Previously,
"We'll check the food! I haven't eaten since the party in Skypiea."
"So these are the uniforms? They look a bit strange, don't you think, Sanji? More like..."
"Like cooks?"
His stomach rumbled.
"I think I'll visit the kitchen before calling it a night."
-----------
Now,
Nami and Zoro had been debating whether they should enter the base yet or not. She estimated that it was around midnight, so they could just wait for the majority to be asleep.
Unfortunately, Zoro wasn't of the same mindset. In fact, she wasn't even sure what he was doing. Why? Simple, she was careless and lost sight of him. Obviously, he only needed a few minutes to diverge from the very clear linear trail.
"...I sometimes wonder just how he was able to stay alive on the open seas before we became a crew..." A heavy exhale was all she needed to make her peace.
"As for what I should do now... the best option would be to hide away till morning in the forest, but... I think I should try getting some information while I can, don't know when a night like this will come again. A base this big should have plenty of treasure too!" Heart set, Beli's in her eyes. She went off to prove her nickname.
-----------
"So, where were the both of you stationed before this?" The Lt asked, his back facing the two.
"Ah, well, you see, we were in a small base near Cocoyashi Village. Yes... We were regular infantrymen there for a while, but decided a change in duty was needed! Seeing as how we had enough talent." The master of lies counted his stars for the fact that their time in the East Blue was filled with marines that he could remember.
"Interesting... Captain Nezumi's branch, then?" The eye of the Lt could be seen as he turned his head to regard them.
Sanji had been snapped out of his trance by the mention of Nami's home village. The injustice she suffered was in part because of the corrupt Marines there. "Yes. But I can't lie. Every second we spent there was horrible. That damn captain has no right to be having any authority."
Ussop bristled next to him. 'Hey, don't blow our cover here!'
"Ha, well, that sure does sound a lot like him. I've had the displeasure of meeting him a few times. Quite the sleazeball. If you two hate him as much as your voice showed, then I suppose you both are men of good morals." Pausing in his step, he turned before opening a door.
Noises familiar to Sanji immediately escaped. 'So this is the kitchen.' Sanji followed the man inside with Usopp, looking around all the while.
"Here we are. Chef Jessica!" His voice overpowered the ambient sound. Gaining the attention of the one he mentioned.
"Yes, Lt?" A blonde woman walked over to them.
"Chef, these two say they are recruits. Apparently, they got lost on the way here, so they couldn't make it on time." Lazily, the Lt wondered about what he should do after. Orders from his commander aside.
Sanji had been gushing as Ussop expected, and so it was up to him to make sure that they wouldn't be caught. Meaning they'd have to pass whatever test to prove themselves as cooks.
"Y-yes! We are incredibly sorry! We were just amazed by the base and couldn't help but lose our sense of direction! It won't happen again!" In an almost trained fashion, Ussop accomplished a ninety-degree bow.
Jessica took one look at the bowing man and his daydreaming friend before coming to a conclusion.
"Tell them to get lost."
-----------
"Luffy, are you sure we're heading in the right direction?" Chopper felt the need to ask, it had been almost an hour since they started walking inside an arching entrance. So far, they hadn't run into anything, and while that might be good considering their situation, the stress point was that they literally could not find anything. Just rocks, it looked like they stumbled upon a cave, not an entrance to the base. Luffy simply nodded with a "yep" in response.
Robin, meanwhile, felt the need to specify what their plan was. She got carried away when the captain mentioned it, busy with other thoughts. Now that she had time to reflect upon it during their walk, she realised their plan relied a lot on luck. "Captain, although we've decided to act as... inspectors... of sorts. What would our disguise be? Not to mention how would we be able to fool them into thinking we are legitimate?"
"Oh! Simple! We just need to find some fancy-looking guys and knock them out." Luffy hadn't even bothered to turn around, evidently, the many instances he's had with Lady Luck had rendered him with faith that no matter how outlandish his wish may be, it'll come true.
Robin wanted to probe him a bit. She was calm, but dealing with the Marines always required her to act with caution. Always.
Yet despite that, she didn't have the heart to challenge their happy captain as he strolled ahead. Oh well... she was capable of taking care of herself, she just worried about...
"Hey... John! I think I heard something over here!" A voice caught their ears. Forcing them to take cover in whatever spot they could. Chopper, being lucky enough to hide behind a boulder just his size, Robin was able to hide just fine behind a protruding part of the walls of the enclosure. Luffy though... Luffy just stood there.
Unfortunately, before Chopper and Robin could ask him to hide, he was spotted.
"There is someone here! John, c'mere!"
Luffy still didn't move, though. Which prodded the two approaching marines to have a complete view of the intruder
"Who are you?!" They stood with guns pointed towards him
"... Hi! I'm here for an inspection! I got lost, so I ended up here."
"Wh-what?" They were dumbfounded.
While they were used to inspectors, this had never happened before. Not to mention the whole thing was undeniably suspicious
"Hold up now. This is a bit too much, you can't expect us to believe you! You're definitely an intruder! You could even be from that ghost ship!" One of them reasoned.
"Huh? A ghost ship!? So cool! Where?!" Luffy only caught on to one thing: moving toward them with excitement
"Stay back!" They raised their guns at him, cautious of his actions.
"Still... John. I don't think an intruder would be... this open. I don't really think he's taking this very seriously..." Whispering, they took a peek towards their person of interest
Meeting their eyes, Luffy gave them his signature smile.
"..."
"I think he's telling the truth."
-----------
The cat burglars' footsteps were barely audible as she walked inside a treasury. "Hah, I knew they'd be filthy rich. Just sucks since I can't take most of this with me..." A slight frown graced her features. "What the hell was Luffy going on about anyway..." Her eyes scanned the room while her hands took whatever caught her interest. Her gaze finally landed on a vault.
"This looks important..." Seeing as no one else was bound to come inside any time soon, she decided to crack it.
It took a small while as her ear rested against the cold metal, hearing the ticks as the mechanism shifted into place. After using some skills she's picked up, it was open.
"A map? That's odd." True enough, the item held inside was directions to an island with a language she couldn't decipher. "Hmm... maybe Robin might know? This might be our next destination, I just hope it's not dangerous." A shiver ran down her spine.
"Anyways..." She stashed the map away for later, "I got to hear where the Merry's being kept. I can't go there alone, though... I'll need some backup. Better start searching for them."
-----------
One swordsman was casually walking through a forest. He'd tried to find where Nami had gone but was unable to. He gave up soon after since it seemed that she was hiding from him. 'Damn witch, why did she go off on her own randomly? Can't she follow directions? Tch.'
He'd been walking for some time now. He didn't really know where he was going, but it was better than staying still. Eventually, he ended up right in front of the Merry.
"Huh. I made it here first. Why can't my crewmates learn a thing or two from me?" He shook his head in disappointment.
"It's that pirate hunter! From the straw hats!" A marine shouted as he finally caught notice of the green-headed man standing near the ship. Soon enough, his shouting alerted the others as well. Making them surround the swordsman.
"Are you going to try and stop me?" Zoro said as he looked around him. His hand hovered over his blades.
"Surrender now!"
Seeing that a fight was inevitable, he slowly pulled out one of his swords, sheath still on.
"One should be enough."
The first set of Marines that ran towards him were those in front. He was also acutely aware that the ones behind him were most likely pointing a gun at his back. Knowing they wouldn't shoot their comrades, he went forward to face the oncoming soldiers.
He sidestepped the first one that swung their blade, letting their momentum carry them forward. Then, he turned to his side and stuck his leg out to ensure they wouldn't recover their balance.
Shifting his attention to the others, he elbowed the nearest cadet. His knees dropped to generate more force, allowing him to spring up and extend his arm. Throwing the man into his fellow soldiers.
With his extended hand carrying his blade, he continued the motion and thrust into the next marine's knee. With his blade sending the now screaming man to the concrete, he retracted his sword and crouched low. The force of his pull segwayed to a full 360 swing. Hitting the ankles and shins of all the marines that crowded him.
Standing back up to his full height, he grabbed one soldier before he fell to the floor. Holding him up as a shield, not forgetting that there were guns pointed at him.
"You gonna shoot?"
He stared at the Marines across from him. Now being the only ones left, they raised their guns cautiously.
Not giving them time to respond, he threw the Marine in his hands to the others, stunning them.
Using his inhumane speed, he was able to follow up the action with a quick dash behind their pointing guns.
He raised his sword high. Bringing it down, striking the collected Marines behind their head. Taking care not to put too much strength.
With his final enemies knocked out, he looked around him. 'No one's dead.'
-----------
"Tell them to get lost."
Sanji and Usopp didn't hear her at first. Sanji was still in his daydream, and Usopp thought it was a figment of his imagination.
The Lt. gave a curious look towards the head chef. Asking her to provide an explanation.
Since he was someone she respected. She decided to answer, "I don't let people who disrespect time in my kitchen." Looking back at the two, "Recruitment was four hours ago. As it seems, they weren't even aware of that."
Snapping out of his disbelief, Ussop was quick to give a response, "Wait! We honestly didn't know where we were going. Surely you can understand? This base is too huge for newcomers to navigate easily..."
Jessica opened her mouth but was cut off before she could speak.
"Miss, if our words can't buy us a chance. Could you allow us to demonstrate our skills at the very least?" Sanji had taken a more serious appearance after listening to Usopp.
"And why should I? You both look wet behind the ears. I doubt either of you could even serve up an Eggs Benedict." Her tone implied her doubt, and her expression was that of annoyance.
"I respect your intuition, Miss. Yet, I can't help but comment on the leftovers you have inside that kitchen of yours. On a base like this, every piece of food counts, does it not? Preserving food and ensuring it is all served should take precedence." Sanji walked to the remaining ingredients.
Rolling up his sleeves, seeing as he had the interest of the beautiful woman, decided to give a demonstration of his skill.
-----------
Luffy, Robin and Chopper were walking through the base with no worry. They were accompanied by the Marines to the dining area. They had been wearing rather stylish clothing, by the choice of Luffy, of course.
Unfortunately, while the ones that found them had been lowering their guard, deciding to hear Luffy out, Robin had taken the initiative to knock them out. Instructing Chopper to turn into his human form and wear their clothing.
She was entertained and almost let whatever Luffy had 'planned' play out. But she ultimately decided that it wasn't best to experiment right there. Needless to say, Luffy himself was very upset she ruined his fun. Wearing a frown for a better part of their walk here.
On other matters, they had Chopper act as a marine to validate their claims of being inspectors. So when they met other Marines, they asked them to guide them to the dining area.
Luffy had picked up a white jacket and a paper covering for his hat. Robin chose to wear a long purple coat. As for where they found these items, as luck would have it, just before meeting with the other Marines, they had found a wardrobe. It was questionable for it to have been as large as it was. Robin had a fleeting thought that it might belong to an important figure, but ultimately judged it harmless to take a few pieces of clothing the owner wouldn't miss.
Now, their walk had been cut short. The Marines left them in front of the door to the dining area, in the company of Chopper, who they believed was the Marine stationed to accompany them.
"Yatta! Finally!" Luffy couldn't contain his boredom anymore and rushed inside. Robin and Chopper following suit.
Luffy had stopped at a table and kept banging it for food. "Food! Food! Food!" His noisy nature naturally brought attention to them. Robin spoke to explain, "Hello, everyone, we're inspectors. We're from HQ and we'll be testing the quality of the food being served. We do apologise for the hasty examination, but it's part of a sudden test to prove the authenticity of the results."
It was a logical explanation she believed would be bought. Sure enough, it did the trick. Causing a commotion that led to the head chef being brought out.
"What's all the ruckus?"
"Chef Jessica! We have a sudden inspection!"
This surprised Jessica, but she was able to rein it in relatively quickly. Focusing on the two she now recognised as the 'inspectors', she went to their table to ask them what they wanted.
"Hello, my name is Jessica. I take it you two are the inspectors? What would you like to taste? I guarantee everything will be above standards."
The two in front of her appeared... odd. The marine with them was rather bulky and hairy, but she didn't comment on it. She'd seen weirder on the seas of the Grandline.
"Hi! We'll have one of everything!" Luffy sent her a grin, resuming his loud banging. "You'll have to forgive him. We are a little hungry since we had to skip lunch on the voyage here." Robin intervened.
"I see. Alright then, I'll send you the food shortly. Please do leave the leftovers aside. We will be allocating it to other uses." The incident earlier, with that new recruit... Sanji. Had humbled her. The talent and resourcefulness he'd shown were enough for her to swallow her pride and accept the two recruits immediately. The lesson he gave on leftovers struck a chord in her.
"You don't need to worry about that!"
.
It had been around ten minutes, and Luffy had been eating his heart out, but as with his time in Skypiea, he felt himself getting full earlier than what he was used to.
Before he could contemplate, a large man walked into the room.
"Commander!"
"Yes, yes... no need to salute me at this time of the night. Carry on with what you were doing, men." The man with dull pink hair couldn't help but turn his eyes to the gluttonous sight of food being devoured.
"Oh? Who are all of you?" The Commander took a seat across from Robin and Luffy.
Robin, by now, after hearing that this was the Commander, was thinking of ways for them to leave. It was unfortunate that the Commander himself just so happened to visit at this time. If her earlier guess was correct, he was smart enough to see through their act.
"We are inspectors! We're checking the food right now!" Luffy stuffed his mouth with another dish. Helping himself to the food in front of him, he couldn't help but try to shake off the feeling he had about this man or rather, 'stuff' himself with a distraction.
"Really? That's worrisome... I'm supposing this is a surprise inspection, then?" His eyes danced in concealed delight. Robin, quick to catch on to what he was implying, readied her hands to use her Devil Fruit.
"Yes. As you know, HQ couldn't let any higher-ups know. For the sake of authenticity, of course." Robin stared at the man, a smile gracing her features but never reaching her eyes.
"True enough, it'll spoil the results, wouldn't it? We've not had an inspection for a good long stretch, so I guess I should've expected it."
He looked at Robin, his eyes lingering on hers before shifting to Luffy.
"Hmm... was it a long stretch? I can't seem to remember..." His eyes were no longer hiding the joy they had. "Could you help me remember? I'm sure you'd know." His voice was accompanied by a smile. One that was similar to Robin's own.
"Why would we know? We don't really care about that stuff much. Besides, we are new to the Grandline!" Luffy answered his probing question.
This caused the Commander's eyebrow to raise. "You are? In that case, my apologies. It would be unfair for me to ask newly enrolled inspectors to know about it. It's just the last ones' seemed so knowledgeable..." He ended with a frown. Truly, the last ones left a distaste in his mouth. The sheer level of arrogance they had made him glad he had as many years of experience as he did. He was very close to decking one of them.
Robin had slightly lowered her arms after hearing Luffy. Her gaze shifted towards him, showing the faintest trace of pride. "Thank you for understanding, Commander." She locked her eyes back with his, "The Grandline has been unlike anything we've imagined so far. It truly is a happening place."
"Yes, unfortunately, you're right. As Marines, that makes our job more difficult. Still, a good challenge never hurt anyone." He leaned back in his chair, "Well, as fun as it would be to continue this charade." Pointing at Chopper, "That is not a Marine I recognise. Moreso, his unique... aesthetic would be very memorable."
Chopper was sweating bullets, "And that hat of yours. It looks awfully familiar." Luffy tensed, finally catching onto what was going to happen.
"Could you be... Monkey D-"
He was incapable of completing his sentence. Luffy had sent the table up, flying, using the diversion to aim a heavy punch. Much to his dismay, the distance was more than he anticipated. His usual rubber powers would have dealt with that issue with no problem. However, his current predicament left him having to improvise.
Leaning into the punch with a step to reach his target. Expecting to touch flesh, he instead felt a force move his fist, missing the Commander completely.
"So hasty. You didn't even let me finish my grand reveal..."
Robin had positioned her arms and used her fruit after seeing her captain miss. Not willing to risk furthering the fight, she tried to end it. 'Clutch!'
"So these are the ghost hands? Scary!"
The Commander laughed as he was able to prevent himself from being grabbed by the hands sprouting from his body.
'It's like my hands are being pushed back when I try to grab him.' Robin, realising the attempt was futile, tried instructing Chopper to clear a path for them to escape.
Luffy wasn't having it. Determined to land a punch, he endeavoured once more. Swinging a wild haymaker that the Commander evaded. The blow hit a pillar, causing vibrations throughout the dining area.
"Let me hit you!" Luffy yelled, annoyed he couldn't use his Devil Fruit, and this man surely didn't help that annoyance.
The racket brought out a few cooks, with Jessica leading the way.
Following right behind her were the new recruits they had accepted. A blonde mop of hair shifting to reveal a curly brow. Allowing his eyes to see who had been forcing them to make so much food.
"Of course it was you, damn it." Sanji went running past Jessica, heading straight for the Commander. Ussop ran forward as well, readying the slingshot he kept in his pocket, and drawing ammo from his pouch.
'Looks like most of them are here... maybe missing... two or three members.' The Commander ducked a wild kick from Luffy before diverting Sanji's leg. Making both of their attacks clash, sending them back.
"A bit late for me to say it, but hello, Straw hats. It's an honour to have one of the most famous rookie pirate crews in my humble fortress. Or should I say infamous?" He rubbed his chin, seemingly thinking about it.
"Luffy! Are you okay?!" Ussop yelled from his spot behind a counter. The fight caused multiple Marines to begin rushing inside. Doing his best, he placed as many traps as he could at every entrance. It was doing its job, pushing whoever came back, whether it be through bear spray or a well-timed tobacco sauce in the eyes. He wouldn't be able to hold forever, though.
"Oi, shitty captain. Get yourself together, now isn't the time to be spacing out." The blonde cook stood to his full height, dusting off the rubble from his unintentional collision with Luffy.
"Right..." Luffy looked around, seeing that the Commander wasn't making a move to attack them, and Chopper had gone to help Ussop's efforts. As much as he felt like blindly rushing the Commander on a one-on-one, he trusted his gut and asked someone he came to look for when making smart decisions.
"Robin, what should we do?"
She had been planning on that for a while now. There were few exits and even more obstacles in their way. The only way would be for someone to stall the Commander while they focused their efforts on one entry point.
Doubting whether the crew would be okay leaving someone behind, she bit her lip. Eventually deciding to leave it to the captain.
"We need someone to stall him while the others focus on escaping."
Her eyes didn't meet Luffy's, and since she was unsure of his answer, she began thinking of other plans.
"Got it. You guys leave, I'll take him." Luffy took his fist and cracked his knuckles, preparing for a fight.
Sanji had looked at his captain, uneasy since his talk with Zoro. It felt horrible to doubt Luffy after what they've been through. But he hadn't been acting the same. It was a small difference. But it was noticeable. Not to mention his admission towards his lack of powers.
Adding in the unknown strength of the Commander, his earlier acts most likely indicating a powerful devil fruit, he knew he couldn't leave his captain alone, "No, I'm staying. You're not yourself right now, Luffy. You need help."
Luffy didn't look at him as he continued prepping his body, the texture of rubber absent, "No... Robin, Chopper and Ussop will need help. You're fighting through a whole base."
"Luffy! Listen to me, you can-"
"No! I will fight him, and I will win. Then we can get away." Putting his foot down, Luffy regarded his opponent.
"Thank you for letting us talk."
"I could have cut you off. But that would be rude of me." Then, in a whisper barely audible to Luffy, "It would be less entertaining too..."
Sanji could only mutter and click his tongue. Directing his attention to his crewmates, helping usher them out. They'd need to find their ship, regroup and trust in Luffy. Like normal...
"Alright!"
With a word, Luffy was off. Switching tactics and trying to tackle the man down. This time, Luffy didn't feel that repelling force, instead meeting his torso. Grinning at his successful attempt, he hauled the man to the floor in a suplex.
"Not one for skilful techniques, Straw hat?"
Luffy expected pink hair to be spread across the concrete. Rather... it was floating?
"Take your guesses, but don't take too long. I'll win if you don't get it right soon."
From his upside-down position, facing Luffy, the Commander used his arms to take hold of Luffy's clothes, hauling Luffy across the room in a strong throw. The momentum made him come back to his feet.
"My Lt. has probably met your crew by now. He probably won't win. But it'll take enough time to deal with you. Despite what I've heard, you're not very strong, Monkey D. Luffy."
-----------
As Sanji led Chopper and Robin, they made quick work of the Marines, darting across the base in a wild search for their ship.
"Will Luffy be okay?" Chopper asked while headbutting a soldier in his way. Having long since shifted into his reindeer form.
"He will. Don't worry about it, Chopper. We should focus on finding the Merry." Sanji kept Luffy's situation out of his mind, stashing it away for later. Zoro and him will need to confront Luffy about it. But now he needed to focus.
Turning a corner, their eyes caught sight of red before identifying who it was.
"Nami! My love!"
"Why did you guys cause such a mess!? The entire base is up and arms! Ugh! At least I found you..." She looked at the group, "Where's Luffy? Was he not with you?"
"The captain is busy with a fight, navigator. We should be heading towards the Merry. Speaking of missing crewmembers, where's Mr. Swordsman? Was he not with you?" Robin answered her calmly.
"That meathead got lost, go figure. We'll get him after we secure the Merry. I'm sure he'll be fine." Shaking her head at the swordsman's sense of direction, she continued, "Let's go, I know where the Merry is, we can't waste time here!"
Sure enough, the Marines were catching up, spurring them to continue their search.
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A man lay on the ship, his back on the railings, holding three swords near him.
"Pirate Hunter Zoro."
"Ha?" Opening his eyes, Zoro awoke from his nap, examining his surroundings.
"You're a swordsman, are you not?" Zoro finally looked at the man who stood opposite to his resting body.
"And? Leave. You'll be cut down like your friends."
"They're not dead, though."
"..."
"Never took your title for one of mercy. Still, a pirate is a pirate. You're evil. I will turn you in no matter what. Surrender, now."
Zoro gazed at the blade the man had drawn, smiling.
"Fine, have it your way. But be warned. This will be a fight, and I will not hesitate to end your life."
"Big talk for a man who will be behind bars soon."
-----------
Stones shifted as Luffy found his way to his feet. The contact with the wall hurt more than he'd admit. Not that it was really painful, just that he had gotten used to being almost immune to attacks of that nature.
Holding his head, he shook it lightly. Feeling a sharp pain.
"Take your time, Straw hat. I'll wait. Based on how you are right now, you're no-"
Luffy wanted to rebut, he had tried. Opening his mouth. Yet, that sharp pain came back. Almost numbingly so, until it finally stopped.
Confused, he lifted his head up. His eyes looked at the still Commander. Then, a strange sight grabbed his attention. He saw a small rock almost flying in the air as if gravity didn't exist. The oddity of it lasted for what felt like minutes until it fell like normal.
"-t going to win."
Luffy's eyes lit up. The Commander wondered if the slight glimpse he caught of the pirate's eyes being blue was a trick of nature.
"I'll kick you're ass, Pinky!"
-To Be Continued-