Talking: "Gimme meat!"

Thinking: "Are they going to give me meat yet?"
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I do not own One Piece

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An Unexpected Ally

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It stirred. An unfamiliar grip was holding It, and the intent seemed malicious.

Whoever it was, they were not one of the Trusted. Not someone that Wearer had faith in. Nor was it the Holder reclaiming It, however temporarily. Wearer was not worthy of that yet.

The hand might belong to an enemy then, and It knew how to deal with that.

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"Now do you understand, weakling?" grounded out Kaidou as he stood over the beaten body of Monkey D. Luffy. "You thought you were all that, but I? I am Kaidou!"

Struggling, Luffy pushed himself to his feet, knowing that the fate of Wano, his friends, his Crew depended upon him winning.
"I admit," Kaidou went on a little distracted from the ringing in his ears from the concussion, "you did better than I thought. Actually hurting me, but now it's over. I think I'll start by killing your Crew," and with that he walked right past Luffy towards his downed Nakama, "and I'll do it like this," Kaidou added cruelly as put Luffy's signature Hat on his horned head.

"GRAAAAAAAAH!"

The remaining fighting all over halted at the scream of agony that shattered rocks and sent everyone around flying, and all turned to see the Emperor Kaidou frozen in a rictus of pain. Veins throbbed all over his body as it turned red, steam coming off. Falling to his knees, he tried to raise a hand to his head, but the limb just fell off with a 'Plop.'

The end of the arm was twisted and melted as it fell, hissing as it hit the ground.
Within moments the rest of the man had dissolved and only a gruesome puddle remained.

In the center of it all, untouched, was an old straw hat.

"Huh, didn't know it could do that," a blinking Luffy said, before stretching out his arm to grab it. "Pretty cool though," and then heedlessly plopped it onto his head. "Alright! Who's next!?" he yelled, perfectly unscathed.

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Wearer was back now. That was good. Now It could rest again as It waited for Wearer to meet Holder and then go to Raftel. It had waited over twenty-years since last Wearer had died, and It could wait a little longer.

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"Is that the real reason they call him 'Straw Hat' Luffy?" the soon-to-be-shogun Momonosuke asked Kin'emon.

"I guess so, my Lord," the battered samurai murmured.

"Right, so, no one act surprised, pretend we expected this to happen," Sanji whispered out of the side of his mouth.

"And try not to wonder why we haven't ever had that happen to us," Robin added.

"Robin!"

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Author Notes:
For the record, the "Holder" is Shanks since he was holding onto the Hat until someone worthy came along.

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