Hi there, folks. Here is the second chapter of my story that I hope you enjoy.
It's really intense, I'm proud of this chapter.
Chapter 2
Quickly sailing away from the sinking Firmament, Heather was grinning her teeth, her hand clinching firmly her katana, as she tried to contain her rage. She had failed to avenge her father. She couldn't do what she spent her live training for. She was miserable.
After she fled from Lloyd, she tried to get to the Marine so they could help her, but soon after she start to run through the corridor, the whole boat started to shake. Hoping that it was noting major, she kept running but another quake threw her down an open balcony. She screamed and tried to hold on to something, but she inexorably felt into the sea. She was a good swimmer and soon one of the escape boat picked her up before heading to the closest island. The men inside were rowing vigorously and soon they putted the sinking cruise boat behind them.
She remembered Lloyd holding Yoru and a shiver went down her spine. Now that he had acquired such power, her goal would be a lot harder. She put her katana in front of her and bend her head on the tilt. Soon, she started to shake even if she was trying with all her might to kept the control of herself. She jumped as a young man pulled a blanket on her shoulder: «You better warm up if you don't want to catch a cold. You spent some time into the ocean before we pick you up, so you should dry up.»
She looked at the idiotic young man with his idiotic smile who tried to give idiot reasons to leach on her: «Back off!» She whispered angrily as she slightly draw out her katana. The man slowly backed away and he restarted to row like he should have keep doing. Heater turned her head back at the sea. "It is kind of cold with this harsh breeze" She thought before wrapping the blanket around her.
The nearest island was in sight and they should be there within an hour or so. Just in time to land before the night. Heather looked back to where the Firmament was, to see that half of it was still out of the water and pointing the sky like a raised hand that was trying to get God's mercy. As she looked through the fleet of rescue boat, she saw a raft closing in. It was fast and it swiftly made his to the middle of them all. Heather was in one on the head boat.
The raft had no sail and was empty except for a single standing man. Has he closed in, people started to panic and tried to move away from the raft. Even with the sun in her face, Heather still managed to see who it was since his shadow made the form of a big cross: «Lloyd!» She whispered through her clinching teeth as she stood up. She walked at the tail of the boat with her hand stretch to cover her eyes.
He kept progressing through them all, with his carefree smile and his hands in his pockets. Once he was in the middle of the crowd, he raised his hand and started his speech: «Hello, how are you doing castaway from the prestigious cruise boat Firmament! I just wanted to tell you that, saaaadly (sinister chuckle), your captain choose 'to sink with the ship'.»
Loud gunfire were heard and Lloyd had thrust his left arm that stopped the bullet in midair before saying: «I'm in the middle of a speech here! Ito-Ito no…» He did a grabbing motion with his right arm before swinging it toward the Marine boat that tried to shoot him: «Refrain!» The bullets were sent back to the Marine and many were wounded by them.
He lowered his hand and continued to speak like if nothing had happen: «Then, I started to feel a little lonely, so I decided to go see you guys. In the middle of my way, I just thought… Hey, how rude! I try to have a serious conversation and you people just think you can just run away?» He putted his right arm on the handle of Yoru, made a rotation on himself before slashing toward the boat. The slash made the water split as a dark-green shockwave flew to the boat filled with Marine officers before making it blow away in pieces.
Lloyd kept Yoru in his hand as all the shipwrecked were pushing scream of agony: «Where was I… Oh yeah, right. I just thought: I only need one of you alive in order to tell what happened today. Hope you understand what that imply.» Then, he slashed most of the boats around him. He destroyed all of them except those located in the front.
Heather looked at all the destruction happening while she felt powerless to stop it. She unsheathed her katana with her left hand, but the blade started to shake in her hand. Lloyd stopped and putted Yoru in his back again. The escape boat around him were turned into scrap and the survivors tried to hold onto the wood planks that floated on the sea.
He turned toward the remaining boats and tried a new move: «Ito-Ito no…» He stretched his arm both side with his palms up: «Crescendo!» He raised his hands and ,at the same time, a huge wave lifted in the middle of the rescue boats. It went ten meters in the air in an instant and rocketed all of the passengers. "It actually work. If I stop the water motion, I can make it move how I want.»
Heather felt the monstrous push coming from under her as she rose into the air. With all her strength, she held herself on the boat, but soon it started to crash back toward the water. The wave was just behind her, so she was sent straight toward Lloyd. She took her opportunity and jumped on the raft while trying to stab Lloyd.
Lloyd saw the young woman coming and he pulled his rapier. He blocked the slash that was aiming for his head and he deflected the woman down on the ground. As she got destabilized from her landing, he put his blade under her neck: «Well, if it isn't the little runt. Fancy to join your dad right away?» Heather swung her katana low in order to make him take a step back. Lloyd pulled out a wolfish grin: «After I made some fun with you, of course!»
Heather rushed on him while lifting her sword before making it crash on his head. Lloyd blocked it easily by lifting his rapier horizontally, then he twisted his wrist so Heather would be throw off balance by her momentum. She passed by Lloyd and tripped on her knee. She tried to turn on herself and stand up at the same time, only to slip since the deck of the raft was wet with water.
A shiver of fright shook her entire being as she became defenceless. She quickly lifted her katana in order to make a last stand, but Lloyd didn't move after throwing her down. He simply kept his rapier pointed toward her with a mocking face. She slowly stood up, but he waited for her to make a move. Anger started to swell up in her since his eyes were telling of how little he was thinking of her. "I didn't dedicated my life on this fight so I could be looked down."
She jumped on him, their swords clashing heavily multiple times as Heather made her katana dance around her. She turned around Lloyd, trying to find an opening. He was staying in the middle of the raft, turning around with her and he was not moving a inch. She was attacking with rage, but he kept smiling and he didn't seem to be startled.
Heater said while she held her katana straight in front of her with a end on the dull edge: «Ethereal step… Saint-Anger!» She closed in with a series of afterimages in the form of red smoke-like silhouette behind her. The first hit finally threw Lloyd of balance and Heather was already in his back to slash him again. Lloyd rotated and barely blocked her new attack, but she was already gone in a trail of blurry red lines.
Lloyd kept blocking her attack and his smile was gone. However, she was unable to land a blow since Lloyd's sword was always getting in the way. He stepped back in the corner of the raft and she was now unable to get in his back. She stopped her special move and stayed panting with her blade down. She didn't stay long in her defenceless state and she gathered her strength to be En Garde.
Lloyd started to pull out his carefree smirk once again: «The Ethereal Step technique… You are truly the daughter of Ashman. However, he was stronger than you and I killed him when I was your age. This fight his meaningless. Give up or I'll crush you!» He said coldly, his rapier pointed toward her while he putted his left hand on Yoru handle.
Heater rushed him again with a trail of red line and Lloyd didn't even use Yoru for blocking her. They clashed for some time before the green eyes man held her sword with his rapier guard while he had the tip of his blade pointed her. She moved aside as he lunge forward, but she couldn't avoid a deep cut on her right shoulder.
She clinched her teeth to stop a gasp of pain. Lloyd walked toward him and she couldn't help but taking a step back. Lloyd saw her hesitation and said: «This fight is getting dull. Prepare yourself, I'll be serious from now on!» The young woman blue eyes widened in fear as he deployed sword play far greater then he had before. Her wound was on her right shoulder, which was a good thing since she used her katana with her left hand. She needed all her skill to contain him.
Heather tried to use the Ethereal Step once again, but he kept up with her and made some new wounds on her… And he still wasn't using Yoru. She couldn't stop a tear from sliding on her right cheek. All she had done until now was pointless. He was not even using his new power and she was totally outmatched. She had no chance to begin with and she truly had fail her father.
She was the one on the edge of the raft now. She was bleeding from multiple wounds and she knew that he was purposely avoiding her vital areas. It was a nightmare and he was toying with her. But not for long as he let go of his smirk and said: «I had enough fun.» He was ready for the fatal strike, having his sword above his head while the tip was pointing sinisterly toward her heart.
She looked at him and whispered: «Father…» It would be the end and she didn't managed to do anything in her life. She focused all of her energy for that day and she had cast away everything else. Her life had been truly pointless. Lloyd stayed in his pose for some time, enjoying the her despair just like he had done with her father. Then, he rushed his sword toward her demise.
Heather couldn't allow things to finish like this and did a final desperate move. She let herself fall into the sea. As he was lunging his sword, the young woman threw herself backward and splashed into the sea. The raft started to sail away since it was still moving at his incredible speed since the whole time. They were far from the wrecked rescue boats, but still a long way from the closest island.
Lloyd looked at her for sometime before saying: «Whatever, it's not like you're going to get far with the state you are in.» As he smiled at the thought of leaving her to her fate in the middle of the ocean, something incredible happened and made him change his plan.
From the wreckage of the rescue boat, a huge sea monster emerged and started to fest on the survivors of Lloyd assault. It had the body of a turtle and his shell diameter was around eight meter. Is neck was very long and it was looming at around twelve meter above the surface of the water. The head was feral looking, with a long mouth that could catch one or two people whole before swallowing them.
Lloyd was looking at the creature rampaging through the floating debris. "Well, if that thing finish off everyone, then nobody is going to pass my message to the world." Then, he looked at the runt that was floating nearby. She was still on her back and she didn't move since she got in the water. He used his ability to stop the water that was carrying her away and turned it into a small wave that carried her toward the raft.
She washed up at Lloyd feet then he immediately smashed it on her left hand. She dropped her katana from the pain and he kicked it into the sea. Then, he putted a knee down, held her face to lift it toward his and locked his sly eyes into her: «Listen little girl. I know that you will never join me, don't worry, but I also know that you could never beat me. Still, I'll leave you a second chance. Train hard and come back whenever you feel ready and I'll gladly take on your challenge. It better be entertaining or else I'll make sure you have a slow, painful dead by my hand. For now, you will tell everyone that I will take over this world, starting by the Marine Headquarter of West Blue in one month.»
Heather was listening to him without saying a single word, only putting all of her loath in her eyes as she was looking at him. Lloyd let go of her chin before standing up. Heather tried to get back on her feet before Lloyd's boot come crashing in her face. A vivid pain broke into her head before everything turn black.
Near the Firmament, whose only the edge was still pointing outside of the water, a coffin-shaped raft was stopped. Piercing yellow eyes were examining the now sunken ship and managed to see under the water the slashing pattern that seem to have it made go down. Thoughtful, the Hawk Eyes turned his attention toward the open sea. This is when he saw emerged a colossal sea monster. He started to sail immediately toward it.
Please Review: I do my best to give great feedback to most of the story I read. I do constructive criticism or simply say how amazed I am by your greatness.
So, I think it is not too much to ask that you give your opinion on my texts. A simple «This was great» or any close variation is always welcome since I like to know who my readers are. I will also answer you and I'll probably take a look at your own work. (Taken from my profile page.)
Sending OC: I would be really grateful if you could add a character to this story. Idea for special attacks are also welcome since I got through those I had. This story will become longer if it have some extra characters
Note on Marine Ranks: I have read the wikia about the Marine Rank and I'll make a little change. The Admiral Lindroff (seen at the end of the first chapter) will become a Rear Admiral, the lowest rank of Admiral. He his still the highest ranked in West Blue, but the strongest stay at the Grand Line.
Thanks for reading. Also, don't expect an update before a long time (a month or more, I'll say.)
