The Siren Seamstress (One Piece X OC)

🏴‍☠️️[16] Syrup Village Arc ~ {8}🏴‍☠️️

🏴‍☠️️Ch.16: Usopp Pirates' First Real Task! Flee the Hypnotist! Rumble in the Forest!🏴‍☠️️

Richie keeps up a steady pace, putting as much distance as he possibly can between the hypnotist and his given charges. However, a lion of great size such as him doesn't weave as quickly or gracefully through the thick woods as he would like. But he'll take what he can get.

"Onion, is that weird hypnotist guy still behind us?!" Pepper calls back to his friend who was at the rear of the group on Richie's back.

The roundest of the three looks over his shoulder, still clinging to Richie's fur. "I don't know, I can't see him anymore. Let's make sure and lose him for good, Mr. Lion!"

"There's no way that nut job could catch up to us in our own forest!" Carrot grins.

"Don't you worry, Miss Kaya! The Usopp Pirates are gonna keep you safe and sound!" States Onion.

"That's right! The Usopp Pirates stand by their word!" Pepper declares.

Despite clutching at the brewing pain in her chest, Kaya smiles with as much energy as she can muster.

"Thank you so much."

But their touching moment is cut off as Richie suddenly stumbles, nearly knocking them all off, but manages to catch himself, followed by several trees suddenly being cut down.

Two shimmering rings cut through the air before returning to their owner's hands.

Jango works smarter, rather than harder, cutting through the forest with his chakrams to make a smoother path for himself.

"Well, they're not there." Jango hums to himself. He's about ready to move on, but his eyes catch something. A bit of red against the green of the grass. "Or maybe they were..."

"Fools, I'm coming to get you! Do you really think you can run for me?!" He calls out into the forest now that he's got a trail to follow.

Richie is forcibly slowed down, much to the confusion of Kaya and the Usopp Pirates.

"Mr. Lion, why are you stopping?!" Carrot exclaims.

At that moment, Richie's back legs give out, forcibly rolling his charges off his backside.

After being unceremoniously tossed off the wildcat's back, Pepper is the first to note red stains against the light-green fur of his back legs.

"He's hurt!"

"Oh, no!" Carrot exclaims.

Richie shakes his head at their concerns and tries to stand, but the cut to his legs are deeper than he thought. The added pressure from his attempts to stand only cause the red stains to nearly coat the entirety of his hind legs to his toes.

"Please, stop! You're only going to hurt yourself more!" Kaya pleads.

The Usopp Pirates peek their heads over the trunk of one of the fallen trees to gauge their pursuer's distance.

"We can do this the easy way, or I could just level this entire forest!"

Jango looks around, but doesn't appear to have spotted them. The blood trail from Richie's injuries must have spaced too far apart that he can't see the next marker.

"Whoa! That guy is really mad." Carrot notes.

"And he can do a lot more than just hypnotize people!" Pepper adds.

The Usopp Pirates then quickly duck back down behind the tree's trunk as Jango makes their way over to them. Richie squeezes himself down as flat as possible, using his front paws to hold down his fluffy, purple mane.