Running, running blindly north through the forest towards the sounds of battle. He dashes through trees and brush attempting, usually unsuccessfully, to avoid the numerous sticker bushes that seem to grow in this particular part of the forest. "Ow, fer- friggin' thorn bushes!" complains Run, his feet and shins feeling like pin cushions. He breaks free of a very annoying string of sticker bushes, and finally runs right out of the forest, finding himself at the north shore. With pirates at their backs and man wearing the strangest gauntlets he's ever seen at their front, Luffy and Zoro are definitely sandwiched. "Luffy! Zoro!" calls Run, earning their attention.
"Run! I was wondering when you were gonna show up!" calls Luffy, grinning and laughing. "I guess you got turned around, too?" The red-head looks pointedly at the swordsman who has Usopp slung over one shoulder, eyes narrowing slightly. "Aah, whatever. You're here now!" The man with the strange bladed gauntlets glances briefly over his shoulder at the red-head before looking back down the slope at Luffy.
"Another member of your crew playing pirate?" he asks Luffy.
"Huh? Aah, he's my First Mate."
"That's unfriendly," Run tells the man, crossing his arms. "You must be Klahadore."
"Luffy. Now that Red is here I'm gonna take Usopp and go after Jango," Zoro says calmly. Luffy nods firmly in response, and as the two begin to pass the man he stops them, holding a bladed hand out to bar their path.
"Who said that you could go anywhere?" Kuro asks them.
"That would be us!" Luffy's fist streaks past, forcing Kuro to dodge which allows them to dash off into the forest. "And one more!" Luffy streaks towards the man who dodges a second time leaving the straw-hatted pirate to skid to an uneasy stop. "Ooooh! Crap!" Kuro is behind him in an instant, clawed gauntlets raised to deal a killing blow.
"Luffy, duck!" shouts Run, watching with amusement as his long-time friend ducks quickly tumbles forward to stand on his hands and launches his feet towards the man.
"Gum-Gum Spear!" Kuro dodges the unique attack, reappearing some distance away. "Crap. He dodged again."
"Before we continue, I have to ask why you're getting involved," Kuro questions them. "You're outsiders. Why get involved in the fate of a simple village?"
"Cause there is someone in this village we won't let die," Luffy tells him plainly.
"That's it? Are you really alright with that being the reason you all die?"
"When you put it that way...yeah. But we're not gonna be the one's who die here, Kuro." The pirate Captain starts to rush towards him only to be stopped when Run blind-sides him. The red head smashes his knee into the man's jaw and briefly knocked him to the ground before he bounds to his feet while staggering backwards from the two men. His thoughts are fuzzy, his vision swimming and his knees feel like they'll buckle any second.
"Don't forget about me now," Run says calmly.
"Not just a pretender but an opportunist," Kuro growls, briefly placing a palm against his temple in an attempt to focus his thoughts. Kuro is so preoccupied with his buzzing head that he only barely notices Luffy's attack coming, and dodges his fist. He surprises them both by landing on his stretched arm, and sprinting towards him to kick him in the jaw.
"Aah! He cut my mouth," complains Luffy, rubbing his cheek while 'Captain' Kuro's crew cheers him on in the background. To say that he is upset with them would be an understatement as he immediately calls for them to cease their cheering, clearly stating to them that the whole point of carrying out his plan is to be rid of the name of 'Captain Kuro'.
"These past three years...all of this planning...it was all to ensure my success!" Kuro announces aloud. "Money, and peace of mind...I will have it! Do you understand? I cannot allow this plan of three years to fail! I WILL NOT allow it to fail! I refuse to allow my plan to be disrupted by a group of brats playing pirate!" He charges the two of them quickly, claws raised with the intention of delivering a killing blow. Run smirks and lunges forward quickly, a loud 'smack!' sounding as Kuro comes to an abrupt halt. His eyes briefly flick to his bladed gauntlet, and the red head's fingers that have threaded through his own to catch his hand. "Wha-" Kuro's head snaps skyward, his knees buckling and vision briefly dimming as foot drives into his chest, sending him sliding back up to slope away from the two men.
"You're not fit to be a pirate if having a name frightens you!" taunts Luffy, watching Kuro lies motionless and spread eagle in the middle of the slope. Run tosses aside several broken blades, flexing his fingers for a moment before raising his hand to crack his knuckles. Strangely, even the loss of one gauntlet doesn't seem to phase his crew, all of whom begin cheering him on once again only to be silenced once more.
"Shut up...I'll come to kill all of you in just a minute," Kuro tells them, slowly raising himself up. It seems that regardless of his words, the crew can't quite seem to grasp the situation. It seems completely beyond them that their own captain would actually turn on them.
"Aah, I don't think you fellas understand exactly what's happening here," calls Run, earning their collective attention. "See, your captain here never intended to let any of you continue breathing after his plan was finished, am I right? It's all for 'peace of mind', after all. Massacre the village, kill Kaya, lay the whole thing at the feet of the Black Cat pirates who he's slain afterwards. With the Navy assured of the destruction of the Black Cat pirates he could just fade back into obscurity once again with Kaya's fortune and not a care in the world."
"My, that's surprisingly perceptive of someone like you...but that's exactly right! I need to make sure that the world continues to think that Captain Kuro is dead, and to do that I'm going to make sure that not even a single person survives! These pawns should just do as I tell them to and die!"
"That's actually kinda sad," chirps Luffy, actually grinning at the man. "Even if you were to command hundreds, or thousands of men...you'd still lose to Usopp."
"What?! In what way am I inferior to a kid playing pirate?!" He disappears from sight again, except this time Luffy and Run track his movements the two of them having now grown accustomed to it.
"Well, obviously it's gotta be..." The man appears behind Luffy, who straightens his arm out and then spins. "...character." He back-hands the man in the cheek and throws him into the wall of the slope hard enough to create a small cloud of dust. "You don't know what a true pirate is."
"A true pirate? Huh. Well, then, allow me to show you the true face of a pirate...the face of terror!" He slowly began to sway back and forth in a manner that Luffy notes is somewhat similar to Run's own manner of dodging an opponents attack. The pirates on the beach began to panic, calling for him not to 'do it'...whatever that means.
"All he's doing is swaying back and forth. What are they all worked up about...Run?" Luffy turns to the red head, his body beginning to slowly fill with tension. "Oi, Run?"
"Get ready, Luffy," Run says, narrowing his eyes. Without warning, Kuro disappears from their sight and the world around them is suddenly little more than claw marks and cries of pain.
"What the?! What's happening?!" A number of thin cuts opens on Run's bicep a second later, then one Luffy's leg and another on his arm. Both men immediately realize that he must be using that strange footwork technique to dash around, blinding slashing at anything and everything...his own crew included!
"Damn you! Just what in the hell are you doing to your own crew?!"
"Where is he, where is he...?!" Luffy grunts and arches to the opposite side as several long slashes appear across his ribs. How can they catch something that's moving faster then they can see? They need to do something, anything to slow his movements! His attacks are getting closer, more accurate. It won't be long before he's cut even them to pieces. "How can we...?" The man appears in front of them as simply as he had disappear. A look of absolute confusion covers Kuro's face, and the man's eyes dart quickly to his ankle. Run quickly follows his point of view to find an arm rapidly disappearing into the ground.
"Got 'im'!" Run shouts, lunging forward and tackling Kuro to the ground quickly. Luffy watches as the two strike the ground several feet away, and tumble to a slow stop with Run lying on his back and Kuro facing the sky. The pirate Captain's arm that still has the blades is completely immobilized by Run's arm-bar. "Now! Luffy!"
"Right!" Luffy lands on him in the full-mount moments later, pinning his free arm down and holding him down by the throat. "Heh! Just try your fancy foot work now!" With no other plan of attack Luffy grins from ear to ear and throws it head back towards the sky, his neck stretching as he does. "Gum-Gum...Bell!" The impact drives the man into the stoney earth, and knocks him out cold immediately.
"Th...They knocked him out?!" calls one of the pirates. "Just who are these two?" They stand, and with little effort Run tosses the unconscious body of Kuro towards the Black Cat Pirates.
"I'm Monkey D. Luffy!" bellows Luffy. "The man who's gonna be King of the Pirates!"
"Name's Run," calls Run simply. "First Mate of our crew. Now take your Captain and get lost..."
----
And so, with the pirates beating feet in the opposite direction of the two they are left standing on the slope in silence...at least until Luffy collapsed right into Nami's arms. The girl lowers him to the ground gently with a 'well done' whispered just loud enough to be heard by the two of them. Run sits down beside his long time friend with a sigh.
"I'd expect you to collapse after something like that," mutters Nami, sitting beside the two of them as well.
"Run?" speaks Luffy. "I really hate those guys. They're wrong." The red head nods slowly in agreement, and picks up Luffy's straw hat from the ground. "Just using each other like that...that's not how friends are supposed to act. Shanks would never do something like that."
"Well, the old man is...special," concludes Run, smiling a bit. "Not all Captain are made the same. Some choose to lead through fear or strength. They don't see their crew as anything other than a means to an end, or a tool to be used up and thrown away."
"...Run?"
"Yeah, Luffy."
"I want to eat some meat!" Run chuckles a bit and drops the hat on Luffy's chest.
"Soon. We gotta wait for everyone else." It was a bit later before Usopp and Zoro returned to them. Neither of them seemed to be any worse for wear, or rather in any worse condition then they were when they left the fight to begin with. Usopp was all smiles as he approached, happy that things had concluded on their end it seems.
"Thank you!" gushes Usopp. "If it wasn't for you guys then I never would have been able to protect the village!" He gazes off at the horizon. "And...you've all helped me to come to a decision as well. Thank you again for helping me out."
"...Can we go get something to eat now?"
----
The bar isn't all the crowded, and the village doesn't seem to be all that different...no, it's just another lazy day in the village as far as anyone is concerned. A stack of empty plates sits in front of Luffy, who chews on a number of fish bones as if it's completely normal. He and Zoro had practically inhaled the food once again, and this time Run has joined them. Turns out that nearly getting sliced to ribbons could work up quite the appetite.
"Whew! That was a good meal!" compliments Luffy.
"Agreed, but now that we've eaten we should be going," Zoro tells him. "Unless we want the welcome mat yanked out from under us." Run chuckles a bit but nods in agreement. The door to the bar opens, and to the surprise of the crew, Kaya enters. She immediately spots them, and smiles brightly at them as she approaches.
"Hey, there, Kaya!"
"Hello," replies Kaya. "I'm glad I caught up with you all. I was really worried that you would leave before I got a chance to thank you for everything you've done. You helped not just me but the village with what you did, even though you didn't have to. So, if you'll just follow me to the beach, I've prepared a gift for you from the very bottom of my heart. Please, accept it!" They pay the bill and then head out of the restaurant when Run catches a whiff of a familiar perfume.
"Oi, Luffy," Run calls, earning his attention. "I need to use to can. I'll catch up." Luffy laughs but nods in understanding while everyone heads off towards the beach. When he believes himself to be out of their sight he turns on his heel and walks around to the opposite side of the restaurant. Sitting on the same wooden bench is a familiar figure in a purple cowgirl outfit. "I guess you decided to stick around for a bit, huh."
"Mm, lucky for you," Robin tells him. "You know, I heard a strange rumor...a group of pirates was mysteriously defeated on the north shore early this morning."
"Well, that IS the rumor." Run approaches, taking a seat on the bench beside her. "You seemed dead on your feet yesterday...are you feeling better today?"
"I am."
"That's good. I-"
"The one with the long nose...is he Yasopp's son?" Run chuckles and offers a nod in response. "I thought so. Yasopp would be happy to know that he's doing well." The two sit in a comfortable silence for several minutes before Robin finally stands with a soft sigh.
"Leaving already?"
"Unfortunately. If I'm gone too long I'll be missed." She briefly turns her head up as if considering something. "Although...considering your luck, I might have to stay close at hand. Who knows what kind of trouble you could get into." A smile spreads across the red head's face.
"Trouble? Me? Never."
"Mm, I'm sure..."
----
The walk to the beach is a short one, made shorter by Run losing himself in thought. Whatever Robin has gotten herself wrapped up in seems to be eating at her in a way he's never seen before. Under any other circumstances, he'd press her for answers, or at least insist on offering her a hand...but doing that means leaving Luffy behind, something that he can't afford to do right now. Another heavy sigh escapes the red head as he reaches up to scratch the stubble along his jaw.
"Aah, why here, why now?" Run complains to himself. "Robin, what have you gotten yourself mixed up in?"
"Run! Hey, Run, look!" bellows a voice in the distance, snapping him out of his thoughts. He looks up to find Luffy, no, the whole crew in front of a ship anchored close to the beach but ready to sail. It's a proper pirate ship! Their own ship! "Look what Kaya gave us! Isn't it great?!"
"Yeah, it is!" The red-head draws closer, looking at the beautiful ship. "Our own ship...it's a beautiful thing."
"Oi, Red, just how many times do you plan on being left behind?" Zoro taunts him.
"Speaking of that, don't think I've forgotten for even a moment who left me all alone at the bottom of that slope, Zoro."
"Are you still bent out of shape over that? You got up the slope, didn't you?"
"Still?" echos Run, staring at the man in astonishment. "That happened less than twelve hours ago. I think I'm still within my rights to be upset about it." It was at this point that they heard Usopp's yelling from behind, and the man came rolling down the hill on a collision course with the side of the ship.
"Is that Usopp? What's he doing?" Luffy wonders aloud, watching as he rapidly approaches.
"Who knows? Let's just stop him before he damages the ship," adds Zoro.
"I'm on it," Run tells them, stepping forward and holding his hand out. There's a loud 'smack!' as Run's palm impacts Usopp's massive back-pack just above his head, stopping him in his tracks immediately. "Hey, there, Usopp." While Usopp shucks off his swollen back-pack, the others board the ship. While they can't hear what he is saying it was clear that he was saying his goodbyes to her, and when he is finished he approaches the side of the ship and smiles up at them.
"You guys take care, ok?" calls Usopp. "Let's meet again someday, alright?"
"Meet again? Why?" replies Luffy.
"Obviously, I'm going to become a pirate so there's a chance we'll meet again on the seas!"
"We're meeting here and now!" Run shouts back simply. "Get on! We haven't got all day, ya know?"
"Yeah, we're friends right? So, let's go!" agrees Luffy, grinning. After a moment he nods in agreement, smirking slightly.
"Yeah, I am the Captain, right?" asks Usopp, receiving a quick 'No!' from Luffy in response...
----
Zoro sits silently, eyes closed and leaned back against the railing of the deck with his swords close by. Luffy is kneeling down on the deck, drawing on a piece of black cloth and Nami is familiarizing herself with sea-charts and maps. Usopp is doing something on the deck above with the figure-head and Run is around...somewhere. When someone touches a cool bottle to his cheek, however, his eyes snap open and he looks up at red-head who stands with a pair of bottles in his hands.
"Let's have a drink, Zoro," Run tells him, and he takes the bottle from his hand with a smirk. "We got a proper ship. We need to celebrate, right?"
"Well, since you put it that way," retorts Zoro, opening the bottle and tilting it back to take a long pull from it. Run hops up to sit on the railing of the deck, and opens his bottle to do much the same. "Hey, this stuff is actually really good."
"I was down in the hold taking inventory. We've got a ton of booze on board. It's some pretty high quality stuff, too." The two men sit in a comfortable silence for several long minutes, enjoying their drinks and the glow of a well fought battle. All good things must eventually come to an end, however, as the giggling and laughing of their Captain eventually prompts the two men to investigate and upon searching out, they find Luffy seated on the lower deck in front of a black cloth. "Oi, Luffy, what are you up to over there?" Luffy looks over his shoulder at them, and grins from ear to ear before standing and showing to them all a rather poorly drawn skull with a straw hat.
"Since Usopp joined there's five of us now, so I decided it was time for us to have our own flag!" Luffy tells them, grinning. "What'cha think?"
"Well...it's a good first attempt. But it's little lop-sided, Luffy." Usopp jumps down to the deck, waving a length of wood around wildly as he does. "Maybe someone else oughta take a whack at it."
"Huh? Is that supposed to be our mark? If you wanted someone to draw something then why not just ask me?" Usopp questions them. "Just leave this to me." He then proceeded to paint his own version of a jolly-roger onto the flag, which earned him a smack in the back of the head before he drew a much better looking version of Luffy's original idea onto it.
"I like it," agree the three men in unison.
"Paint one on the sail, too," Luffy tells him. An hour, and several can's of paint later and their sail was finally sporting their mark with their jolly-roger raised high. "Alright! Everything is ready to go! We finally have our own mark for the Going Merry...!"