Author's Note: Here's the final chapter. I considered adding an epilogue, but that just wouldn't fit. I like the way this chapter ends, and I think that that's the way the story should end.
You people are so quick when I ask for a certain number of reviews! I up the number of required reviews, wondering if I'll get that many, I wake up in the morning to check, and there're exactly the number I asked for! (shakes head in disbelief) I should have said 'ten' instead of 'six'… I wonder what would have happened?
Replies to reviews:
Digitaldreamer: Well, Luffy talks to Shanks, but it may not quite be what you expect… I hope you like it, though. About Luffy and Zoro: yeah, I think that the two of them share a certain bond that's a little stronger than the others. I can't quite say why, but their interaction in the books just seems that way. And the two of them and Nami. Those three seem more…well…kind of open to each other than the others… I can't quite explain it, but I think you get what I'm trying to say.
xXSanji-kunXx: (grins) Glad to hear from you! I didn't quite think you'd forgotten, but I wondered where you were. About that guy's name: (shrugs) I really wouldn't know. I read the things in Japanese, so a lot of the spellings are off in English. Like the guy who fights Zoro in Buggy's crew, for example. I found out recently that his name is not spelled 'Kabaji' but 'Cabaji'. But people understand who they are anyway, and I'm too lazy to go back and fix everything.
babe300: Okay, the final chapter… Tell me what you think of it!
tokie44: Thanks! Luffy will get to talk to Shanks (I couldn't possibly have them part without talking properly), but the rest may be unexpected, or even out of character.
Raifiel: Actually, Luffy doesn't really know Zoro's, Nami's, Chopper's, or Robin's. Luffy isn't really the kind of person to talk about that kind of thing—he only lives in the present, I think, and doesn't care in the least about the past. About Zoro: true, but I wanted to show some sort of connection between Ben and Zoro, because they're the ones that know their captains best. I did consider having Zoro shrug and then writing how he knew because of his own promise in his thoughts, but I thought that it worked a little better if he spoke briefly to Ben… But yeah, it's out of character.
B-chan77: (grins) You may be surprised: things are going to go quite differently.
Revenge of the Clown
Chapter 10:The Straw Hat Pirates
"Well, it has definitely been an eventful day," sighed Nami tiredly, propping her head up on her arms as she stood on the edge of the deck at the back of the ship.
Usopp looked around at her from where he sat on the railing beside her. "That's quite an understatement."
For some time, there was silence. Then Chopper spoke, watching the ocean behind them between two railings.
"Did we do the right thing?"
"Of course we did," snapped Zoro, his eyes snapping open to glare at Chopper. He was sitting with his back against the wall that was back of the kitchen, his hands behind his head as he attempted to sleep. "None of us would have done it if we weren't sure that it was absolutely the right thing to do!"
"I think I'll go make us something to eat," Sanji murmured, almost inaudibly, as he walked around the wall against which Zoro was leaning, heading for the kitchen door on the other side.
"Are you sure about that, swordsman-san?" asked Robin quietly as she watched the island slowly shrinking in the distance with the others. "All of us are out of sorts—Long-Nose-kun, cook-san and doctor-san are all quiet and reserved, navigator-san is only trying to bring things back to normal, and your temper is ready to explode at any moment."
"It doesn't matter, Robin," Nami cut in quietly, her face falling. "This decision wasn't made for our own good."
"You're right, Robin," snapped Zoro. "The world is coming to an end—Nami's doing things that aren't selfish." Nami spun around to glare at him.
"You were against this whole idea! That makes you entirely selfish, not me!"
Sanji came back around the corner.
"Nami-san, I heard your angered voice and-" He suddenly noticed the death glares that she and Zoro were shooting each other. "Aegagropila, how dare you insult a lady!"
"You just go back to your kitchen," Zoro snapped at the cook. "I don't want to deal with you right now." Sanji snorted.
"Well, for your information, neither do I! So you can just jump of the side of the ship," Sanji snapped in retort. Then, to everyone's surprise, he headed back to the kitchen without another word.
Usopp shook his head.
"This is just wrong. Maybe we should head back, and-"
"It's too late, Long-Nose-kun," Robin said, nodding to the island behind them. "If you look closely, you can see that the Red-Hair Pirates are already leaving the island."
They all gazed at the tiny ship visible in the distance as it left the island, every one of them doubting their decision.
"Our Logue's collected," Nami announced to the Straw Hat Pirates as they stood on the dock right in front of the Red Hair Pirates' ship. "That means that their Logue will be collecting soon, so they're going to have to leave."
"We know that, Nami," Usopp told her, but Nami was not listening.
"Where's Luffy?" she asked.
The others looked around as well, and to their surprise, the captain and the swordsman were missing from the group. Though Luffy was nowhere in sight, Zoro was approaching, coming from the Red Hair's ship.
"Where were you, lost?" taunted Sanji. "And where's Luffy?" Zoro ignored the insult for once as he joined the group of his crewmates.
"No, I was talking with Ben. Luffy and Shanks are finally talking." Nami and Chopper heaved a sigh of relief, and a small smile appeared on Robin's lips. Usopp and Sanji exchanged a puzzled glance.
"What do you mean, 'finally'?" asked Usopp.
"Yes, Nami-san," agreed Sanji, "they spent all day talking." Nami shot the two of them an annoyed glare.
"They needed to talk just to each other, not with an entire crowd," said Robin. Zoro raised an eyebrow. So Robin had known what was wrong after all. He heard Chopper give a quiet 'ohh' a sound from Nami's direction that sounded suspiciously like a stifled gasp, and knew that he was nevertheless right about the other two—they had not known what was wrong. Sanji swooned with an "of course, Robin-chan always knows everything!", and Usopp raised his eyebrows in response to the archaeologist's words.
"But Robin, Zoro just came from the deck of the Red Hair Pirates' ship—if they needed to have a private conversation, the deck of a ship, especially that one, would be the least likely place," Usopp reasoned.
"Do you dare insult Robin-chan's logic?" Sanji demanded threateningly. Everyone else ignored him.
"It's not exactly a private conversation that they need to have, Usopp," Nami spoke up.
"But she just said, they needed to talk alone!" Usopp said before Nami could say any more.
"They do," Nami told him impatiently.
"It's not a private conversation, Long-Nose-kun," Robin explained. "It doesn't matter who hears. It just matters that it's only the two of them talking."
"Yeah, come on, Luffy!" came a voice from behind them. They all looked around to see a few people gathering around Luffy and Shanks, who were sitting on the railing of the ship.
"It'll be fun! You always wanted to join us when you were little!"
All the Straw Hats felt a unified jolt in their chests as they realized what the Red Hair Pirates were saying to Luffy: they were inviting him to join them. They had heard from a number of people all the things that Luffy used to do to try and join Shanks, the worst of which was stabbing himself deeply in the face below his left eye.
When the shouts from Shanks' men died down enough for Luffy to reply, the Straw Hats waited with their hearts in their mouths as they waited for his reply.
After a moment, they saw Luffy shake his head and speak to the men, though not loud enough that they could hear. Even so, the Straw Hats' hearts sank as one.
Luffy had hesitated. There was still a part of him that wanted to join them, but he could not: they were in the way.
It was as though their hearts had connected. The realization came to all of them in unison, and each knew that all the others had felt it, too. They stood in silence as the men scattered, some appearing disappointed.
"We should go," Nami said quietly. "Before he comes back down. He'd never let us go through with it—he'd never leave us of his own will." Sanji nodded mutely in agreement.
"But…but…" Usopp stuttered, looking heart-brokenly up at their captain. If they followed through with Nami's idea, he would become captain, he realized—he had appointed himself for that position when they first got the ship, and had been met with no resistance. But now that the opportunity stood before him, he realized that he did not want it. He looked up to and depended heavily on their captain. Then he looked around at his companions: Nami's eyes were cast downwards in a resigned way; Sanji looked up at Luffy wistfully; Chopper looked like he was fighting back tears; Robin, the usually emotionless woman, had a far-off look in her eyes, which were glazed with sadness. Zoro, however, was glaring at the rest angrily.
"No," Zoro said. "Luffy gave us all choices when joining him"-identical snorts came from Sanji and Nami-"and we owe it to him to let him make his own choices. What if that wasn't hesitation after all? He'd be heart-broken to know that we left him behind!"
"I don't think that Luffy's heart is capable of breaking, Zoro," said Usopp, looking like he was fighting back a laugh.
Zoro closed his lips tightly and glared at the marksman. I didn't think that Luffy was capable of doubting himself before today either, he thought, but did not have the heart to say it out loud.
He saw that all but himself were sure of this decision, and could not bring himself to protest any further. For all he knew, Nami was right and Luffy wanted to stay with Shanks, but was held back only by his comrades.
"Do you think that Luffy will miss us?" Chopper asked as they walked back to the ship.
Everyone heard the question, and each remembered Luffy persuading them to join him.
"Yes, Chopper," Zoro began to reply.
"I think he will," Nami finished.
Sanji returned with something to eat. Taking it from him, they watched the other ship in silence. Would they hold together without their captain? They had bonds amongst themselves, there was no doubt about that. Luffy, however, had been their heart.
Robin recalled the seventeen-year-old hoisting her over his shoulder and carrying her out of the collapsing underground chamber, despite her protests that she wished to die. He had then allowed her on his ship without a single word of protest, despite all that she had done.
Chopper remembered the other 'monster' who had been the first to call him a nakama. Luffy had liked him for his peculiarities—not despite them. He remembered running all over the castle until night fell as Luffy chased him around, telling him to join him.
Sanji felt a faint smile appear on his face as he remembered the odd-job boy practically strangling him in an attempt to convince him to come along, and then when ordered by Zeff to take Sanji along, promptly refusing to do so without Sanji's consent.
Usopp remembered the pirate agreeing to help him save his village without a second thought, then on the way to the battle, losing his way and yelling angrily at Usopp for failing to tell him which way was north when he finally reached the battlefield in the nick of time.
Nami remembered the comrade who had never doubted her, even when she betrayed him. She had heard from Nojiko that he had flat out refused to hear the story of the island and why she did what she did. Yet, no matter what she did, he was always nearby, waiting for her. When she had reached the end of her self control, Luffy had been right there, stopping the knife with which she was stabbing her shoulder, and wholly ready to fight for her, despite not knowing the story behind everything—just because Arlong had made her cry.
At the thought of continuing without their captain, Zoro suddenly felt his heart drop to the pit of his stomach. Luffy had given him the most confidence in his dream. He had promised Luffy that as his comrade, he would become the best swordsman in the world. Luffy had been the one who had restrained himself and the others from interfering with his battle with Mihawk. Luffy had told him that only the strongest swordsman in the world could be worthy to be a comrade of the future Pirate King…
Zoro jolted upright, turning frantically to the others.
"We've got to head back!" he exclaimed. Chopper, Usopp, and Robin stared at him, but Sanji and Nami's eyes widened as the same realization struck them as well.
"Usopp, come on, we've got to get the helm!" Sanji called. Usopp's eyes widened as he looked at the varying expressions of his crewmates, puzzled and alarmed.
"Wait, wha-?"
"Hurry up, Sanji-kun, Usopp!" snapped Nami, and with a squeak on Usopp's part, the two rushed for the kitchen.
CRASH!
Promptly, something came hurtling through the air in a blur of colors and crashed into the wall that was the back of the kitchen, opening a large hole there. Nami, Zoro, Chopper and Robin stared at the pile of splintered wood through the hole, and Sanji and Usopp, appearing at the kitchen door, stared in shock at the unexpected sight that met their eyes.
Something red pushed itself up from under the pile of splintered wood, and when they had only barely registered that it was a human, turned to glare accusingly through the large hole at the four standing on the other side of what was previously a wall.
"You left me behind!" the figure said indignantly, crossing his arms with a huff. "As captain of this ship, I have to say that I am extremely displeased with the way people can't even seem to remember each other around here. Honestly, guys!"
Sanji's mouth was wide open, and his cigarette fell out of his mouth. Usopp and Chopper stared, Nami's face was full with every emotion imaginable, Zoro glared with a "took you long enough", and Robin raised a hand to hide the wide smile that was spreading across her face.
Then, the shock passing under the unwavering accusing glare of their captain, the four in front of him broke into wide, unhidden smiles. For a few moments, Luffy continued to glare, but then with a loud laugh, all anger seemed to vanish from him in an instant, and the two behind him relaxed as well.
"We should have known," murmured Nami, her smile more relieved than anything.
"Of course. What kind of crew forgets their captain's dream?" Zoro commented quietly.
"The kind known as the Straw Hat Pirates, apparently," Robin replied with a grin. Zoro responded with a glare.
"That was a rhetorical question," the swordsman told the archaeologist.
Their captain, however, appeared entirely oblivious to this exchange, for he was doing the same thing that he had done twice that day already—the thing that had caused all the trouble in the first place.
"My hat, where's my hat?" he cried as he dug through the pile of rubble where he had crash-landed.
Chopper and Usopp exchanged a worried glance before joining him in his search. Zoro rolled his eyes in exasperation with the thought, and here we go again. Sanji looked at Luffy through eyes narrowed with annoyance. Nami let out an exhausted sigh. Robin smiled.
In mere moments, due to Luffy's vigorous movements, rubble thinly coated the floor of the entire kitchen as well as the deck. There was no pile large enough that the hat could be under it, yet they had yet to find the troublesome item.
"Did he have it on when he came crashing into here?" Usopp asked.
Robin, Zoro and Chopper shrugged. Nami shook her head.
"He came rocketing in before we could even register that he was there, let alone what he was. We couldn't possibly have seen any details," the navigator replied.
And so yet another search was made of every single room on the ship, despite the fact that it was extremely improbable that the hat would be anywhere other then in the kitchen or on the decks. Yet the hat was not found.
"He must have lost it while shooting through the air," Sanji finally concluded.
"We know that, fancy-brow."
"So then we have to head back," Nami cut in. "Sanji-kun, Usopp, get the helm."
"Of course, Nami-san!"
The pirates all rushed to do something useful except for Luffy, who would not move from his special perch on the figurehead, Zoro, who decided to take a nap, and Nami, who preferred to give the orders.
Just as the ship had turned, Luffy let out a shout.
"I found it!"
Chopper and Robin, searching the sea for the hat from the observation deck, Sanji and Usopp, pulling the helm, Zoro, sleeping against the railing on the deck beside the figurehead, and Nami, calculating exactly where it may have fallen on the other side of the figurehead where she was leaning over the railing, all stopped what they were doing to stare at the captain.
He had apparently stretched his arm to reach it, and it was dripping wet. Not appearing to care, Luffy pulled it onto his head with a wide grin of satisfaction.
"Luffy," said Nami in exasperation, "couldn't you have done that before we turned the ship around?"
Luffy stuck out his tongue at her in a contented sort of way, the grin never leaving his face. Nami rolled her eyes and turned around briefly to shout at the two at the helm.
"Okay, Usopp, Sanji-kun! Turn back around!"
"What!" cried Usopp, but a second later was flying at the opposite wall.
"Don't you talk back to a lady!" said a fuming Sanji. Usopp was just fishing in his pockets for a Tabasco Boshi, when the navigator's angry shout had him darting back to the helm.
"You two idiots can fight after the ship is heading the right way again!"
"So, why'd you try to leave me behind?" asked Luffy lightly, as though inquiring about the weather.
Despite his light tone, however, everyone on the ship froze. People close enough to one another—Robin and Chopper, Zoro and Nami, Usopp and Sanji—exchanged nervous and troubled glances. Robin was the one who finally spoke.
"We heard the Red Hairs asking you to join them, and thought that you might not be joining them just because we were holding you back."
Luffy stared at the woman as though she had grown an extra head.
"What would make you think that? You guys don't hold me back from anything," the captain said in a sincere voice with wide eyes. Then, realizing something, he added a comment. "Just food."
"That's because if I let you eat all the food you like, we'd be stranded in the middle of the ocean without any. Remember how it was the time that you ate all the food before we reached Alabasta?" Sanji yelled without releasing the helm.
"Because you hesitated before you shook your head," Robin said in reply to Luffy's question before he could reply to Sanji. Luffy stared blankly at the archaeologist, and his six crewmembers sat in suspense as they waited for him to reply.
"What?"
"You didn't say anything for a moment before you said no, which made it seem like you do want to go," Nami explained impatiently. Luffy looked at her in surprise.
"My mouth was full of meat, I had to swallow it," Luffy said. No one really knew what to say to that. Nami turned to sit on the railing, Usopp and Sanji continued pulling the helm, Zoro closed his eyes, and Chopper and Robin climbed down from the observation deck.
"What did you talk about with Shanks?" Nami finally asked. "You must have had quite a bit to say to each other."
"Not much," replied Luffy. "He made fun of me a bit, then I yelled at him a bit, and then he asked me about some things of the things we did. I'm hungry! Sanji, make some food!"
"We just came from a feast! You could have eaten all you want there without bothering me as soon as we got back!" Sanji growled angrily, releasing the helm as they got back on track.
"But I didn't eat that much! Sanji!"
"Fine, fine…" grumbling and muttering a few inaudible curses under his breath, the cook went to work.
"So, I see that he gave you back the hat," Robin commented.
"Yup," said Luffy with a smile. "He said that the hat was meant to be something that stayed with me until we really faced each other, and this time, we met as friends instead of rivals."
Robin gave a small smile. It seemed slightly out of character for Red Hair Shanks to explain so much, but after all, she didn't know the man all that well.
"Sanji, is the food ready yet?" the captain bellowed.
"In a minute, in a minute," came the grumbled reply from the kitchen.
"I think I'm going to sleep…" Nami mumbled with a yawn, sliding off the railing and beginning to walk away.
"Me too," muttered Usopp, climbing down through the trapdoor, followed closely by Chopper. Zoro remained asleep on the deck, and Robin climbed back up to the observation deck—it was Chopper's turn officially, but they had all been up for almost an entire day and night now. The young reindeer deserved some rest.
Luffy watched his crew with a soft smile on his face that went unseen by them all.
"Shanks?" Luffy asked, breaking the silence after he had told the older man about their adventures.
"Hm?" Shanks replied.
"Thanks."
"For what?" Luffy's brow furrowed slightly before he replied.
"Well, there are a lot of things that I should be thanking you for, I guess. For coming to help me even after I'd snapped at you, for saving me, for teaching me that sometimes laughing off insults is better than fighting… But I meant for not letting me join you."
A slow smile appeared on the face of the red haired man, and he reached up to remove his old straw hat.
"You're welcome." As Shanks spoke the words, Luffy felt something soft cover his head. It was so familiar that he did not need to reach up and feel it to know what it was—he had been wearing it everyday for the past ten years, after all.
Author's Note:
Did you catch that about Shanks and the hat? I didn't want to get too specific… If you didn't understand anything, tell me!
Okay, now I can't bribe you to review with any more chapters since there aren't going to be any, but please, review! Tell me what you thought, mistakes you found, things you liked/disliked…
Thanks to all my readers and reviewers for following this story to the end! It feels a bit sad to be leaving it now… Thanks to everyone again!