Zoro stifled a yawn as he was appointed the rudder-man again. Both Nami and Luffy were sitting at the prow of the boat beside each other as Nami drilled in whatever she knew on navigation into him. He grinned as Luffy tried his hardest to learn everything that Nami was teaching him to avoid another beating from her. She didn't really take kindly to Luffy's antics, unfortunately.
Zoro smirked as he recalled how she raged over the fact that Luffy didn't have a proper ship and crew despite being a Marine Captain. She got even more angry when he had not allowed her to continue using the larger boat she 'acquired' from the Buggy pirates as it had their Jolly Roger on the sails and thus had to move the treasures she stole from them to their smaller boat. Now the already cramped boat became even more cramped as their bags of treasures had to be deposited in the middle of the boat, leaving barely enough room for three. It was a wonder the boat was still afloat.
Zoro glanced at the last barrel of rations worriedly. Since they were in a hurry to leave before the locals came, they hadn't had the time to gather extra rations and had to make do with what was already on the pirate's boat at that time to restock, which was a rather pitiful amount even without considering how much Luffy eats.
Once Luffy had revealed his rather pathetic navigation skills, Nami had brought upon herself to drill into him what she knew seeing as how it was partly his job as the Captain after all. That turned into an entertaining impromptu skit for Zoro as he watched his Captain smacked repeatedly on the head for every glaring blunder he made and Nami waving her hands in the air in exasperation at his cluelessness.
"Really! What did they even teach you in your time in the Marines?!" Nami yelled, finally giving up on actually making him a proficient navigator.
"Umm... How to fight?" Luffy tried, his hand rubbing his head to ease the pain of multiple smacks Nami had inflicted upon him.
"Is there nothing else?!" Nami growled, clearly frustrated by how strong he is in a fight but apparently clueless in almost everything else.
"Er… Well… Everything else that's theoretical I had to teach myself since no one would teach me that… All of my trainers said I could rely on my crew for that and for me to only focus on fighting…" Luffy smiled sheepishly.
"So you actually learned the basics of navigation by yourself? I'm rather surprised…" Zoro commented, clearly not expecting him to be the bookish type.
"It was more of a passing hobby, really. They just had maps and charts lying around and sometimes I would watch the Marine navigators work from time to time…" Luffy confessed.
"How long have you been a Marine?" Nami asked, putting away her maps and charts.
"About four years now," Luffy beamed proudly.
"You got this strong in just four years?!" Zoro spluttered. He himself had trained his whole life to reach the level he is right now and the Marines managed to churn out this monster within four years?
"I was trained by the best!" Luffy grinned proudly, remembering his teachers.
"That still does not explain how you stopped a FREAKING CANNONBALL with your BARE HANDS!" Nami yelled at him.
"Oh that? That's normal, I had to throw cannonballs with my Gra—Er… My teacher with our hands. He was way better at it then I am." Luffy waved nonchalantly.
"YOUR TRAINER MADE YOU PRACTICE THROWING CANNONBALLS WITH YOUR BARE HANDS?!" Both of them yelled at him.
"It was more of a sport actually… We just competed who could throw faster and further…" Luffy confessed, scratching his head in embarrassment.
"Who is the guy?" Nami asked, eyes wide.
"Er… I'm not supposed to tell…" Luffy turned his head and started whistling, sweat dripping down his face.
Flashback
"Luffy, remember this well." Garp grabbed Luffy by his shoulders, forcing him to face him. It was the day that he was supposed to set off after three years of training, a few hours away from Foosha village. Both of them were in Garp's quarters where they had shared the room on the voyage.
"I have many enemies out there Luffy, and even though I don't doubt your strength to defend yourself, I want you to be safe. Do not, I repeat, DO NOT tell anyone you meet that I am your Grandfather, nor are you Dragon's son. Do you understand me?"
Luffy saw the seriousness in his grandfather's eyes, the usual jovialness and cheerfulness gone. Luffy could only nod dumbly.
"If my enemies find out you're my grandson, they will try to hurt me by hurting you. So whatever happens, don't tell anyone outside of the Marines. I know you're getting your own crew but don't tell them either unless necessary. Understood?"
"Yes, Grandpa." Luffy nodded again.
"Good," Garp's face returned back to his usual cheerfulness. "Now come on! Don't show such a scary face, you lousy brat! Your journey begins today! It's time to see what my GRANDSON can do!"
Garp shouted proudly, contradicting his earlier statements.
"It must be someone famous right?" Zoro smirked, noticing Luffy's hesitation and his increasing nervousness.
"Errr… I don't know…" Luffy sweated more profusely and whistled louder.
Nami was about to ask again when Zoro caught her eye and shook his head slowly.
"It's not something we need to know after all, besides, everyone has their secrets." Zoro grinned. Luffy immediately let out the breath he was holding and relaxed immediately. The two men did not notice Nami stroking her left shoulder carefully as Zoro said that.
"Anyway, we have a bigger problem right now," Zoro tapped on the barrel beside him with the hilt of his sword. "We're critically low on supplies and if we don't find somewhere to stop soon, we're gonna have a big problem."
"That's not a problem," Nami smiled. "There's a place called Syrup village about two hours sail away that we can resupply at. We should also see if we can get a better ship there as well."
All three were in agreement for the stop.
The three landed their small boat at one of the beaches of the island with Zoro grounding their boat on the beach. The beach was enclosed by two small cliffs with a path cut in between them. Nami was scrutinizing the map she held in her hand and pointed to the path in between the two cliffs, "that path should lead us directly to the village. I'm pretty sure there's-"
"Who dares intrude on my island?!" A loud booming voice echoed from the forests on the cliffs.
All three of them turned towards the source of the voice to see no one there.
"Who are you? Show yourself!" Nami shouted towards the forest.
"I am the great pirate, Captain Usopp! I have claimed this island as my own, so do not take another step into this island! I have eight million men at my disposal! Leave now at once!" The voice boomed again.
"Captain Usopp? Eight million men?!" Luffy's eyes popped out. He reached for his den den mushi, "I need to report this to HQ, the situation here is more serious than I thought!"
"Idiot!" Nami smacked him on the head. "Of course he's lying!"
"Ahhh! She found out!" A man, presumably Usopp, stood up from the edge of the cliff without warning. He had a greenish yellow bandana tied around black curly hair and a pair of goggles strapped over his head. A white sash was secured around his waist over his brown overalls and a light brown sling bag was slung on his left hip. His most noticeable feature was his exceptionally long and thin nose.
"Huh, so it's just an idiot huh," Zoro smirked at him.
Usopp noticeably gulped as he tried to compose himself, "Alright… I may have lied about the eight million man, but I still have a huge number of followers!"
A few flags appeared in the forest and began waving around.
"Wow! That's… Wait, there's only three guys aren't there?" Luffy raised an eyebrow.
"Ah! He found out!" three kids stood up from the bushes with flags in their hands and immediately took to their heels.
"Hey! Don't abandon me!" The long nosed man shouted after the kids. He cursed under his breath as they didn't even bother to look back. He drew out a slingshot from his bag and turned back to the three still standing at the beach.
"Even if I don't have that many followers, I'm still the Great… Wait… You guys are Marines?" Usopp gasped.
"Took you long enough," Zoro rolled his eyes.
"So you're a pirate that took over this island huh? I guess I'll just have to arrest you," Luffy pulled up his sleeves.
"Ah, wait, wait! I lied about that! I'm not a pirate!" Usopp panicked, stretching his palms in front of him, trying to placate him.
"Oh, really? Ok then," Luffy lowered his sleeves again.
'He's too trusting…' Both Nami and Zoro sweat-dropped.
"What are you Marines doing here?" Usopp asked, scratching his head.
"We're in need of some supplies, don't suppose you know the way to the village?" Nami raised an eyebrow.
"Oh, of course! This is my hometown! Tell you guys what, as an apology for just now, I'll even treat you guys to a meal! It's all on me, what do you say?" The long nosed man offered.
Before Nami and Zoro could even blink, Luffy was already jumping around in joy, "Yeah! I want meat! Lots of meat!"
The man introduced himself as Usopp of Syrup village and had them seated at a table in one of the taverns within the village.
While the other two tried to be as civil as possible, Luffy had went ahead to order the most food and proceeded to devour his food without hesitation. Usopp did not seem to mind, however.
"So what were you doing at the beach Usopp?" Luffy asked between chomping down on his food.
"It's nothing, really..." Usopp scratched his head, seemingly embarrassed.
"There have been instances of pirates roaming around these parts so I... sort of... lie to any newcomers that a pirate has already taken over the island to scare them off..." Usopp smiled sheepishly.
"Well, you better work on that lying of yours," Zoro smirked at him before sipping his sake.
"Ah... Well, I've honestly never been that great of a liar myself..." Usopp chuckled. "I'm not really strong and neither is anyone else on this island. The only thing I'm actually good at is shooting at things with my slingshot. So I just saw lying as the way to protect my village from pirates."
"Heh... That's rather noble of you, I misjudged you," Nami remarked sincerely.
"Oh, it's fine, the only thing I can actually boast proudly of is my sharpshooting skills." Usopp sighed.
"Awren't ywou Ywaswopp's kid?" Luffy muttered offhandedly while his mouth was still full, spewing food on the table.
"Don't talk with your mouth full!" Nami yelled at him, smacking him on the head again.
"Wait… You know my dad?" Usopp gasped.
"Oh yeah, he's part of Shanks crew right? They came to my village a few years ago. He's a really funny guy!" Luffy finally swallowed his food.
"So he's a really great pirate then?" Usopp had a hopeful look in his eyes, gripping the table firmly.
"For sure! He was the best sharpshooter I ever saw! Even better than most of the sharpshooters I've seen in the Marines!" Luffy grinned.
"So it's true… My dad really is a great pirate…" Usopp was smiling uncontrollably. "I've always wanted to be a great pirate like my dad! One day, I'll set out to sea too and follow in his footsteps! Ah…" Usopp fell silent as soon as he remembered who the three people around him were.
"Ah, hahaha, I was just joking, I would never be—"
"SO IS THAT YOUR DREAM?" Luffy's eyes were sparkling as he held on to Usopp's shoulders.
"I… uh…" Usopp didn't even know what to make of his reaction.
"To become a great pirate like your dad? That's so cool!" Luffy beamed and the rest could swore they saw sparkles around him.
"Ahaha, to be honest, my dream is really to become a great warrior of the sea. The pirate thing is just something I took up after my dad," Usopp confessed, embarrassed.
"THAT'S SO COOL!" Luffy was shining even brighter now.
Nami face palmed at the sight while Zoro just continued to drown in his sake.
"By the way, Usopp, don't suppose you know if there's a place around here that we can get our hands on a ship, do you?" Nami asked after Luffy finally calmed down.
"Oh, well… There is a ship in the village but it belongs to the owner of the mansion…" Usopp scratched his chin.
"You mean the big house on top of the hill?" Nami leaned forward, propping her head on her hand.
"Yep, it's just outside the village and owned by a young lady. Her parents passed away some time ago and left the mansion to her. Unfortunately, she has a rather weak body and has to stay in bed most of the time." Usopp nodded sagely.
"Oh, maybe we can ask her for it then!" Luffy chuckled, already getting up.
Usopp seemed a bit uneasy at this declaration but held his tongue as the whole group left the tavern together and headed towards the mansion.
When they were about halfway up, Usopp rushed in front of them suddenly.
"Wait guys, I just remembered something! The lady isn't at home today!"
"Eehhhh..." Luffy groaned. "Ah well, that can't be helped, we'll just take a look at the ship then!"
"No wait!" Usopp stopped them again. "She… er… She left on the ship to take a ride! Yeah, that's right! So you might as well come back tomorrow!"
Both Nami and Zoro stared at Usopp incredulously, not understanding why he would lie to stop them from going to the mansion now.
"Awww… That's too bad then, I guess we'll stay at the village today guys," Luffy grabbed both Nami's and Zoro's hands, pulling them along with him back to the village.
"But Luffy!" Nami began.
"Wait, Captain! He's…" Zoro protested.
Luffy turned to both of them and gave them a look that told them he knew, instantly shutting down all protests before turning back again. Usopp had watched them leave before turning back and sprinting towards the mansion.
"So why do you think he lied to us?" Nami peeked out from the tree nearby, watching Usopp running towards the mansion.
"Something fishy's going on, what do we do, Captain?" Zoro looked at Luffy, sitting among the branches of the tree.
"I say we go ahead to the mansion and see what we can find," Luffy hopped down from the tree, his eyes colder than normal. "I have a feeling there's more to this lady's mansion than he let up."
"Well, the whole place is walled up, how do we get in?" Nami asked, staring at the imposing steel gate that barred the way into the mansion.
The three were standing in front of the mansion, no one else was in sight.
"We knock of course," Luffy deadpanned, as though it was the most obvious thing to do, reaching out to a knocker by the side of the gate.
Nami grabbed on to Luffy's wrist before he could reach it. "Wait, Luffy! What if there's something going on inside the mansion, like pirates taking over it? I don't think we should just go in like this!"
"We'll just cut them up," Zoro grinned, his right hand already on his swords.
"Relax Nami, we can handle anything that comes," Luffy smiled reassuringly.
Nami just sighed at the two before letting go of his hand, allowing him to knock loudly on the gate, the metallic sound echoed loudly through the mansion grounds.
They only had to wait for a few moments before the door of the main building was flung open. A tall, thin man wearing a butler uniform with round framed glasses approached the gate with light steps, constantly adjusting his glasses with his palm.
"I am Klahadore, the caretaker for this mansion. May I ask what you Marines want with us?" He asked coolly, his eyes scrutinizing over the three visitors.
"I am Captain Monkey D. Luffy, I want to have a talk with this mansion's owner. Lead us to her." Luffy seemed to be glaring at the caretaker.
"Denied, my lady is resting right now, she has no time for people like you. Please leave this place at once." Klahadore adjusted his glasses again, making no move to open the gate.
"I am not asking, Mr Caretaker, I have the authority to demand a meeting with your mistress right now and I am demanding you lead us to her." Luffy's voice quivered, not from fear but barely controlled anger.
Both Nami and Zoro looked at each other and wondered why their Captain was getting so worked up over the Caretaker's refusal to let them meet his mistress.
"Do not lie to me Marine, you're a mere Captain, you shouldn't hold such authority." Klahadore glared back at Luffy, his hands held behind his back.
Luffy pulled out the paper his Grandfather had given him, opening it up for the Caretaker to see. "I am under orders to patrol around this area with the authority to deal with any criminal activity as I see fit within this region. I am currently suspecting that the inhabitants of this mansion are involved in criminal activities and I will take appropriate action unless you lead me to your mistress."
Luffy's glare gave Klahadore no room for protests and the Caretaker could only grit his teeth as he unlocked the gate for the three to enter. He had a scowl on his face as he lead them pass the main doorway and down a short corridor to his lady's room. The sounds of talking and laughter could be heard from inside.
Klahadore's scowl became deeper as he opened the door without knocking to confront the intruder that was talking to his mistress from outside the window.
"What's going on here?" He demanded as he swung open the door.
Usopp froze as though he was a deer caught in the headlights while a young girl who was sitting on the bed turned to face the caretaker.
"Ah… Klahadore, erm… Usopp is just telling me stories about his adventures!" the lady tried to placate the caretaker.
"More like lies, no doubt. Mistress Kaya, I already told you it's not good for you to associate yourself with such uncouth people. Especially a son of a pirate scum like this man here." Klahadore scoffed.
Usopp gritted his teeth but held his tongue, noticing the three people behind him.
"Klahadore, who are these people?" Kaya pointed at the three behind him, finally noticing them.
Klahadore adjusted his spectacles again with his palm, stepping aside to allow them into the room, "they're marines on patrol, they said they wanted to have a word with you."
"Oh, what can I help you with?" Kaya lifted an eyebrow.
"Actually," Luffy stepped towards her bed, glancing at Usopp who now hung his head low, unable to meet his eye. "We're friends of Usopp here. He told us that you had a ship and we're looking to ask if we could somehow obtain it from you?"
"Friends of Usopp?" Kaya looked incredulously at Luffy, switching to look at Usopp.
"Er… Well… He knows my father…" Usopp scratched his head, unsure of what Luffy wanted.
"Yep, and he's father is the crew member of a famous Yonko! He's definitely not a pirate scum!" Luffy grinned as Usopp glanced wide-eyed at Luffy.
"Even so, pirates are still pirates. That still doesn't change the fact that he's still a pirate's bastard son," Klahadore remarked coldly, not even acknowledging Usopp.
"Klahadore! That's enough! Apologize to Usopp!" Kaya glared at her caretaker, only to receive a sigh from him.
"Mistress Kaya, scum like him is not worth apologizing for, especially when all pirates care about are pillaging and ruining lives. After your parents passed away, I promised to them that I would do my best to keep you safe. This pirate here could be plotting to get rid of you in order to get your riches! I define—"
"Klahadore! That's enough out of you!" Kaya shouted suddenly, cutting him off.
Usopp was barely restraining his anger as he clenched his fists, his knuckles turning white. Before the situation could escalate further, Luffy coughed to break the tension.
"I'm sorry Miss Kaya, we'll come back some other time if that's convenient for you, we have overstayed our welcome. Usopp, come with us, I have more things to tell you about your father."
Usopp relaxed his fist before sparing one last glare at Klahadore, stomping away from the mansion grounds.
"We'll take our leave," Nami bowed to Kaya before leaving the room with the two guys.
The trio reunited with Usopp outside of the mansion grounds and walked in silence away from the mansion. They stopped under the tree that they were hiding in before when Usopp tried to discourage them from going to the mansion.
"I'm sorry about lying to you guys… " Usopp bowed his head to them in an apology.
"It's alright, no harm done," Zoro waved his hand.
"But why would you lie about that?" Nami remarked, tilting her head.
"I was afraid you might cause harm to her… She's sick enough as it is and her damn Caretaker has done nothing but suffocate her in that mansion of hers…" Usopp gritted his teeth in frustration.
"She wants to get out of the house but that Caretaker of hers is always in the way, I'm not even sure if he actually has her best interests at heart anymore. And even though he's feeding her medicine, her health doesn't seem to get any better. If I had to guess, he might even be the one poisoning her."
Luffy stiffened as he heard the last part.
"Usopp, do you care about her? The lady of the mansion?" Luffy glanced at Usopp, who stared back at him, unsure of the question.
"Er… Sure, she's a friend. Why?"
"I have no proof right now, but she might be in danger." Luffy clenched his fist.
Usopp and Nami gasped while Zoro lifted an eyebrow, "how can you be sure, Captain?"
"That caretaker looked like one of the pirates that was notorious around the time I joined the marines..." Luffy scratched his head. "Give me a moment," Luffy pulled out his den den mushi from his cloak and dialed the number for HQ.
"Captain Monkey D. Luffy reporting. Headquarters, give me whatever information you have on a certain Captain Kuro."
"Understood, a moment, Captain" The ruffling of papers could be heard over the line. "Captain Kuro of the Black Cat Pirates, also known as 'Kuro of a Hundred Plans', he was apprehended and executed three years ago with a bounty of sixteen million berries. His crew still remains at large even after his execution."
"I want a description of how he looks like."
"Er… His more notable features would be his round glasses and sleek black hair. He apparently has a habit of adjusting his glasses with the palm of his hand as well."
"Sounds like Klahadore to me," Luffy nodded, looking at the three of them behind him, who returned his gaze with shock. "Headquarters, I'm reporting that Captain Kuro is still alive and at large at Syrup village. We know not of his plans at this time but it is highly likely he is plotting something. Send a team over as soon as possible."
"Roger that, Captain. A team will be there tomorrow morning. Oh… Er… Captain… I have a report from the team that went to retrieve Buggy."
"What is it?"
"They… Er… Let him escape…"
Luffy gripped the tree beside him and tore out a chunk of it with his hands, the air cackled around him as his haki rolled out in waves.
"How?" His voice was deceptively calm.
"I… Er… They… They… Did not follow the instructions on the note… It seems… They thought he was dead… with all those severed body parts… Er… HQ still agreed on the… Half bounty though…" It was obvious the Marine on the other end could already feel his fury.
"…"
"Captain Luffy?"
"Is this the same team that went after Alvida?"
"Aye… Sir…"
"Tell them that they are to report back to Marineford to Vice Admiral Garp with details on their failure."
"Yes, sir…"
"And help me relay a message to Vice Admiral Garp, tell him I am sending him a couple of Marines that needs some 'disciplining'. Understood?"
"Loud and clear, sir."
"Good, is there anything else?"
"Not at all sir…"
"Captain Luffy out."
Luffy deposited the den den mushi back within his cloak before facing the three wide eyed people.
"What?" Luffy asked, grinning, as though the anger he exuded before was merely a mirage.
"Were you always like this?" Zoro asked, keeping his eyes fixed on him.
"Maybe? I don't know, shishishishi!" Luffy laughed.
"Well… Putting that aside… We have another problem on our hands…" Nami stated, crossing her arms.
"Aye… That damn Klahadore… So he's a pirate himself all the while and yet still insults my father! That hypocrite will get what's coming for him! I will take him on myself!" Usopp clenched his fists.
"Usopp, wait, we can't act rashly now, we still don't know what he's planning. He's not called 'Kuro of a hundred plans' for nothing. If we act without knowing his goals, we might fall for his traps." Nami tried to calm him down.
"Indeed, we need to know what he's planning first… We should wait for backup to arrive too if we're planning on apprehending him, or else he might just use the mistress as a hostage." Zoro nodded.
"The problem remains in how do we expose his plans?" Usopp scratched his head.
"How about we follow him?" Luffy pointed at a departing Kuro. He didn't seem to spot the four under the tree as he walked towards the shoreline opposite them.
The four of them crept after Kuro as he came to a beach that was identical to the northern one that the Straw Hats had landed their boat at. A weird man that wore heart-shaped sunglasses with a blue trench coat topped with a large blue hat appeared from behind some rocks, walking towards the Caretaker.
The four of them lay prone on the cliff overlooking the two on the beach.
"Is everything prepared, Jango?" Kuro questioned the man, his demeanor entirely different from his time in the mansion.
"Of course Captain Kuro, everything is in place and ready for your signal. The man have been waiting for you all this time." Jango replied, smirking.
"Good, I don't want to waste any more time. This has to be done tomorrow."
"Of course, of course. But who would have thought that Captain Kuro would fake his own death and worm himself into a rich family's life all just to lay claim on their riches." Jango chuckled.
"Enough of that Jango, I need you to know that there are a group of Marines in the town right now. I want the crew to attack the village to distract them while you and I head into the mansion and kill the girl. I will need you to hypnotize her to write a will that says she will give all of her fortunes to me. Understand?"
"Uhyahyahya! You are such an evil man Captain Kuro! You've been with that girl for the past three years! Don't you have any feelings for the poor girl?"
Kuro smirked as he adjusted his glasses with his palm, "Not at all, the three years I spent with her were rather stifling to be honest. That's why I poisoned her food to make sure she stays in bed as much as possible."
'That bastard! I knew it!' Usopp was gritted his teeth.
"Alright then, we'll attack from the northern shore tomorrow at dawn, be ready, Jango."
With that, both men parted ways and Kuro walked back to the mansion. The four of them remained unmoving as he moved past them, only when he was out of sight did they let out the breath they were holding.
"I need to warn the villagers! I have to evacuate them out of here! I need to get Kaya out of the mansion too! I—"
"Calm down Usopp! We have this under control!" Nami smacked him on the head. "We know his plans now so all we have to do is come up with our own plan to counter his! Jeez, there's no need to overreact!"
"Alright, let's see what we know now," Zoro sat down on the ground. "Kuro's crew will be coming from the northern shore to attack the village in an attempt to distract us. While everyone is distracted in the attack, he and that weird Jango guy will head to the mansion to get rid of the mistress. Am I right so far?"
Everyone nodded before Nami gasped suddenly, "AHHH! Our boat is there too! All the treasures are there!"
All the guys sweat dropped.
"Even now all you care about is money?" Zoro shook his head.
"Shut up! All of those are worth more than ten million berries! I can't let those damn pirates have them!" Without waiting for the others, she sprinted off back to the boat to hide her treasures.
"Nami wait! We can- aaaannd she's gone…" Zoro deadpanned.
"No matter, let's form a plan first." Luffy sat down beside Zoro. "Usopp, I need you to go and warn the villagers later and tell them to escape to this shore in the morning before dawn. Tell them to stay in their homes at night in case it rouses Kuro's suspicion. I'll get the Marine backup to land at this side of the shore and move towards the village to defend it, I want you, Zoro and Nami to be there to make sure all the villagers escape safely before the pirates reach there."
"No! I need to make sure Kaya is safe!" Usopp immediately protested.
Luffy nodded without complaining, "Alright, just Zoro and Nami then. Usopp will follow me to the mansion to stop the assassination. If possible, I want you to get Kaya and any other people out of the mansion as soon as we reach there. I will deal with Kuro myself. Are we agreed on this?"
Both Usopp and Zoro nodded.
"I never thought that you would be much of a strategist," Zoro grinned.
"Well, we did have war simulations in Marine officer training." Luffy scratched his head in embarrassment.
"If there's no objections, both of you move out, I'll be staying here to guide the Marine reinforcements. Zoro, go get Nami and tell her the plan. Once you're all done, stay in the village and stay low. Don't tip Kuro off that we know of his plans."
"Aye Captain, let's go long nose!"
"Don't call me long nose!"
Both Zoro and Usopp ran towards the village. Luffy fished out his den den mushi and placed it in front of him, awaiting the call of his reinforcements.
After a few hours of waiting, the den den mushi rang and Luffy moved to pick it up.
"This is Captain Hina reporting, responding to a call for reinforcements at Syrup village?"
Luffy grinned as he heard the name.
"Hina! So you're coming eh?"
"Oh, is that Luffy? Hina should've known this was your number! Did you request for reinforcements?"
"Aye, I have Pirate Captain Kuro hiding in the village. I need men to ensure the safety of the villagers while I go beat him up."
"Hina understands, reinforcements will arrive early tomorrow."
"Understood, I'll need your men in place before dawn, his crew will be attacking the village then, I need all of the villagers safely evacuated."
"They will be safe, Hina will make sure of that."
"And I need you to land your ship on the south beach, that will be the evacuation point."
Luffy could almost see Hina grinning wickedly.
"Hina sees you remembered your training with Vice Admiral Garp well, he will be proud."
"Shishishishi, this much is needed if I want to be an Admiral!"
"Understood, Hina will make sure it all goes smoothly, Hina out."
Luffy disconnected the line, now content that everything would work out smoothly. He extended his Observation Haki to encompass the island and listened to what was happening.
Nami was busy stowing away their boat by a pile of rocks beside the beach in an attempt to hide her treasures. Zoro was trying his hardest to calm an angry mob of villagers that were chasing Usopp and calling him a liar while said person hid behind Zoro. Kuro himself was inside the mansion, slipping into his role rather easily, doing his best to 'care' for his mistress.
Luffy grinned, "When morning comes Kuro, I'll make sure no plan of yours can get you out of the pain I'm going to give you for the mess you made for this village."
______________________________________________
yo, here's the daily dose of chapter hope you enjoyed
In next chapter we are gonna see kuro's plan being destroyed by luffy and it'll be interesting well see ya in the next chapter
—shanks,over and out