belonged to the man who owned this store. He's been guarding it ever since he… passed on."
"Oh, that's horrible!" Makino moaned, "And where did all this injuries come from? Did one of the pirates do this?!"
"Afraid so. That blasted ship just sailed right in and started bombarding us with cannon fire! We managed to evacuate before any serious damage was done but it's humiliating! Being chased out of your town!"
"Trust me, there are worse things," Nami grumbled, "But, anyway, we are looking for Buggy. Where is he?"
"Listen, whoever you are, get out now! Buggy has a big price, but you can't cash it in if you're dead! Scram, before you end up in big trouble!"
Almost on cue, an earthquaking stomp rocked the area. Soon one after another came, the mayor trembling in place as he hastily gripped his spear. The other pirates all watched as a truly massive lion, easily taller than any of them, strode up the street. And despite the light green fur and lavender mane, the beast's features were less noticeable than its rider. Sitting atop the giant cat was a man with white hair stile to resemble bear ears along with more white fuzz covering his chest and blue pants.
"Hm, who are all of you?" the furry man demanded, "This town belongs to the Buggy Pirates. Leave now or you'll suffer my wrath."
"Should've figured," Kuina sighed, hand resting on her sword handle, "Mohji, Beast Tamer of the Buggy Pirates."
"And you are the feared Pirate Huntress… So, you're here for the captain's head. How fitting. Ritchie here was just getting hungry! I was going to ransack that store the stupid dog was guarding, but fresh meat is even better!"
"What was that?" Luffy warned, stepping forward, "You hurt this dog?"
"Tch, that stupid mutt started barking at us as we crossed. I was planning on teaching him a lesson and feeding Richie at the same time! But since you're all here…"
The pirate leapt off, ordering his steed to tear them all apart. Boodle shivered in fear while the Straw Hats stood firm, Luffy glaring at Ritchie even as it roared right in his face. The jungle cat raised a paw to smack the young man away, but it was easily caught.
"WHAT?!" Boodle cried.
"Heh, idiot," Kuina scoffed.
"IMPOSSIBLE!" Mohji demanded but the lion himself seemed baffled as well. Luffy then pointed using his other hand.
"Finger Gun: Yellow Lotus."
His hand blurred forward, poking a dozen different spots in a second. When Luffy let go of the offending paw, Ritchie collapsed on the street with blood oozing out of several newly made holes.
"RITCHIE, NOOOOOOOOO!"
"Holy shit…" Nami gulped, "He could do that… The whole time?"
"He doesn't use that on people if he can help it," Makino noted, "But animals? It's how he hunted cats just like that for years."
"What kind of pirate is he?!" Boodle gawked as Luffy walked up to the trembling Mohji.
"W-Wait, I'm sorry! Please, I'll let you go, nobody will know you were here!"
"You were going to destroy that shop, right? Even if it meant hurting that dog, right?"
"N-No, of course not!"
"Liar…"
Luffy slammed his fist into the beast tamer's gut, sending him flying into a house like a human cannonball. The building shook for a moment before collapsing around the fallen pirate, Luffy just turning to face the astonished mayor.
"I get wanting to protect your home, but these guys are out of your league. Leave Buggy to us, okay old man?"
"Y-Yeah… You're right… I'll go tell the others to stay away while you work… Thank you!"
Boodle ran off back to the camp the citizens made a few miles away, leaving only Chou-Chou still diligently parked in front of the store. The four pirates moved on, Luffy using his Observation to track down the rest of the crew. They quickly found lines of demolished houses and jaunty music coming from the roof of the local tavern, a big top set up on the roof.
"Okay, what are they even celebrating?" Makino asked, "There's no Marines around here, no other pirates. They just sailed right in! What's the accomplishment?"
"That's just how most pirates are. Taking whatever they feel like it, other people's lives be damned."
Kuina and Makino shared a look. Nami actually specified most pirates. Looks like she was actually coming around.
Pretty soon, the crew was glaring up at the rabble-rousing buccaneers. Many of the Buggy Pirates had face paint, brightly colored clothes and were openly downing beers and food like their takeover was something worth partying over.
Luffy took the deepest breath he could before letting out a deafening shout. "BUGGY THE CLOWN! GET YOUR ASS OUT HERE!"
"Who's the flashy idiot that just said that?!" A man with blue hair, a blinding orange captain's coat over his shoulders, and a spherical red nose strode out of the circus tent and glared down at the Straw Hats. "Well, answer me!"
"I did," Luffy jerked a thumb to himself, "We want the chart of the Grand Line."
"Oh, I just love rookies! The gall they all have!" Buggy's men all laughed at the obvious joke only to stop dead when the half-dead Mohji was flung down.
"This is your only warning," Kuina ordered, dusting her hands off, "Either give us the chart and we leave, or fight us and you all look like that."
Seeing one of the right-hand men like this made most of the crew reconsider. Mohji didn't have a 4 million beri bounty for nothing. The only exception was Buggy himself, his hands curling into fists.
"So, this is how you've chosen to die. I'll give you credit for being upfront… But just who in the hell do you think you all are?!"
"I'm Monkey D. Luffy. And I'm gonna be King of the Pirates!"
The clown cackled before turning to his stunned crew, a manic smile on his face. "Ready the cannon! These pirates are dying by one of the Buggy Balls!"
"Wait, a cannon?" Makino tilted her head, "That doesn't sound too bad, all things considered."
"How do you think the houses got like this?" Nami said, pointing back to the trashed streets, "I dunno what they're made of, but his cannonballs are something special."
A well-polished cannon was pointed straight down the four, Nami's knees buckling as the kill-happy pirates loaded a blood red cannonball with Buggy's jolly roger printed on the front. The other three were impassive, wondering if this was seriously the best they could do.
"FIIIIRE!" Buggy cried, someone eagerly lighting the match. Luffy stared dead ahead even as the cannon boomed like thunder, the red orb of death rushing right at his face. He channeled Armament Haki into his leg before swinging up with an axe kick, the Buggy Balls clanging against his limb before launching into the sky.
"Got another one?" he asked as the sky was rocked with a massive explosion, the town quaking but not nearly as much as Buggy's entire crew.
"No fucking way! That's impossible!"
"How does he still have his leg?!"
"Quick, somebody find that chart! We need to get rid of these guys!"
"Can it, you bunch of imbeciles!"
Everyone stopped as Buggy's snarl, the captain turning to address the upstart only to gasp. "Hey! Where did he go?!"
"Up here!" Luffy called, several stories above the tavern. And thanks to Moonwalk, he soared even higher much to the terror of the enemy crew. Even Buggy himself gawked at such casual defiance of gravity before the straw hatted rogue revealed his real talent. He stretched both his legs high into the air.
"Gum-Gum Spear!"
His feet came rocketing down toe-first, cracking through the roof of the tavern and slicing through each of the floors like they were paper. The pirates then went from scared to a full-blown panic as Luffy retracted his limbs and the entire building collapsed underneath them.
Luffy then hopped out of the wreckage, debris on his shoulders and a smile on his face. "So, you all done yet?"
Nami watched in complete amazement at yet another casual demonstration of Luffy's power. She imagined that any building would have been annihilated by that attack… Like, say, a multi-story pagoda?
"Well, that was too easy," Kuina remarked, "Now all we gotta do is find the map in that wreckage."
"OVER MY DEAD BODY!"
The clown burst out of the ruined building, holding two groaning crew members over his head like living shields. Heedless of their pain, Buggy chucked them both aside and strode onto the street. About a dozen men followed after him, the rest all lied unconscious.
"You flashy bastards have officially pissed me off!"
"You're not the only one."
Nami looked over to Luffy, flinching at the heated glare he was sending towards Buggy. "Huh? What did he do?"
"He used his friends like meat shields. I'd never do something like that. Ever."
"'Friends?!' What kind of cushy palace did you come from boy?! Pirates don't need friends!" Buffy cackled, "They need gold, jewels, treasure! That's all that matters in this world!"
Luffy growled in anger. "I can't stand fake pirates like you. Give me the chart and I won't kick your ass."
"ATTAAAAAAAAAAAAACK!"
Buggy's few remaining men charged forward, weapons drawn. Luffy looked to the side and nodded to Makino. "You've got this."
"Yes, captain!" The ex-barmaid saluted as she ran to meet the oncoming horde. Of course, Buggy's men all laughed and jeered at some broad trying to fight them all off. Until Makino tried out a new trick…
"HK Heel!"
She threw a forward kick right at the nearest pirate, a burst of force shooting out of her foot as he was launched backwards. She did stumble as she landed, circling her arms in panic before righting herself. Two eager buccaneers tried to take advantage and cut her up with swords. She tapped into her Observation Haki, jumping between their slices and running ahead to uppercut a man in the chin.
The greenette had to admit, these guys were well above Higuma's bandits. They hit harder, they came at her more than one at a time and they were ruthless. She even had to duck behind one man as a meat shield to avoid several bullets.
She was so distracted that she barely noticed that one was aiming a gun at her back, only for a wooden thud to get her attention.
"Nice try!" Nami called to the now groaning pirate, flashing Makino a thumbs-up with her bo staff still in hand. That unfortunately got two pirates to go after her, rushing at her with fists ready to pound her. Remembering Luffy's encouragement, Nami steeled her nerves even as her heart wanted to beat out of her chest.
She blocked their fists, clacking the staff against their arms and then clubbing them in the face and between the legs. Before she knew it, Nami had them both on the ground.
"I'll be damned…" Kuina admired, "She really is one of us."
Luffy laughed as the two ladies moved back to back. "Yep! That's how crewmates should be! Protecting and helping each other!"
"Is that so?" a new, smug voice challenged. Luffy and Kuina noticed a man with long dark green hair on the half of his head that wasn't shaved off, a large blue and white checkered scarf that covered his neck, and yet the most striking thing was what was underneath him: a unicycle.
"You're Kuina the Pirate Huntress," the rider challenged, raising a cutlass at her, "As Chief of Staff of the Buggy Pirates, I'll consider it an honor to cross blades with you."
"Hmph, we'll see about that," she scoffed, stepping forward with a hand on her katana, ready to draw at a moment's notice.
"Very well. Prepare to fall to Cabaji the Acrobat!" He pedaled forward on his one-wheeled steed, a pair of blades ready to attack. Kuina drew the Wado Ichimonji an instant before a cross-slash could hit her, stopping the attack in its tracks.
"Tch, amateur…" she boasted, pushing him back and readying herself for a counterattack only for Cabaji to start rapidly spinning in place.
"Murder in the Steam Bath!"
As the wheel spun around and around, a cloud of dust kicked up and obscured him from view. Kuina's eyes darted from side to side, trying to track where her opponent went. She raised her sword to stop a stab from the side, only for a foot to slam into her gut.
"Ugh! What the?!"
Before she could worry about that, Cabaji spoke once again. "Arsonist Technique!"
A spout of orange flames roared from Cabaji's mouth, licking Kuina's arm and forcing her backwards. The unicyclist rode in again, ready to slice her. Even as her arm blistered, the swordswoman blocked with ease and shoved him back.
"Are you serious?!" she yelled, "Sneak attacks, dust clouds, fire breath?! What kind of swordsman are you?!"
"I claim victories for my captain, the only thing that matters!" he bragged, locking blades again and giving Kuina another kick to the kidneys for her trouble, "If you cling to paltry concepts like honor, you'll never win!"
"Oh, so that's how you wanna play it, huh?! Well, fine!"
Seeing as how she was dealing with a clown and not a proper duelist, Kuina decided to give him a taste of his own medicine. She channeled the pain from her burns and low blows, a red aura surrounding her body. Immediately her strength exploded, easily sending Cabaji skidding halfway across the street with a single shove.
"So, this is your true power!" Cabaji awed, "How exciting! Let's see you handle this!"
He opened the long blue coat up to reveal a massive collection of orange tops that he sent spinning at her. "Dance of 100 Kamikaze Tops!"
"Enough with your stupid tricks!" Kuina ran forward, her feet kicking up dust as she ran faster than ever. Her arms were blurred as she slashed down the tops in record time, not one of them coming close to touching her.
Cabaji's face turned as white as a sheet. "WHAT?! HOW?! No one's ever gotten through that!"
"One-Sword Style…"
The chief of staff readied his blades but Kuina was in front of him in an instant, her katana an eerie red the shade of blood.
"…Scorpion Venom!"
She stabbed the blade into his gut, making Cabaji squeal in agony before he was suddenly launched backwards by the force of her attack. The rest of the Buggy Pirates watched in horror as the other right-hand man of their captain was sent flying into an empty house, the building collapsing on his bleeding form and parts of his unicycle strewn on the path.
"What a disappointment…" she sighed, "4.7 million beris for his head? The Marines are all getting soft…"
As her Wait-Wait powers faded, Kuina gripped her scorched arm as the burns now encompassed her limb. She fell to her knees, gritting her teeth. "Damn… Gotta get used to that…"
Luffy then turned to Makino and Nami, standing over the defeated cronies. A proud smile was on his face as he turned to face Buggy, snarling like an enraged animal.
"You… Bunch of flashy… UPSTARTS!"
"You've got no one left to hide behind, big nose. Let's settle this right now."
Buggy suddenly had his hands filled with knives, four daggers in each clasped between his fingers. He pounced with all the grace of a rabid beast, Luffy easily catching one hand with a plain look. "Really? Is that all you've got?"
Buggy proved it wasn't as his hand suddenly split off from his wrist, making Luffy yelp in surprise. He watched as the clown's entire torso separated and flew over him, Buggy cackling all the while.
"Considering yourself lucky, brat! Not just anyone gets to see the power of my Chop-Chop Fruit!"
Luffy then watched both hands popped off and rushed at, knives still clutched and ready to impale him. He was massively disappointed when the hands just circled around to his back, Luffy knocking them both aside like flies. Buggy flinched in shock.
"Seriously? What a waste…" Luffy sighed, "This is what I told Kuina. You aren't powerful just because you have a Devil Fruit."
"What are you talking about, you flashy idiot?! I am uncuttable by any sword!"
Luffy suddenly appeared in front of him. Buggy could barely shout before a fist crashed into his bulbous nose and sent him tumbling. "I don't use swords."
"Why you…! Chop-Chop Festival!"
Buggy's entire body split into discs, Luffy just shook his head. He didn't even need Observation to track all of these pieces. It was an obvious diversion to make it so Luffy would get stabbed by those hands. Instead he just planted his feet onto the ground and started twisting up his torso. His body soon looked like a tightly wound spring before suddenly reached out to grab Buggy's disembodied head.
"HEY! How'd you-!"
"Gum… Gum…"
He let his chest unravel, his arms stretching out longer as Buggy screamed in panic. "W-Wait! STOP!"
"WHIRLPOOL!"
Luffy's upper body became a red haze as he spun with the force of an actual cyclone, his elongated arms smashing into the segments of Buggy's still flying around. And with each hit portion, Buggy's head yelped and grunted in pain as his head spun. Pretty soon Luffy came to a stop and looked at the clown's swirling eyes.
"Wimp…" Luffy then used a bit of Armament on his forehead before slamming into Buggy's cranium, knocking the clown out cold. He turned and saw a few of Buggy's goons had come around in the wreckage, all of them sweating bullets at seeing their boss beaten.
"Stay down."
They all did as demanded, pretending to still be unconscious. Luffy then went over to check on Kuina, offering her a hand up.
"Heh, thanks… Good job, captain."
"Thanks. You're an awesome swordsman, Kuina! Pretty and badass!"
The bluenette was about to laugh only for that first thing to catch her off-guard. "You think I'm… Pretty?"
"Well, yeah. You are," he shrugged. He turned to get Makino and Nami, not noticing how the swordswoman's cheeks were heating up.
Luffy was too busy rooting through the ruined tavern, eventually finding not only the actual chart they were after but several chests and bags filled with treasure. Nami danced on her feet at her third major haul in a week, getting a chuckle out of Luffy. This time, however, the girl actually hugged him.
"So, what's that goal of yours?" he asked. Nami blanched, backing away in suspicion only to lock eyes with a curious Makino.
"I… It's nothing, really. Luffy, don't-"
"Nami," Luffy implored, a firm hand on her shoulder, "You're my friend. I'd do anything to help you. You know that, right?"
She could feel it, the urge to say yes. This guy just took down Buggy the Clown, a menace to the entire East Blue! He could be the one…
"…I'll tell you later, okay?"
"Sure." Luffy then lifted up a section of flooring, making sure there wasn't anything left behind. The Buggy Pirates had scooped up Buggy's scattered parts and fled back to their ship as the Straw Hats worked, only getting brough out of it by the sound of approaching footsteps. They all looked up to see Mayor Boodle followed by dozens of people, staring in amazement.
"Where is he?" one man with a pitchfork asked, "Where's Buggy?"
"He's gone. They won't bother you guys anymore," Luffy announced, much to the astonishment of the entire town. They had all seen the Buggy Ball explode and just assumed those "heroes" that the mayor mentioned were goners.
Boodle, however, was glowing with joy. "See?! See?! I told you all! This crazy kid took down a lion twice his size! I told you Buggy didn't stand a chance!"
"That's right!" Nami added, "In fact, he beat Buggy by himself in a minute flat!"
The townspeople gawked at Luffy, who was looking at Nami in confusion, before the entire town cheered in delight. Their town was saved! Everyone rushed to celebrate both the return of their normal lives and to honor the brave crew of "adventurers" (as Boodle had called them) responsible.
"Why'd you do that?" Kuina asked.
"I figured he deserved a little reward!" Nami added, happily hoisting all of the treasure, "I already got mine!"
And so that night, the crew was in a familiar position as another party was thrown for them. Nami once again set off to count her loot, eagerly weighing every piece of gold. She can't remember the last time she felt so relaxed. Makino and Luffy had once again went off on their own for some alone time once Luffy had his fill of the local cuisine, leaving Kuina by herself in front of the makeshift bar the townsfolk set up. At least they were very understanding about the trashed watering hole…
Her burn was bandaged up and healing already, she had a fresh pint in her hands and yet Kuina felt a pit in her stomach. She just couldn't get over how casually Luffy called her pretty. Yes, she was 22. Yes, many guys had tried hitting on her before. Most of them were in blood-loss induced comas.
So why did Luffy's casual pass at her stick with her? And, even weirder, why did it make her happy?
"Beri for your thoughts?"
Kuina turned to see Makino sitting next to her, politely asking the person behind the newly constructed counter for a surprise.
"What's his deal?" Kuina started, "Aren't you his girlfriend?"
"You could say that, yes."
"And you heard what he said to me?"
"He complimented you. Why, is that wrong?"
"And you're not upset?"
Makino took a sip from her drink, admiring the brew for a moment before answering. "Why would I be upset? Luffy just spoke his mind. That's what he does."
Kuina balked. She expected an argument or even a fight, not to be calmly sharing a drink over her new captain hitting on her.
"Let me explain something about Luffy. He says exactly what he feels. He doesn't mince words. And he can't lie to save his life…"
"Really…" Kuina let that thought sit and realized what made Luffy's compliment different. It was the tone. It wasn't flattery or an attempt to get in her pants. It was just… Honest. And she honestly couldn't remember the last time any man behaved around her that way, if ever.
"Come with me…"
Makino got up and left, prompting Kuina to head off with her. They headed through the festivities going on in the streets to the town inn. As they went, Makino explained the predicament she found herself in.
"Luffy is a truly great man, but I just can't handle him all by myself. So, I was wondering…"
"Whoa, whoa, wait a minute… Are you suggesting that we… Share him?"
"Essentially, yes. I'm guessing you haven't had a lot of… Male companions, have you?"
Kuina blushed again. The few guys she met that weren't total assholes or the students from her father's dojo were her old bounty hunting partners but they never once showed interest in her.
"Well, he can give us both what we want… Would you be interested?"
By now the two were standing outside the door to the inn's biggest suite. Makino had asked for it just for this situation, but at least could get the complimentary breakfast tomorrow either way. She knocked on the door.
"Luffy? It's me, with that surprise I mentioned."
"Is it more of that chicken?!"
Kuina raised an eyebrow, but Makino just laughed. "No, silly…"
The girls headed in to find Luffy simply dangling his feet over the footboard as he laid on the mattress. He sat up upon seeing someone unexpected. "Kuina? She's the surprise?"
"Um, I guess?"
"Now, before you get the wrong idea," Makino interceded, "Let me show you something. Luffy?"
"Yeah?"
"Do you think Kuina is pretty?"
"Well, yeah…"
Again, the swordswoman heard how frank he sounded. It made her blush, then scold herself for acting like some dumb little girl.
"If you could get to know her like you would me, would you?"
Luffy's eyebrows shot up. Kuina crossed her arms, expecting him to trip over himself. She was then dumbfounded when Luffy looked confused at Makino. "But… Isn't that wrong?"
"Luffy, we're pirates. And isn't being a pirate all about freedom?"
He seemed to roll that idea in his head before stopping. "Yeah, but what about you?"
"Wait, what?" Kuina asked, "Are you serious?"
"About what?"
"You have your girlfriend offering another girl to you, and you don't jump on that?!" she balked, "Any other guy would be creaming his pants!"
Makino laughed while Luffy tilted his head. What did cream have to do with all this. And why was Nika laughing himself stupid, again?
"You see what I mean?" the bartender piqued, "Luffy here is truly wonderful soul and as much as I would love to keep him to myself, I just can't handle him. Let me really show you what I mean…"
Kuina then watched as Makino brought Luffy in for a kiss, the pirate reciprocating in a second. Her hands then went under his shirt, feeling up his muscles and moaning once his arms wrapped around her shoulders. The bluenette wondered just what the point of this all was until she noticed Luffy's jeans groaning in protest as his erection swelled bigger and bigger by the second.
"Huh?! Is that real?!"
Makino separated the kiss, a strand of saliva on her lips as she chuckled. "See the problem now? Luffy isn't just the kindest man I know but so hung that I just can't handle him by myself! So, how about we share him? We both get what we want and he gets every man's dream!"
She then looked back at Luffy. "That is, if you like the idea?"
The captain stood from the bed and walked over to Kuina, looking more and more flustered by the minute. He placed a hand under her chin.
"If you don't want this, then you don't have to," was all he said, sincerity obvious in his tone and look. Kuina's jaw dropped. She could tell he was being perfectly honest. Heck, he could force her into this as her captain but the thought never crossed his mind.
Kuina felt that same warmth in her chest, quickly getting stoked into a passionate heat. One she had ignored for far too long…
(Cue Sex Scene)
"I will, Captain…" she said before bringing her lips in for a kiss, Luffy responding in kind. He savored a wholly new flavor, relished the feeling of her toned figure. And as their bodies were pressed together, they could both feel something getting more and more excited.
Makino stood back, enjoying the sight of Luffy readily taking another woman. She had no idea where, but she found the sight alluring beyond belief. But seeing how neither of them were addressing Luffy's still-growing boner, she felt the need to help the pair along a little longer.
The greenette got down on her knees, approaching from behind as she watched Kuina's hands slide down to grab Luffy's tight tush. As an appreciative moan escaped her, Makino moved around to the front to grab Luffy's button and fly. His shorts fell, allowing his rock-hard rod to flop into Kuina's stomach.
"Damn…" both girls admired, making Luffy blush the tiniest bit before Kuina wrapped her hands around the tip. The captain groaned in pleasure and repaid her by teasing her slit underneath her jeans.
Their hands kept moving, Kuina unbuttoning his vest to expose his muscles while Luffy lifted up her shirt and even freed her dark blue locks from their ponytail. He stepped back, admiring how her hair came down to around her shoulders but paused at the bandages wrapped around her chest.
"Um, sorry…" Kuina said, reaching back to undo them, "I've come across way too many dicks who think because I have these then I must be a wuss…"
After some time, the white wrappings snapped free to reveal a tantalizing pair of E-cup breasts. Luffy then stood behind her, his member rubbing in between her lightly muscled thighs.
"I think you're gorgeous, Kuina… And any guy who messes with you will have to go through me now…"
Rather than be offended, Kuina felt her whole body heat up at the threat in his tone. She turned back and locked lips again, relishing as his firm hands came from behind to cup and squeeze her sisters. She brought her legs tighter, egging Luffy on to start thrusting between her legs.
"Fuck…" Makino moaned, sitting on the bed with one hand under top and the other reaching beneath her skirt. She loved it. She loved seeing Luffy thigh-bang another woman. A few weeks ago she would've called this indecent or wrong but now? She was fully on board with the pirate life of freedom.
She got an even better look when Luffy spun Kuina around, giving the other woman the mouthwatering sight of his cock shoving out from her supple upper legs.
"Oh, Luffy? Do you like her?" she coyly asked.
"Yes… I love her… I love you both!"
"Mmm, good… But don't you think she's warmed up enough?"
Luffy looked at Kuina's face, panting in heat and her cheeks going red. Makino was right, he realized. It was time to make this official. The bluenette saw his look and nodded. "Do it, Luffy! Fuck me nice and hard!"
He spun Kuina back around to face her, lifting her easily before plunging his throbbing third leg into her soaking pussy.
"OOOOOOOOOOOHN! FUUUCK MEEEEEEE!"
She had to be silenced for the other guests. Luffy taking her mouth once again as he threw his hips back to ravage her hole. Kuina the feared bounty hunter was gone. This was Kuina, another woman eager to satisfy her desires with his dick. Her moans grew louder and more frenzied, scratching at Luffy's chiseled back as she came in less than a minute. But Luffy was far from done, grabbing onto her ass as he started carry-fucking her over to the bed where Makino still sat.
By now the verdette had stripped down to her underwear, eager to be next. Nectar ran down her legs as Luffy threw Kuina down, still pounding in and out, in and out as she thrashed and wailed in ecstasy. Kuina had already cum four times and yet he still wasn't done, waiting until she asked him to stop.
Luffy turned to see Makino fingering herself and his cock grew even harder. He reached out and pulled her in, quickly ensnaring her tongue as he still went to town on Kuina's cunt.
"L-Luffy! I… I can't… Take it anymore!"
"Get ready, Kuina! I'm gonna cum inside you!"
His hips seemed to blur as he approached is climax, Kuina twisting her own nipples in an attempt to put out her burning passion. Makino decided to help.
"Want me to help you keep quiet?" Kuina nodded with whatever part of brain wasn't occupied with getting railed only to look up in surprise as Makino lowered her dripping pussy over her mouth.
"Yes or nOH?!"
Kuina reached up and pulled Makino down, eagerly lapping up the fem-cum as she got fucked. "MMMMMMMMMMMPH!"
"GRAAAAAAH!" Luffy finally exploded, seeing one girl eat out another as he fucked one was too much for him. Rope after rope of cum filled up Kuina's greedy hole and still more came, eventually spilling out onto the mattress. And as Kuina came yet again, Makino finally hit her own climax and gave Kuina a mouthful of nectar to swallow and lap off her face.
When Makino moved aside, she looked down at the spaced-out grin on Kuina's face as she traced the lines of cum around her mouth and licked her digits clean.
"Told you, right?" Makino goaded, only getting a content sigh as the answer. The busty greenette turned to Luffy's still pulsing fuck-stick now slathered in his and Kuina's cum. She crawled forward, before bringing a hand to her lover's cheek.
"You really know how to treat a woman, huh?"
He just chuckled before bringing her in for a slow, tender kiss. Hi back arched as she grabbed his cock, her look turning sultry again.
"I wonder just how many women you'll meet? After all, if you're going to be King of the Pirates…"
She leaned down, greedily engulfing the tip in her mouth, groaning in delight at the sensual flavors that made her shiver. When she looked back up, she loved how his gaze hardened in desire.
"…Then you should be free to have as many lovers as you want. Right?"
And that was the last word Makino got out that night before she, Luffy and Kuina spent a very long time cementing their relationship. When Luffy finally fell asleep, he wondered how he could have possibly gotten so lucky.
(End Sex Scene)
"Hellooooo?! What's going on in there?!" Nami yelled, tapping her foot impatiently outside the door. She knew this was where the front desk said Luffy was sleeping. She thought they were leaving half an hour ago but apparently the captain decided to sleep in.
"That's it, I'm coming in!"
Nobody stopped her as she easily picked the door's lock and waltzed in to give him a piece of her mind... Only to stop dead in her tracks. Luffy was actually up, in the shower judging from the steam pouring out underneath the bathroom door.
What made her freeze was seeing two shapes underneath the covers, still sleeping soundly. Nami put two and two together and promptly spun on her heels, deciding they could have ALL the time in the world to themselves. She would just go count her money again and desperately try to get that image out of her head.
And so now Luffy has officially gotten a harem! And, pro warning, it's going to get MUCH bigger. Next time, for realsies, we head to a little island with a mansion where Luffy will meet a new friend... And Nami will reunite with an old partner. Tune in next time!