"East Lagoon Island," thought Alexander as he put his foot back into soil. He was starting to hate the idea of being a sea unit, times at sea was just too boring. He'd have to find someone to spend time with while he was out at sea. Standing around in a small dinghy by himself was getting to be a chore.
Alexander moved through the streets slowly. The town was quiet and the streets were empty. Not even a single kid was running around the street pretending to be an airplane chasing down random kids. Alexander sighed. BORING!
Alexander stood still as he heard a random footstep. Someone was following him. Alexander turned around to see his pursuer but saw no one. He shrugged it off. Maybe he was becoming paranoid. He continued on his walk through the street, but the feeling that someone was following him never left.
Alexander stopped at a small inn and decided he would rest there for the night. Returning to headquarters tomorrow might not be a bad idea. His first time out was a success, so he would be considered to have done his job. Even if his actual mission was a fail.
Alexander went up to the innkeeper and asked, "how much for a single room?"
The innkeeper looked distracted. He didn't even look at Alexander when he said, "I wouldn't stay on this island if I were you."
Alexander sighed, "I can take care of myself. I am a big boy after all, so I repeat myself: How much for a single room?"
The innkeeper still didn't look directly at him. "200 belies," he looked around slowly and thoughtfully, "just 200 belies for a night."
Alexander's face dropped. He reached into his pocket and searched around for whatever money he had. The people on the last island were kind and gave him his hat for free, they also insisted he took some money, but…he probably spent it all. He pulled it out…a little bit under 200. He couldn't even afford to sleep.
"Sorry," said Alexander, "I just don't have the money…" Alexander thought for a second. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a Marine card. It was supposed to be used in case of emergency. Mail birds would take the number on the card to the nearest Marine Base and return with money for the innkeeper. Alexander smiled. This qualifies as an emergency. "But I do have this." He put the card onto the table.
The innkeeper got up and looked at it. It took him a few minutes and then his face lit up at the sight of the card. "You…you are a Marine?" For the first time in the conversation he looked right at Alexander. A light bulb seemed to go off in the innkeeper's head.
Alexander smiled. People never thought he was a Marine, maybe he didn't have the face for it. "Yeah," said Alexander, "I've been at it for a whole week!" He stretched out with a confident smirk on his face.
The innkeeper's face fell. A week? And he was bragging about being a Marine? This kid probably was just a cabin boy for a real Marine sent out to do some shopping or some crap, "So, what rank are you?" The innkeeper asked humoring the boy.
"Me?" asked Alexander, "Just a captain."
The innkeeper fell to the ground. A week… and already he was a captain! Oh! He probably meant he was only a captain for a week. He may be just the kind of man, he'd been looking for. "Oh, I see. You've been a captain for a week. So, how long have you been a Marine?"
"A little over two weeks," said Alexander trying to put his finger on the exact time. He believed it to be for two week, three days, and around 5 hours since he was officially commemorated into the Marines.
The innkeeper collapsed onto the floor. Only two weeks and he was captain…what kind of beast was he? It took most Marines a couple of months, some even took a year, to reach captain rank. True…a few of them quickly became captains in under a month, but those were the famous ones like Monkey D. Garp or Aokiji. The innkeeper quickly took out a piece of paper and scribbled something down on it. He had a mean smile on his face. "Here's your receipt"
"Thanks?" asked Alexander as he took the slip of paper from the man. Did inn's usually give receipts? He didn't think they did…must be a new thing. He stuffed the slip of paper into his pocket. He was about to head for the room, when the innkeeper shouted.
"WAIT! Aren't you going to look at the receipt?" He gestured with his hands.
"No, why should I," said Alexander, "you aren't going to rip me off. You seem like a pretty honest man."
"No," said the innkeeper shouting, "I'm as terrible as they come. I'm very crooked! You should very well look at the receipt to make sure I didn't rip you off."
"No, crook says they are a crook," said Alexander as he laughed a bit at the innkeeper's antics, "crooks are the guys that say they are the hardworking honest men."
"Then I am a hardworking honest man! The most hardworking and the most honest!" shouted the innkeeper. "The receipt says it all!"
Alexander laughed it off and went into the room. The innkeeper seemed like a good fellow, but he also seemed insane. "No harm in locking the door," said Alexander as he put the key in and turned it.
Alexander backed off and returned to the bed. He had more important things to think about then a crazy innkeeper. The streets were deserted, something was missing. He didn't see another ship in the harbor, so a pirate wasn't docked here at the moment. He lied back onto the bed and thought for a second. He should've asked the innkeeper he probably would've known something.
His hand went into his pocket. He pulled out all of its content. His small amount of monetary funds, some crumbs from his lunch, his receipt, and a pen. He started to fiddle with the pen as he thought. What else could it be? A ceremony? Nobody got on him about walking in the street. Was there going to be a flood? No, the doors weren't bolted shut. What else could it be? No pirates, no ceremonies, no disaster. He sighed and put his pen down. He picked up the receipt and fiddled with it.
He was about to try to sleep when he noticed handwriting scrawled over it. The first line he could see 'You' and beneath that was 'hel'…that better not be 'You go to hell.' It wouldn't be the first time someone wrote that on a piece of paper and gave it to him. He unfolded. 'You gotta help us!'
Alexander sprang to his feet and ran to the door. He fiddled with the lock for a second before he finally managed to open it. He ran out of the room and to the innkeeper. The innkeeper's face lit up.
Alexander wandered over to the counter and looked at the innkeeper, "You are right…I should always look at my receipt." He winked at the man, "so…can you tell me where this paper trail ends?" said Alexander trying to be as discreet as possible.
"Huh?" said the innkeeper.
"Where does the money I give you go to?" said Alexander, "who's pulling the strings?"
"Huh?" repeated the innkeeper.
"What do you need me to do?" said Alexander as he gritted his teeth, so much for being discreet. "Whose head do you need me to bash in?"
"Oh!" said the innkeeper, "that's simple. There's a large mansion down the road. Inside of it is the mountain bandit, Greeto, he isn't very strong, but his bodyguard could slay a hundred men in two seconds! He and his men have imprisoned the good people of this town inside their houses! He must be stopped. Ordinarily I wouldn't suggest a man to go down and fight him unless they had a death wish…but someone of your caliber may just survive."
Alexander smiled. "That's right," said Alexander, "I am an amazing man." Alexander turned around went towards the door.
"Yup, amazingly gullible," said the innkeeper as he stretched out into his chair, "I'll give him a couple minutes head start. Then I'll go collect me boys."
Alexander arrived at the mansion in a few minutes, he knocked on the door. The door swung open up. The room was spacious. It covered more square feet then an ordinary house would. Alexander peered around trying to find the mountain bandit the innkeeper was talking about. He saw no one. Not until a small man waddled out. He looked to be in his forties, but he only stood about four feet tall. He had a large smile that covered up most of his face.
Alexander chuckled at his penguin-like appearance, "are you Greeto?"
"Yup, yup, yup, that be my name!" said the man with a chuckle, "Greeto! The millionaire!"
Just the millionaire? Just like a bandit to say how much money they got, but now how they got it. "I'm sorry, but the good townspeople have voiced a concern about you and I'm here to deliver the message."
"They have! I am terribly sorry! I am all ears for any complaints they have," said Greeto as he began to waddle closer to Alexander. Alexander scooted back.
This man was probably dangerous. He probably had a revolved stashed somewhere on his body. Where it was exactly Alexander had no clue, but his best bet was to keep distance between them. "Yeah, and it the good kind…they want me to eliminate you."
"Oh, dear! That sounds horrible! What did I do?"
Alexander became ticked, "What a bastard! He pretends he doesn't know what he did to these good people! Its criminals like him that tick me off!" "Its quite simple, you see, they…" Alexander charged forward and prepared a punch, "HATE YOUR GUTS!" His punch was intercepted by a long pole.
A taller man about five foot nine had emerged in between the two. He was skinny and quite lanky. He was dressed in casual enough clothing, a white T-shirt and blue denim jeans. He had long blonde hair that stretched past his shoulders. Alexander's eyes were focused on his weapon, though.
The weapon was two long sticks that crisscrossed in the middle similar to a plus sign (+). At the ends of each pole was a sharpened stone made for thrusting. The man's hand was in the center were they intersected holding on tightly to it.
"I am Master Greeto's bodyguard, Gyrao," said the man, "please stand down and back away. I have no desire to kill you."
"Same here, buddy," said Alexander, "I have business with the penguin behind you." He continued to press against Gyrao's weapon.
"Penguin! Is that really what people think when they look at me, Gyrao?" asked Greeto.
"Sir," said Gyrao, "this is not the time to be asking such a ridiculous question." He broke the lock first and jumped back a few feet until he was next to Greeto. "I guess there is no turning you around is there?"
"Not until I skin that penguin," said Alexander as he launched a kick for Gyrao's head. Gyrao ducked beneath his kick and ran to the other side of him. Gyrao spun around ready to launch another attack, but Alexander was already on top of him as he fired a punch downward. Gyrao jumped backwards avoiding the blow. He skidded back a few feet.
Alexander landed on the ground safely. He stretched his arm out and started to spin it in circles. Gyrao seemed way too skilled, he had so far blocked one of his attacks and avoided another two. Not many bodyguards he met could do that so far. Alexander charged forward again about to unleash another punch when Gyrao started to spin his weapon around in the air above him.
"Say hello to the special weapon passed down through the Hanamutsu clan! Go, Cross Spear!" Gyrao jumped high into the air still spinning the weapon around in his hand. "Special Attack! Bisecting Slash!" Alexander ran to the side to avoid the direct blow. Gyrao didn't stop, instead he rammed one of the ends of his spear into the ground. The sheer force of the attack created shockwaves that ran out in four lines each using the spear as the center point.
Alexander brought his arms up to block, but was blown away by the sheer force of the attack anyway. He was thrown aside helpless by the mere shockwave of the attack! Alexander crashed into the ground and look up. His opponent, Gyrao, was already in the air above him readying himself for another attack.
That's right Alexander made a quick leap into the Marines earning a title of captain, only problem is it appears the innkeeper it playing him for a fool. Will Alexander sink or swim in the fight with Gyrao? The next chapter says it all! Keep reading and reviewing! Support Alexander!