The air around the G-8 base still reeked of damp and moss. It wasn't the kind of ruin left by war. No, war was loud, fiery and angry. But this had been something else entirely. The kind of quiet destruction that didn't come with a declaration, but just a mystery of mischief and vengeance. The kind that gnawed at orders and laws like a mouse behind the walls.
And Akainu hated it. He hated every second of him looking at the base which now stood as a perfect humiliation to the World Government.
The Magma Admiral stood on what remained of the upper observation deck, his arms folded tightly, and jaw locked as he stared out towards the sea–grey-blue, unyielding and wide. Behind him, scattered in uneven intervals, were cracked balustrades, shattered glass panels, glittery and sparkly marine uniform, moss and the still humid air. G-8 had always been a well-maintained base, with tight security and tight mouths led by an intelligent mind.
And yet, somehow, those brats had gotten in. The 3C's. The bane of existence, burning every file they found, and wrecking the base, making it look almost haunted and abandoned in just a few hours.
"Damn them," Akainu muttered under his breath.
"You'll choke on that frown, Sakazuki," a smooth and familiar voice said from behind.
Akainu's fists clenched. "Tch. You still talk like a poet, Jonathan."
"I always did, even back when we were mere rookies," Jonathan replied mildly as he stepped up beside him. His long sparkly coat fluttered slightly in the wind, the familiar cigar already lit and resting comfortably between his fingers, giving him the power to tackle the mess head on. "Some things don't change."
"Like this base getting wrecked under your watch?" Akainu replied without looking at him. He knew that it was the first time it had happened but still he couldn't help but question.
Jonathan gave a tired sigh. "G-8 still stands, doesn't it? My people are alive,"–which was truly noteworthy–"We lost some fine clothes, and walls to the moss, but not lives. And besides if what you've told me is true, the storm alone should've sunk the entire base. But it didn't." And wasn't that a mystery in its own right?
Akainu didn't answer. His eyes were locked on the distant horizon, where the sea was shimmering like diamonds under the sunlight. He had scoured those waters for two straight days. Looking for signs. Shadows. Rumours. Anything. Anything that might tell him where those damn ships had gone.
But there had been nothing. No debris. No breath. No word. Just emptiness.
"Whatever those three are planning," Akainu said lowly, "they've got too much power, and information. And that makes them dangerous." he clenched his fists, remembering all the classified documents the World Government had already lost to those bastard trio.
"And yet," Jonathan said, exhaling smoke slowly. "They didn't kill anyone here. They left after.. proving a point," And to his immense surprise they had also found notes of recipes and medical knowledge, which was unheard of. "So, tell me, my old friend, are they dangerous because they're strong.. or because we couldn't stop them?"
That earned him a slow turn of the head. Akainu's gaze was sharp, but not angry. Not yet. "You're sounding like Aokiji again. Don't tell me age and that bastard has softened your spine."
"I am still the same man who put a cannonball through a pirate's rig before breakfast," Jonathan said while waving his hand. "I just learned to ask why along with how, especially after the World Government involving itself with the P.P.P." And Jonathan knew that Akainu understood what he meant. The higher ups, after all, were aware of the 'deeds' done by the P.P.P, even though they refused to talk about it openly.
Akainu clicked his tongue and looked away, his teeth clenching in anger. "Too many people asking why these days."
Akainu knew that the World Government wasn't perfect. He knew that what the Government and the higher ups were making them do sometimes crossed the line of good and evil, but he also knew that following the very same orders will lead to a better world. Even if it hasn't been achieved yet. But with the variable of 3C's and the other motherfucking organization, P.P.P., in play, things were bound to be rough.
And Akainu absolutely loathed that.
A gust of wind rolled over the ruined deck, scattering ash and the funny smell of moss mixed with damp across them. Reminding Akainu of the reason he came, to hunt down the slippery 3C's, whom he hadn't been able to find yet. And wasn't that a humiliation of his abilities, of an admiral's, the red dog of the government?! He didn't really 'care' of the reason why the 3C's chose this particular base, but he was angry. He was pissed at that.
Akainu slammed a magma-coated fist into a nearby broken pillar, unable to contain the rage within himself. He wanted to crush those bastards, make them pay for every humiliation to the World Government. He wanted to torture them just for coming into existence and playing revolutionaries and pirate.
Even if the explosion of heat and pressure was immediate, Jonathan hadn't flinched. He just sighed as the pillar cracked in half, a spiderweb of magma veins exploding outward. The deck rumbled beneath them. Some seagulls in the distance squawked and fled. Some marines nearby flinched at the angry admiral, while some were already rushing to get water to stop the magma from eating everything.
But Akainu didn't pay even a tiny bit of attention to anyone. His breath was heavy but he still slowly cooled his hand, returning them to normal. "All this chaos," he muttered. "Three brats who weren't supposed to live past this many years, and now they're throwing punches at the World Government's pride. Mocking it."
"You mean they're mocking you," Jonathan said softly, reading his friend like an open book.
Akainu didn't deny it. He stood there, back half turned, shoulders rigid. "Their powers are growing. The storms they are creating, the waves they are making, and the winds they are controlling need to be snuffed out before they become stronger and stronger and topple the Government."
Jonathan stepped over the broken edge of the deck, placing one hand on a not-so moss covered rail. "But if they had wanted to topple the Government they would have done it by now. They are waiting for something, Sakazuki."
"But we can't wait," Akainu snapped. "I need to hunt down those criminals."
"Criminals who left without killing," Jonathan murmured, knowing well that the whole base including him could have been dead without even knowing if the 3C's wanted but they were spared and were alive.
Akainu stared at him. "You trying to say something?" Because that definitely sounded like his old friend wanted to take side of the 3C's.
"No," Jonathan said with a sigh, watching the waves. "I'm trying to listen," Not the rumours and the words spread by the World Government or the P.P.P, but the facts that were left behind by the 3C's. "I don't want to blindly believe in anything. Not anymore, Sakazuki."
"You've changed," Akainu said after a pause. But it was not in an accusing tone but like stating a fact.
"Haven't you too?" Jonathan questioned back.
"No." That was Akainu's instinctive answer but even as he said it, his eyes betrayed him. They drifted to the marines, several of them, cleaning the chaos left behind, while laughing and merrily making light hearted jokes of the sparkly pink uniforms they were wearing.
Akainu, in all honesty, had expected a massacre. He had expected several wounded marines to lay around the base. He had thought that he wouldn't be able to see his friend alive anymore. Not because the 3C's have massacred pirates and marines in the past. Not because the 3C's have left behind almost nothing in some ships. Because that wasn't always true. Even if he hated to admit it, Akainu knew that the 3C's never killed people–be it marines or pirates–until and unless provoked or attacked. And if they weren't, then they would just leave after a little 'fun'.
But this time, according to his own sources, the storm had been asking for blood, not letting anyone approach the seas near the G-8. Probably, one of the brats who had the storm devil fruit, had lost his control over it, which had meant absolute massacre.
"The brats need to be stopped," Akainu muttered again, firmly this time. Because he knew if they weren't stopped and if even one of them lost control over their powers, it would mean trouble and dead bodies.
"You keep calling them brats," Jonathan said, tilting his head. "But you're talking like they're equals."
Akainu stiffened. "Don't push it."
Jonathan grinned. "You wouldn't be here if you really believed they were beneath your time."
"Fuck off," Akainu mumbled, looking away. Yes, the brats may have powerful devil fruits and advanced Haki's in their disposal, but they weren't that strong like him. Not yet.
"..I'll rebuild the base," Jonathan said eventually, changing the topic as well as flicking his cigar away. "And I'll train my men to be stronger. Just in case they return. But not out of fear. Out of respect."
Akainu's eyes snapped to him. "You want to welcome them?"
"I want to challenge them. And understand them too," Jonathan replied. "Isn't that what you came here for too? To understand why they are doing what?"
"..No."
Jonathan didn't smile but his eyes did at the belated answer.
Akainu let out a sigh, which was almost a growl, before turning towards Jonathan. "Send me a report once you've got the repairs underway."
"I'll send it in poetry, just for you," Jonathan teased.
"Don't you dare," Akainu muttered as he walked towards the exit stairs. But just before he disappeared out of sight, he stopped and glanced back over his shoulder. "They need to be stopped before one of their own powers brings trouble."
"Maybe," Jonathan simply replied. "Or maybe they'll do what we never could."
Akainu didn't answer but he didn't slam the door behind him either.
.
The Going Merry rocked softly on the waves, its patched sails creaking gently as the sea cradled her like a mother would her child. The sun had nearly sunk into the horizon, casting the sky in hues of molten amber and soft bruised lavender. And it was there, just past the edge of danger, that warmth had begun to return to the Strawhats.
"LUFFY! ZORO!"
Nami's voice cut through the air the moment the familiar strawhat along with the green hair crested the edge of the ship. She was halfway across the deck before they even landed, arms out, eyes wide, breath caught. Luffy crashed down from the jump with Zoro, even if sand was still clinging to his ankles and that familiar stupid grin was on his face, even if it didn't quite reach his eyes.
But Luffy didn't wait for Nami to finish whatever she wanted to say. He just rushed and hugged both Usopp and Robin at once.
"O-Oi.. Too t-tight..!" Usopp wheezed, though his voice cracked somewhere between a cough and sob.
Robin didn't say anything. She only blinked rapidly as Luffy's arms wound around them both, warm and providing enough heat to keep them not covered in ice, pulling them into his chest. Her cheeks pressed into his collarbone and she could feel the thump of his heart against her face. Wild, fast and alive. Racing almost in fear.. of losing them.
Sanji and Nami were already pouring warm water gently over their arms and shoulders from steaming pitchers Chopper was heating in a small metal kettle. But it seemed it wasn't needed much now, with Luffy's embrace acting as a living furnace and thawing at the chill, which began to break faster than any of them had expected.
"What happened to the Admiral?" Sanji questioned over his shoulder, carefully toweling Robin's arms as Chopper rubbed circulation into Usopp's wrists.
Luffy didn't answer immediately. He just rested his chin lightly ato Robin's head and took in a breath, before finally speaking, "He didn't follow us. He just stood there watching us leave."
"..What?" Someone questioned and the pure disbelief echoed with the rustle of sails, the soft groan of wood and Usopp's quiet sniffles.
"I.. didn't want this," Robin whispered. Her voice was strained, hoarse and half cracked as if she had been crying and screaming her lungs out for a while. "I didn't want to bring the wrath of an Admiral down on all of you. You don't deserve to suffer for my misfortune."
"Robin," Nami said firmly, crouching in front of her, hands still gripping a half wet towel. "You are one of us."
"You are our nakama," Chopper added, sniffling, and nodding furiously.
"I'd rather be fr-frozen over and over aga-again," Usopp chimed in, his voice shaking as he wiped his eyes with the edge of his sleeve, "if it means you get to stay with us. You're our Robin. Our friend. And that's what matters."
Robin's mouth parted, but no words came. The wind ruffled her hair as her lips trembled and her eyes shimmered. But it wasn't the reflection of the sea or any crocodile tears she had to weep. No, they were actual tears, full and real, slipping silently down her cheeks as she realized that the crew had truly accepted her despite what she was and had done.
"Thank you.. and I am sorry," she whispered, before ducking her head and biting her lip.
"No more of that," Sanji muttered as he handed her a thick, steaming mug. "There's nothing to be sorry about. If anything, he's the one who should apologize for scaring you like that."
Robin looked down at the hot chocolate in her hands. Her shoulders trembled again, not from the cold, but from something warmer. Something deeper. Her eyes stayed fixed on the rising steam as if grounding herself.
"I know.. people will come for me again," she said quietly. "The marines, pirates, the bounty hunters, the World Government. They always do."
"Let 'em come," Luffy stated, his voice so clear and unshakable, that it cut through the last of her doubts. He was standing beside her, his fists clenched at his sides and strawhat slightly askew from all the hugging. "I'll protect you. No matter who it is. You're my friend. And that's all that matters."
Robin looked up, and for a moment, all she could see was that boy–no, her captain–smiling down at her with the unflinching certainty of the sun. "You're all.. really something."
"Damn right we are," Nami grinned, hugging Robin. "Don't think for a second we're not insane enough to fight Admirals for each other."
"Especially ones riding bikes like creeps," Usopp muttered, wrapping a blanket tiger around himself and taking a sip of the delicious, warm hot chocolate.
"Don't worry, Robin-chwan! I'll protect you with my life!" Sanji reappeared once again, with more mugs in hand, setting them down carefully on the barrel beside the mast. "Now, hot chocolate for everyone. Eat something sweet, and your body will bounce back faster."
"Thanks, Sanji!" Luffy chirped, immediately taking a long swing from his mug, licking the foam from his lips, and settling in a cross legged position on the deck beside the others.
"...Luffy," Chopper started his voice small, as he observed the tension in his shoulders. "What happened in the fight?" he asked, looking at Zoro too, who was sipping from his mug while having a clenched fist.
Luffy exhaled, rubbing the back of his neck, as his eyes drifted to Zoro's for a second, before returning to the others. "He was holding back."
"What do you mean?" Usopp asked nervously.
"I mean.." Luffy frowned. "He could've frozen us all.. first me and Zoro before cracking the ship and taking Robin. But he didn't. He didn't go all out on us," he said in a relieved yet bitter tone. "But it was okay that it was only a test and not an actual fight for now."
Sanji's mug stopped mid-air. Nami's fingers clenched the edge of Robin's blanket. Usopp stared, pale-faced. Chopper looked horrified.
"Test? He was testing us?" Zoro questioned, not having gathered that from the fight.
Luffy nodded slowly. "Yeah, he didn't really want to hurt anyone. I think he was looking for something. Or someone. But it wasn't a full fight. Not even close," he muttered. "It almost felt like he was gauging if we were good enough for Robin."
"But why would an Admiral care about Robin?" Nami questioned, confused about the conclusion Luffy was drawing.
"Yeah, it doesn't make sense." Sanji stated, seeing Luffy fall quiet. He had seen the guy–the god–understand people's past without them opening their mouths. He had seen him and experienced being read like a book himself by Luffy. So, the admiral looking out for Robin was almost an insane dream but a truth that cannot be overlooked. "But good thing he wasn't serious then," Sanji muttered, trying to sound casual, but his voice lacked its usual snark. "We'd be popsicles."
"We're still too weak," Chopper mumbled, his voice small and slightly guilty, knowing that he hadn't been able to help much in the fight.
Luffy didn't laugh. He didn't grin. He didn't tease like he usually would. Instead, he finished the last gulp of his cocoa and stood.
"No," he said, brushing the sand off his shorts. "We're weak for now." he turned to face his friends and something shifted in the air. His shoulders, usually relaxed and slouched, straightened with intent. His strawhat cast a sharp shadow across his red eyes, which gleamed like smoldering coals. "But not for long."
Every Strawhat pirate felt it. The ripple. The subtle drop in the pressure. The faint scent of sun and warmth. The wind pausing, the sea hushing as if everything in the world had leaned forward with bated breath for what was about to come.
But before any of them could question it, Luffy cracked his knuckles, stretched his arms once, then clapped his hands together loudly.
"Haki training. Now."
Everyone blinked, not having expected this.
"Huh? Now?" Usopp squeaked, still huddled in a blanket and slightly cold. It wasn't like he was cold with the thought of the training only.
"Yes. Now." Luffy's eyes were resolute. "We're not waiting anymore. Not for tomorrow to come. We need to start it now."
Sanji groaned but he was already rising. "Here we go again.."
Zoro was already stretching one shoulder, cracking his neck. "Tch. 'Bout time."
Nami blinked, before standing up slowly and brushing her hair behind her ear. "He's serious. That means no escape."
Even Robin stood up, slowly and gently. As if unsure if her legs would listen or not. While Usopp looked at her, then at Chopper, and sighed with long-suffering resolve.
"Dead again before dinner," he muttered, pulling the blanket off.
Within minutes, the crew cleared a section of the Merry's deck, rolling up towels, moving supplies, bracing against the railings, and stood lined up in front of their captain, who was gonna be their torturer for the next few hours.
"Run."
That was a simple command and yet Usopp, Nami and Chopper dreaded it. But yet, each of them ran and ran and ran around the deck, with Luffy in front with Zoro and Sanji just a little away. They were running, with their legs burning, lungs heaving for just a gasp of breath, yet none of them stopped. Not even Robin, who was slightly new to this and was her first training session with them.
There was no slowing down, no stopping and no mercy. Even when their legs begged for mercy and lungs cried in pain, with the winds whipping their faces with salt and sweat, the kind that clung to the skin and made eyes sting.
Usopp was the first to stumble, then Chopper, then Nami, and finally Robin, but none of them fell. They just pushed harder and harder, not willing to be left behind. Not willing to be weak.
And when the torture of running ended, and each of them got to gulp down water like thirsty vagabonds in a desert, the next started. It almost made running around the deck seem like heaven compared to the beating that was about to be kind. After all, it was time for blindfolds to come into action.
Zoro passed the cloth strips around, as Luffy distributed the thin, sand smoothed staff, which was light enough not to break bones, but heavy enough to sting, and divided the crew into pairs of two. Zoro and Sanji. Chopper and Usopp. Nami and Robin.
The rule was simple and reiterated for Robin: one attacks, and the other dodges. The attacker has to be unpredictable and the defender with the blindfolds on, must rely on more than sight. That is, on their primal instinct.
The deck rang with the whap-whap of wood on air soon enough, with the sharp smack of strikes glancing off shoulders or arms. Zoro's movements were tight, measured, his reactions were delayed only by the weight of exhaustion. While Sanji flowed like water, his blows low and fast, each one aimed not to hurt, but to teach. It was completely opposite of the spite which fueled both of them in the earlier sessions, motivating each other to do better in their own way. But now, they were fueled with the desire to grow stronger and protect. Not only to surpass each other.
On the other hand, Usopp had started to become confident in his newfound ability to dodge, but he started squealing the moment the staff hit him. In the end, he was still the same. Not believing in his abilities a lot, but still dodging more than he missed and more than he had been able to do in the beginning. Even his leg movements were lighter than expected.
Chopper needed some more work though. He was slightly flustered at first and had tried to rely on his sense of smell but ended up flat on his face. He was new. Had been in the training–read as torture–for only a week or so. And he needed more of it to gain something more. To unlock his potential.
Nami's style was evasive and nimble. She was dancing backward, trusting the breeze and the faint change in pressure before each strike came. She was reading the plain facts and information in the air around her, which she hadn't done in the beginning with all the panic in play. But now, she was brilliantly dancing, missing some of the strikes and dodging more than that.
But when it was the chance of Robin, whose turn was to handle the blindfold and start dodging, she cheated. Even though she was unnervingly still, and her movements were precise, almost too good for a beginner, they weren't enough. Because a single eye had bloomed on the edge of the mast, blinking and guiding Robin through the whacks of the staff.
"Robin," Luffy uttered just one word, looking straight at the eye that had bloomed, before disappearing and blooming once again in another hidden place. "Stop doing that. I can find it each time."
"I am just natural at observation," Robin smiled softly, her other bloomed eye directly making eye contact with Luffy. "Don't you think?"
"Observation doesn't mean cheating," Luffy said, while taking the stick from Nami's hand and throwing her a blindfold too. Nami was almost pale at the realization that Luffy was gonna start hitting them.
"Hm? What do you mean, Captain?" Robin, still with her eyes closed through the blindfold, gave a tiny smile.
Luffy's grin widened. "I can see a lot, Robin. Not many things escape my vision. Especially not your eyes growing out of barrels or mast," he muttered with a slight pout. "No powers. Just you, Robin!" He said, before he started whacking the two females of his crew one by one, unpredictably, not giving any one of them a chance to cheat anymore. Even if one of Robin's eyes unconsciously bloomed once or twice, she wasn't given the chance to dodge.
The Observation training continued for the next hour, with the Going Merry shaking with sounds of impact, grunts, panting and the occasional squawk of Usopp falling on the deck. And even though, Luffy was training Nami and Robin, he kept giving advices and corrections to the others, keeping a watchful eye on them too.
"Too slow, Sanji!"
"Zoro, your feet."
"Breathe through it, Chopper!"
"Nami, focus!"
"Usopp, trust your gut."
"Robin, keep dodging!"
Every second of the training aka torture felt like a battlefield. Not with enemies, but with self doubt and their exhaustion. And yet, with every block, dodge, hit and fall, each of them got a little faster albeit tired.
But if the Strawhats, especially Robin, had thought that the training had ended, she was in for the universe to tell her a big no. Because the moment their bodies were worn down further, they were supposed to hit the iron on the mast with their bare fists, except for Sanji who was hitting them with his legs. It wasn't that she enjoyed this in any way, shape or form. But yet, she continued, not focusing on the feeling of her fists bleeding and screaming in pain, but on the surge of energy which Zoro and Sanji were already showing as their fists and legs hit the iron.
It was brutal and she was really thankful when it didn't continue for an hour, but only half before they were paired with each other once again and were supposed to spar each other.
Zoro and Sanji faced each other. Not deadly serious but serious enough to push each other through their limits. Each step they were taking cracked the deck faintly beneath their feet. There was a strike for strike, block for block, a clash of conviction and pride. Their Haki hummed beneath the surface, not yet fully formed but growing, deep like magma with sparks flickering where their blows met. It was almost mesmerising to watch.
Usopp and Chopper faced off with mock-seriousness, both panting and tired but both refusing to quit either. Usopp fired his slingshot with pebbles, forcing Chopper to dodge with sudden transformations. They tripped over barrels and found towels like weapons, using their surroundings and everything around them as weapons. And there was the growth and timing.
The spar between Nami and Robin resumed with a staff, Nami's ClimaTact but without any real lightning and thunder. They both were tired too, panting and huffing, but they continued, until one of them dropped on the ground, unable to get up within five seconds. As that was the rule for ending the duel.
Luffy was watching each of them like a hawk. Even if he wasn't the best teacher to teach his crew Haki, he was doing his best to pick apart their weaknesses and strengths and make sure they recognized and realized them.
"I-I'm tired," Usopp was heaving.
Chopper was looking at his hooves from where he sat beside Usopp. "I still can't dodge.."
"A-Are we done for today..?" Nami questioned when Luffy hadn't said a word about the next training method. Usually, he would spar with Sanji and Zoro alone, sparring the others.
"Nuh-uh!" Luffy responded, jumping down from the figurehead to the center of the deck. "Last training for the day–"
"Night," Sanji mumbled.
"–All of you, come at me." Luffy stated, while tying a blindfold.
The crew exchanged glances.
"Whoever lands a hit.. gets a reward," Luffy uttered, not sure what he might give but ready to give anything to push his crew beyond their limits.
The crew didn't question it, they just moved.
Zoro rushed in with a wide slash, Sanji jumped in with a flaming heel, and Nami summoned a gust from her Climatact in an attempt to blindside Luffy. Robin flung out her summoned arms from the mast to grab Luffy's ankles while Usopp screamed something unintelligible and launched a spray of rubber balls from the crow's nest. Chopper transformed into Arm Point and charged.
It should have been a beautiful, terrifying combination of strength, speed, and intellect. Instead it was utter chaos with the Strawhats hitting everyone but Luffy.
"Oi, dumb cook, watch it!" Zoro snapped.
"I was watching! You stepped into my arc, mosshead!" Sanji shouted back.
Robin's arms got tangled with Nami's Climatact stream, which blasted petals instead of mist. Zoro ducked, and his bandana got scorched by Sanji's fire. Chopper tripped over a gust of wind and barreled into Usopp, who yelped and fired prematurely.
The rubber balls ricocheted wildly, one bounced off Sanji's head, another hit Zoro square in the face, and one managed to hit Nami's shoulder, who turned instantly on Usopp.
"You idiot! That was my shoulder!"
"I WAS AIMING FOR THE SKY!"
Zoro and Sanji were yelling once again. Nami shouted at both. Robin sighed. Chopper apologized and Usopp crawled behind a barrel.
While Luffy, standing in the center, untouched, hearing it all with a massive grin on his face, giggled. "Round one was fun," he laughed. "Now, round two!"
This time, they tried to coordinate. Sanji circled left, Nami stayed back with support tactics, while Zoro closed in at the front with a downward slash. Robin aimed her arms from the side, while Chopper and Usopp took mid-range.
They actually had space now. It was neat, organized and a real formation. But it meant nothing. Because when Usopp fired a pellet and Zoro lunged to get Luffy only for the pellet to crack straight into Zoro's cheek.
"YOU'RE GONNA GET IT, LONGNOSE—!"
Robin's arms managed to snag a leg this time, but it was Sanji's. He hit the deck with a thud, rolling sideways and taking Nami down with him.
Nami screeched, flailing. "DON'T GRAB RANDOM LIMBS!"
"I thought they were Luffy's!" Robin was just an inch away from losing her sanity and shouting along with the others.
"DO I LOOK LIKE SANJI?!"
Luffy laughed again, dodging a wild slap from Chopper and backflipping over the whole mess. "Round three!" he chirped.
This time the crew went all in. They surrounded Luffy like wolves. From above, below, sides, diagonals. Nami's thundercloud hovered just behind him. Zoro's sword was high, Sanji's foot low. Robin had hands from the mast. Chopper leapt from the crow's nest.
Luffy waited for them to close in, but just before the whole thing collapsed on him, he vanished. Leading everyone to miss and slam into each other.
Zoro's katana smacked Chopper's horn. Sanji's foot clipped Robin's rib. Nami's cloud zapped Usopp's elbow, making him yelp and fall backward into Zoro. They all crumbled to the deck in a heap.
"YOU GUYS ARE USELESS!"
"STOP MOVING LIKE A GODDAMN SNAKE!"
"USOPP SMELLED LIKE BURNT HAIR—"
"Why is this my fault?!"
Luffy dropped to a crouch beside them, grinning from ear to ear. "Try harder."
This was how rounds four to eight blurred, with utter chaos and more and more shouting and yelling in their wake. Because each time, they found new ways to attack, and.. somehow new ways to fall apart and swear at each other. The crew had tried line formations, pincer moves, chain attacks. At once point, Nami even created a smokescreen while Chopper launched Zoro through it like a cannonball. Robin made vines from her hands. And Sanji tried to toss Usopp into the air for a sniper shot. But every time, Luffy dodged, slipped, ducked, or bent in impossible ways.
But things started to change. By Round seven, Nami's mist distracted Luffy just enough for Zoro's sword to graze his sleeve. But just barely without even a tear.
By round eight, Usopp's slingshot made Luffy duck right into Sanji's sweeping leg, which missed by a breath but forced Luffy to jump back. Only for Robin's arm to appear where he had landed. But he twisted, and missed the grab.
The crew was coordinating.
"Let's go again!" Luffy said, lowering into a loose stance.
The crew didn't answer, they just moved. Nami's gust lifted dust. Sanji's foot caught Luffy's hoodie, grazing it. Zoro followed with a cross-slash. Robin's arms were overhead, trying to bind. Chopper baited from the front. Usopp's projectile whistled from above.
Luffy had to twist twice, dodge backward, and then flatten himself to the deck with a spin to duck and avoid it all. And he was impressed, when his hoodie fluttered and a tiny tear finally appeared at the shoulder.
The Strawhats gasped.
"Did we just–" Zoro blinked, as Luffy removed the blindfold with a big grin on his face.
Sanji grinned. "We did."
Luffy looked down at the rip and then back at his crew, proud, even at this little achievement. They were beginning to catch up.
"Round ten!" he stated, putting the blindfold back on his eyes.
The Strawhats grinned, confident. Maybe a tid bit too confident as they moved like a wave. Robin leading with vines of hands, Nami throwing illusions, Zoro and Sanji in perfect sync. Usopp firing down from the crow's nest like a professional sniper, and Chopper bounding like a thunderhoof.
But this time, something went wrong. Leading to chaos once again.
Chopper leapt too soon. Zoro's blade arced low to avoid cutting him, but Sanji's kick came high at the same time and the three of them collided midair. On top of that, Usopp missed his cue and accidentally hit Nami's thundercloud, which in turn zapped Chopper. Robin summoned arms to catch Chopper, but they were in Sanji's blindspot. He twisted to dodge and sent Zoro tumbling into the railing. And Nami somehow ended up spinning into Usopp, and the slingshot hit her forehead, with Usopp toppling over from the mast to the deck.
The entire crew collapsed in a pile on the deck. Groaning, bruised, huffing with tangled lings.
That is until Luffy laughed, "That's enough for tonight," he grinned, as he flopped on the deck beside them, his arms behind his head.
Above them, the sky had deepened to velvet. The sun had set long and the stars were twinkling like scattered diamonds, and the moon hung proudly above them.
Robin was the first to sigh. Then Nami chuckled, holding her sides. Sanji groaned with a smile nonetheless playing on his lips. Zoro snorted, his eyes closing for a quick nap. Usopp laughed quietly and Chopper giggled like a child.