The World's Unluckiest Man


Sometimes life can get you down, especially when you are beating your captains in poker 17 times in a row and you are starting to think they might stab with a knife, fork, spoon, maybe even card….. Basically anything they can get their hands on. My name is Johnny Fang and my name is as intimidating as I am. I look across the men that are my fellow marines and they look scared. A guy like me is supposedly swindling them in poker after they literally accepted me into the Pack Town garrison. Today should have gone better.

"Fang , are you shitty me? THREE JACKS! IMMA KILL EM" My commanding officer was having a bad day. I raised my hands defensively, it would be useless anyways.

"I swear, I'm just a lucky guy." I attempted to explain that I was just born the luckiest man when it came to cards. The captain simply snorted in laughter and rested his large hand on my officer's shoulder, calming him.

"Don't worry Fang, I understand." He teased. He placed his cards on the table and revealed the other three jacks, all with the same suit as mine. "Fang is simply going to give the money back and go clean my toilet. Do we have an agreement?" His voice was steel now. A hush fell over the marine bar and the waiter rushed through the doors to the back. Captains, officers and a few privates stood ready to watch. Captain Fyrior simply waited on my reply but that's not what the men were looking at. The Captain may often be the biggest man in the room but he only look at my nose standing straight.

" I'm sorry, Sir. I don't have any money from cheating. I earned this all by my cards. Someone is stacking the deck." Fyrior twitched and everyone leaned in.

"You are telling me, Someone One Rigged The Deck ON THEM-SELVES?" The Captain's eye was shaking as he emphasised every word. He looked at me, dead in the eyes. All I could do was nod. He responded with as quickly as a gunshot, slashing at my head. Only my chair leg broke underneath me and the slash arced over me, slicing the officer's face to my right.

"KILL HIM!" Blood was everywhere.

I had never been in a fight before. "SORRY, SORRY, SORRY." I kept the sorry going as bolted out of the tavern. I tripped on the steps outside, face planting into the dirt. A bullet hit the building in front of me. It could have hit me. " I'm SORRY!" I kept running. I heard the jeers and yells from behind him. Fryior's voice rang over all, demanding my face. I hope Office White was okay, he had a pretty face too.

The officers were yelling and I heard them stop running now, I didn't know why. That was until I saw the person in front of me. A man with short hair to match his height. He had a saber like blade in his hand but curved half way up the neck. His smile was as curved as his neck, with eyes widening at the sight of the blood on my body.

"Well looks like I get a big private today. What's your name, Giant? I wanna know what family I gotta visit after this." He hissed as he twirled the blade in his hand. He smelled like old blood and bad sewage. Definitely not dinner party material.

"doesn't matter, kill me now so my family remembers as the guy who fought a criminal not the guy you is exiled for treason." The smiling bloodhound looked confused and then he saw all the marines round the corner slowly.

Fryior was at the front of the pack, with his hammer on his right. He seemed to be staring at the smiling man with a sword to match the grin. "Ketsndo, I need that man. You are wanted man, yourself. So lets make a deal. We know you have been staying in this alley for a few weeks after your incident with your wife. If you give us Fang, You can leave this town and never come back." The laughing man was obviously Ketsndo and he cocked his head to side before gazing back to me.

"Your name is Fang. That's great. Fang and the Hound. ZEHEHEHHE" He seemed oddly enough, to enjoy the play on words. He grabbed a rope and looked over towards my ex-captain. "Nope, I like him." He then tugged on the rope and a trash canister feel off the roof. It seemed to be on a pulley system because Ketsndo jetted up. I heard a strange whirring sound and I looked down to see a net underneath me.

"SHIIII-" CRASH and lights out for me.


Flashes of street lights and a faint smell of baked goods and I was out again.

.Cring. The same sound, the same timing. My eyes fluttered and everything was blurry. Cring. My mouth is so dry. I try to raise my head but everything rushes and it all goes black. I rest for a while, I cant keep track of time. Cring. Cring. I open my eyes and there's broken ceiling beams above me. I look around to see old wood panelling for walls and a broken window, looking out at the sea. .Cring. I look towards the sound to the smiling man from the alley.

"So everything happened, didn't it?" I rasped. . His eyes are closed and he is running a block over his sword. It's the same pace, every stroke makes the same sound. Cring. "Hello?" His eyes open, I notice something strnage. They are different colors, blue and green. He doesn't smile or speak. He stares at me. I try to prop my elbow to rise up but the black comes back. I fall down, only this time I feel a hand on my chest.

"The Hunted Marine, got a boo boo on his head?" I feel a finger jab my the back of my head and the black returns only this time more intense. " Looks like the escape plan did a number on that pretty head of yours. Jesus its in this mess of mane you got here." I reach behind my head and try to touch the damage but he swats it away. "Dumbass."

"So what rank did you climb up to before you robbed your superiors blind?" he prodded.

"I only made it to Private, today was my first day."

"Yesterday." My eyes shoot open and start to get up. "So one day of sleep is enough to make you pass out? What the hell is so important you cant sleep of a fall, Goldilocks? Did you forget your daily pill? Im sure you wont get pregnant?" I don't even respond.

ZEHEHEHE

"Shut up okay! I wanted to see my family." ZEHEHEHE

"Look here, Goldilocks. Give it a week and you got a bounty on your head. A bunch of white jackets are looking around for you. Saying how you slashed up a marine's face and robbed them blind at knife point."

"THAT NEVER HAPPENED!" I raged.

"Not my problem, that's a you problem" Ketsndo replied. He got up from my side and walked over to the only piece of furniture in the old wooden shack that this place was, a table. He grabbed a bag and shrugged it onto his shoulder. "For me, I'm leaving Pack Town. Gotta lotta baggage, catch my drift. For you, Goldilocks, I recommend a strong drink and a quick surrender. You can probably cut down your sentence to about two years. You got a good look so the prisons will be easy enough." I rolled up slowly, sitting on the wooden floor, flicking off a spider.

"Any other options cause I didn't do anything wrong other than listen to my father's advice. 'A man needs to be strong for his family and there's nothing stronger than the marines. Look what they did to Whitebeard'." I mocked. Ketsndo turned to look at me, sheathing his crescent blade on his side. He put on a long scarf around his mouth, looking prepared for a month of combat or survival. He gazed at me for a minute and my skin started to crawl.

"You can come along with me for a quick trip. I'm heading to Pilot Village. Its just off the coast of the Red Line." I looked at him if he was serious. Anywhere near the Red Line is dangerous because of the rampant pirates.

"I don't think I can come with you?" He shrugged and stood up, heading for the half broken door outside.

"Any reason why you can't come?" He looked back at me, quipping like a teenager.

"Yea, I don't know how to fight pirates. I can't even fight?" He looked aghast. He walked over towards me and grabbed me by the shoulders.

"HOW THE HELL WERE YOU GONNA FIGHT PIRATES AS A MARINE?"


Hope you all like it. Let me know what you think.

Regards,

Zeus