Okay, as previously stated, this is the new story. I've recently been infected with a One Piece fandom that's been eating me from the inside so DON"T ILL ME WITH THE RANDOM OBJECTS THAT ALWAYS APPEAR PLEASE!
Yours in Fandom
~Dethia.
Dragon Scars
Chapter 2
"A 'Demonic Beast,' Huh?" Luffy asked Koby, contemplating.
Akira rolled her eyes as this same thing had been going on in the boat for the last two hours or so, Luffy asking basically the same exact questions in different ways. She assumed he was doing it to get a rise out of Koby.
"Roronoa Zolo is his real name, but they call him 'Zolo the Pirate Hunter'." Koby supplied. Akira getting up to move order towards Luffy went unnoticed by the two males. "He's like a bloodthirsty hound; roaming the seas, hunting men or the bounties on their heads!" He avidly described. "They say he's a Demon in human for." Koby took one look at Luffy's expression and launched into a tirade… again. "Luffy, He's a Pirate Hunter! Pirate Hunters don't mix well with Pirates!"
Luffy grinned, trying to set Koby at ease. "I haven't decided whether I'll invite him to join my crew or not." He explained to Koby. "If he's a good guy, then I'll-"
"HE'S IN PRISON BECAUSE HE'S NOT A GOOD GUY!" Koby screeched out.
WHACK! THUMP! Suddenly Akira was there with a smoking fist and both boys sporting a nice sized lump.
"Would the two of you stop it?!" She hissed. "I see land!"
Akira stared with a raised eyebrow at the naval base she could see from the town's port. The naval base seemed to be painted a dark sea blue with diagonal black stripes going all the way around it.
"How tacky." Akira commented absently.
"Hey, Akira you can navigate can't you?" Koby asked her, pulling the red head from her musing.
She gave him a wry smile. "Sorry, hun. The most I can do is row and maybe steer the boat around a rock."
Koby overreacted, per usual. "And you were at sea for how many years?!"
"Who cares?! Let's eat!" Luffy jauntily cut in, gazing around for a restaurant.
"Let's get the fool some food so he'll let the smart people speak." Akira smiled, almost unnoticeably.
Koby chuckled into his hands as he gazed at the black-haired boy in front of him valiantly searching for a restaurant, and nodded.
As the unusual trio walked away from the restaurant, Koby looked at Akira with pleading eyes. He gave a swift glance towards the rubber boy walking ahead of them laughing. "Akira, why don't you join up with the Marines too?"
She gave him an unusually soft smile. "They aren't very partial with former bounty hunters, especially someone who could be considered as recovering from insanity."
"But, but… you won't even try?" His voice had gotten dangerously soft, and he was obviously holding back tears. Akira had been his only friend on the island where Alvida had her base. He had been terrified when she had suddenly jumped out of the trees in front of him where he had been sitting crying his eyes out, bruised and beaten…
A dark shadow cautiously moved closer to the sobbing boy, worried for him, but wary of being attacked. It stopped a few feet from him and crouched so that it wouldn't seem too intimidating. "Are you all right?" the shadow asked softly, the voice unmistakably feminine, but rough, as though it hadn't been used in a long time.
Still the boy jumped in fright. He fell backwards off the rock he had been curled up on, and he nursed a lump to the head when he popped back out from behind the stone, terrified and wary. "Who's there?!" He called out, his voice cracking because of the sobs that refused to be repressed. He scrubbed at his eyes angrily. "Where are you?!"
A husky chuckle came from the darkness and she purposely made noise and moved slowly to less the fear factor. She knew she looked very scruffy, leaves and twigs probably dotted her hair, and she could feel the dirt covering her skin in a light layer.
"I'm Akira. I've lived here for a while." She eyed him curiously with her amber eyes, before suddenly bending at the waist, looming over Koby, and pinching a bruised cheek. "Who hurt you?"
He winced at the touch, but answered anyway. "Alvida. She said I wasn't cleaning her shoes fast enough."
She gazed at him for a long time before pulling him to the cove to treat his wounds. "Tell me all about it." she cooed softly.
And the waterworks started as he was confronted with a person to which he could talk to without getting beat in the first time in a month…
"It's time you grew up, Koby. This is your Rite of Passage, your dream." She chuckled hollowly. Koby looked up to see her eyes had also taken a hollow look. "I would just coddle you."
She pushed him forward so he could speak with the rubber boy who was still cackling with glee at the restaurant.
"It's so BIG up close!" Luffy exclaimed. And internally, Akira could agree. It didn't look this big from the port. "Go on in, Koby!"
"B-but," Koby weakly protested, "I haven't mentally prepared myself yet, and those people sure were scared when they heard the captain's name…"He trailed off uncertainly.
Luffy randomly jumped up to the top of the stone wall, and Koby, more or less, freaked out "Luffy! What are you doing?!"
"I wonder if I can see," Luffy idly answered, "the Demonic Beast from here!"
Koby scoffed slightly. "You won't find him by just peeking over the fence." he informed the clueless older boy. "He's probably deep within the bowels of the prison…"
He trailed off when Luffy duly informed them: "There's somebody over there!" Akira blinked in confusion and followed the Rubber Boy. Marines weren't usually that lax with their prisoners. "Maybe it's Zolo!"
Akira sweat dropped. "Luffy, you really shouldn't be all that excited to see a Pirate hunter." She chided but he only nodded in a way that told her he wasn't listening.
"There he is!" Akira glared angrily at the rubber boy, tic marks appearing over her head.
She hadn't noticed Koby had climbed up to see for himself, but heard the thud when he practically shoved himself off the wall in fright.
"What's wrong?" Luffy asked Koby from the wall while Akira climbed up to see for herself.
In the middle of the courtyard, draped and tied to a post, was a young male about her age, with blood and dirt covering practically every inch of him. He wore a black bandana over his hair, which she could see from his sideburns that it was a soft moss green. Slate grey eyes watched the trio with an apathy that she believed came from desolation. His face bore bruises and blood was dripping out of his nose and mouth, as well from beneath the bandana over his eye. His shirt was white (somewhat, as it was covered in blood and dirt), and a green hamaraki sash covered both the edge of his shirt and the waist of his black pants, which were tucked into a pair of black boots.
"So that's him." Luffy exclaimed. "I could just untie those ropes and set him free…"
Koby was quick to overrule the impulsive boy. "That's suicide!" He screeched out. "If you let him loose, he'll kill us then wreck the town!"
"Hey Kid!" Zolo called out to the trio peeking over the wall. It was obviously directed towards Luffy. "Come over here… And untie me," His breathing was labored, though he grinned a very bloodthirsty grin at the three, and his eyes sparked from cold grey stone to liquid steel, fevered with desperation. "I've been here for nine days and I can't TAKE it anymore."
Luffy seemed to ignore his call. "Hey! He's smiling!"
Koby, of course, was cringing away from the man, hoping the wall would protect him, Akira supposed. "He's talking to us!" He cried.
Akira just rolled her eyes at the two before gazing at the man thoughtfully. Zolo, noticing this, decided to appeal to her. "I'll make it worth your while." Akira smirked at bit at the context of those words. "I'll capture someone with a big price on their head and give all the bounty to you." He offered. "You can trust me. I'm a man of my word."
"Don't do it Luffy!" Koby cried out in terror, "As soon as you untie him, he'll kill us and get away! I just know it!"
"He won't kill us." Luffy's calm and confident tone stopped Koby's blathering. "He couldn't." The rubber boy's tranquil smile made Akira study him with newfound respect. The way he said the words simply made you believe him. "I wouldn't let him!"
Akira looked back at the captive and let a snort of laughter at the huff of indignity that he gave. Zolo was slightly glaring at the black haired boy now. Koby had begun crying again, this time silently, which was a relief to the red-headed girl. No matter how much she cared for the younger boy, he was just such a worry-wart! No fun at all.
A resounding Klack! Had all three of them gazing over at a little girl with black hair in small pigtails shushing them. As she climbed up to sit on the wall, Akira climbed up next to her, her stomach laying on the flat of the wall.
She smiled softly at the girl who gave a confused look. "Grab my arm, little one." She told the girl gently. "You may be a big girl but the wall is more than a match for you." The girl gave a innocent smile as she grabbed on and was gently lowered down. Akira watched the girl intently, not noticing the looks she was getting from the two boys next to her as Zolo was watching the girl, too.
Koby was staring at her a little melancholy, as he remembered her calling him that after a particularly bad beating while she was comforting him.
Luffy was a little confused at how quickly she changed from distanced amusement to nurturing big sister within a few moments of spotting the little girl. Suddenly she was aware of being stared at. "What?"
Luffy grinned at the red-head. "You should be boatswain. You care a lot." He laughed as she blushed hard enough to be seen through her tan.
"Ah shaddup." And she pouted before frowning at the exchange going on between the little girl and the bounty hunter.
"Get lost! Do you want to get killed?!" He told the little girl almost completely apathetically, if it wasn't for the pain and hunger leaking into his voice.
Akira glared as the little girl completely disregarded the warning and instead showed him two rice balls she had sitting in her hands. "I made these rice balls for you! I thought you might need some food!" She told him happily. "It's the first time I've ever made rice balls. I hope you like them!"
"I'm…" It was obvious he was struggling with himself. "Not hungry!" He growled at the little girl. If he had looked at Akira he would've seen the evil glare she was throwing his way for being so cruel. "Now beat it and take that stuff with you!"
The poor thing looked ready to cry and Akira was being held back by a terrified Koby. "But…"
He cut off the little girl. "I don't want it! Now get outta here! Or I'll stomp you to death!" He bellowed out at the girl.
Akira's deep throated growling, which had long petrified Koby into letting her go, and now it was Luffy who was holding onto her arm. She was about to bark out a insult when-
"Roronoa Zolo!" A voice called out, making Akira twitch heavily at the aggravating tone. "You shouldn't pick on little girls." A young boy with blonde hair walked into the yard. He was wearing a gaudy suit with a gaudy spotted shirt opened at the chest to reveal a chain. His hairstyle was that of the fifteen hundreds, and with his bushy eyebrows and cleft chin, he overall looked like a gaudy idiot. "I'll tell my father on you!"
Akira had looked at the idiot with all the disdain she could manage. Anyone, who at that age played to "Daddy", must either be mentally challenged or a wimp.
"Who's that weirdo?" Luffy voiced the very question that was banging around in Akira's head in a much nicer fashion.
"It must be some high ranking naval officer." Koby sighed out, relieved. "Now that little girl will be safe." He contentedly ignored Akira's snort of derision.
Now the red-head studied the captured male again. He had gritted his teeth at the young man, and his eyes practically screamed insults and disgust. "Well, if it isn't the idiot son, living off of daddy's wealth." Zolo sneered, and Akira would be lying if she said she didn't agree with him.
"Did you just call me an idiot?" He growled, insulted. "A man in your position should guard his tongue," He paused in effort to make his words menacing. "Or he could lose it!" It failed, in the epic sense.
He turned to the little girl and began talking down to her. "Little Girl, did you bring those rice balls for me? How thoughtful." He sneered, knowing full well whom they were for. Her response was however cut off by Him plucking up a rice ball and taking a bite.
"BLECH! Disgusting! It's sweet! There's sugar on it!" He coughed out. Akira glanced over to see that Zolo had began to glare deeply at the man. "Rice balls are supposed to be seasoned with salt! Not sugar!"
The little girl was finally able to make her reasoning heard over the mans hacking. "But I like sweets, so I thought sugar would be better!" A small smile was beginning to smooth over Akira's anger when what that idiot boy did next had her nearly snarling in rage, making Luffy wrap both arms around her so she wouldn't jump the fence and attack him.
"These are COMPLETELY inedible." He screeched as he smashed the remainders of the rice ball he held in his hand as well as the other whole rice ball held in the little girl's hands into the ground with his foot.
The little girl fell to her knees as her cries filled the courtyard. "Stop! Please! You're ruining them!"
"How evil," Koby whispered out. "That little girl worked really hard to make those rice balls."
"Don't worry! I'm sure the ants will find them delicious!" He laughed at the crying child on her knees before him.
Akira had stopped struggling, but her amber eyes had brightened to a predator's yellow, and after Luffy got a good look at her face he let her go, a grin on his own. When Koby asked what on earth he thought he was doing, that if he didn't hold her back she'd end up mauling the dude Luffy cheerfully replied with: "She's in control again." and continued to watch the events in front of them, ignoring Koby and his guppy act.
The shudder that went through her body when she heard the girls tear-coated voice, however, was proof to how much she really wanted to jump him. "Why!" She bawled out. "I worked so hard to make them!"
The blonde gave a long-suffering sigh as though she was the cause for all the discomfort. "Oh, Stop that crying!" He degraded. "That's why I hate kids! It's your own fault! Can't you read this sign?" He sneered. "It says 'Anyone aiding this prisoner shall be found guilty of the crimes he has committed. -Captain Morgan." He read off as Akira took one final deep breath, still eerily silent and climbed backup to the wall to observe. "I'm sure you've heard how scary my father can be!" He cooed to the crying girl. "If you were a adult, you would be put to death!"
He gave another long-suffering sigh, and glanced back at the Marine to his right. "You there! Throw that brat over the fence!"
Koby stifled the fearsome hiss that escaped Akira after hearing that, halfway horrified at the treatment the little girl was getting, halfway terrified that Akira would bite off the hand he was using to muffle her and maul the guy in the suit.
At the small screech of terror above him, he looked up to see the little girl go flying over them. Luffy caught her before she could hit the ground, using his body to absorb the impact, but wasn't able to do much but blink before the little girl was out of his arms and being coddled over by Akira, who was cooing at her softly to get her tremors and tears to stop. Koby was providing overall unneeded assistance, so neither saw Luffy's scowl of displeasure.
Akira glanced over as Luffy vaulted the wall and began to walk towards the bound man, who looked resolute now. With a muttered order to Koby to keep the child calm while she followed Luffy to make sure he didn't do anything stupid, she vaulted after him and stood off to the side a bit as the two males conversed, completely aware she was being measured up, but too angry to do much but stand there silently as she listened to them speak.
Zolo eyed the girl who followed the fool curiously. It was obvious that out of the three who had been watching from the wall that she was the most riled up by the treatment of the child, and the one with the most common sense, too.
Her red hair caught the sunlight as it rustled to the slight wind that blew through the courtyard, making it seem almost like rippling stands of blood. Her tan barely hid the scars around her collarbone and the navy blue tank that she wore told him that she didn't particularly care what people thought when they saw them. Her arms her covered by black gloves that appeared to be rubber and were fingerless. It drew his eyes to her hands, on of which was tugging at a stand of hair that was longer than the others on her head, and the other that rubbed the silver rod strapped to her back in a almost loving manner. She wore a pair of khaki Capri's that had a flask attached to it, which he eyed hungrily (thirstily really) before gazing at her feet which bore a pair of black boots. Strangely enough, she looked almost child-like, innocent if not for the obvious markings of battle.
The oddest thing about her had to be the fact that her eyes were a bright yellow that overall made her look exotic. They danced from place to place like leaves flitting in the wind, before landing on the fool boy who stood in front of him, studying him intently, and then those yellow eyes flickered to him and he held her gaze for as much as he was able to, smirking when her eyes didn't leave him as quickly as it did other things.
"Look," the boy who stood in front of him started, making Zolo drag his attention from the strange redhead to the boy. "I'm looking for good men to join my pirate crew."
The simple statement was enough for Zolo to catch the gist of what he wanted. "Pirate crew? You think I'd lower myself to that level? No thanks!"
He was surprised at the black-haired boys sudden pouting. "But becoming a pirate's my dream. What wrong with it?!" He demanded.
Zolo heard a sigh and was pleasantly surprised to see the red haired girl rolling her eyes at her partner. "Luffy." Her voice was surprisingly husky and pleasant to hear, despite being firm. "On point. Now." She added when he opened his mouth to argue, so he simply shut his mouth and pouted for a while longer.
Zolo decided to do the honors. "You think if you untie me," He started and was gifted with both sets of eyes, one a deep brown, the other a now dark shade of amber. "I'm gonna join your pirate crew?"
Luffy grinned a bit. "I haven't decided to ask you yet," he informed the swordsman, "You've got a pretty bad reputation, ya know?"
Zolo couldn't stop the smirk that fell into place in response. "Bad rep, huh? Well, anyway, I don't go for that kind of deal. I've got my own plans for the future." He boasted. "I don't need your help. I can get out of here on my own. All I have to do is last a month here then I'm a free man!" He couldn't help the fact that his smirk grew. "Captain Morgan's idiot son promised me. All I've got to do is survive here for one month." He informed them. "Then I'll be free to pursue my dream!"
Slate grey eyes narrowed onto the tail-end of a small smile from the redhead before it was hidden by her hand. What was so amusing?
Luffy 'Hmmm'-ed. "I don't think I could last one week without food." He was cheerily informed.
"Me and you are different, I've got more willpower," He confirmed, "So go look for your crew elsewhere…" his voice trailed off as some of the energy he had gathered, began to trickle out his body.
"Hey, wait a minute," He called out to the black-haired fool, "Pick that up for me." And Zolo gestured to the dirt-rice mush on the ground.
He laughed internally at how the redhead scrunched her nose and turned away as Luffy obligingly placed it in his mouth.
"How could you eat that? It was mostly dirt!" It was the first time Red had spoken directly to him. Zolo fought through the coughs to speak.
"Tell the kid," He was interrupted by another coughing fit, and he dry swallowed. "Tell her I said It was delicious. Tell her I ate it all." He made it a point not to look at either of them as he spoke, but glanced up when he heard a laugh and a curse.
Luffy was grinning at him, as though something he thought was proved, and Red was walking toward him, fiddling with the flask he had seen earlier.
When she got close enough, Zolo could see that she was screwing the lid off the flask. "What are you doing Red?" He growled out, confused.
She stopped what she was doing to give him a scathing look, before forcing his head back and placing the neck of the flask to hid lips, allowing some of the liquid to go through into his mouth.
"It's honey-water," She elaborated as he gulped down the liquid, "It's better for people who have been fasting for long amounts of time and fends off hunger for a small amount of time. It soothes."
Zolo could tell from how she was tipping it that there wasn't much left, and tried to swallow every last drop. She allowed him this, only rolling her eyes and tilting it a bit more. A content sigh left him as she finally pulled the now empty flask from his lips.
Zolo smirked at her thankfully. "What's your name Red?"
She rolled her eyes at his not-so-imaginative nickname for her, but he could see the amusement in their amber depths. "It's Akira." She told him simply before going back to the wall where her companion awaited her, and vaulting over the wall.
Belatedly, he realized that she was still angry, but not one ounce of her anger escaped from her movements, gestures, or tones. That every time she touched him it was unbelievably gentle. The only true sign were her eyes.
They still glowed slightly, in a unholy, feral way.
Akira was contentedly petting the head of the little girl as she told them the true reason as to why the Pirate Hunter was in jail. Once the redhead had vaulted back over the wall the little one had practically attached herself to Akira's side.
The entire group was jolted out of their own thoughts as a familiar and annoying voice laughed from the street. "Your not bowing your heads low enough, scum! I'll tell my father on all of you!" Akira bared her teeth slightly in a sneer in the fools direction at his last comment. "Do you want to be jailed like Roronoa Zolo?" He threatened. "We're going to hold a public execution for him in three days! We'll make a example of him! I can hardly wait!" He bragged as he swaggered up the street into their line of sight.
Luffy sent a questioning glance at the blonde, while Akira got up and slid her silver rod, Arget, from it's place on her back; a simple jerk restored it to it's near 7 ft. height.
"But," Luffy began, "You made a promise to him?" He queried.
Helmeppo looked at Luffy as though he had just said one of the most idiotic thing he ever heard. "Where did you hear about that?" The blonde questioned, before bragging out: "That promise was just a joke! He's just a stupid beast for believing it!"
No sooner had the words left his mouth before Luffy was on him, Akira deftly stopping the Marines who were escorting the foolish blonde by taking the one who had tossed the little girl over the wall and using his own momentum to spin him into his counterpart. She stood above them as Luffy gave Helmeppo the punch he was greatly deserving. She ignored the commotion was Koby pulled an enraged Luffy away from the dazed blonde.
"Disgusting." She spat out at them. "To see Marines fall from grace as a spoiled boy's whipping dogs!" She hissed her last words at them, reveling in the fear the showed before she moved back to Luffy, picking up his hat on the way and completely disregarding the knocked-out boy she stepped over.
"I've made my decision! I'm asking Zolo to join my crew!" He declared, still glaring at the shell-shocked blonde being helped up by the shamed Marines.
"H-HE REALLY DID IT!" A villager cried out. "HE PUNCHED THE CAPTAIN'S SON! CAPTAIN MORGAN WILL BE FURIOUS!"
"Luffy, Akira," Koby hissed, "Are you trying to pick a fight with the whole navy?!"
"Scum is scum, dear one." Akira admonished, and Koby hesitated slightly.
Luffy nodded in agreement. "No matter WHO the father is!"
Akira gazed apathetically at the screeching Helmeppo, who was going on and on about how he had never been hit before, how Luffy was going to get what was coming to him.
"Shut. Up." The two words had enough power to make Helmeppo stop. "It's obvious that Luffy held back," she spat at him, making the blonde flinch. "So stop whining and be happy your awake, much less without any broken bones."
Helmeppo paled significantly, but then proceeded to yell out insults as his Marine escorts rushed him away.. She and Luffy completely disregarded the fool in favor of turning over glance over at the little girl. The poor thing had time enough to tell say that they were 'awesome' and 'cool' for doing that before her mother came out looking for her.
Both Luffy and Akira smiled and waved at her as she was being escorted back in the house.
"They won't let you get away with this! And Captain Morgan had the whole Navy behind him!" Koby panicked, making Akira sigh before patting his head in a soothing way as she followed Luffy back to the parade grounds.
"Yeah, whatever," Luffy brushed off Koby's fears, "I need to talk to Zolo."
And he walked off, as Koby and Akira looked at him in confusion. "Luffy?" He turned around questioningly. "The grounds are that way." Akira told him sweat dropping, while pointing in the opposite direction Luffy was heading.
"Hey!" Luffy called out as he walked to where Zolo was being withheld, Akira following, rolling her eyes and Koby practically glued to her side.
"You again," Zolo grimaced. "If this is about me joining your crew, my answer is still NO!"
Luffy, in proper Luffy fashion, completely ignored the man. "Call me Luffy! I'll untie you if you'll join my pirate crew!"
"Don't you LISTEN boy?!" Zolo growled at him. He glanced over at Akira as she snorted 'No!' and locked his eyes on the pink-haired kid practically attached to her waist, and decided to ask about that later. He turned his attention back to the boy-Luffy- in front of him. "I've got my own mission," Zolo hissed out as his wounds gave a throb of pain. "And it doesn't involve becoming a stinking pirate!"
Luffy gave the bound man a confused look. "You're too good to be a Pirate?" He asked, a little hurt. "You, a bounty hunter? Who everyone thinks is some kind of demon?"
Zolo gave up and full out glared at the idiot. "I don't care what people think." He told Luffy simply. "I live by my own code… I've never done anything I regret, and I don't intend to in the future." Luffy just stared at him. "Which is why I'll never be a pirate!"
"Sorry," he was told cheerfully, "but I've made up my mind! You're gonna join my crew!" He turned and pointed at Akira, who blinked. "You too!"
"Luffy, my former decision still stands." She told him bluntly. "Get him," She nodded to Zolo, who sent her a glare. "To join, and I will too."
Luffy nodded thoughtfully and ignored Zolo as he threw insults at them. "I heard you can use a sword!" Luffy told Zolo, which shut him up forthwith.
He huffed at the two, ignoring the small smile that popped up at the redhead's mouth, as he answered. "If I wasn't tied up, I'd show you." He half threatened.
Of course it went right over Luffy's head. "So where are your swords now?"
Akira, being bored, turned to Koby, trying to usher him out from behind her enough to seem that he wasn't her child, which wasn't going as well as she hoped.
"Koby…" She warned, trying to get him to release the death hold he had on her waist.
"But, but… Luffy's gonna get us killed!" He whined out, only tightening his grip. They both ignored the yell of "YOU LITTLE RAT!" coming from the direction of the conversing males.
Akira gave him a level look, that had him letting go and looking at the ground, feeling much like the small child who had done something wrong. "Do you think He'd let Zolo kill us?"
"… No…" was the quiet response.
"Do you think I'D let him hurt us, much less kill us?"
Koby didn't answer so Akira nodded to herself and glanced around curiously. "Where'd Luffy go?"
Koby's head shot up and he gazed around, searching for their friend. He walked up, hesitantly, to Zolo. And asked the question again.
Zolo eyed him for a moment before snorting. "Fool went into the fortress."
"WHAT? Luffy went into the fortress?! Why is he so reckless?!" Koby shouted out in shock. Akira perked up and came closer, but stopped within arm's reach of Koby.
"Yeah, I've noticed. Who is he anyway?" Zolo barked out angrily. He was confused, and being confused made him angry, end of story. So to say that the swordsman was startled when Koby walked up to him and began to untie the knots, was an understatement. And when he glanced at Akira, to check to see if this was expected, he found that the redhead was staring wide-eyed and open-mouthed to the boy, despite a smile forming on her face. "Hey!" He barked out to get his attention. "Now you're being reckless! If they catch you freeing me, they'll kill you!"
However, Koby couldn't be deterred. "They imprisoned you unfairly!" He shot back, with a vehemence that had Akira smiling largely, "I can't stand to see the Navy act improperly! I'm going to become a proper sailor! Just like Luffy's gonna be the King of Pirates!"
To say Zolo was shocked would be an understatement. "King of the Pirates?! Does he know what that means?!"
Koby laughed slightly. "I was shocked when he first told me, too. But he'll succeed or die trying! That's how he is!"
Akira smirked, and was about to tease Koby when a resounding BOOM! filled the air. The next thing anyone knew, Koby was lying on the ground in shock, his shoulder bleeding.
Akira stared blankly at her young friend, before wheeling around to glare deeply at the man, her hand automatically slipping to Arget and extending it to it's full length. However, after she did that she gave a deft twist approximately in the middle of the staff, and two long blades emerged from the tips of each blade, making the silver staff into a silver, dual leaf-bladed, spear.
Koby's scream made her glare deepen before she glanced back toward the crying boy. "I'VE BEEN SHOT!" He screamed again. "BLOOD! I'M BLEEDING! I'M GONNA DIE!"
Akira then proceeded to snort, walk over to the over-reacting, terrified boy, and bonk him soundly on the head with the flat of the blade.
Zolo sighed in relief. "Good! You're alive!" He glanced over his shoulder at the building and noticed that the Marines on the roof were gone. "Now get outta here! They're on their way down!"
"But… I haven't… Untied you…" Koby panted out, while Akira handed him his glasses.
"Don't worry about me. I just have to survive here for one month and they'll let me go. So just beat it-"
"Your execution is scheduled for three days from now." Akira idly cut him off.
"What are you saying?! That idiot promised me! If I survive here for a month, I'll be set free!"
"He never intended to keep that promise!" Koby said direly. "That's why Luffy punched Helmeppo! Because he found out Helmeppo lied to you!"
"W-what?!" Zolo exclaimed in shock.
"Not everyone has honor." Akira told him simply. "You believed him because it was all you had to believe in, while you survived this torture."
"The navy is your enemy now! Please! If I untie you, will you help Luffy and Akira?!" At Zolo's silence he continued. "They saved my life! I won't ask you to become a pirate, but.." Koby trailed off. Akira turned glowing amber eyes to the boy, and he seemed to regain his courage. "Luffy and Akira are so strong, and you're really strong too! If you team up, you can escape from here! Please help them!"
Akira was going to go to the poor boy, as he was exhausted and terrified (and deep, DEEP on the inside, she wanted to give him a hug for pouring out his heart like that; gooey, mushy female that she is.), but the sound of coordinated steps on the parade grounds, had her reeling around, teeth bared and feet apart at the new threat.
"STAY WHERE YOU ARE! CAPTAIN MORGAN HAS ORDERED YOUR IMMEDIATE EXECUTION!" One of the Marines roared.
"SURROUND THE FORTRESS! IF THAT RASCAL IN THE STRAW HAT ESCAPES, YOU'LL ALL BE SORRY!" A man with a steel jaw boomed out. He stared long at the three outlaws in the center were all excruciatingly different, for Roronoa had shock and disbelief on his face, the pink haired boy had fear on his face and tears in his eyes, and the female had a merciless expression on her face. She seemed familiar. "You four aren't simple outlaws, are you?" He questioned. "You're trying to overthrow me!" His voice betrayed that he thought this a common thing. "Roronoa Zolo." He sneered. "Peasants and pirates ay tremble at your name, but your no match for the great one!" He boasted, hefting his axe-hand over xhis shoulder to emphasize it. "You may be a barracuda, but I'm a great white shark!" He savored the expression on the Pirate Hunter's before calling out his order. "TAKE AIM!"
Akira observed with an apathy she had thought she was no longer capable of the people around her, as time seemed to slow. A glance at Koby told her that he was practically already unconscious from fear. Zolo's panicked expression and dilated eyes told her that this was the last thing he wanted as well, and from the slight glaze in his eyes told her that he was reliving memories. The Marines that had them cornered were looking at them with detachment, as their line of work required, and Morgan was looking quite full of himself.
With a start she realized that the Marine closest to her had recognition in his eyes, and he was speaking under his breath with the men to his sides.
The crash of glass overhead had her glancing upwards, however it was then that Morgan decided to end the silence. "FIRE!"
She moved with a speed unnatural to many twirling her Arget skillfully enough that stray bullets were redirected away from the still duo, only to slide to a stop as Luffy jumped right into the line of fire.
Several surprised exclamations rent the air but all were drowned out by Luffy. "BULLETS CAN"T HURT ME!"
Akira had to dive down and behind Luffy to avoid getting hit with a ricocheted bullet. "Look out!" A Marine cried out as all of them hit the ground, much like Akira had.
Luffy laughed as Zolo stared at him in shock and Akira in anger. "What are you?!" Zolo cried out.
Luffy wasn't phased in the least. "I'm the guy who's gonna be King of the Pirates!" Luffy held out three swords to the bound man, "So which swords are yours? I didn't know so I brought all three…" Luffy trailed off, waiting for a response.
"They're all mine." The simple answer had Akira glancing at him in curiosity instead of glaring heatedly at Luffy. "I practice Santoryu-Three Sword Style."
Luffy nodded and opened his mouth to speak before being bashed in the head so heard his head snapped forward and smashed into the wooden pole Zolo was tied to, just above his head. "OWWWWWWWW! WHAT WAS THAT FOR AKIRA?!" Luffy cried out, almost dropping the swords before Akira grabbed them and kept them from hitting the ground.
She glared at him. "You almost got me shot" She hissed at him, her voice a bit rougher than before, "You're lucky I haven't buried you beneath the ground." She ignored the sulking boy and turned to Zolo. "You realize that fighting with us here will make you a outlaw, correct?" He turned his head to gaze at the regimen of Marines still shell-shocked at what Luffy did, at the opening of the parade grounds. "If you'd like I can put it simpler." She smiled at the glare that was sent her way. "Fight for your life against the law," she gestured to the still sulking Luffy, who was watching their conversation with mounting excitement, "Or lose your life obeying a corrupt law." She gestured to the Marines, who now watched her interaction with the so-called "Demon."
Luffy came up to stand by her, and he nodded emphatically.
"You must be demon spawn," He croaked out, a bloody grin decorating his face, "But I'm not ready to die without a fight! All right! You've got yourselves a Pirate!"
Opinions, please? Things you want fixedededd?! PLEASE!
