435AN:
Hey all,
Had a super fun time writing and editing this chapter and with this one we're finally finished up with things here in Little Garden. We're coming, Chopper. ,) Not much to say other than that. So, as always, I hope you enjoy and would love to hear what you think.
Chapter 56: Three Way
Zoro's eyes locked to his opponent's as he pulled himself out of the dirt, katanas vibrating wildly in response to the bloodlust flowing through his system. The cool air of the night made the hair on his exposed chest rise and his grimace of pain turned into a grin. With black soot covering the majority of his body, he let his weight settle into his feet and crouched in preparation to launch himself back into the clearing.
"Santōryū:", the swordsman growled to himself. Time to fight fire with fire. A crack echoed through the night and trees blurred by his form, body flashing forward like a beam of purple light through the depths of the dark forest. He broke back into the clearing and his grin widened at the sparking leg shooting out to receive his attack, "Blood Drag-".
"Sun Palm:", Luffy screamed in joy, his smaller figure sliding to a stop between the two fighters right before Zoro would have struck outward with his blades. His smile grew at the widening of his friends' eyes and he slammed his darkened hand into the ground before either of their attacks could collide with him, "Scorched Earth!". His hardened skin connected with the dirt and cracks ripped out from the point of impact in a circular wave, a loud boom accompanying the dust and debris that shot into the air around his form.
Before Sanji even had the chance to figure out what was going on, cracks split into existence at his feet and he looked down to find brightness entering his vision. In a feat of pure athleticism, he pushed off his sparking leg and shot in the opposite direction, just barely outpacing the destruction chasing him down.
Instead of following through with his original attack, Zoro turned Kajiya and Kitetsu so the flat of each katana faced the quickly deteriorating ground below. Before the wave could reach him, his swords flashed downward and the wind that rebounded off the rippling earth sent him screaming into the sky in the same direction as the cook. His body flipped through the air and he roughly landed right next to the person he'd been fighting only moments ago, both pairs of eyes wide as they took in the damage their captain's initial strike had caused.
Another boom ripped through the clearing and the only thing either of the two rivals saw before Luffy's blindingly bright smile appeared before them was a blur of red.
"Twin Impact!", the straw-hatted pirate captain roared, palms finding the centers of his crew members' chests. His arms extended fully and he felt their skeletons compress underneath the blows, bodies folding in half. Two more shockwaves rocked the night and the forms of his opponents screeched backward, wood shattering when they smashed through the tree line.
For those watching from afar, the moonlight seemed to drape Luffy in a captain's cloak of ethereal silver as he slid to a stop and clenched his hardened fist tightly in the direction of the two he'd sent flying, muscles tensing while he waited for his friends' retaliation.
"… Holy shit.".
The princess's words were drowned out by the loud laughter that left the large head right next to her and she stumbled in shock, wide eyes catching the trees far below… She knew this was a bad idea… Just before the scream building up behind her lips could be released, she stilled and the noise caught in her throat instead.
"Careful, Princess.", Ms. Sun chided as she helped the girl regain her balance, "I would hate to have to help clean up your splattered remains.". She turned back and had to keep herself from laughing at the paleness that took over Vivi's face, dropping her hands when the damsel in distress was safe once again. She really couldn't disagree with the words, though... Her eyes locked back to the small clearing they stood a short way away from and settled on the enigma that was Straw Hat Luffy… Holy shit, indeed.
"Over already?!", Dorry bellowed in consternation, Usopp parroting his anger from his place on the giant's shoulder, "Brogy and I provided far better entertainment!".
"Nah, just give 'em a second.", Nami sighed tiredly, laying on her side just in front of Ms. Sun and Vivi, "It'll take more than that, I'm sure.". She'd seen those three fight enough to know how strong they were… Well, not exactly how strong… But, still, she knew they wouldn't be done in by one hit. Two?… Maybe… As if she'd spoken the words into existence, two forms made their way back into the clearing and she couldn't help but agree with the whistle of appreciation that left Ms. Sun's mouth.
Sanji's blue button-up shirt was completely gone and for someone who fought solely with his legs, he wasn't as lanky as the woman would have thought. However, as much as she wanted to admire his muscles, they were covered in what she assumed was blood. She had to squint to see the cuts with small streams of crimson leaking from them and was honestly shocked he was still kicking… Honestly, it was crazy that they'd managed to do this to each other in the short amount of time they'd been alone.
Ms. Sun shook her head and a matching whistle left her lips at the sight of the swordsman who looked very similar to the blond next to him. His top was also nowhere to be found, seemingly blown off as far as she could tell, and he was covered in what looked like soot. Blood and dirt had smeared the black dust across the tan rippling musculature that covered his figure and, she could honestly say, it was really working for him.
Nami unabashedly drank in the sight of the three boys' muscles and sighed wistfully. "If only they weren't all complete idiots.", she huffed aloud, more to herself than to anyone else.
Ms. Sun pulled her gaze from the clearing and shot the girl a teasing eye, "I think you and I both know you don't give them enough credit.".
The orangette went to give her rebuttal but stopped when it seemed the fight had resumed, a loud crack shooting through the air. Her eyes whipped to the clearing and she was just barely able to catch Luffy as his back slammed into one of the large pieces of debris uprooted by his previous attack.
A disbelieving chuckle left her mouth when Nami watched him pull himself out of the rock and laugh before launching back in the direction of Zoro and Sanji. Hopefully, this wouldn't take too long… She glanced over at the blue-haired girl clinging to her frightened duck and had to resist the urge to scowl in irritation…The Princess was bound to start getting pissy again and she was NOT in the mood to deal with it.
Luffy skidded to a halt in front of his disheveled crew members and laughed loudly at their battered forms, "You guys look terrible! No wonder you decided on a two-on-one!". The only reply to his words was a pair of growls and he threw his hands up in surrender, sending the two glaring boys a blank stare, "… Was it something I said?…". The sound of cracking earth was the answer he received and he immediately ducked, a very sharp sword missing the top of his skull by millimeters.
The straw-hatted teen went to stand but found himself diving over a leg that was probably moving fast enough to chop him in two. He dipped his head forward when a tingle brushed across his neck and another sword came at his back, passing over him right before hit the ground. Without a shred of hesitation, he twisted his core and his back slammed into the dirt, eyes rising to find a sparking leg accompanied by three glittering swords all entering his vision at once… Uh oh.
"Étincelle!".
"Shimmering Demon Cut!".
A bare foot connected with Luffy's chest and his eyes widened when he felt how hard it was. Was that… Before he could finish the thought, his vision was consumed by a bright explosion and his enhanced body cratered into the earth. The breath left his lungs when his back slammed into the ground and he just barely caught the glimmers of light now dotting the space around him as his body rebounded back into the air.
The sound of the crackling explosion that came off of Sanji's leg was practically sliced to pieces by the hundreds of thin lines of light that all rang out at the same time. A flash lit the clearing as the two momentary allies jumped away from the danger zone and landed roughly on their feet, deep breaths leaving both of their mouths while they waited for their vision to clear.
"You tryna blind me, Mosshead?", Sanji hissed through his teeth, resisting the urge to put his hands on his knees. He knew the second he let go of whatever it was he had going, he was done. Whatever was letting him make these explosions was also making him tired as shit…
The swordsman only growled in response. He wasn't gonna lie, he'd been tired even before Luffy showed up. The cook's last attack had done some real damage. If it was just that, he probably would've been able to handle the exhaustion but the amount of haki he was throwing around was really starting to catch up with him.
"What the hell, Sanji!", Luffy exclaimed through an uncomfortable grunt, back colliding with the destroyed ground once again. However, it didn't stop him from immediately rising back to his feet, ignoring the slight shiver that ran down his spine when his vest fell to pieces around him. Why did he suddenly feel like a piece of meat?… With the shake of his head, he was off, excitement already making his big smile return as his eyes settled on his blond friend, "You didn't tell me you could use haki!".
The chef sighed at the mostly uninjured form of his captain. Sure, there were a few cuts and a big ole footprint in the middle of his chest but he looked very unbothered by the injuries. "I have no idea what the hell you're talking about.", he answered honestly, ignoring the reply that came in favor of turning to the swordsman beside him, "I got about one more in me before this starts to get way less fun…". He turned back to the boy happily jogging in their direction and his gaze narrowed, "… You in?"
No way was he gonna let the damn cook one-up him. Zoro's jaws tightened around Wado's hilt and he nodded slowly, loosening up as much as he could, "Don't you dare hold back.". His black eyes flashed upward and met those of his captain, "… I wanna see him take everything we got.". He ignored the strange look his crew mate sent him and flipped his grip on Kajiya, taking in a deep breath as the boy at his side shot into the sky.
The verdet let the power pulsing inside of him beat alongside his heart and his toes curled into the soles of his barely still intact shoes. The heat swirled violently along with his desire to display his strength and the katanas he wielded practically sang as they drank deeply of both. He wanted to show how far he'd come since the day he'd agreed to sail with his friend. "Peaks.", he breathed out, lifting to hold his katanas vertically so each pointed at the other's hilt.
"Peaks are places where one finds the height of their strength.", the swordsman continued calmly, eyes locked to a very confused-looking Luffy, "And yet, they're momentary. Fleeting. Soon to be replaced by new peaks. Higher ones.". He focused on the vibrating emanating from his katanas and carefully picked out their voices, a different colored flame appearing in his mind with the passing of each one. Purple for Kajiya, white for Wado, and black for Kitetsu.
"Uh… Guys?", Luffy questioned cautiously, legs slowing to a stop at Zoro's words. His eyes shot upward when it sounded like someone started setting firecrackers off in the sky and he was met with the sight of Sanji's figure rapidly flipping in a storm of bright explosions… He glanced back and forth between the two and it didn't take long before his pupils turned to stars. His friends were so cool!
His form tensed but the smile never left his face as the pirate captain readied himself, "Gimme everything ya got.". He'd been working on trying to spread his hardening and this seemed like a good opportunity to see how far he'd come… Hopefully, he didn't lose any body parts… The shiver that'd taken over his body made it seem like they were going all out…
The images in Zoro's mind became so clear that they began to superimpose themselves over his reality and he breathed in once again, thin lines of flame crackling across the edge of each katana, "I will continue to reach new peaks and grow stronger every day.". His muscles tensed and he felt the skin of his soles harden while the rest of his enhancement still resided in his swords, "However…".
The verdet could feel his pulse fueling the katanas' fire and gripped them even tighter. "In this moment… This is my peak.", he growled through Wado's hilt, "Santōryū Ōgi:".
Luffy's world flashed pitch black for a moment and, in the darkness, three lines of colored flame materialized before his very eyes. By the time he lifted his hardened palm in defense, the flames had come to a point and they ruthlessly slammed into him, arm almost immediately buckling from the pure force. The area at his front shattered into thousands of tiny pieces as the tricolored light lit the clearing, his hardening screaming under the weight of the impact.
"Zenith!".
The straw-hatted teen's eyes widened when he felt the metallic-like skin covering his palm begin to give and he went to condense his haki even further. However, before he got the chance, something like a thunder crack shot through the air and distracted him. The momentary lapse in concentration was enough to make his guard falter and the only thing that kept him from being maimed irreparably was his proficiency in moving haki around his body.
Dark grey sprouted onto Luffy's chest and, as he was forced off his feet, he looked up to find Sanji blurring through the air, small explosions ripping off the leg pointed in his direction. For the first time in a while, he really pushed his haki to its absolute limits and felt it expand in accordance with his will. He'd definitely gotten better and it was time to see how much better.
It wasn't easy and the boy could feel the immediate strain on his stamina at the use of so much energy… But, it was fast. The top half of his body flashed orange, then red, and then cooled to a grey just as Sanji's exploding foot cratered into his ribs.
"Étincelle du diable!".
Luffy's vision was consumed with a brilliant light and the ground at his back didn't just explode when he crashed into it. No, the earth below flashed into thousands of small cubes before disintegrating into non-existence under the might of the two attacks, his roar of defiance lost to the echoing claps of multicolored flame consuming his figure entirely.
The on-lookers watching from afar marveled at the pillar of multicolored fire that erupted into the air, half dominated by bright yellow and the other by purple, white, and black. It wasn't until the shockwave rolled over them that they understood the magnitude of what had just occurred, winds battering them as they held their ringing ears.
Neither Dorry nor Brogy moved an inch under the force that smashed into them but they did send each other an appreciative nod as they watched the pillar slowly die down and turn to smoke. For normal humans, they were quite entertaining! Laughter suddenly began to erupt from their mouths and they started to clap, Brogy's hands cupping around his lips to make his excitement known.
However, the red-caped giant stopped himself when he caught a figure shooting out of the large cloud of smoke, a small shockwave dispersing it off into the forest. "… Oh my…", he mumbled to himself as he got a closer look at the form rising higher into the sky.
"Seems as if we're getting a real show tonight, ladies.", Ms. Sun teased. A smirk rose to her lips when she turned to the blue-haired girl off to her side and saw her blushing madly, "A first for you, Princess?". The laughs came fully when Vivi ripped her eyes away from Luffy's body and buried her face into Karoo's neck.
"Oh, don't tease her.", Nami chimed in, pulling her gaze away from a sight she'd seen on more than one occasion, "She just hasn't been on the ship long enough. Neither have you for that matter.". She gave her captain an appreciative glance over her shoulder before turning back to the woman she was speaking to, "You'd be surprised how often he loses his pants…".
The sole of Luffy's barefoot crashed into the air once again and he shot higher into the sky, taking a moment to figure out why he felt so breezy. When he glanced down, he found his chest dotted with several dark purple bruises and a single deep cut that managed to make it through all of his protections but, other than that, he seemed relatively normal. When he glanced further downward, however, he suddenly realized why he felt more free than usual. Because he was.
The only two items left intact on the teen's body were his necklace and his hat. Every other piece of clothing was gone… The only thing keeping him modest, so to speak, was the black soot covering him in darkness from the waist down. Although… It was pretty windy up there… The thought made him loudly laugh and he turned to face the ground, foot striking out sharply to reverse his direction. He could worry about pants after he paid his friends back for their awesome attacks!
"Sun Palm:".
A sigh left Zoro's lips as he took Wado out of his mouth, fingers rubbing at the corners of his eyes tiredly, "… He's naked again, isn't he?".
Sanji's answer was a loud groan and he began furiously rubbing his hands over his face like he was trying to wash away the image he'd just been met with, "… Yep.".
The two reluctantly looked up when their worlds flashed a bright white and the swordsman sighed again, deeper this time, as his vision met a pure black diamond/cross-shaped light fluctuating rapidly in the sky, "Well this is just embar-".
"Black Star!".
Very aware of the coming pain and what it would mean for their futures, Zoro and Sanji raised their defenses as quickly as they could... And waited… And waited… And waited…
"Did you guys hear that?", Luffy asked, his head popping up between the two still looking up to the sky. Startled yelps left his crew members' mouths and he looked at them weirdly. Why were they so jumpy?…
"Put some damn clothes on before you get so close to me like that!", the chef yelled angrily, bending down to rub dirt over any place he thought his captain may have touched him.
A growl left Zoro's lips and he sheathed his three katanas, "What the hell are you talkin' about, Luffy?". He approached his captain, ripping a shred of cloth from what was left of his pants, and offered it to him when he stopped next to the other boy, "For your modesty.".
Luffy went to grab the covering in thanks but stopped himself. He shot his first mate a look that said 'really?' and held his pinky up, finding it to be larger than the piece of cloth. His black orbs met a similar pair and the two stared at each other for a tense moment before chuckles suddenly began to rumble from both their chests.
"HELP!".
The yell brought them out of their laughter and the two looked at each other before glancing over to Sanji. They all nodded in unison and rushed in the direction of the voice, uncaring of their various states of undress. Before any of them could make it out of the clearing, however, a man carrying a small girl broke through the tree line in a panic.
"HELP!", it wasn't soon after the words left his mouth that Mr. Three realized who it was he was asking but he didn't care, "PLEASE! SHE NEEDS HELP!". As the three approached, he suddenly became aware of the fact that the one at the front, who was also the one that'd attacked him earlier, was completely naked… Almost as if his attitude had rotated a hundred and eighty degrees, he turned on his heel and sprinted as quickly as he could back toward the forest, "SHE DOESN'T NEED HELP FROM PERVERTS!".
"Hey! I am not a pervert!", Luffy argued, fingers pointing at his crew members accusingly while they chased after the two newcomers, "They're the ones that blew my clothes off!". Just when he went to speed up and cut them off from escaping back into the forest, a large shadow did it for him.
"You!".
The naked boy stopped on a dime when a massive foot cratered into the ground at his front and shot past the two boys who stilled beside him. As he stepped out into the open, his eyes caught the strange man cowering underneath the shadow of the large fist booming in his direction.
Luffy's eyes widened and hardening sprouted on his feet to cover them like a pair of shoes. In what would seem like the blink of an eye to most, his darkened foot flexed, and shattered rock appeared where his body had been only moments ago. He flipped forward and pointed his hardened toes at his target, "Little girl alert!".
Just before what Mr. Three thought was surely his and Marianne's deaths, he saw something so profound that, when asked about what happened later, he wouldn't be able to recall. The only thing keeping the sight from becoming a reoccurring nightmare was the fact that he and Marianne were somehow still alive.
Dorry growled when his strike was thrown off course, a small boom sounding up to the small one on his shoulder when his captain impacted against his wrist. He glared down at the boy who'd stopped him from ending the man that had tried to take advantage of his sacred duel, and the brat actually had the gall to glare back.
"He's got a little girl with him!", Luffy yelled before his eyes came back down to the man cowering on the ground beside him, and they stayed there for a long moment, "… Probably some kinda perv!".
"I'm not the one naked!", Galdino replied incredulously, the boy's companions sliding to a stop beside him.
"He kinda has a point there, Luffy.", Zoro chuckled while trying to get a closer look at the two on the ground. He knew his captain wasn't actually a pervert, unlike the cook, but it wasn't a great look.
"Yeah, yeah. Whatever.", the straw-hatted teen waved the words away and turned to address the now calmer giant once again, "You alright now?". He smiled at the nodding of the Dorry's head, "I saw you guys watching. What'd you think?!".
Just as the large man went to answer, Brogy arrived in the clearing carrying his group of little ones in his hand rather than them riding on his shoulder. Without a word, he kneeled and set the ladies on the ground, each of them gingerly stepping back onto solid land and making their way in the direction of the commotion. Before he could rise again, however, the raven-haired one grabbed his attention.
"Brogy, would you mind lending me a piece of your cape?", Ms. Sun asked politely, motioning over to Luffy's bare form, "As good as he looks from behind, I think he could do with some covering up.". Laughter met her words and the giant complied almost immediately, ripping a scrap of red cloth from the edge of his cloak. She nodded in thanks when he handed it over and quickly made her way over to the gathered group.
The raven-haired woman tapped Luffy's shoulder and made sure to keep her eyes locked to his when he turned. "For you.", she said amusedly, offering up the large red sheet. The boy bowed and slipped the fabric from her hands before quickly wrapping it around his waist. He went to turn to the group conversing at his back but she stopped him with a sigh and another tap on his shoulder.
"… Just hold still.", Ms. Sun tried not to laugh at the pout he shot her, she really did. Keeping her eyes firmly above the belt and working between her small giggles, she unwrapped Luffy so she could re-wrap him. With the very generous amount of fabric she'd been given, first, she dressed his wounds, insignificant as he made them seem. The next bit only took a minute or two and, as soon as she started, she could already tell he was getting tired of her asking to hold here or there while she tied and ripped, but it was worth it in her opinion.
The woman pulled her final touch to the makeshift outfit from her jacket and held it up for Luffy to see, smirking at the rolling of his eyes, "Seems like it's my turn to tie you up." He lightly protested when she approached but she muscled her way in and wrapped the rope a few times around his waist, synching everything tightly in place. She took a step back and twirled her finger to signal the boy to spin.
Luffy pouted like a reluctant show dog but Ms. Sun only continued to smile at him so he reluctantly complied, giving a half-hearted twirl. She seemed satisfied when he came back around and he looked down to examine the outfit for himself. It looked kinda like a dress but… Manlier?…
"It's called a toga.", the raven-haired woman answered when she saw the unvoiced question in his eye, "You'd be surprised what you can learn when you spend as much time in libraries as I do.". She waved away the teen's confusion and stepped in his direction, pointing to the rest of their group locked in deep conversation, "Looks like the captain might need to go make some decis-".
"Thanks, Ms. Sun!", Luffy exclaimed wrapping his arm around the taller woman's shoulder, "I really like it!". He felt her tighten up in his grasp and thought he'd done something wrong but, not a moment later, she softened. He smiled brightly at her and the reply was the rolling of her large blue eyes but, even though she tried to hide it, he didn't miss the small smile that flashed across her lips.
"Come on, Casanova.", Ms. Sun teased, pulling the younger boy into the group. It was strange, touching so freely… But, she couldn't say she didn't enjoy it.
"Please! I know she might not die right this second. But, I still think it best you take her and leave in search of someone who knows how to help!".
Luffy shouldered his way in between Zoro and Sanji as Ms. Sun wrapped around to stand by Nami's side and the boy looked up at his two friends curiously, "What's goin' on?".
"The little girl's sick.", Zoro answered under his breath, watching Nami converse with the man who called himself Galdino, "Well, he thinks she's sick.".
"Apparently, he wants us to take her and go look for a doctor.", Sanji chimed in. If he had a vote, he was very much in favor. The girl really didn't look so good and he couldn't help but feel like she would love a bowl of soup when she woke up.
Luffy mulled over his crew members' words for all but two seconds before he stepped into the center of their group, interrupting the conversation his navigator was locked in. "Nami, can we leave?", he asked, assuming she knew what he meant by the question.
"Well, yeah.", the orangette admitted, standing from her place crouched by Galdino, "But, it's a long shot Luffy.". There was no telling how long it would take them to reach their next destination or whether that place would even have a doctor.
The pirate captain shrugged and sent his navigator a smile, "I always like my odds.". Without waiting for her reply, he stuck his hand in the air and waved everyone gathered in the direction of the coast, "All right, people! Pack it up! It's time to get going!".
The words sent relief flooding through Mr. Three's system. "Thank you!", he exclaimed through unshed tears, grunting when he made to stand once again, "I promise, once I drop her off with you, do whatever you want with me. I don't care.". A moment passed and he paled when he realized the deeper meaning to be found in his words, "Well… Maybe not anything…".
Luffy looked over his shoulder as they all began to make their way through the forest, "What do you mean? You're coming with us.". He ignored the shocked look the man sent him and cupped his hands around his mouth to address the giants that'd begun to follow them, "Seeing us off or wanting to join?".
Their deep laughter echoed over the treetops and Dorry's voice rang out in reply, "I'm afraid we only come to see you off". However, he couldn't help but shoot a smile over to the giant walking next to him. They'd been given quite the show earlier. As hosts, it would've been rude not to send the group off with something to remember them by.
Brogy returned his friend's grin and his thumping heartbeat began to increase in speed, eyes rising to the horizon as a foe long forgotten rose up from the depths of his memory, "… And to give a piece of advice before we say goodbye.".
"Levi! Nala! We're gonna be steering the ship for a while!", Luffy yelled, catching the sea creatures' very bored-looking forms when he broke out onto the beach. Nami had given him the run down while they'd walked back to the coast. Not that he really remembered most of it... The rumbles that came from the two large animals made him stick his tongue out toward the water, "Well someone's sick so deal with it!".
"What do you wanna do with those two?", Nami asked, pointing at the two bodies lying in the shallows.
The pirate captain shrugged his shoulders. "Bring 'em along. The more the merrier.", he eventually answered, slowing to a stop when they came upon the people in question. Hopefully they didn't turn out to be too annoying... He bent over and lifted the two soaking forms into the air, small groans leaving each of their mouths. He'd really thought they were unconscious...
"The Merry's gonna be crowded.", Usopp mused as he stopped next to the rest of the group. He really didn't want to have to swim this time... He'd love a chance to ride with the girls for once...
Luffy laughed at the words and threw the practically limp bodies over Levi's back, "I'm sure it'll be fun.". He clapped his hands together and waved the girls to board their 'shuttles', "We'll meet you over there.".
Usopp futilely reached out to the beasts. Surely he could squeeze on somewhere... Maybe Galdino could carry him too... He sighed and dropped his arm, looking down to the sand in depression when his captain's words sent them on their way... Swimming it was.
"Alright, everyone! Say bye to Dorry and Brogy!", Luffy exclaimed, turning to give them a big smile.
The long-nosed teen turned back as he stepped into the shallow water and bowed to his two role models as deeply as he could, "Thank you for teaching me so much!"
The two giants laughed and returned all the other waves and shouts before they faced the small one with the long nose, "Go forth and be brave, mighty Usopp. You will reach your goals someday!".
The sentiment almost brought tears to Usopp's eyes and he turned away before he could show any sort of weakness. Without another word, he dove forward and chased after the quickly shrinking forms of Sanji and Zoro. He would do it. He would become a warrior fit to stand beside them one day.
"Even though our time together was short, we shall not forget you, Straw Hat Luffy.", Dorry bellowed just before said boy made to follow the rest of his friends to his ship, "And, if our friendship is true, if you trust us, listen to us now.".
The pirate captain paused as the distance between him and his companions continued to increase and he turned to look at the massive men curiously.
"No matter what...", the words rumbled from Brogy's chest like a war drum, "Continue to sail forward.".
For some reason, the statement registered as important, so, Luffy sent the two one last big smile and a thumbs up, "You got it! See ya, guys! Hope you get off this island soon!". With his farewells said and done, he shot out into the sea, already beginning to catch up to those who'd left him behind, "Last one there's a rotten egg!".