Straw Hat Luffy: The Black Fist

Chapter 46: The Mountain

AN:

We're back with another one! I hope everyone is having a good start to the new year! Not much to say about this chapter other than it's a little bit of a tease, lol. You'll get it when you read. As always I love hearing what you guys think about the chapters and any interesting ideas you have for the story so let me know what you think!

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Chapter 46: The Mountain

"GET BACK TO THE SHIP, GUYS! IT'S TIME TO GO TO THE GRANDLINE!", Luffy screamed through his cupped hands. It seemed that his words reached their recipients because each one of his crew members immediately began to push their way through the crowd and in the direction of the central entrance.

The straw-hatted pirate captain wasted no time in launching himself off the platform, the many eyes in the people below watching him as he sailed through the air in pursuit of his friends. A small circle of open space formed when several of them realized he would be landing and his feet smacked into the wet concrete, eyes shifting through those surrounding him. Why the heck was everyone looking at him like that?... He shook his head and smiled. It didn't really matter. The Grandline awaited.

Just before the teen went to start pushing through the densely packed bodies, something strange happened and he immediately halted in place, two translucent green walls appearing on either side of him. His head wildly shifted between the two strange happenings and he had to hold in his laughter at all the yelling faces squished onto the opposite sides of the glass-like material. His eyes turned to stars. What the heck even were those things?...

"M- Mi- Mista Luffy i- it's... It's an honor.", Bartolomeo managed to stutter out. He was right there... He was actually right there in front of him... He could barely believe it... He quickly brushed away enough of his awe to point toward the central entrance, "A- As ya can see, I... I, uh... I cleared the way for ya.".

The stars vanished from Luffy's eyes and he turned to the person standing in the middle of the newly created pathway, unable to help himself when his gaze locked to the man's bright green hair... It looked kinda like that thing on the top of a rooster's head... And why the heck was he holding his arms like that? A laugh rose to the boy's lips and he shook the thoughts away, his feet beginning to carry him toward his little helper. In the blink of an eye, he was sprinting past him and his palm smacked into the man's back. "Thanks, Rooster Guy!", he exclaimed, hand coming up in a salute, "Those glass thingys are really cool!"

As soon as the teen's hand touched Barto's back a squeaky scream left his lips and he immediately fell to his knees... He... He... He touched him... His head dropped back and he looked up to the cloudy sky, tears of joy falling from the corners of his eyes. "... This... This... This is... THIS IS THE BEST DAY OF MY LIFE!", the mob boss cried to the heavens.

Luffy's loud laughter echoed through the stormy air and he turned away from the funny guy who'd helped him out, sandals splashing through the many puddles on the ground. His gaze landed on the exit in his path and he pushed his legs to move even faster. However, just when he made to pass through to the city, he skid to a stop, a cloaked figure slamming into the ground in front of him.

"You... You flashy bastard.", came the pained voice from underneath the hood of the cloak. He lifted his hands to show them to the object of his ire, moaning when he made to extend the digits. "Look...", the hood of the cloak fell from the shoulders of the man wearing it, and his clown-like face was revealed, "LOOK AT WHAT YOU DID TO MY DAMN HANDS!".

The straw-hatted teen stared at the man strangely for a moment. Did he know him? He felt like he'd seen him somewhere before but for the life of him, he couldn't remember... His eyes found the large red nose taking up a majority of the pirate's face and they widened in recognition, "Big Nose! It's you!".