A/N: Just a quick note, this is a NON-CANON movie-style fic of my take on Kitsune's past. This will either be in one, massive part, or two to three parts, and it's my tribute to the amazing fic, Race for One Piece and the awesome author and artist, Teruul. I'm not even kidding. Go search that shit up and read it (preferably before you read this). This is probably set after the Astala arc, but before the Volcaniea arc, like a sort of insert.

ALSO: THERE MAY BE SPOILERS IF YOU ARE NOT UP TO DATE WITH THE ONE PIECE MANGA. PLEASE TAKE THIS IN NOTE.

Disclaimer: I don't own Eiichiro Oda's genius manga, nor do I own Teruul's awesome fic. All credits go to owners (though the OCs appearing in the story are mine)

"Officer!"

Footsteps echoed throughout the loud, majestic hall. Despite palace-like grandeur of it, fit for ten kings, it was shrouded in darkness, an uneasy feel looming over it. Dirt marred the slate-gray bricks, the black flags hung over the walls were dusty and had a little bit of mold. There were a few leaky spots on the rooftop, and, most importantly, rows and rows of deadly weapons lined the walls, varying from broadswords to spiked maces to large clubs.

A pair of feet, clad in black shoes, sent echoes throughout the large place. The man, who was quite young for a pirate (only in his early twenties), panted as he neared the captain's room.

Flinging the wooden door open, he entered the large room, the high, arching roof lined with human heads, many of them, kept upon the walls with jutting spikes, speared through the brain. Some of them were preserved, their faces still contorted in a look of fear and horror, while others were nothing but rotting lumps of flesh and bone.

The young pirate suppressed a small shudder upon laying his eyes on them. At the very back of the room, was the elite officer himself. His face was almost always covered by a shadow, and, judging on how whoever laid their eyes upon his face had lost their sanity, the pirate wasn't too eager to see it for himself. He was tall, but the shadows hid the rest of his features.

"What is it, Shijin?" the elite officer growled. Shijin jumped slightly. His voice was dark and coarse, effectively erasing any wish to face him in battle.

"P-please take a look at this, captain," Shijin stammered, breaking out into a cold sweat as he shakily held out a stack of paper. It was rather thin, but the information displayed on it was crucial. They were the recently-sent new bounty posters from Marine Headquarters, for the Saber Pirates. Apparently, according to the newspaper, they had done some massive revolt on Astala Island and their bounties had increased.

The man snatched the papers, rifling through them. "The new rookie from North Blue?" he snorted. "Sabertooth Atalaya...135,000,000 beri? Not bad." a hint of bloodlust inched into his voice, sending yet another round of goosebumps up Shijin's arms. He leafed through each page, his bloodlust varying at the bounty numbers. "Demon Archer... Gentleman?" he snorted. "Two-Faced Gunner... Witch Doctor..."

He turned to the final bounty, his fingers hovering inches over the paper as his eyes widened, the picture of the silver-haired man stopping him from dismissing it. "Crimson Fox Kitsune..." he murmured. A maniacal grin spread over his face, the only thing visible behind the shadows, and Shijin flinched slightly.

"It's...that man, isn't it, sir?" Shijin asked with slight caution. "The one..."

The captain released a bark of cruel laughter. "His head is only worth 118,000,000 beri?! That greenhorn couldn't force me on one knee!" he threw the stack of bounty posters, letting them scatter wildly in every direction, and the picture of the eerie grin on the silver-haired swordsman's face sent shivers through Shijin's body.

"My only scar..." the man murmured, suddenly calmed. "It's throbbing! Come and kill me if you can, Crimson Fox!" he shouted, bloodlust floating through the air. The captain was too preoccupied with his adrenaline rush that he didn't notice Shijin slowly backing away, bowing quickly while gathering up the posters, and excusing himself.

His heart was still pounding with fear as he ran down the grand halls, squeezing the bounty papers so hard it hurt, as the unhinged peals of undaunted glee reached his ears. His superior was getting agitated right now, and Shijin was wondering if it was a good idea, showing him the papers at all.

If you're smart, Crimson Fox, you'll stay away.

Kitsune sneezed loudly on the deck of Atlas, making Fell jump, the small dragon unintentionally dragging Roa up along with her (whom's shoulder she was perched upon). The blond archer yelped as he was thrown up several feet in the air, before the green-scaled dragon dropped him in slight relief that it wasn't an enemy.

"Damn it Kitsune!" Roa snapped irritably, probing sorely at his butt, which had taken the majority of the blow against the Eve wood. "Sneeze a little louder, would ya? I don't quite think they heard you in hell."

The only response was a light chuckle from the bloodthirsty, silver-haired fox, and Roa made a growling noise. Fell, looking a little apologetic at dropping her master, growled along with him.

"'Tis birds of a feather, who growl much like feral animals," Lance commented disdainfully as he exited his workshop, placing his feathered hat on his head. The blue-haired shipwright's words made Roa's eye twitch, and he glared murderously at Lance.

Atalaya, sitting lazily in the crow's nest, sighed as the two of them battled fiercely on the deck, running a hand through her short brown hair. She watched as Ankh, masked in her scary voodoo cover, stomped up to them, shouting about how Lance might re-open his injury that he had received a few days ago while poring over bits of scrap metal, and where one accidentally stabbed his side, before promptly beating both grown men into a pulp as Roa flipped her off, Fell screeching as she flew over them in alarm.

Ruule walked out the kitchen, a cheerful smile at his lips, balancing two trays of refreshments on each hand, Rosa and Beauty strapped at his waist. "I made drinks," he chirped lightly, his eyes glossing over the fact that Ankh was now dragging two beaten-up men below deck, bruised and with bumps the size of ostrich eggs on their heads.

"Thanks, Ruule," Atalaya jumped from her perch, landing like a feline in front of the curly-haired chef, and reaching to grab a lime-green one with a small purple umbrella on top. Kitsune reached up to grab one, too, before sparing a glance at the horizon.

"Look alive, sweetheart," Kitsune commented, earning a bristle from his captain. He chuckled at the reaction, before gesturing to the small island in front of them. "There's th' island we're dockin' at." He pointed a little behind the horizon.

Atalaya looked up, blinking in slight surprise as greenery met her eyes, maybe four hundred meters away. How had she missed that? A grin split her face. She turned, cupping her mouth.

"Hey! Lance! Roa! We're finally at the next island!" She crowed loudly, grinning. She accidentally squeezed too hard on her glass in excitement, and it promptly crunched into small shards, her hand dripping with green water, and earning a chuckle from Kitsune.

Atalaya sucked in a hiss of pain as the glass dug in the skin of her palm. She opened it, revealing translucent shards, as well as blood oozing out. She bent down, about to tug them out (and probably make her hand bleed even more), when she heard a high-pitched, whining noise.

"What..." the word died on her lips as Atalaya realized there was a cannonball flying top speed at them. She opened her mouth to yell a warning, only for the cannonball to explode maybe five meters from the ship. She spared a glance behind her; Ruule had dropped the trays, a smoking Beauty in his hands. He still had that carefree grin, but the glint in his eyes belonged to Eluur.

Before she could begin to sigh in relief, three more cannonballs flew in their direction. While Ruule swiftly blasted them in midair, Atalaya scanned the border of the island and realized that they were firing on them. There was a gray brick wall lining the shores, a bit behind the sand, where black cannons peeked out of several holes in the wall. "Ruule!" she called, earning the chef's attention. "It's the island! The cannons are coming from there!"

The door to below deck slammed open forcefully, and Ankh ran out. "I heard an explosion!" the chains on her wrists rattled loudly, and Roa and Lance followed her, trench knives and bow in hand.

Atalaya gritted her teeth. "They're probably firing on us because we're pirates! Don't fire back!" she called, giving Kitsune a rather intense glare (to which he smirked at, which slightly worried her). She turned into her hybrid form, fur growing on her skin and canines lengthening, pressing into her old scars. "Claw Gun!" she snarled, blowing up a cannonball mid-way.

"Well, sweetheart," Kitsune jingled, a smirk on his face. "They seem pretty 'ell-bent on killin' us, dunno, my sword might slip - "

"I swear, Kitsune, if you attack even one of the citizens, you're on cleaning duty for the rest of your life," Atalaya growled back.

Ignoring Kitsune's laughter, she looked over her shoulder, calling out to her navigator.

"Roa! There's a bunch of sharp rocks jutting in the waters near the shore! D'you think you can navigate us through them?!"

The blond archer, who was soaring high with Fell on his back, let loose an explosive arrow, which connected with a cannonball and promptly exploded in an ashy gray cloud, before looking down and scoffing.

"Don't underestimate me," he huffed, Fell lowering him down. He landed in front of the helm, before suddenly spinning the wheel to port, temporarily slamming the ship's occupants on the deck.

"Don't mistreat my ship, idiotic charlatan!" Lance snapped, getting up and dusting himself off.

"Who're you calling charlatan?!" Roa snarled back.

Ankh broke into a run, using the momentum to push off and perform a rather impressive jump, before swinging one of her weights, connecting with the cannonball, and deflecting its course. It landed in the water some thirty meters west of the ship, exploding a few moments after it had gone under the surface. "Not the time!" she scowled at the two men.

Bang!

Atalaya twitched her ears. What was that distinctive noise? It came from far away, in the direction of the island...

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

She widened her eyes, hearing them in rapid succession. Without warning, she transformed completely into a sabertooth, sprinting toward the mast, before digging her claws in, running parallel to the ground, until she reached the crow's nest, where she turned, pushing off and soaring in the air. She willed the fur over her body to thicken, before twisting in the air so that her back faced the island. She winced as she felt the bullets connect with her back, biting her lip to prevent a cry of pain.

She fell to the deck like a rock, even while transforming back into a human, before being caught by her shipwright. She winced as he gently set her on the deck, feeling sharp pains on her back. "Are you okay?" Lance asked.

She felt the back of her shirt. There were four holes in her shirt, but thanks to her fur, the bullets had only dug past the first layer. Gingerly, she probed at the exposed flesh, the small black objects falling to the ground with a clatter. "Guns," she said. "They're using gatling guns." she grimaced. "They may or may not have a grudge against pirates...or Kitsune."

At that last word, she turned her head to send a questioning glare at her first mate, who only grinned and held up his hands in mock surrender. "Ain't me, at least this time," he jingled lightly.

Ruule, who had climbed up to the crow's nest after Atalaya had taken the bullets, was now cocking his guns in his head and stopping bullets with his own. Every time two bullets connected, they would fall harmlessly to the ground, and that effectively showered the rest of the crew in a rain of metallic bullets. To his credit, he was holding his own against five gatling guns, his arms blurring as he shot them all down with deadly precision.

They had neared the island, which meant that they were more hard-pressed on defending Atlas. Atalaya watched as a bunch of people streamed through the doors built at the base of the wall, all holding makeshift wooden shields and sloppily-made spears, which were pieces of wood sharpened at the end. Their clothes were ones of a peasant's, with tattered tunics and torn shorts, all dusty and some covered with mud, while their sandals were very simply made.

"They're not soldiers," she mused. "They're just the village's men."

"Captain!" Roa called. "If we go any nearer, Atlas will get beached on the island. We need to stop here."

Atalaya nodded to his words. "Roa! Lance! Drop the anchor! Ruule! Kitsune! Fold the sails! Quit your whining, Kitsune, it's not gonna kill you," she added when the swordsman started mock whining. She looked down to the water and winced as she realized how narrowly their ship had squeezed through the razor-sharp rocks. In fact, the rocks didn't even seem natural. They were smooth, sharpened roughly to a fine point, and they seemed to be anchored by a rope tied near the base.

She realized that they probably weren't natural. Did the village's people do that too? While thinking about it, Ankh landed beside her. Despite the mask, Atalaya knew she was scowling at the wounds on her back. The woman slapped some band-aids on her back, before following her gaze and grunting. "They're probably more defense mechanisms. They seem very unwelcome to sailors."

A splash in the water told her that the anchor had gone down, and the flap of fabric showed that the sails had been folded. Nodding to her crew, she broke into a run, to which the villagers tensed at, before jumping and landing smoothly on the soft sand, sending up a cloud of dust.

"Hi! Nice of you to come out and greet us," Atalaya said cheerily.

One man who was near the front stepped forward, brandishing his spear aggressively. He had a square jaw, though he had a slightly childish face, suggesting that he was young. He had shaggy brown hair and traces of brown stubble lining his jaw. He was quite tall, easily towering over Atalaya as he glared at her.

"Leave now, pirate, or suffer our wrath!" he growled at her. He tensed again as the rest of the crew jumped down beside her. She saw some of them flinch at Ankh's mask, and some stared in wonder at Fell.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," she said, holding up her hands in a gesture of surrender. Contrary to soothing the villagers, they tensed as if she was going to attack them. "I'm not here to pillage or anything. I just want to restock on some supplies and stay until the Log sets."

"We aren't falling for your tricks, pirate!" the man stepped forward again, making a jabbing motion with his spear. Automatically, Atalaya sidestepped it, but the sudden movement seemed to be a counterattack in the eyes of the villagers, and the crowd stepped forward, surrounding the five pirates and the dragon. The spear slashed a shallow cut on Kitsune's cheek, the swordsman not bothering to move. On the contrary, her first mate grinned, raising Hebi Kotei.

"Kitsune! Don't attack them!" Atalaya snarled irritably. "I swear, if you attack them - "

"Oi, cap'n, yer gettin' pushed 'round by a buncha villagers," the silver-haired swordsman interrupted. "An' worst o' all, yer lettin' them."

Atalaya bristled at his aggravating words. "I'm trying to pacify them," she scowled at him. "We still need to restock on this island, and if the entire village is after our heads, that won't be too easy."

"So you admit to wanting to pillage our town!" the man at the front accused, snarling.

"Since when is 'restock' synonymous to 'pillage'?" Roa grumbled behind her, though he was smart enough to lower his voice so the villagers wouldn't hear him. "They're way too jumpy and accusing."

"Leave, pirates! Or we'll slaughter every last one of you!" the man repeated again, jabbing the spear violently.

Almost in slow motion, Atalaya saw Kitsune's smirk spread into a chilling, menacing smile that he usually wore while fighting enemies, and her body moved of her own accord. Fur grew over her skin as she turned into her hybrid form, before running between Kitsune and the man. "Stop, Kitsune!"

She managed to parry Hebi Kotei with her elongated fangs, though the spear stabbed the small of her back. Pain lanced up her back, but she still mustered enough strength to fling back the sword, and for a moment, she swore she saw Kitsune's smile waver.

Atalaya whipped around, wincing as the sharpened end of the spear ripped away a chunk of fur, before returning to human form. Almost immediately, cries of the villagers sounded in the air.

"He's a demon!"

"Look! He just transformed to kill us all!"

"Kill them!"

The man at the front glowered at her. "Thought you could catch us off guard?!" he spat, raising his voice before Atalaya could protest. "Men! Charge!"

"Shit," Atalaya growled, stepping back. Giving up, she readied herself for a fight, assuming a fighting stance and holding up her fists. "Hold your ground!" she yelled to her crewmates. "Don't injure unless necessary!"

She was spared from that when a commanding voice rose up from the battle cries of the men. "Stop, you insolent puppies!"

Almost as if on cue, the men surging forward suddenly stopped - even the man at the front. Atalaya, surprised, momentarily let her fists drop and her pose went lax. The door at the base of the wall was flung open, and an old woman, dressed in robes, staggered out, leaning heavily on a walking staff. Her hair was as white as the snow in Atalaya's hometown back in North Blue, and her skin was deeply lined with creases, sagging. She was skinny, and she looked incredibly frail, but her ice-blue eyes looked incredibly sharp and she still walked forward like a proud queen. The men, though all taller than her, cringed and cowered away.

She limped until she was right beside the man at the front, who had stopped in mid-swing of his spear, before suddenly raising her cane and whacking her cane rather forcefully in his face. The man spluttered, thrown back from the blow, stumbled back a bit to regain his balance.

"Think, you idiots!" she snapped, her eyes flashing with frustration. "Not all pirates are like them! If they wish for peace, give them peace until they attack! Or would you rather provoke them into a battle?! And you!" she turned on the man she had just assaulted. "Hogosha! Leading men to their deaths! Did you not feel the bloodlust from that swordsman?! If it weren't for their captain, you would all be dead by now!" she yelled out a few more insults as she continuously beat Hogosha with a cane.

Atalaya winced a bit in sympathy. Beside her, Ankh made a noise of amusement.

After beating the poor young man to a pulp, the old woman turned to Atalaya, before bowing low. "I apologize for their intolerable behavior," she said. "There has been an incident on this island that have left the villagers extremely jumpy and prone to aggression when it comes to pirates." at that last sentence, she sent a vicious glare at the men behind her, who flinched as if she had pulled a gun on them. "I am the lone elder on Setsuzoku Island, Chie."

Atalaya blinked. "Oh, it's nothing...don't worry about it."

Chie looked back. "You hear that?! She's willing to forgive you for your irritable actions!"

Atalaya flinched at being called a girl. "I'm a man - "

"Nonsense," the woman interrupted. "You're a woman."

Shaking her head in wonder, the Saber Pirates followed the woman to the village, which was surrounded by a forest, telling the armed men to bring up the rear. As they followed her to the village, the woman explained the villagers' actions.

"Ten years ago, a bunch of pirates came and tore up the island connected with this one, Shonin Island, which used to be hugely populated. Our island is a lot smaller than that one, but we're connected by a bridge. Right now, Shonin Island is under oppression by a group of incredibly powerful pirates, and that's why our village, which is lucky not to have been touched, is very jumpy when it comes to pirates, Hogosha especially. They even built a bunch of 'defense mechanisms'." she scoffed. "A good waste of money, I say. Not all pirates are the same."

Atalaya, who was so absorbed in the story, didn't notice Kitsune stiffen slightly beside her, his eerie smile becoming strained.

The village that they arrived at was small, the houses all made of wood. There were young children playing in front of a few houses, their mothers chatting behind them, sitting on some wooden chairs. They were dressed as housewives, with long dresses and aprons tied at the waist.

Some middle-aged men were entering the village from the forest, carrying chopped-up limber on their shoulders and making small talk. When the group of pirates entered the village, they all fell silent, staring openly at the sailors.

"They're harmless, they won't attack us," Chie said calmly. "I daresay our 'warriors' here - " she glared at the men bringing up the rear, " - are more likely to attack them than they are to attack us." At her words, the village returned to their activities, as calm and easygoing as ever. Atalaya blinked.

"Hey, where's Kitsune?" Ruule suddenly asked, still smiling in an easy-going tone. Hogosha scoffed behind him.

"Foxface darted away back in the forest," he told them flatly. "You don't even care for your crewmates? Typical pirates."

Roa bristled at that, though Lance slugged his arm and glared at him. "Foolish charlatan, he's trying to rile you up. Don't fall for the bait."

"That guy is always wandering off," Ankh commented, crossing her arms.

Lance and Ruule wandered off, looking for places where they could restock on both food and supplies, while Roa tried pry Fell off his scalp (she had flared her wings out behind his head in an attempt to intimidate Hogosha and the rest of the men). The children, who were playing in front of their mothers earlier, ran up to Ankh, looking up eagerly at her.

"Nee-chan!" one of them called. It was a boy, of maybe five years old, with a chubby face, rosy cheeks, and messy blond hair. "Your mask is so cool!" he gave an excited little bounce.

Ankh chuckled lightly, and Atalaya knew the woman was reminded of Sasha. "I'm glad you like it, but your mother might not agree." She gestured to the children's mothers, who had stopped talking and stared, a little anxiously, at them. The kids pouted at her words, before running back and resuming their game, much to the relief of the women.

Before Atalaya could even take a few steps to explore the village, or maybe go hunting in the forest, when Chie limped up to her. The old woman's eyes were flashing with concern.

"Sabertooth Atalaya...you are the captain, correct?" she rasped.

Atalaya nodded in confirmation. "The one beside me is Ankh, our doctor." Ankh nodded respectfully at the elderly woman, her actions earlier clearly not lost on the doctor.

Chie turned around, before walking toward the direction of a house. "Follow me." It was a clear order, with no room for defiance. Blinking in confusion, the two women followed her, Atalaya mouthing to Ankh, What's this all about?

Ankh shrugged.

In a few moments, they found themselves sitting in wooden chairs inside the elder's house. The wooden dining table was small, clearly made for four people at most. A small picture hung from the wall, one of a child's sword scribble. Chie was pouring tea, her frail-looking hands surprisingly steady in handling the hot liquid, moving with a sort of fluidity and grace.

After a few moments, she sat down, and stared at Atalaya in the eye.

"You should leave this island immediately," she said. Before the captain could question the abruptness of the statement, she continued. "We will attempt to cover your existence from the pirates governing Shonin Island. Perhaps you can find a map and navigate to another island, and take another route."

"Why?" Ankh demanded, while Atalaya was still recovering her voice. "What's wrong with this island?"

The old woman sighed. "Setsuyoku Island is called that for a reason; as we told you, our island is connected to Shonin Island with a bridge. That bridge is actually the island's natural formation, meaning that the two share a magnetic force, and could also be considered one giant island. However...ten years ago, pirates of immense power arrived here, they set up an odd factory on Shonin Island, and enslaved all the residents...you should not challenge them, no matter what. They may view you as useful, and will not hesitate to enslave you too."

"We're not weak, if you're implying that," Atalaya bristled a bit. "Like hell we're gonna let another pirate crew drive us out. You say they were enslaving the residents of Shonin Island?"

"For the last decade or so," the woman replied.

Ankh twitched with irritation. "How come no one's tried to overthrow them? Jericho, a pirate, terrorized my home island, but ultimately we managed to overthrow him...I don't see what's so different."

"These pirates are incredibly strong," the woman insisted. "Their captain is a Shichibukai, one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea." she paused for a moment to let that sink in. "From what I hear, they're incredibly involved in illegal trades..and the branch here is only a fraction of their power. If you infuriate them, their captain may send all his forces...and both islands will be ravaged. No doubt about it. Their name..."

"...the Donquixote Pirates."

Atalaya crouched down on the soft pine floor, slowly transforming into a sabertooth tiger. She narrowed her eyes as her fangs dug into her old scars, and fur grew over her body. Her eyes closed in on a wild boar, who was too busy sniffing a bramble bush for possible dinner to notice her. Bunching up her muscles, she sprang with a feral snarl, startling the surrounding birds. The boar didn't need to be told twice to run, and he pelted off at full speed.

She gave chase, each step gaining more ground, and she pounced after five steps, digging her claws in to hold the boar in place, she quickly killed it with a blow to the neck, before dragging the carcass into a few bushes and looking for other prey.

As she broke into a sprint again, this time after a young buck, the words of Chie sounded in her ear. A Shichibukai, at this island? Even though it was only a branch, when Ankh had told the rest of their crewmates, some disagreed with clashing with them head-on until they got stronger.

She snarled as her sharp canines tore through the deer's throat, killing it. She paused, sniffing the air, and found the bush where the boar was, before dragging the body to rest beside it. A good hunt had always taken her mind off things...but not this time. She had an inexplicable gut feeling that something was going to happen on this island...and not necessarily good at that.

Soon, there was another boar and three rabbits to accompany her catches. It took her three round trips to carry all the game back, though the adrenaline in her veins were urging for more.

Some of the villagers gave her their sincere gratitude, telling her that they used to do commerce with Shonin Island, and with the arrival of the pirates, their food supply had slowly deteriorated.

That evening, Ruule had taken it upon himself to cook a massive meal with the game Atalaya had caught (as always, he remained unfazed by the news of a possible Shichibukai near them, and had a happy smile on his face).

"Aaah, I'm stuffed," Roa commented, leaning back on his chair and patting his stomach. Ruule's cooking was, as usual, delicious, which meant that the Saber Pirates had all eaten at least three sittings. Even so, their fox-faced swordsman still hadn't shown up.

Atalaya let out a laugh at Roa's comment. "If you give any more meat to Fell, I swear, she's going to fall like an anchor the next time you try to fly." True, the once-slim green dragon resembled something of a bloated, green, scaly balloon now, with wings. The small dragon had probably eaten just as much as the blond archer, if not more.

"Maybe she'll float up like a balloon instead," Ruule mused, without a hint of sarcasm.

Atalaya shrugged. "Who knows? Anyway, I'm going to call it a night, and maybe in the morning our first mate will turn up." The deadpan tone indicated that she didn't really expect that.

The only bar in the village luckily had a few spare rooms; enough if two people shared a room, that was. Atalaya and Ankh being disqualified at the beginning because of their gender, Roa and Lance had, unfortunately, drawn the short sticks, which meant that they would be rooming. As Atalaya entered her room and flopped on the bed, she gave a silent prayer that the two wouldn't utterly demolish the poor wooden thing by dawn.

With that thought in mind, she closed her eyes and fell asleep.

Grrtt.

The sound of something digging into bark woke Atalaya up, and she sat upright, wondering if someone had attacked. Looking around and realizing that there was no one, she narrowed her eyes and eased herself back into the scratchy folds of her bed.

Grrrt.

She tensed. There it was again. Every time, there was a rhythmic pause before the bark was slashed again, like a repeating pattern.

Soundlessly slipping out of bed, she tugged her pants and boots on, tied her short, spiky hair back with her trademark bandanna, and put on her shirt. There was only a sliver of moon in the sky, but it was more than enough for her with her devil fruit. She slowly opened her door, mentally running through the layout of the second floor. If she remembered correctly, there was a balcony...

Closing the gap with five long strides, she pushed open the wooden doors, momentarily closing her eyes as the cool night air blew against her face. She exhaled slowly, before putting her hand on the banister and pushing off it, jumping down and landing as gracefully as a cat.

She straightened up, looking around, and her eyes fell on the silver hair, glinting lightly in the scarce moonlight. Kitsune.

The fox-face was sharpening Hebi Kotei on the bark of a nearby tree. Already, she saw six long gashes through the rough bark. The blade of the Meito glinted menacingly, and Atalaya's mouth pulled into a scowl.

"Mind telling me where you were all day?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Thinkin'," Kitsune replied, drawing back his sword and examining the blade. Looking satisfied, he brushed off stray pieces of bark and sheathed it. "Y'know...I said I'd sail th' seas ta kill," he said. "Problem is, I ain't takin' orders from a cap'n who's soft 'nuff to protect some aggressive villagers, much less take a blow from them and not fight back."

He looked up from his sword, opening his eyes enough to show blood-red, glinting. "I been thinkin', cap'n. Remember when I asked what ya would do if I betrayed ya?" his grin spread eerily. Atalaya widened her eyes, and instinctively claws lengthened on her fingers and she parried Kitsune's blade with them, gritting her teeth to hold it back. Tensing her muscles, she shoved forward, similar to a claw gun, and throwing Kitsune's Hebi Kotei back.

"What're you saying?" Atalaya demanded.

"Are ya dense, or just in denial, cap'n?" Kitsune mocked lightly. "'m sayin' that I'm leavin' th' crew."

The words were so abrupt that, for a moment, Atalaya stared at him for a moment, dumbfounded. The words registered after a pause, and then her hands curled into fists. Her first mate, leaving? Sure, he was incredibly irritating, lazy, annoying, and unreliable, but she had known him the longest. Trust had built up day after day as they sailed the sea together, and they had fought battles together, back-to-back.

"What's this all about?! Oi, Kitsune, if this is a joke, it's not funny!"

"Ain't lookin' much like a joke, is it...sweetheart?" his voice mocked her, and Atalaya gritted her teeth. She stepped forward, not really knowing what she was going to do until fur grew over her skin, her fangs lengthening until it pressed in her old scars, and she transformed into her hybrid form. She stared at herself for a moment. Am I gonna forcefully stop him...? I did promise I would kill him if he ever betrayed me..

Kitsune's smirk widened. "A-a-a, no usin' force, now, that's cheatin'." Before she could knock Hebi Kotei out of his hands, Kitsune slashed at a tree, the pressure cleanly slicing through a whole row beside Atalaya, and they all shifted. Atalaya's eyes widened as they crashed down at her, groaning and creaking loudly, before widening her stance and raising her hands.

"Twin Claw Cannon!" she snarled, slashing the air, the movements of her arms blurring together. The air pressure sliced through the bark, and cut through the green leaves. Gritting her teeth, she felt her fangs dig deeper in her old scars, before the trees all fell still. There were piles of torn bark, broken branches, and leaves around her, all slashed jaggedly. Atalaya reverted to her human form, breathing hard as her heart pounded fiercely in her ears. Dust was in the air, forming a tan smokescreen. Soon, the wind cleared the dust away, showing that her former first mate was gone.

She heard footsteps, and then Ankh, Roa (with Fell on his shoulder), Lance, and a sleepy-looking Ruule all burst on the balcony, their eyes widened. Atalaya figured that the falling trees had woken the locals. Well, that was something to apologize for, at least.

"What happened?" Roa demanded, his eyes raking over the debris surrounding the girl. "There was a huge lot of noise, and the locals are paranoid the Donquixote Pirates attacked."

Atalaya looked up at him, biting her lip. "It wasn't them," she said flatly. "But I have some bad news." At her words, her crewmates tensed. She took a deep breath.

"Kitsune... Kitsune's just left the crew."

Kitsune opened his eyes just a sliver, enough to glimpse the blindingly bright sun reflected off the churning blue waves of the sea. He sat on a branch on an oak tree, staring at the natural rocky bridge that connected Setsuzoku Island and Shonin Island together, the green leaves providing a nice shelter from the rays. It had been several hours since he had left the Saber Pirates, and now dusk had gave way to dawn and the sun, high in the sky, declared that it was close to noon.

His fingers brushed the hilt of Hebi Kotei, his hand resting comfortably into the bumps in it, and his mouth uncharacteristically twisted into a slight frown. It was the sword that Atalaya, his former captain, had gotten him. Before, he was so used to using that sword.

Her sword.

His eyes skimmed over the green canopy surrounding the edges of the massive Shonin Island, where it wasn't as likely to be toured, glimpsing a small brown cabin among it. So that woman had managed to survive for a decade.

Red pupils then traveled to the center of the island. The trees once inhabiting that spot had been chopped down, the dirt paved over with smooth platinum-silver gravel. Once, houses and stores lined the streets, humans bustling about, laughing, living their lives. Maybe an occasional beggar on the streets. Now, after they had come, it was all smashed down. Replacing the stores and houses was one massive castle, filled with twisting passages, powerful pirates, and the inhabitants-turned-slaves. Except for one.

Unconsciously, Kitsune's grip tightened on his sword, holding it so hard his knuckles turned the color of his silvery hair. An untamed rage started bubbling in his stomach, and the wildlife near him scrambled away, the bloodlust so intense that some birds, who were perched on the smaller branches beside the swordsman, took flight, letting out warning calls as their wings battered the airs.

He didn't know if he had gotten strong enough in the past decade. Moving from sea to sea to get stronger, continuously slaughtering to get stronger. Laughing when he faced incredibly powerful opponents.

Atalaya wasn't lying when she said they would be facing monstrous foes. And thanks to that, Kitsune became a lot stronger. He had felt a small, protesting twinge when he'd left, though he knew that his use in a pirate crew wouldn't be very good if he was a corpse.

He stood up suddenly, his red kimono flaring out. Soon, it would be stained with blood. He tensed on the branch, the brown quivering slightly, before he pushed off, soaring over the expanse of water between the two islands. He unsheathed a sliver of the sword, the silver glinting menacingly in the sunlight, crimson eyes trained on the gray castle.

It's been a decade...today, I'll kill you all.

A/N: This will probably be continued in two or more chapters, because...well, I thought it would be better if I cut it off at that point. Ankh is so hard to get into character ;-; and I couldn't really remember all Atalaya's techniques and what they did...so I improvised. If I made any mistakes, please tell me! This was my first time doing a slightly movie-esque fanfic, and I would appreciate feedback :3 Updates will probably be slow, seeing as the chapters are incredibly long...

-alittlebitlate