CH 56

"R-right." she said before Ippon told them all to wait before running to the backroom and coming back with another sword.

"This is Yubashiri." he said. "Our shop is small, but it's the best blade I have."

"I can't afford it." Zoro said.

"Take it and the Kitetsu, free of charge." Ippon said. "It's my way of apologizing for trying to cheat a real swordsman." he said. Johnny and Yosaku bought themselves some swords with their own money before leaving to follow Zoro.

"Who was that guy?" Tashigi asked as Ippon's wife told him to take out the garbage.

()()()()

Nami and Nojiko were walking through town with some shopping bags before Nami stopped.

"What's wrong Nami?" Nojiko asked as she stopped and looked at her. "Why'd you really come along?" Nami asked. They looked at each other before Nojiko smiled.

"Truth be told, I don't know." she said. "Something in me said to go with you guys. That's all." she said. It was true that whatever it was, she wanted to go along as well.

"That's it?" Nami said.

"That's it." Nojiko said before she started walking again. Nami followed as the wind picked up a bit. "You sure there's a storm coming?" Nojiko asked as she looked up at the blue sky.

"Yeah. A big one too." Nami said.

()()()()

Gin was walking through town, just minding his own as he was lost in thought.

'Back to the Grand Line.' he thought with a grim look. 'I must be crazy. One week and that Hawk-eye bastard destroyed Krieg's whole fleet. And there are six more like him.' He sighed as he looked to the sky. 'I won't deny it. I'm terrified to go back. Yet that kid sounds like going there is like having a picnic. I just hope he knows what he's doing.' He kept walking, even though he noticed a group of 20 people carrying blades and guns were slowly surrounding him. He stopped when they left him with nowhere to run.

"Remember us?" one of them asked as the others had mixed expressions from crazed to angry.

"Not really." Gin said in a bored tone.

"You should! We're all thats left from pirate crews that your Captain destroyed!" another shouted.

"Don Krieg robbed us of our dreams of going to the Grand Line to find the One Piece!" one more shouted. At the mention of Don Krieg, spectators around them began to talk in silent whispers of fear. "What does that have to do with me?" Gin asked. "I'm not a Krieg pirate anymore."

"Is that so?" said a tall man with a blade in his hand. He had on gray jeans, blue shirt, orange hair that was buzzed, and black shoes. "You were under his rule when you attacked us, so we'll kill you first before we find and kill Krieg!" He then ran towards Gin, who didn't move from his spot.

"Moron." Gin mumbled before he dodged the attack and elbowed him in his ribs, crushing them before the guy fell down in pain. He then took out his tonfa before spinning one around and grinning. "Who's next?"

"GET HIM!" one of them shouted before they all ran at him. One ran ahead and attempted to lob Gin's head off, but Gin ducked before slamming his tonfa into his back. One managed to knick his face, but that only got his face smashed in. One by one, Gin took them all out before looking at them all and breathing a bit heavily.

"Thanks for the exercise." Gin said before he put away his tonfa and starting walking on. He kept walking even with the spectators looking at him in fear. "Stop staring at me." he said, causing them all to freak out and hide. All except a few men under some cloaks.

"Hey you." one of them asked.

"Now what?" Gin asked, clearly annoyed that he couldn't get a moment to think. "If you're here for a fight, you'd better reconsider."

"Nah, we have no beef with you." another said. "We're looking for a guy with a straw hat. You seen this guy?" he asked before bringing up Luffy's wanted poster. Gin looked at them with narrowed eyes.

"What do you want with that kid?" he asked.

"Our captain wants him dead, so we're looking for him." another said before they all smirked under their cloaks, unaware that Gin was going for his tonfas. ()()()()

After a few close calls, and a few encounters with Smoker, Luffy was finally on top of the execution and was staring around. "I missed this view." Luffy said as a bunch of people were looking up at Luffy.

"Hey you!" yelled an officer with a loudspeaker. "Get down from there!"

"Why?" Luffy asked.

"That platform is property of the World Government! Get down from there now!" he yelled.

"Say the magic word!" Luffy called back with a smile.

"NOW! BEFORE I ARREST YOU!" he screamed, clearly losing his patience with Luffy before being knocked out by an iron mace.

"Long time no see Luffy." said the woman with the mace who was now looking up at Luffy. "I've been looking for you." When Luffy looked down at her, that strange feeling hit him again, although it was tiny and very different from when he looked at Nami.

"Hi." Luffy said. "Who are you?" He thought hard trying to remember her, but was having trouble remembering.

"That's rude." she said. "You're telling me you don't remember this face?"

"I'm trying to remember." he said.

"Well, I remember you Luffy." she said. "You're the first man to have ever struck me."

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