Chapter 7: East Blue Arc: Epic Showdown! Swordsman Zoro vs. Acrobat Cabaji!

"Straw Hat?" Buggy echoed, Luffy releasing the captive hand. "How dare you just come waltzing back here, to Captain Buggy?"

"Listen, all I want is the map and the treasure." Nami reminded.

"Young'uns, why are you here?" Boodle muttered. "Stay out of this. You're outsiders. This is my fight. I will protect my town. I don't need your meddling." he retrieved the wooden stick.

"Excuse me." Sasha mumbled, knocking Boodle unconscious with a chop to the back of the aged mayor's neck.

"Why did you attack the mayor?" Nami exclaimed.

"Good thinking." Zoro noted. "No doubt this old man plans to die otherwise. This is for the best."

"Alright, here goes." Luffy walked towards Buggy. "Big Nose!" he shouted.

"Damn you, you flashy idiot!" Buggy growled. "How dare you... flashily fire the Buggy Ball!" he ordered. "Time to blow up!"

"That won't work on me." Luffy grinned. "Gum-Gum Balloon!" he inflated his stomach to bounce the cannonball off.

"Say something beforehand, geez." Zoro muttered.

"Alright, now there are fewer enemies." Luffy beamed.

"You really know how to freak people out." Zoro remarked.

"Tell me about it." Sasha sighed.

"How dare you flashily try to do me in..." Buggy hissed, having used two of his subordinates to shield himself from the blast.

"You!" Mohji exclaimed, emerging from the rubble and spotting Luffy. "Captain Buggy, be careful!" he warned. "He has Devil Fruit powers too. He's a rubber person."

"A Devil Fruit..." Buggy noted. "That explains how he bounced a Buggy Ball back."

"This is the greatest insult we've had since we hoisted our flag." Cabaji remarked, emerging from the rubble, having use Richie as a shield. "Captain."

"Oh, Cabaji." Buggy looked at his swordsman. "I'm so angry I can't even fart."

"Captain Buggy," Cabaji voiced. "Please leave this to me."

"Alright." Buggy gave the go-ahead. "Show them your acrobat show."

"I, Acrobat Cabaji," Cabaji jumped over Buggy's head and landed on his unicycle. "Chief of Staff,, take on Captain Buggy's anger." he promised, cycling towards Luffy.

"I'll clash swords with you." Zoro jumped in, blocking the sword.

"It's an honor, Roronoa Zoro." Cabaji remarked. "To think I would get to slay you, as a swordsman myself."

"Hey, Zoro." Luffy stated. "You should really rest. I'll handle this."

"Stay out of this." Zoro growled.

"Zoro," Sasha voiced. "Remember what I told you about Haki."

"Roger." Zoro nodded.

That's the stab wound the Captain gave him. Cabaji smirked, noticing Zoro's bandaged waist. The fool... "Acrobat Technique: Old Man Arsonist!" he spat out a stream of fire right in Zoro's face and took the opening to kick the still healing wound. "What's wrong?" he mocked. "I'm sure I didn't kick you that hard."

"He fights dirty." Nami snapped. "Going after his injury like that."

"Acrobat Technique: Murder of the Steam Bath!" Cabaji continued his attack, swirling his sword to churn up the dust.

"Acrobat technique, my ass." Zoro growled. "That's just an ordinary dust of cloud." blocking Cabaji's blade with his crossed swords. Cabaji took the chance to kick the wound again, only to have his foot deflected by an invisible barrier.

"Roronoa Zoro," Cabaji stated, confident of his victory. "Is defeated!" he readied his next assault.

"Annoying bastard." Zoro hissed. "Is poking my wound that much fun?" he let Cabaji slash the bandage. "Is that enough of a handicap for you? Now I'll show you the difference in level between you and me."

"So this is Roronoa Zoro, huh?" Cabaji stepped up to the challenge. "You think you can mock me..."

"My swords aim to be the world's greatest." Zoro replied. "I can't lose even once to someone who calls himself a swordsman."

"I see..." Cabaji noted. "A strong resolve keeps you going. But never fear. Wounds as bad as yours will be more than enough of an excuse for losing to me."

"The hell with that..." Zoro snorted. "If I lose to someone like you with such light injuries, I won't have much of a bright future ahead of me."

"Why, you..." Cabaji growled.

"I can't go along with this." Nami concluded. "You pirates can injure yourselves for all I care. It doesn't matter to me if you win or lose. I'm gonna use this chance to swipe their treasure and get outta here." she walked off. "Let's team up again if we ever get the chance. Good luck with the fight."

"Taste my ultimate acrobatic move." Cabaji readied for the finishing move. "Acrobatic Technique: The Dance of 100 Kamikaze Tops!" he released a flood of spinning tops at Zoro. "Acrobatic Technique: A Hike in the Mountains." he continued his attack, Zoro having sliced through the spinning tops. He rode his unicycle along the wall of a nearby building "Acrobatic Technique: Fireworks in the Cool Summer Breeze. Sting of the Unicycle!" in mid-air, he poised his sword downwards.

"Ground-hugging Chop-Chop Cannon!" Buggy shot his hand off at Zoro. "Cabaji! I'll hold Zoro down. Finish him off!"

"As you wish!" Cabaji grinned, coming in for the kill.

"Damn you guys!" Zoro cursed, dodging Cabaji's stab as Sasha pinned Buggy's flying gloved hand to the ground with a silver-bladed dagger.

"Damn you!" Buggy glared.

"Please stay out of Zoro's fight." Sasha requested.

"I can defeat you easily enough." Cabaji chuckled. "Even without my captain's help."

"Enough..." Zoro panted. "I'm tired..."

"Finally given up, have you?" Cabaji grinned. "Though I must say, I'm impressed you could still fight with such injuries."

"I'm meant I'm tired of your crappy-ass acrobatics." Zoro corrected.

"Then I'll finish you off," Cabaji swore. "With my real sword skills. Die!" he charged in.

"Onigiri!" Zoro ended the fight with his finishing move.

Cabaji!" Buggy exclaimed in shock.

"We, the Buggy Pirates, beaten by mere sneak thieves..." Cabaji muttered in disbelief.

"We ain't sneak thieves." Zoro corrected. "We're pirates." he remarked, falling to the ground. "Luffy, Sasha, I'm going to sleep now."

"Right," Luffy grinned. "We'll handle the rest."

"You guys are pirates?" Buggy mocked.

"Yeah, we're going to the Grand Line." Luffy nodded.

"That's no simple voyage nameless bums like you can handle, dimwit." Buggy chided. "What're you gonna do in the Grand Line, anyway? Go on a sightseeing trip or something?"

"Become the King of the Pirates." Luffy declared.

"Get real, you flashy idiot!" Buggy snapped. "You, King of the Pirates? Would that make me God, then? I'm gonna be King of the Pirates and obtain this world's treasures. Quit your dreaming!"

"You're annoying." Luffy remarked, Sasha having released Buggy's hand earlier. "Just bring it on already!"

"Seeing that straw hat of yours brings back memories of him and irritates me." Buggy brought out his knives. "Memories of that damn cheeky red-haired man."

"Does that mean you know Shanks?" Luffy asked.

"Yeah," Buggy nodded. "But why? I ain't nice enough of a guy to just tell you what you wanna know."

"Then, I'll make you tell me." Luffy readied his fist.

"I'll kill you before that happens." Buggy chuckled. "I doubt rubber can bounce back blades. Chop-chop Rice Crackers." he tossed his knives. "Can't move in midair, can you?" he taunted, Luffy jumping up to dodge the flying daggers.

"Can too!" Luffy grinned, stretching out his hand to grip a pillar and move himself out of the way of the flying blades.

"Quite interesting." Buggy noted, the lower half of his body flying back.

"Gum-Gum Pistol!" Luffy let his fist fly.

"Those are interesting abilities, but they leave you wide open." Buggy dodged the flying punch. "I'm gonna curve you up!"

"Gum-Gum..." Luffy came flying towards Buggy.

"Chop-Chop Quick Escape!"

"Sickle!" Luffy was sent crashing into a house, his punch missing Buggy's detached head.

"Not good enough, Gum-Gum." Buggy mocked, his head reattaching back onto his neck.

"Damn, you keep breaking into pieces." Luffy chided, freeing himself from the rubble.

"Chop-Chop Cannon!" Buggy let his knives-equipped hand fly towards Luffy. "Separate." he instructed, Luffy stopping the hand with his bare hands. "Well?" he taunted, Luffy was sent to the ground as the hand shot past him, "Now do you see, runt?"

"You bastard!" Luffy snapped.

"Was I not supposed to scratch your face or something?" Buggy mocked.

"Uh oh..." Sasha muttered, seeing the cut in the straw hat brim. "He really shouldn't have done that."

"How dare you damage this hat!" Luffy growled. "This is my treasure! Whoever damages this hat absolutely must pay!"

"It would seem that this hat has a history to it." Buggy noted. "IS that an important a hat?" he raised his floating hand and tossed a knife at Luffy, forcing him to dodge the strike. "If so, then protect it better!" the gloved hand then shot into the hat, the still attached knives stabbing the hat's crown.

"This is going to be a slaughter." Sasha predicted as she worked on closing Zoro's reopened wound.

"How is this old, tattered hat a treasure?" Buggy wondered, his hand flying back to him. "Treasure refer to sparky gold, silver and jewels that display their owner's grandeur. You call this filthy hat a treasure? Cut the crap."

"That's the hat Shanks and I swore over!" Luffy hissed.

"Meaning this is Shanks' hat?" Buggy blinked. "No wonder it seemed familiar." he tossed the hat on the ground. "He always wore this by my side. That damn detestable red-haired bastard!" he stomped on the hat.

"Shanks is a great man!" Luffy shouted, rushing over.

"Chop-Chop Quick Escape!" Buggy detached his head as Luffy slammed an enraged kick into his stomach.

"How dare you tear up my treasure?" Luffy glared.