Hellbound

Session I

Ocean Blues

((Before I even start typing, I must inform you of something, my humble audience. This is not a happy tale. It is not about a young happy-go-lucky Pirate searching for the second version of One Piece. This is not about Zoro confessing that he secretly loves Ebony Dark'ness Dementia Raven Way. This story might be set in One Piece, but don't expect many happy moments beyond the first part of this very first chapter. You have been warned. It is set in an alternate universe, due to nobody except Oda knowing how the real story is going to end. Needless to say, things didn't go well for anybody there, either. You have been warned...))

A rather large ship rolled on through a clear, pristine ocean. A slight breeze blew in the wind. The calm before the storm. Along the side of the ship, in large Italic letters read The Spirit of Radio, the name of the ship. The mood above it was apprehensive for all but six of the people on board the stolen, renamed Man-O-War. These six were the main people in what had turned into a crew of 'Pirates', named as such only because no other word quite fitted that band of misfits. These six people had inadvertently started a revolution. Not for personal gain, not for glory or for profit. It had been started because their reluctant leader had caused tensions that had been sitting at a boiling point between the government and it's citizens to finally spew into small-scale conflicts. None of them cared about that...this was the day they had each been waiting for since they had met their leader. Since they had met Musashi Kuros. The lad himself, yes lad, was a boy of only fifteen, yet one look at his draconic, deep-set eyes would make someone mistake him for a man much older, though not for his height. He was the shortest person on the ship, standing only an inch above an even five feet. Around his waist were two gunbelts, each holding rounds of ammunition and two revolvers, the last two ever made by a master gunsmith from a far away land. Not only that, they were dear to him, dear beyond words. He was dressed in a black, open jacket with a white button-up shirt underneath it, with matching pants. Over that he wore a bandolier, filled to the brim with Ammunition for a bolt-action rifle on his back. Musashi walked the deck of the ship, checking what members of his 'crew' were doing. Some were getting ready for battle, adjusting the cannons, cleaning rifles, that sort of thing. Others were eating, drinking in silence. It was when he was around the front of his ship that he was ambushed by the other five 'important' members of his crew, all alongside one another, directly opposite him.

"The fuck do you misfits want?" he said. There was no malice or spite in his tone anymore, just his usual greetings.

The five looked around at each other, before the second-largest of them said "So...who wants to go first?" he had a broad, square face and short black hair. Muscles lined his body beneath lightweight armor, with a massive sword hanging from his back in a loose sheath. "Nobody? Well geez, fine give us some privacy for a bit." he said, taking a flask from under a red cloak and taking a gulp of the liquor inside. The others backed off for a bit, each thinking out what they were going to say. As for the large fellow, he said "Well, looks like this is it."

"If that sorry motherfucker doesn't pull anymore tricks out of his ass, yeah it is." Musashi said. This man had been his closest friend from the moment they stopped trying to kill one another, and like most men they had trouble putting their feelings into words.

"Look, I'll keep this short because we both know I'm not the best with words. You helped me out when you had absolutely no reason too. You saved me from a life of guarding movie sets and gave me a reason to fight for once. But most of all...you're the best friend I've ever had Musashi, so do me a favor and make sure to leave the bar intact when you're done fighting that bastard and his armada. I hear Fighter's Isle has some tasty booze." he said, his voice deep, the words coming out slowly. He wasn't unintelligent, but he was more of a man of action than a talker. He walked off, and the largest member of the crew floated, yes, floated over to Musashi.

Beneath a large, hooded black cloak that covered his entire face was a skull, and at the bottom of that cloak was what appeared to be the end of a spine. On his back was a perpetually still scythe. One could call him a floating Grim Reaper...because that's exactly what he was. "This's it boss." he said in what sounded like what we of our world would call a New York accent, "The final curtain. The last fifteen minutes of Die Hard! The last hour of Dragon Age. If you can kill Drak'Hul by making him fall off of the roof of the tallest building in Las Angeles via Rolex watch, I'll get you on the express line into heaven when you finally bite the bucket. Do get out there. And Don't. Fear. The. Reaper!" he said, breaking the fourth wall and making movie references left and right like a badass. "And SAVE SOME FOR ME! WHEN WE'RE DONE WITH HIS FLEET, I WANNA HAVE SOME FUN TOO!" the reaper screamed whilst floating away.

"I swear Diamond...if you ever start making fucking sense then I'll be able to make fun of you properly." Musashi said, a rare smile crossing his face. He never looked crazier than when he smiled. He put his hands in his pockets as the third member of his ensemble stepped forward, a woman, prematurely grey. She was in her mid forties, although Musashi had never found out her exact age. One of her arms was completely barren of protection, a long red tattoo running down her arm to her fingers. Her sword arm. The other arm was garbed in an iron plating that was laced on, light leather underneath that. It ran the length of her right arm, up to her shoulders, both of which were protected by shoulderplates, stopping just short of the start of her swordarm.

"My boy," the woman began to say, her voice befitting a grandmother more than a swordswoman, "I asked you once when I agreed to join your crew, and now I will ask again, Why do you wish to confront Gol Drak'Hul?" she asked, giving him a chance to speak for once.

For once, Musashi thought long and carefully about his words, and he could see that the others were listening. He closed his eyes, drawing in breath and exhaling slowly. "Once I would have said revenge...but it is not revenge that drives me any longer." he said, and that was that. "In other words...wait a little bit and you'll get to hear me tell him, Arianna."

The old woman smiled, patting Musashi on the shoulder. He could see all the scars from her numerous battles, old vendettas much like his and simple challenges over honor. He was a vagabond, a cutthroat, a thief, but she...she was a warrior, and he counted her amongst the most formidable of his crew. "Out of the many people I have fought alongside, I can say without a shadow of a doubt that it is you I am most proud to stand with. Go fight your battle...and do check to make sure your socks are clean." she added with a wag, before walking off to join Diamond and Trias.

There were only two more people left that wanted to speak with him...Richard and her. Richard came first, luckily, striding over with his refined walk. He wasn't high and mighty, if anything, the only person on the crew who fought dirtier would be Musashi himself. His usual walking cane was tucked neatly under his arm. "Kuros, Kuros, Kuros...who ever thought that we'd end up here, fighting Gol Drak'Hul together? The mobster and the misfit. Your plan is utterly crazy...and that's what I like about it. The only thing I don't like is the whole you and me versus Drak'Hul part. But we can work that out later. There'd better be some profit in this, dammit. But right now I think Miss Ricketts would like a word with you, and I don't want to be in the way when cupid shoots the final arrow." Richard said, before turning away and walking to another corner of the deck, sitting and waiting for the show that was about to start.

And there she was, Eva Ricketts, a girl about two years older than Musashi, and many, many times smarter than most of the rest of the crew put together. She stood around five four, taller than Musashi by three inches, and stopped in front of him. She pushed her long, bushy brown hair out of her face, saying "So...this is it,"

"Guess it is, Eva." Musashi responded, both of them moving slightly closer to one another.

"Well then, I just want to say something before you and Richard head out."

"Alright..."
"Well...look...I...I know what happened, between you and Gol Drak'Hul. I know you always try and act like you're every bit as bad as him, if not worse. I know you try and act cruel to us, yet you're always saving us when otherwise we'd have suffered horrible fates. I'd be dead without you, Musashi...I think I understand what it is that makes you better than him. What makes you a better person...a better man than him. You have a heart, and even though you don't like people to notice it, there is a lot of good in you. You are our captain...my Captain. You've led us through countless trials, and I feel happiest when close to you. If you die today...that is to say...you stop living...if your heart stops beating..."

"I fuckin' know what dying means." they were a foot from one another.

Eva put her hand on his cheeks, grabbing them softly with her palm. "Don't say that word."

And then, just like that, they rushed that last foot, into a tight embrace, kissing. They spent what seemed like hours in each other's arms, although in reality not two minutes had passed. Two perfect minutes. Trias coughed loudly, causing them to break apart quickly. "I hate to break up you two lovebird's first kiss, but we have an island to save." Trias said, clearly enjoying getting to say that. Diamond groaned, passing Richard a large sack of money behind him. But it wasn't just Trias, Eva, Arianna, Richard, and Diamond anymore. It was the whole, two-hundred man crew, assembled in front of Musashi.

"O CAPTAIN, MY CAPTAIN!" they all screamed in unison. Former knights, gunslingers, former marines, Shell Town refugees and more were aboard The Spirit of Radio, all saluting Musashi.

Eva and the others gave Musashi a meaningful look, as Richard moved to the front of the boat alongside Musashi. The two turned back, facing the assembled crew. "The fuck you cocksuckers looking at?" he asked, before both he and Richard turned, jumping down off of the board. Some of the newer members gasped, but those that had been there for quite a while knew what was coming next.

A great Dragon jumped up, the wind caused by it's wings causing the boat to rock. Many people had to grab onto something to steady themselves. The brilliant creature rose high into the air, but only one person was upon it's back: Richard. Musashi's zoan was amazing indeed, and he roared to the heavens before setting his sights on the island where his nemesis lay in wait...the battle had begun.

Three Years Earlier,

Akebono Island

"Kuros...KUROS!" a voice called out, jarring a sleeping Musashi from his slumber. He was twelve then, his hair not nearly as long as that of his fifteen year old self. He was in the middle of his History class, one of those that he enjoyed least of all. Really he disliked all schoolwork, as all children do.

He looked up, trying to read what was written on the school's new blackboard. They had only gotten it the previous week from a passing merchant-ship, which had made the teachers most excited, "Yeah, what d'you want?" he asked, always the angriest when he was jarred from sleep. He was having a most excellent daydream involving himself being an Admiral of the marines, defeating Pirate uprisings on the Grand Line and in the other blues. Anything to get off of boring old Akebono.

"What I want, Mister Kuros, is for you to tell us exactly why it is that they call our current era 'The Chain Age'"

"Oh not this again," Musashi said, not really wanting to repeat what he already knew, "They call this the chain age because around sixteen years ago, the World Government finally grew smart enough to realize that they needed large numbers to take down the old Pirate Lords. Soo for every one of them that was killed, twenty-thousand marines died, but with great effort the marines slowly started working their way down the log paths, executing every Pirate that they saw. With great difficulty, they finally managed to clean the Grand Line of Pirates..."

"And who, class," asked the teacher, "can name me the one pirate that is currently active in the West Blue?" he asked, moving on from Musashi without so much as a compliment.

"Isn't it...Gol Dragul?" one of the girls near the back said

"Gol Drak'Hul, Miss Eberts, but close enough. Gol Drak'Hul has been on the loose for three years now, terrorizing this sea whilst taking advantages of unrest in the New World itself. He currently holds a bounty of 75 MILLION bellis...one of the largest ever issued in this sea."

"Well why hasn't anybody tracked his ass down?" Musashi asked, sparking a murmur of laughter at the cursing.

"Because, Kuros, nobody has ever been able to find the location of his base, and fighting him out in the open is nigh suicidal. If he ever sets his eyes on an island...it's already too late most of the time

One Year Later...

There Musashi sat in the ruins of that same schoolhouse, broken and bloody, the building on fire around him. "Comon, comon you old bastard. Wake up!" he screamed, shaking the limp body of the schoolteacher.

"He's dead child...and you'll soon join him."

And One Week Before That...

Musashi found himself surrounded, not by a mysterious lackies and a disembodied voice, but by four boys his own age. "Comon, comon you useless shits, I can't practice countering unless you attack" he said, with a fierceness in his eyes. In his left hand he held a gun, a perfect replica of a real revolver, but sadly just an airsoft one. In his primary hand he held a wooden Katana, perfect for training. One of the boys looked absolutely terrified, one just looked at him with amusement, and two of them, well, two of them both wanted to and possessed the ability to kick his ass until it shined red as an Indian Sunburn. They both moved simultaneously, going to opposite sides in an attempt to confuse him and make an opening for themselves. Musashi leaned down low, launching himself forward and firing a bullet out of his left hand, from an airgun of course. It hit the poor fellow directly in the chest, knocking his breath away but otherwise unefecting him. Our pint-sized katana/gunslinger did an upward cut on the other one's chin, which would have slashed his head in two if that had been a real sword. Instead, it just gave him a bruise and served to piss him off. The one that looked afraid stepped forward, holding his wooden sword with shaking hands. Musashi stood himself straight up, walking towards the boy who was taller than he. They looked at one another, one with amusement, the other with fear. "BOO!" Musashi screamed, sending the boy running for the hills. However...this left him open to the other three, including the amused boy. Musashi found himself being beaten into submission by the three, who were all screaming the same thing.

"Say Uncle! SAY UNCLE!"

"SCREW YOU!" he screamed, his voice thick with an Akebonian(Russian so to speak) accent.

It was then that something rather odd happened. Three rocks were thrown into the air, hitting all three boys in the back of the head. They all screamed, looking around for who did that. "Oh whatever...we're done training for the day Musashi. Enjoy your bruises." one of the formidable ones said as they all tottered off.

"And what on Earth would your mother say if she saw you now?" a voice asked from behind, familiar although the accent wasn't Akebonian. We'd know it as English. Musashi looked up, seeing his father standing there were a stern, yet friendly, look on his face. His father was a formidable man himself, although he only stood around two inches shy of six feet. The people of Akebono knew him as Dr. Kuros. Musashi knew him as dad. Dr. Kuros helped Musashi to his feet, motioning for his son to walk with him.

"She'd say I shouldn't be messing around with wooden katanas and airsoft guns with older boys." he said, like he'd heard that talk a million times.

"Exactly so. I didn't buy you those so you could get beaten trying to invent a new fighting style. The world is a big place. You'll have time for as much fighting as you want when you're all grown up." he said, patting his son, who was still holding his toy weapons.

"But the Admirals, they didn't get to where they were by fighting with some conventional fighting styles. Those'd be too easy to read by up and coming Pirates!" Musashi said, making a good point.

"Keep in mind son, the last three sets of Admirals have all had Logias. And the only way you'd get me to go up against a logia would be if one's user was threatening your life."

"Well, I still want to be grown up so I can have my shot." he said with a pout.

"Son," his father began, crouching down and looking at him directly in the eye, "I said it not a minute ago and I'll say it again now. The world is a big place, and being grown up is not as nearly as much fun as it looks. Enjoy your childhood while it lasts...I won't be around to hold your hand forever." Dr. Kuros finished. That last part...there was a great deal of sadness in the way his Father said that part.

Eight days later...

"NO!" Musashi screamed, his voice bloodcurdling, full of anguish and despair. "WHAT. THE. HELL?" he screamed, digging his hands into the dirt. Around him was nothing but ruins of what was once homes, familiar homes. He curled up into a ball, unable to think coherently. He was utterly alone in the world, with nowhere to go and only the bleakness of reality that reared it's ugly head whenever he opened his eyes and the feeling of blood gushing from his wounds that kept him from thinking it was all just a horrible dream.

"Dear lord! There's someone alive! A boy!" someone said...a familiar voice. The last thing Musashi saw before slipping into unconsciousness was a merchant from one of those ships running towards him with others closely following. Now, many things in this first chapter of the tale of Musashi Kuros and his hellbound friends might seem incoherent, hard to understand, but know this, dear reader, the longer you follow his tale, the more sense this will make. But as Nietzsche so famously said "As you gaze long into the abyss, the abyss also gazes into you..."

To be continued...

Notes:

I like to give everyone a voice, so the major cast of characters all have a voice I associate with a major voice actor/celebrity...no not Justin Bieber you faggots.

So far we have...

Musashi Kuros: Roman Varshavsky

Eva Ricketsts: Emma Watson

Diamond: Nathan Vetterlein

Trias: Marc Diraison

Richard: Currently unknown

Arriana: Susan Boyd Joyce

Dr. Kuros: Liam Neeson

Mysterious Voice: Steven Blum