Chapter 18: Getaway!

Hello, readers! I hope each of you had a Merry Christmas or a happy whatever-holiday-you-celebrate! I know I did! This chapter here is the last chapter in the East Blue, so you know what that means! Once again, I'll offer to post the next chapter on Wednesday, but the demands are going to be higher. Last time I asked for 6 reviews, right? This time I'm asking for 9. Once again, productive reviews, if you can. Thanks!

Chapter 18:

Getaway!

Gin was able to catch up with Luffy after a bit of running. The teen had strayed from the path a little, but the former Krieg pirate was able to get him in the right direction. Unfortunately, the crowds were quite thick and Gin refused to let Luffy use his Devil Fruit powers because that would attract too much attention. Feeling that he would get nowhere with his side of the argument, Luffy settled into a long, slow trip. While the walk was boring, they didn't get sidetracked and reached the square within 15 minutes.

"Finally," Luffy smiled as the platform came into view. "The place where Gold Roger died. I want to see what he saw."

"Wait, Don Luffy!" Gin tried to reason. Luffy didn't listen. He threw his arms forward and grabbed onto the edge of the platform before pulling himself up with a Gum-Gum Rocket. Gin could only stare in abject horror as his captain made a show of standing where the previous Pirate King died. It was only a matter of time before something went wrong.

"Hey, you!" a marine with a megaphone shouted at Luffy. "Get down from there! You're standing on property of the World Government!"

"But I just got up here!" Luffy replied. "Plus the view is amazing!"

"Don!" Gin called. "Please!"

"If you don't come down, I'll have to place you under arrest!" The man had just finished his sentence when he was batted away by a giant iron mace. The club was wielded by a beautiful, black-haired woman dressed in a pink, heart-themed shawl and jean shorts with a pink cowboy hat. Many of the men in the area were staring at the woman with hearts in their eyes.

"I've been looking for you, Monkey D. Luffy," the woman called up to the teen. "I'm here to make you mine."

"Do I know you?" Luffy asked.

"You really don't remember me?" she asked, looking hurt. "I certainly remember you. You were the first man to ever really hit me."

"I never hit you!"

"You did," she insisted with a smile, cupping her face with her free hand. "And it felt so good, too. I can't have changed that much. Maybe this can jog your memory. Boys! Who's the fairest woman to sail the seas?"

"You are, Beautiful!" all the men roared. The lady basked in the praise. Luffy seemed to be remembering something, but by the look on his face it wasn't something good.

"That club," Gin gasped, realizing who this was. "Are you Iron Club Alvida?"

"The one and only," the woman confirmed.

"No way," Luffy denied. "You don't look like her at all."

"Well, after eating the Smooth-Smooth Fruit, I did lose my freckles."

"Yeah, that must be it," Luffy replied in his most sarcastic voice. "If you were Alvida, I'd have to give you a beating for hurting my nakama."

"Last we met, you were alone. What nakama did I hurt?" Luffy's fist zoomed down, hitting her face, but it did no damage. The attack literally slid off her cheek. Luffy was not deterred.

"Coby."

Alvida's face soured at the name. "That brat that I used as my cabin boy and was always spouting nonsense about joining the Marines? You took him onto your crew?"

"Hell yeah I did! And he's gotten stronger."

"Don Luffy!" Gin shouted. "Look out!" His cry came too late. A wooden stockade came down, capturing the teen's head and arms. Keeping the wood steady was a man with long, dark green hair covering one side of his face and a scarf: Cabaji the Acrobat.

"Long time no see, rubber freak," Cabaji sneered. Luffy struggled to escape, but he was unable to. A group of men in cloaks that had surrounded Alvida threw them away to show themselves as Buggy the Clown and his men.

"Everyone stay flashily where you are!" Buggy yelled, his men drawing guns and holding everyone in the square hostage. Buggy himself used his Chop-Chop powers to fly up, sword in one hand and stolen megaphone in the other, to the stand and relieve Cabaji of his post. "For the crime of being annoying and pissing me off," Buggy roared into the megaphone he'd taken from the marine Alvida had assaulted, "I, Buggy the Clown, sentence Straw Hat Luffy to death! Stay where you are and watch as I flashily execute this bastard!"

A large storm was coming, Zoro could feel it. He and Coby were sitting on a set of stairs polishing their new weapons when Usopp, Nami, and Sanji passed by. Usopp had a new pair of goggles and Sanji was carrying a large blue fish with tusks and a trunk. Nami was loaded with multiple bags of various colors and sizes filled with clothes she'd haggled down to near-free prices. Coby called out to them, bringing them over. They talked for several minutes during which Nami mentioned that a huge storm was coming in rapidly. Sanji and Zoro had just agreed to go get Luffy and Gin when the voice of Buggy the Clown echoed across town.

"For the crime of being annoying and pissing me off, I, Buggy the Clown, sentence Straw Hat Luffy to death! Stay where you are and watch as I flashily execute this bastard!"

"Shit!" Nami, Zoro, and Coby yelled. They split up, Coby, Nami, and Usopp (carrying the mystery fish) heading to the ship to prepare the Merry to leave as soon as possible. The older swordsman and chef ran off toward the square to try to save their rubber captain.

A storm was quickly blowing in. The wind whipped Buggy's cape around him as he brought his sword up. Buggy's maniacal laughter echoed through the square as he reveled in the feeling. A dull thump showed that ten men had subdued Gin so he couldn't help his captain.

"Luffy!" two voices yelled. At the entrance of the square was a man with a green bandana wielding three swords and a blond in a suit.

"Zoro!" Luffy called. "Sanji! A little help please?"

"You rubber-brained idiot," Sanji growled, lighting a cigarette and tapping his foot. "You can't die, yet. That'd make Nami-swan cry. I can't allow that."

"Let's go, Ero-cook." Zoro agreed. The two ran forward, beating pirates away as they came by them. They moved as fast as they could, but it seemed too late.

"Sorry, guys," Luffy said with a smile. "Zoro, Coby, Usopp, Sanji, Gin, Nami! I'm dead." Buggy's sword came down.

"Don't say that!" Zoro ordered.

"You can't die!" Sanji yelled.

"Don, no!" Gin shouted.

"He smiled?" Smoker gasped.

But Luffy's death was not to be. Lightning struck the platform just as it started to rain, the charge attracted to the metal of the sword. The famous item caught fire and collapsed. Luffy's hat fluttered down to the ground where a slim hand picked it up. Luffy placed it on his head and laughed as Buggy's burned form twitched beside him.

"Oh. I'm alive. That's nice."

Gin, who had thrown off his attackers when the lightning struck, dropped his weapons in shock. Sanji's cigarette fell from his mouth. Zoro barely held on to Wado Ichimonji with his teeth. Smoker, from his position in an adjacent building, let the binoculars he was using fall from his grasp.

"That's nice?!" Gin roared, picking up his weapons and hitting Luffy over the head. "You had us worried sick, Don Luffy!" The rubber man was unaffected by the blunt weapon. He only laughed in response.

That's when the marines filed into the square. They surrounded all of the pirates, guns ready to fire at a moment's notice. At the lead of this charge was a woman Zoro recognized. A cloud of white smoke came down next to Marine Sergeant Major Tashigi and took the form of a broad man with white hair. This man wore a Marine Captain's cape and was smoking two large cigars, a multitude of replacements on his person.

"Buggy the Clown, Iron Club Alvida, Man-Demon Gin, Pirate Hunter Zoro, and Straw Hat Luffy," the man announced. "My name is Marine Captain Smoker. You and all members of your crews are under arrest. Please come quietly."

"Time to go!" Luffy announced. He spun his right arm around Zoro, Sanji, and Gin and shot his left to latch onto a chimney on the edge of the square. His arm retracted, taking him and his three crewmen with it. Smoker tried to stop them, but the rain slowed his smoke just enough to let the pirates get away, for now.

"Hurry!" Nami insisted. "We have to get back to the ship! The Marines may already be there!"

"Can't we just drop the fish?!" Usopp yelled.

"I'll help!" Coby told the sniper as he grabbed the flailing tail end of the fish. The trio continued to run until the Going Merry cane into view. In front of the ship was Mohji and his lion, Richie.

"Well, if it isn't the little thief and the coward! You're not getting past us!" The Buggy pirate yelled. "Sick 'em, Richie!" The lion pounced. Usopp tried to reach his satchel, but the elephant bluefin tuna was in the way. Nami tried to counter as well, but all the shopping bags she was carrying hampered her efforts. Coby acted instead. He dropped his end of the fish and unsheathed his blades.

Richie tried to stop at the sight of the swords, but the rain reduced the friction of the stone they were standing on. His face hit the crossed blades with just enough force to break the skin where the outer sword touched. Coby swiped the swords in a square shape, moving the blades in opposite directions of each other, first horizontally, then vertically. The attack cut off most of the lion's mane. He finished by kicking the large feline in the snout, pushing him away to slide into his master. Mohji was crushed between a fear-stricken Richie and the hard wood of the Merry.

"Pandora's Box!" Coby named the attack. With them out of the way, the trio clambered onto the ship. They were just in time as the marines that had been pursuing them exited one of the roads. They started shooting at the ship, Mohji and Richie furiously dodging to avoid being hit. Cannons went off, making the choppy waves bigger.

"We have to take off now!" Nami yelled. "If we don't, the ship'll sink! We'll come back for the others later!" The trio started to pull out. The marines cried out, falling one by one. There, where they had been, was Sanji.

"Nami~!" Sanji yelled in Love Mode despite the situation. "I'm coming~!" He chased the ship, beating off marines as they caught up. Usopp provided cover fire from the ship, but the rough seas hampered his aim. Coby grabbed a loose rope and threw it to the ship's cook who caught it. Sanji dove into the water to get closer as Coby reeled him in with all his strength.

"Where's Luffy?" Nami asked as Coby hauled the blond over the edge.

"Fighting Smoker," Sanji replied, shivering. "He'll catch up. He's too stubborn to die."

(Earlier)

"Nami-swan was right about this storm!" Sanji shouted over the rain. "We need to hurry!"

"No duh!" Zoro yelled back. "Luffy! Do you know which way the ship is?"

"Nope!" The teen responded. Behind them, the cries of a pack of marines could be heard. A figure loomed in the fog before them. As they got closer, the haze lifted to reveal Tashigi.

"Who is that?" Sanji asked with hearts in his eyes.

"Roranoa Zoro!" Tashigi demanded. "You are a liar and a pirate! I cannot allow you to leave this island with your swords. Give me the Wado Ichimonji, the Kitetsu III, and the Yubashiri! Now!" She unsheathed her own unnamed sword. Zoro did the same, drawing Kitetsu III. He lunged forward with one sword, catching her forward slash.

"Moron!" Sanji yelled angrily. "You can't just attack a woman!"

"Back off!" the swordswoman demanded. "This is our fight! I don't need any help! Especially from a filthy pirate like you!"

"Get out of here!" Zoro ordered as the two clashed.

"Gin," Luffy said. "Stay here to help him find his way back. I trust you can fight off the marines. And you know my rule about killing?"

"Yes, Don Luffy," the Man-Demon answered. "No killing unless they specifically threaten our nakama." He'd gotten that talk from a very serious Luffy after killing that marine when Fullbody attacked their ship on the way to Louge Town. The captain and chef skirted around the fight as Gin turned and charged the hoard following them, tonfa spinning.

"Marimo!" Sanji shouted as he passed. "If you hurt her, I'm gonna kick your ass!" They left.

"You will not get away," Tashigi growled. The two were locked at a stalemate. That was, until Zoro pulled out a second sword, the Yubashiri. He was taunting her, not using the Wado Ichimonji that she wanted so much, but she had no time to think about that. The Pirate Hunter's attack speed doubled, forcing the marine into a constant state of defense. Behind them, Gin had knocked all of his own opponents unconscious.

Zoro backed her into a wall, disarming her and stabbing the brick next to her head. They stared into each other's eyes, one with hate and fear, the other, subdued confusion and arrogance with a hint of pain. Tashigi's sword clattered to the ground a few feet away.

"I hate to disappoint," Zoro began, "but you'll never get this sword from me." He sheathed his blades and made to leave.

"Why didn't you kill me?" Tashigi growled. "Is it because I'm a woman? That just because I'm physically weaker than you, I'm not worth the effort?"

"Shut up!" Zoro snapped, silencing her. "You look like my rival who died many years ago, ok? You look like her and now you're talking like her, too! It's bringing up memories I'd rather not see, so just back off!" The marine was speechless. "Besides, Luffy has a rule about killing. Let's go, Gin."

"Aye," the other man responded. They ran off, leaving the Sergeant Major to fall to her knees in defeat.

(Meanwhile)

"I see the harbor!" Luffy cheered.

"Not so fast," Smoker ordered, materializing in front of them. "You can't leave until you beat me."

"Really?" Luffy questioned. "Sanji, go on ahead. I'll catch up later."

"No you won't. This will be the end of you, Straw Hat Luffy." Luffy faced his enemy as Sanji darted around. The rubber-man jumped forward, punching at the Marine Captain. Smoker responded by turning his body into smoke and grabbing the teen.

"What is this?!" Luffy yelled.

"I ate the Plume-Plume Fruit," Smoker provided, slamming the black-haired pirate into the ground. "I'm made of smoke now." He threw Luffy over his shoulder. The pirate did not move. "What's wrong? Done already?"

Luffy pulled himself up. He thrust his arms forward multiple times, attacking with a cry of "Gum-Gum Gatling!" His fists rained down on the marine, but his attacks did nothing.

"Smokescreen!" Smoker shouted, pinning Luffy to the building behind him. "You're not worth 30 million," the marine taunted. Smoker went for his jutte to finish the rubber-man off, but the hand of a man hidden by green cloak stopped him. All movement froze as lightning struck in the distance, illuminating the red tattoo design on the right side of the man's face. "Great," Smoker smirked. "Now the government can have your head, too."

"The world is still waiting for our answer," the man said mysteriously. A heavy wind with a green tint filled the streets, blowing Smoker away and Luffy, as well as Zoro and Gin, to the docks.

"Luffy!" Nami shouted from the ship, the caravel a fair distance from the shore. Luffy could barely hear her, but it was enough the roughly know her location.

"Stay there," Luffy told the other men on the shore. "I've got this." He ran back, stretching his arms out to grab the corners of the street. The pirate lined himself up with his two crewmembers and the Going Merry before jumping and snapping forward. "Gum-Gum Rocket!"

"Oh damn," Zoro cursed just before impact.

They blasted forward, much to Zoro and Gin's chagrin. Usopp threw a lasso at them, pulling them down to the deck. Luffy ended up falling on Nami, but he just pecked her on the lips before getting up, much like she had when leaving Cocoyashi. The crew sailed until the light of a lighthouse showed through the darkness.

"That's it," Nami told them with a laugh. "The entrance to the Grand Line is somewhere up ahead."

"This is it!" Luffy exclaimed, placing his foot on an extra barrel. "I'm gonna be the King of the Pirates!"

Sanji followed. "I'm going to find the All Blue!"

"To be the world's greatest swordsman!"

"To draw a map of the whole world!"

"To overcome my fear of that sea and reach its end!" Gin nodded.

"The be a brave warrior of the sea!"

"To see Luffy achieve his dream!" Coby added.

"YEAH!" they all cheered, smashing the barrel.

End of Chapter 18

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-SwordOfTheGods