Straw Hat's Guardian

Chapter Eleven: Becoming Stronger! Lambo Takes a Stand!

~

'What makes a person strong?'

'Hn?'

Fourteen-year-old Lambo stood next to the resting figure, his eyes hidden in the shadows casted by the long bangs of his unruly hair.

'It's been several years, why ask now?'

The teen's body tensed, his hand's clenched into fists, and his body began to shake from how tightly wound up it is. The stared at Lambo before deciding not to comment about his unaswered question.

'Being strong comes in many ways.', the man said thoughtfully.

The man sighed, thinking over his next words carefully, knowing that, one day, now or later, this kid will remember every single one. If he would look back to them or follow them in the future depends on him.

~

"KAYAAA!!"

Lambo's eye's snapped open, green lightning already flaring around his body instinctually, he moved without barely even comprehending the scene before him.

The butler with gloves that had sword blades attached at the end of the fingers, was preparing to strike.

Kaya, the sickly girl, rushing behind him.

And Usopp, rushing forward to take the blow meant for the frail girl.

Not on his watch.

'Being strong means to have the will to fight for others, wither it's those close to you or some stranger you have never met in your life.'

The sound of a thunderclap echoed across the slope.

Usopp was in front of Kaya, but the both ended up flying to the side, Lambo standing there in their place.

The lightning flared causing Kuro to lean back and pull away from his strike in order to avoid the wild electricity, Lambo had his arm raised. He received four painful diagonal slashes on his arm, two on his bicep and two on his fore arm, but it wasn't deep enough to cut through the muscle, much less the arm itself. Funny enough, for someone revered for how strong he was, there were as deep as when he would get a playful/accidental scratch when playing with a dog, usually strays.

If Kuro didn't try to dodge Lambo's lightning, his strike would have had more length and strength behind it, and Lambo would have lost an arm.

That didn't mean it didn't hurt like hell, unlike with a dog, these scratches burned.

Lambo's breath hitched as he clutched tightly to his arm, quietly grunting and gritting his teeth through the pain.

He looked behind him to see Usopp and Kaya laying a few feet away, Usopp laying on top of her, acting like a human shield. Both were unharmed. Kuro stared at the pair in shock as well, not even acknowledging Lambo's presence.

Which Lambo will forever be grateful for, because it was most likely the reason why he was still alive at the moment.

Kuro stared, a bewildered look on his face, before it hardened and he straightened to his full height. Kaya managed to crawl out from underneath Usopp, who must have aggravated his own injuries in order to help save her.

Kuro took a step forward towards the pair, but Lambo stepped in his way, eyes hard, shaking his head defiantly. The butler's eye narrowed, but he made no other move towards the two friends.

"Usopp, are you okay?", Kaya asked worriedly before turning to Lambo, "What about you?"

Lambo just stared at her, unsure on how to feel about her, but remembered her when he went after Usopp yesterday, she seemed to have recognized him too.