One Piece Fan Fiction ❯ The Blue Rose Pirates ❯ Chapter 2- Adventures in Sigari, Amiable Strangers ( Chapter 2 )

 

Chapter 2

Amiable Strangers

(New Friends in Sigari!)

 

“Isn't it nice here, Johnny…” The girl smiled as she walked with her friend, inconspicuously veering closer to him. The two were walking down the beach. The girl was about 17, about 5'4” with a skinny build. Her hair was brown and shoulder length, held back by a headband. Her skin was fair and her eyes was bright amber. She was dressed in a white blouse and yellow shawl, a green skirt, white tights and brown shoes. At the moment, she was carrying what appeared to be a green satchel or purse. She took his arm in hers and leaned against him. “The soft sand, the bright sun…”

 

“And water!” Johnny broke out of her grip and began running towards the ocean. “Come on, Katie, let's go swimming!” He said, not noticing her disappointed frown. Unlike Katie, he was dressed much more casually, in a short red and green T-shirt and blue shorts. He was about 3 inches taller than her, blonde cowlick and green eyes. He was wearing a string around his neck with a hoop on it. On his right arm, a red tattoo was printed, a silhouette of a wrapped up piece of candy.

 

“That guy is so oblivious…” Katie mumbled and began to run after him. “Wait for me, Johnny baby!”

 

Johnny looked back at her playfully. “Come on, catch me if you can! Huh?” He had come across Luffy with only his lower body out of the sand. “What's with you?” he said as Katie ran up.

 

“Johnny, wait for…” Katie stopped. “Oh my, what happened to him?!” She quickly went to her knees near Luffy. “Excuse me, can you hear me, sir?!” She shouted. A muffled `Help' came from the sand.

 

“We gotta get him out of there!” Katie said. Her voice was panicked.

 

“I'll do it!” Johnny said cheerfully. “Stay still, mister!” He shouted. Luffy obliged. “Here goes!” He grabbed both of Luffy's leg and began pulling.

 

“Alright, Johnny!” Katie said, clapping her hand in a cheer.

 

“What the?! Is that supposed to happen?!” Luffy's legs had begun to stretch. In his shock, Johnny let go. Katie was all panicked again.

 

“He must be in deeper than we thought!” she said, covering her mouth with her hands.

 

“Can't you use a spell to get him out?” Johnny offered.

 

“Oh right!” Katie reached into her purse and pulled out a heavy disc. It was about a half foot long in diameter, with a handle on the top. It was covered all over with tiny symbols and colorful buttons. On the other side, a series of circles surrounded each other like a target sign. “Let's see… this should work! Stand back!” she said, getting up away from Luffy. Johnny followed suit.

 

“Alright… here goes!” She held the disc in front of her with a hand on the back of it, the circle side facing forward. She quickly clicked on one of the buttons “White Wind!” she shouted. The wheel flashed, and as each of the circles began to glow, a small circle of wind was gathering in front of the disc. It then headed forward, sending sand flying every where. As soon as she thought it was enough, Katie pulled the disc away and the wind stopped. Luffy was no longer so deeply imbedded, and he pulled his head out. He took a deep breath of fresh air.

 

“Thanks a lot!” Luffy said. “I was really stuck in there!”

 

“Are you alright sir?” Katie asked, having put away her disc.

 

Luffy smiled up at her. “Yeah, thanks! My navigator got a little mad at me and sent me flying over here!”

 

“Navigator?” Johnny back away. “You're not a marine, are you?”

 

“Marine?!” Luffy began laughing heartily. “Ha! That's a good one”

 

“Oh thank goodness!” Katie said, putting a hand over her heart. She got up and took a bow. “I'm Katie Le Bell, doctor and fourth member of the Blue Roses!”

 

“Blue Roses?”

 

Johnny looked doubtful. “Umm… maybe you shouldn't…”

 

Katie interrupted before he could get his thought out. “It's our pirate crew,” she said. “I'm the crew's doctor and Johnny here is our cook, and our third member! We're currently sailing along the Grand Line to… Oh…” She suddenly stopped at Johnny's disapproving look. “There I go again, telling too much…”

 

“Its okay, I'm a pirate too! Luffy's the name.” Luffy got up and brushed the sand off himself. “Could you show me where the port is? I gotta go find my own crew!”

 

“Of course we can!” Katie clapped her hands. “Come on, maybe we'll find our other crewmates around here and you can meet them.”

 

“Well… since you're a pirate too.” Johnny smiled his approval. “I guess we can hang out. By the way, when we tried to pull you out… you stretched…”

 

Luffy was already used to this. “That's right!” He stuck his finger in his mouth and pulled so his cheek would stretch out. “I ate the Gum-Gum fruit! I'm a rubber man!”

 

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Meanwhile, the Merry Go was already docked at the ports, and the Straw Hats were disembarking.

 

“Finally, solid land…” Usopp was the first off the ship. “The island of Sigari cheers in welcome of the great captain Usopp!”

 

Chopper looked around thoughtfully, for once ignoring Usopp's claim. “Shouldn't someone go look for Luffy?”

 

Zolo agreed. “Yeah, Nami really sent him flying. We better get him before he gets lost or in trouble.”

 

Sanji took a deep drag of his cigarette. “Serves him right, destroying Nami's map like that.”

 

“Whatever… I don't mind, I'll just redraw it.” Nami said, stretching her arms. “I'm going to go now!” She said, walking away.

 

Sanji immediately saddened, which was Nami's intention. “I would accompany you, my little dove, but I must get some more ingredients. When we get back, I'll cook you the most splendid dinner…”

 

“Whatever floats your boat…” she said, waving as she headed into the town.

 

“Can I come with you, Nami?” Chopper asked, fiddling his hooves together. His voice was laced with inquiry, as if he thought he'd get rejected.

 

“Sure, Chopper.” Nami waited for the reindeer to catch up.

 

“Oh Nami, its true. Beautiful things don't stick around forever…” Sanji sighed then switched to his trash-talking mode. He looked at Usopp and Zolo. “Now which one of you idiots, excluding my dear Robin, is gonna come with me to carry the food?”

 

Neither of them answered. Usopp looked and Zolo expectantly. “You must be kidding me…” the swordsman muttered.

 

“I'm going to set out.” Robin said softly. “If anyone should need me, I'll be at the bookstores…”

 

Sanji's eye literally began to quiver in a watery despair. “Oh, Robin. Damn my culinary duties. It has dragged me away from the two women I love most…”

 

Zolo stared at her as she began walking away. He looked at Sanji. The two glared at each other, Sanji's sad look turning to one of pure disgust. No way was he going to stay with Dartboard Eyebrow here…

 

“Hey Robin! Hold up, I'll come with you…” he joined her as the two walked away.

 

Robin looked mildly surprised. “Alright…”

 

Zolo cleared his throat gruffly. “You know, we `bounty' pirates gotta stick together. The navy might come after us!”

 

Sanji gritted his teeth. Not only was Zolo rushing off with his woman, he was rubbing his petty 60,000,000 berry bounty in his face, knowing how much he wanted one. Bah, Zolo was lucky he always fought strong guys… He could take any of them easy…

 

“Behave yourself with Robin, cabbage head!” He shouted. “One wrong move and I'll be the next `Red Foot'! I'll have your blood all over my shoes!” His voice turned soft and sugary. “Goodbye, my dear Robin, if that baka mistreats you, you let me know!”

 

Robin looked back at him and smiled. “Its alright, I don't mind Mr.Swordsman's company!” Instead of reassuring Sanji, her words had a completely different effect, making him feel worse. She apparently didn't notice as she walked off with the first mate.

 

Usopp clapped Sanji on the back. “Don't feel so down, Sanji! At least you've got the strongest marksman in the world here to help you.”

 

Sanji looked back at him forlornly. He slouched and began walking away. “I hate you all… I'd poison your food if I weren't such a great chef…”

_________________________________________________________________ _______

 

“Wow! There are so many people around here, Nami!” Chopper ran ahead of Nami, too excited to slow down. He was currently in his Sprint Boost, carrying some scrolls of chart paper for Nami in his little backpack.

 

“It must be market day, I guess…” Nami said, following the reindeer quickly through the crowds.

 

“Market day?”

 

“When people go out to shop, Chopper.” Nami explained. “Vendors set up their shops so its easier to shop.” she said, pointing at some of the stands.

 

“Oh! That's so convenient!” Chopper looked around excitedly. “Look Nami!” He walked over to one of the stands. “What're these?! They look like Cursed Fruit!”

 

Nami raised an eyebrow. “It's an apple, Chopper. I'm guessing there aren't any on Drum Island, huh?”

 

“Nope… The closest things I've seen were you tangerines!”

 

“Reindeer!” A giddy little voice shouted in the middle of the crowd. Chopper looked around. “Another one? Where?”

 

“Reindeer!” A little boy seem to fall out of the sky, landing on Chopper's back. He looked like he was about 5 or 6, with dark blue hair and light blue eyes. It was barely four feet tall, and was wearing a white jacket over a blue shirt, white shorts, and a sailor hat. He apparently didn't weigh much; Chopper barely even moved even though the boy has rocketed out of the air.

 

“Ahh! Nami, Usopp was right! It IS raining cat-rabbits!”

 

The little boy's cheeks puffed out. “Who are you calling a rabbit? Hey, you can talk!” He began hopping up and down. “Just like Santa's reindeer, what was his name again? Rudolph! But you gotta a blue nose instead of red, and you're wearing pants!” He stopped jumping and looked at Chopper in awe. “Can you fly?! That'd be really cool!” Chopper just shook his head.

 

“That's alright!” the boy cheered. “I'll ride you through the world, spreading good will and lollipops and cherry blossoms!”

 

Chopper perked up. “Cherry blossoms! Those are my favorites!”

 

“Then we can visit Sakura kingdom! The snow is pink there, did you know?!”

 

Chopper nodded. “Uh huh! I was born there!”

 

“Really?! No wonder you're so special!” He hugged Chopper's neck. “We're gonna be good friends, you know that? After I'm done with being a pirate, we can become just like Santa, but we'll plant cherry trees like that Johnny Appleseed guy! I'm Sobi Debest, what's your name?”

 

“Tony Tony Chopper and this is my friend Nami!” Nami was watching the whole scene in amusement. She gave Sobi a friendly wave. Sobi's eyes widened.

 

“Wow!” His eyes had turned into huge pink hearts. He jumped off of Chopper and stared up at Nami. “You're really pretty!”

 

“Umm… Thank you? Aww…” Sobi has given her a hug. He was so cuddly and soft all of the sudden… She couldn't help but give him a hug back… Sobi grinned mischievously, and his hands slowly dropped from her waist down to her…

 

“Hey!” Nami pushed the boy away. Did he just touch her ass?!

 

“Sobi?! Where'd you go?” Sobi stepped away from Nami when he heard the call.

 

“Oh… its him again…” He suddenly jumped behind her and Chopper. “Don't let them see me!”

 

“Is someone after you?” Chopper asked, standing before him in defense.

 

“Yeah, probably Danny!” Sobi shouted. His voice was less cheerful and sounded like he wasn't getting his way. A woman in the crowd screamed and the mob parted. Walking towards them was a tiger. It looked like any normal tiger, but it was much bigger; its striped tail flicked back and forth, knocking over displays and signs. Around its neck was a bright green collar, snug against his furry neck. Sobi gulped and ducked behind Nami. The tiger sniffed at the ground then looked up at Nami and Chopper. He began to run towards them.

 

“Chopper, get him!” Nami shouted. Chopper had already acted, however.

 

“Heavy Boost!” He braced himself in front of Sobi and Nami. The tiger charged towards him and…

 

It stopped abruptly and said politely. “Excuse me; have you seen my little friend around here?”

 

“What?! You… you talked?!” Nami's mouth was gaped open, pointing at the tiger in accusation.

 

“Its true! Usopp was right!” Chopper had turned into his Brain Boost. “The giant tigers from ancient history have come back to destroy mankind!” He dropped to his knees. “Spare me! I'm only half-human! I don't even like them that much!”

 

“You coward!” Nami began kicking the begging Chopper with the heel of her shoe. “Get up and fight him!”

 

Chopper curled up in the fetal position and squirmed behind her. “You fight him! He's a giant tiger! Usopp was right! He was right!!! Use cyclone tempo!”

 

“I'm just a girl!” Nami grabbed Chopper and held him up in front of her. “Eat him! I'm skinny and stringy and have no flavor!”

 

Chopper was struggling in Nami's arms. “Liar! You probably taste like those tangerines you keep growing!” The tiger blinked questioningly.

 

Sobi walked up. “Hey… Danny.”

 

“Sobi!!!” The tiger went up to him and rubbed his head with its paw. He apparently put too much force into it, because Sobi was pushed into a sitting position. “We were so worried about you!”

 

“I was only gone two seconds!” Sobi said, slapping the gigantic paw off. He rubbed his head. The tiger turned to Nami and Chopper. The two were staring stupidly at them, Nami still holding Chopper up by his horns. The tiger made a bowing motion.

 

“Thank you for watching my little brother!”

 

“Brother?!” Nami and Chopper asked in unison.

 

“If we had lost our navigator, we would be in a real fix!” The tiger had sat down like a house cat and seemed to almost smile pleasantly. Sobi jumped onto its back.

 

“Navigator?!” Chopper and Nami looked at each other.

 

“Chopper, a tiger is talking to us right?” Chopper nodded his answer to Nami. “We've gone crazy… Luffy's finally rubbed off on us…”

 

Sobi crawled onto the tigers back and pulled its whiskers. “Come on, Danny. Change back, you're scaring everybody.”

 

“I'm a tiger?!” The tiger, who's name was evidently Danny, looked astonished. “How careless of me! No wonder people were all screaming!” In a flash, he changed into a human, causing Sobi, who had been holding onto his whiskers, to fall down when they disappeared. In his human form, Danny's hair was black and wild, hanging down to his neck. He was dressed in a sleeveless orange shirt and black shorts. His wide collar was now loose around his skinny neck. His eye's hadn't changed, and still looked bright orange. On his cheeks, instead of his whiskers, there were replaced by three lines on either side. Chopper gaped at him in awe, and Nami dropped him on the ground.

 

“Its my fruit power.” Danny offered. “Cat-Cat Fruit, Tiger Model.”

 

“Ohh…” Nami and Chopper said together.

 

“I hope Sobi hasn't been too much trouble. I lost him at the beach. I'm sorry; I didn't catch your names…”

 

“That's Chopper and this is Nami!” Sobi said. Danny was carrying him piggyback style, and Sobi leaned forward. “Aren't her breasts huge?” he whispered rather loudly. Nami's mouth gaped open and Chopper's cheeks turned bright pink.

 

“Sobi! That's not a nice thing to say!” Danny scolded.

 

“Its not a bad thing! Their very nice.” Sobi said innocently.

 

Danny laughed nervously. “I'm sorry about that… Sobi can be overly direct sometimes!”

 

“What kind of kid are you?!” Nami shouted. “What are, like ten or something? Why are you looking at my breasts anyways?!”

 

“I'm not ten!” Sobi said, apparently insulted. “I'm eight and half!! Jeez, do I look that old?”

 

“Excuse me. Have you seen our friend, Luffy? He was at the beach too.” Chopper asked.

 

Sobi shrugged. “We've seen a bunch of people.”

 

“He wears a tank top and shorts.” Nami offered. She began to describe Luffy. “He's got a tacky straw hat… Goofy grin… always got a dumb look on his face…He's got super stretching powers…”

 

“Stretching powers?” Sobi smiled. “Like a cursed fruit?”

 

“Yeah, he ate a Gum-Gum fruit…” Chopper added.

 

“Me too! I used my fruit power on you!” Sobi pointed at Nami. “Did you notice?!” He didn't wait for Nami to answer though. “Come on, I've seen him! Follow us!” He pulled on Danny's collar, and he immediately began to run.

 

“You what?! Get back here!” Nami yelled, chasing after them. Chopper transformed into his Sprint Boost and followed her. Nami stopped and jumped onto of him.

_________________________________________________________________ _______

 

Nami and Chopper followed Danny and Sobi through the streets. They looked like two race jockeys as they rushed through the crowds. The Straw Hats didn't even notice as they passed by a bookstore. Inside were Robin and Zolo.

 

“These are a lot of books, Robin…” Zolo followed after the archeologist, carrying her pile of books. Robin had skimmed through a few pages of each one and selected them all. For all he could figure, Robin was probably going to pick all the books she hadn't read.

 

Robin didn't appear to notice the swordsman's comment. She was apparently just getting started. “Oh! The history section! I'll just get some from here and we'll be off!” Robin looked back at him. “Thank you for your help. I'll be able to carry much more books than on my own.”

 

“You actually read all of these?” Zolo asked, placing the pile on top of a table. Robin nodded as her finger went along the shelves; occasionally pulling a book out and pushing it back in.

 

“They're actually very interesting. Hopefully they'll get me through a few days until we reach the next town. Ooh!” she said. She hopped and snatched a book down and opened it. “I hope I'm not boring you too much, Mr. Swordsman. Thank you so much for joining me.”

 

Zolo winced inwardly. Robin had been constantly thanking him apologetically the whole trip, five times before they had even found the store.

 

“Stop thanking me so much, will you?” he said to her. He picked up one of the books. “Besides, who knows, maybe I'll learn something. I should be thanking you. If it weren't for you, I'd be with one of the others, and either way they're all crazy.”

 

“I wouldn't say they're all crazy… Got this one already.” Robin placed the book back. “Your quirks make you all interesting.”

 

“You're saying I've got quirks too?”

 

Robin looked at him regretfully. “I didn't mean it like that, as an insult.”

 

“I know you didn't. Wasn't even accusing you…” Zolo scolded himself mentally. Robin was more sane than the others, and probably much more sensitive. He couldn't shoot out at the mouth like he usually did. He cleared his throat and began flipping through the book. His eyes swirled. He didn't realize there were so many words he didn't know! He snapped it shut and looked at Robin. She already had accumulated a pile of ten.

 

“Let me get that.” He said, taking the books and adding them to the 50 or so they already had.

 

“Thank you.” Robin looked thoughtful. “About the quirks comment… I meant that…”

 

Zolo held his hand up. “I know what you mean. Sanji drooling over every woman he sees, Usopp's lying, Nami's blackmailing, its all a part of them. Can't do much about it.”

 

“It actually lets me keep the little sanity I have left.” Robin said, smiling. “Being in Baroque Works almost pushed me over the limit… I was actually ready to make it all stop…”

 

Zolo didn't think it'd be smart to mention what had happened. Robin was ready to just die then until Luffy saved her against her will. Then she had joined them… “I always thought you were the most reasonable one on the ship…” Zolo said.

 

“Thank you. Please don't tell anyone!” she said quickly. A single finger appeared on the highest shelf and gently pushed a book into her waiting arms. “I shouldn't really use my powers in public like that, what with my bounty and all…”

 

“You're right.” Zolo agreed. He hadn't thought about it, but together they had a sizable bounty. “We should keep a low profile…” Robin lead the way to the cashier. “Are you gonna want to take this back to the ship right away? What do you usually do after you're book trips?” As far as he knew, he was the first person to join Robin when they stopped at the towns. They usually set off alone compared to the rest of the crew, who usually paired up.

 

“We could… go get some lunch if you're hungry…” Robin said shyly. “My treat, as thanks for helping me.”

 

“Umm… alright.”

_________________________________________________________________ _______

 

“Hurry up you fool!” Sanji yelled, stopping momentarily to yell at the marksman. “The sooner I get this food stored up, the sooner I can go get my Robin away from that cabbage head! Now bring in the fish!”

 

Sanji and Usopp had rushed through the shopping in record time, and Usopp was now helping Sanji put everything away. Said cook was armed with a clipboard and pen, taking inventory of everything in the pantry. Usopp grumbled as he brought the fish over into the pantry.

 

“A great captain is reduced to this…” He glared at Sanji, who motioned for him to put the fish in a fridge. “I don't why you make such a big deal about storing this stuff!”

 

“This `stuff' is what helps me feed you. Considering none of you idiots know how to cook for yourselves, you should be more than happy to help me!” He pushed Usopp back out. “Bring in the green veggies next.”

 

“Oh, like most vegetables aren't green. Why do you have to color code all this?”

 

“Get the damn things in here before I snap your neck like a glazed turkey!” Sanji shouted, even as Usopp brought in a bag of produce. “Those need to be put over there, far away from the cheeses.”

 

“We got cheese?”

 

“Yes we got cheese, and don't go trying to eat it, its for tonight's desert!”

 

“What will you be serving, oh great chef?” Usopp said sarcastically. “Some super pizza parfait a la Crap-Sanji?” Sanji sensed this and glared at him.

 

“Why are you standing around asking stupid questions?! Whatever I serve, you'll inhale it like animals anyways!” he yelled, slamming Usopp with the clipboard. “There's still the dairy you gotta put away!” He pushed Usopp forward with the heel of his foot. “Go on, place it in the fridge!”

 

“Would it kill you to help out?! You're starting to act like Nami, now!”

 

“Me help? I'm the one that going to cook the damn food! You should be happy I'm letting you put it away! And don't insult Nami.”

 

“Stupid cook…” Usopp muttered, putting a jug of milk in the fridge. “I better be getting an extra helping for this!”

 

“Extra helping?!” Sanji's slapped the back of Usopp's head with the clipboard again. “You should be happy you're gonna get fed at all with all the complaining you're doing!”

 

Usopp couldn't take it anymore. “Stop hitting me, you fool! Don't get mad at me because you got your girls stolen by a reindeer and a green headed butcher! And you know what, breakfast tasted like soggy carrots in barbeque sauce!”

 

Sanji cracked his knuckles. “What was that?! You care to repeat what you just said?!” He slowly walked forward at the sniper menacingly.

 

“I was just kidding, Sanji… You're cooking was great! Ahh!”

 

While this was happening in the pantry, two people, a girl and a boy, had boarded the ship. The boy was about Sanji's height, with dark blonde hair done in a braided ponytail. He was dressed in a jean jacket and jeans ripped at the knees. Strapped to his waist was a tool belt. The soles of his shoes and his forearms were plated with metal. He looked around with his green eyes as if he were unimpressed with the surroundings. “This is a pretty small ship, Captain. You sure you're brother would even be seen on something this crazy. I mean they got a goat's head for a ram…”

 

His companion shrugged. “He was always the weird one. He may be older than me, but he's the dumbest of us three…” The girl was about fourteen, short at 5'3”, and a bit on the skinny side. Her eyes were bright black, and her hair was the same color, straight and divided into two pigtails at the base of her neck. She wasn't amazingly beautiful, but she was cute; her face looked innocent even as she smiled naughtily and her cheeks were dashed with freckles. That and the way she carried herself made her look childish. She was dressed in what could be called the girl version of a sailor's uniform, her skirt and blouse were white, and the scarf tied around was blue striped like her shoes. She was wearing a white sailing hat, and around her neck was an insignia of a blue colored rose.

 

“Funny how you're both captains…” the boy said. “This guy must have a crappy shipwright though…”

 

“You certainly do better work. I think his ship is called the Merry Go Round or something like that.” She sat on one of the railings. “Its got a cozy feeling to it, not like ours.” She must've noticed her companion's look. “Don't worry, Lemi, you're still the best shipwright around. Huh?”

 

Usopp had pulled out his slingshot and was aiming it at her. “State your business for trespassing on the Great Usopp's ship or prepare to die!”

 

“Shoot her and get ready to die!” Lemi began running towards Usopp. “Melani, I'm coming!” He pulled out one of his knives.

 

“Don't think so!” Sanji had appeared just in time and ran up right in front of Lemi. “Barbequed Rib Buster! (Poi Trene in Japan)” Sanji's leg shot out and headed straight at Lemi's chest.

 

“Buster Blade!” Lemi shouted. The knife flashed and began to glow blue. The aura formed a sword like energy, which Lemi used to block Sanji's kick.

 

Too little, too late, Usopp had already launched a pellet at her.

 

“Hot Salsa Star!” The flaming projectile headed straight for the girl.

 

“That's all you got?” Melani said, smiling even as Usopp's attack headed towards her. “I think Luffy would have some stronger companions!” She held up her hands. “Try this on for size! Zephyr Veil!” She clapped her hand forward and…

 

“Yah!” Usopp was thrown back by the attack and slammed into Sanji. The two tumbled down against a wall.

 

“You got some nerve attacking my captain like that!” Lemi said. He held the blade in front of him. “Get ready to pay!”

 

_________________________________________________________________ _______

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Chris- Yay, my first cliffhanger! I think… Please R&R and FYI, I've still got more characters to introduce. Anyone care to guess who's job is who? I think you must have realized this, but these two groups are gonna fight, any ideas for match ups?