Straw Hat Luffy: The Black Fist

Chapter 30: Defeat

AN:

This one felt really good to write! I hope you all enjoy it! Some of the dialogue used in this chapter is pulled directly from the OP manga, chapters 51 and 52 if any of you are curious. I wanted it to have a similar feeling as the manga but also differ in ways, and I feel like I hit the right spot, but who knows?

Let me know what you think! Without further ado, here's chapter 30.

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Chapter 30: Defeat

"I wanna fight that guy.", Zoro said, looking at his captain while he pointed at the approaching ship. He turned back and eyed the man sitting in it.

Luffy turned to the water and took another glance at the vessel. Now that it was closer, his sharp eyes allowed him to get a look at the figure sailing it and he examined the person closely, wondering why it was Zoro would want to fight him. The boy's vision was met with a man sitting in his ship's only seat with one leg crossed over the other, his hands clasped and resting on his knee. His black hair was covered by a similarly colored wide-brimmed hat that was adorned with a single fluffy white plume.

Luffy's gaze shifted lower, finding a pair of piercing amber eyes that almost looked like they were staring right back at him... It made him feel a little uncomfortable and he wasn't exactly sure why... Below the man's eyes was a sharp aristocratic face with a strong jawline, both slightly covered by a styled mustache and beard. The teen went to get a closer look at what he was wearing, but his attention was caught by the massive sword leaning on the armrest of his chair... That thing was way too cool... It was huge!

It surpassed the size of any normal sword and instead of the steel being silver, its surface was clad in a deep black. Its massive T-shaped cross guard was a bright gold, adorned with several jewels in various different places, and the hilt was covered in white wrappings, a large round sapphire taking the place of its pommel.

"So?", Zoro asked. For some reason, the closer the boat got, the stronger the feeling running down his spine became. That blade... He'd never seen a black one before... This was him, the swordsman from Gin's story, he just knew it. And he was strong... He had Gin's words to go by, sure, but now that he was actually seeing him... He could just tell.

Luffy reluctantly pulled his eyes away from the awesome sword and turned to his first mate. He went to answer, but something stopped him and he gazed back out to the approaching boat. He stared for a moment before turning back to Zoro. "You're sure?", he asked. He wasn't going to stop him but... That guy was strong... His instincts were screaming at him to not let his first mate challenge the man but he roughly quashed them. If Zoro wanted to fight he'd let him fight.

The verdet didn't hesitate to answer, his eyes eagerly continuing to watch the boat approach, "I'm sure.".

The straw-hatted pirate captain sighed. He'd seen that look before and immediately knew his first mate's mind was made up. "Yeah, sure. Do what you want.", he replied, turning to hop back up to the deck of the Merry. He imagined watching from there might be a little safer... "But, Zoro...", he said over his shoulder.

"I know.", the swordsman interrupted. He turned and sent a grin in his captain's direction, "Don't worry, Captain.", he faced the sea once again, his eyes meeting the amber of his soon-to-be opponent's while he removed the green bandana tied on his arm , "I won't die.".

The words were apparently satisfactory because Luffy turned away and jumped up to the deck of the Merry, leaning over the railing to watch the coming clash. He couldn't lie... He was a LITTLE excited. He loved watching Zoro fight and it looked like he'd be going all out. He glanced back at the Baratie... Hopefully, no harm came to the restaurant...