A/N: Like I said before, I didn't want Chris' members to join her crew without some incentive of some sort of story. Thus this chapter is born! This is where the action finally starts. It's a nice, long chapter, because I wanted it all to be just one, you know? It was a super fast upload because I just had to write this chapter. I've got the next chapter written as well, but that won't go up until I get some reviews! Hope you enjoy it! Read and review! Sorry ahead of time for OOCness
SNE121
Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece or any items affiliated with it.
Pirates!
Travel to Kiri Island Part 2
Attack of the Gold Lion Pirates! Enter the First!
By the time Chris and Zugai reached the harbor where the boat was docked, the fog had cleared from the surrounding area, allowing clear vision, much to Chris' delight. The red haired girl held her hat loosely in her hand as she followed Zugai along the stretch of ships and Chris found herself scanning the many boats lined up along the docks.
It didn't take long for her to find the large ivory ship; a Galleon, she assumed. She wasn't told that this was in fact Zugai's ship, but she could tell without a doubt. It seemed to be made of the same substance as the labrys still rested in Zugai's hand, though the sails against the masts were a deep ebony color; a heavy contrast against the ivory. The colors reminded her of a piano.
Zugai shot a glanced in Chris' direction and a satisfied smile crossed his lips when he caught her awed expression. "Looks like you found it," he said.
"Well, it's hard to miss," Chris said. The closer they came to it, the more amazed Chris began. The entire ship was made of the ivory substance. "What's it made of?"
Zugai didn't answer. Instead, he promptly changed the subject. "So your name, it's short for something right?" he asked. Chris frowned; however, she knew she wasn't going to get an answer to her question: at east not yet. She decided to play along for the moment.
"Mhm," she said. "But I'll only tell when you officially join my crew. And I'll let you know now, you ever call me by my real name, I'll throw you over board,"
"I never said I was going with you," Zugai protested. "Why are you so set on it anyway?"
"Because I like you," Chris said simply. "Because you seem like a good companion. And from what I'm assuming, an able fighter, and from what I can see here, a fantastic shipwright! Every great pirate needs an equally great first mate, right?"
Zugai unwillingly smiled a bit and looked away to hide it. "Is flattery one of your methods?"
Chris put on a rather mischievous smile and looked at him. "Is it not working?" she asked.
"Not in the least," Zugai answered. Chris maintained her smiled and looked back at the ship. "Well, every bit of it is true," she stated.
"Christina," Zugai said suddenly. Chris looked at him and blinked in confusion. "Christina. Is that your real name?"
Chris laughed a bit. "No," she said. "I told you I'd tell you when you're my official First Mate and Shipwright,"
They reached the ship a few moments later and Chris walked right up to the hull visible above the water. It looked finished enough. She placed a hand on it; it was smooth, but at the same time, strangely rough. She suddenly felt a chill when she realized what exactly this material was. Bone. Solid bone molded together so well that it didn't even look like it. She turned to Zugai and was about to question him about it, but he beat her to it.
"I'm sure you understand now," he said. Chris didn't speak. "And I'm sure you're also wondering how I did it, right?"
"Put simply, yes," Chris answered. Zugai nodded.
"I'm a Devil Fruit user," he explained. "The Hone Hone no Mi. The ship is made out of the bones of pirates that attack, and perish at our village." He lifted the axe. "Just like Honehakaisha."
Chris wasn't sure how to react. An entire boat composed of human bones? Of course, the bones that made up the ship were those of dead pirates, not living ones. But to think that his ability enabled him to do such things… it was unrealistic. Over everything, she found herself wondering one thing.
"How does it float?" she asked. Zugai raised a brow at her. He expected her to be frightened, disgusted, repulsed. Most people who learned of his power were. But this girl… she wanted to know how it floated? "Well? I know bones are too dense to float, so what are you using to make it?"
Zugai couldn't hold back his smile. "I can control the density of bones," he explained. "I just readjusted it to make them light enough to float,"
"Amazing…" Chris said. She walked the length of the boat, running a hand along the hull. She was definitely taking this boat, and Zugai was coming with her. "What's it missing though?"
"A small detail," Zugai said. He pointed toward the bow of the ship, where Chris saw a half completed wolf's head. "I only need a few more bones to complete that, then, I'll officially be able to name it and set sail comfortably,"
Before Chris could say another word, she heard what sounded like a conch shell. It echoed through the trees surrounding the docks, sending birds from their perches on the trees. She looked at Zugai uncertainly.
Zugai had a sudden worried expression on his face that was replaced instantly by rage. "What is it?" Chris asked.
"Pirates," Zugai snarled in response. Shortly after the word was spoken, there was the sound of gunfire, and the conch's baritone sound faded. Without another word, Zugai ran toward the town with a fire in his eyes that surprised Chris.
The girl hesitated for several moments, then, pushing her hat onto her head and hiding her hair, she took off after Zugai back toward the town.
(--)
What she saw upon arrival shocked her. Windows were broken, doors kicked in, people lying bleeding in agony on the floor as others desperately tried to help. Zugai stopped for the briefest of moments upon catching sight of the scene, eyes wide, frightened for his town. He ran toward the nearest person and knelt beside him. There was a bullet wound in his chest, blood pouring steadily from it. He lifted the man up a bit.
"Zugai," the man said with a pained expression.
"Shh," Zugai said softly, leaning him carefully against the nearby building wall. "Don't speak more then you need to. I'm sorry to trouble you, but who did this?"
"Pirates," the man whispered. Chris approached cautiously. There was a conch lying on the floor not far from this man. She picked it up and examined it. He must have sounded the alarm. "They ravaged the town. Arrow, Kei and Pistol tried to stop them but… there's too many,"
"Who are they?" Zugai asked. "Did you recognize their flag?"
"I didn't," the man said. Zugai nodded briefly and stood up. "Are there any other injured?" The man nodded.
"In the homes," he said. "Some broken bones. Do what you can for them, Zugai. It's too late for me," Zugai frowned as he gazed at the man's wound. It was true. He'd be dead in a few moments. Zugai stood with a nod. "I'm sorry, Gin," he said calmly, placing a gently hand on the man's shoulder. He seemed to be holding back tears. Without another word, he rushed into the house he'd leaned the man on.
Chris looked at the man and handed him the conch shell. She knelt down before him. "Where are they?" he asked gently. The man looked at Chris, surprised.
"Who are you?" he asked. He obviously hadn't seen her before. Chris smiled.
"A friend," she answered. The man seemed content with her answer. He pointed to a bar down the street. Chris nodded briefly and stood up. She started in that direction, but was stopped by a hand grabbing hold of the hem of her jeans. She turned her head and looked down at Gin.
"Be careful, stranger," he said. Chris smiled lightly.
"Gotcha, old man," she said with a half salute. That said, she ran toward the bar. She didn't know why, but there was a strange rage burning within her. She didn't know these people. They didn't know her. Yet she felt a strange urge to save every single on of them. Her anger flashed in yellow-green eyes as she stopped beside the door. She pushed it open and entered.
Within, dozens of men sat at the table, laughing and cheering. She stood, a mere silhouette in the doorway, and looked around the room. There, in the corner, bruised and bleeding, were the two of the three boys she'd met earlier. The twins, Pistol and Arrow. Kei was still standing, in the center of the room, though he seemed to be having trouble. A rather large man slammed a fist against Kei's cheek, sending the boy staggering to the side. He tried to retaliate, but failed as the opposite fist hit his other side. He gripped the bar in an attempt to remain standing, breathing heavily, bleeding from cuts scattered about his body and within his mouth. The man was about to strike again, and it was at that moment that Chris spoke.
"Hey!" She shouted. All activity stopped; the laughing subsided, and all eyes turned to her. Even Kei's gray eyes turned in her direction, and as soon as his eyes met hers, he looked away, ashamed at his condition. Almost instantly the owner of the bar, a young woman in her twenties, rushed toward Kei and pulled him away. Two men, presumably her relatives because of the similar appearance, made their way to Arrow and Pistol and took them out as well during the distraction.
Chris waited until they were gone before extracting the Double-sided dagger from her belt. There was a blade on both ends of the handle, one much smaller then the other. The main blade was about seven inches long, curving slightly. The tip was separated into two prongs, and the back of the blade was serrated halfway down, facing the handle, so that when stabbed, removing the blade would increase damage. The second blade was only about four inches long, and thin, with a light curve. Both blades had a diamond edge, capable of cutting anything. "I don't know what you think gives you the right to do this to innocent people, but don't think you're going to get away with it," she snarled.
At once, everyone in the bar exploded in an overly amused laughter. Closest to the bar, drinking from a large mug, a man stood. He resembled a Lion, with a golden beard and hair resembling a mane and amber eyes that didn't seem real. He was middle aged; perhaps thirty or forty. He carried no weapon, but beside him, an actual lion, dangerous and large, sat soundlessly gnawing on a piece of raw meat. "Are you threatening us?" the man asked. As soon as he spoke, the entire room silenced, though the grins were still apparent on his crews faces. He started toward Chris, walking tall, giving her a degrading look. "Do you know who we are? The Gold Lion Pirates; strongest in the East Blue!" the pirates cheered at the statement. "And I'm Gold Lion Leo. Their captain,"
The man identified as Leo stopped right in front of Chris. The girl stood her ground and looked up at him. "The name means nothing to me," she said firmly. "Never heard it in my life,"
"Bounty Poster!" The man shouted, holding out a single hand. Within moments, a rolled up piece of paper was placed in his hand. He held it out for Chris to see.
Gold Lion Leo. Twelve Million beli.
Chris covered her mouth and stared at the poster, shaking. "T-this is you?" She asked. Leo smiled.
"That's right," he said. "Now if you know what's good for you kid, you'll get out of here." Chris looked at the man, then back at the poster, and started laughing. Leo tilted his head, confused.
"The boy's so scared he's delirious!" one of his crewmates said. Chris looked at him and wiped tears from her eyes.
"No, no it's not that," she said. She grinned and looked at Leo. "It's just that, when I first came in here and saw him, I didn't think it was possible for him to get any uglier!" She put her hands on her hips and leaned toward the poster, squinting a bit. In front her, Leo's eye twitched and he tightened his grip around the top of the poster. "But after looking at this thing, I was obviously wrong,"
Then, with a suddenness that surprised her, an enormous club with nails protruding from the end was swiped at her head with enough force to tear it from her shoulders. She ducked, barely avoiding the attack. The man, seeing that he'd failed in his makeshift execution attempt, put a hand to Chris' throat and pushed her back against the wall. He lifted her off the ground so that her face was level with his. He was tall and round. "You really are an idiot, aren't you, boy?" the pirate snarled. His black eyes were bloodshot and his breath smelled heavily of alcohol. This pirate obviously had way to much to drink. "No one insults the captain and gets away with it!"
Chris smiled. "I believe I just did," she said. With a flash of silver, she stabbed the smaller blade of her dagger into the man's hand. There was a shout and he released her. As she fell, the dagger tore across his hand, cutting it open to the bone. The blade was stained with blood, as was Chris' hand. She frowned. She hadn't intended to do so much damage. The man screamed in agony, clutching his bleeding hand. He stared at Chris with a murderous expression and raised the club again. He swiped it at her and she again ducked to avoid it. The club swung passed her and slammed into three other pirates who had rushed to detain Chris.
Chris rushed toward the man and stabbed the larger half of the blade into his upper arm. He shouted again as she pulled it out and the serrated edge tore open his arm. Blood poured out, dripping to the floor. He reached for her and she cut his palm, then, threw a furious kick at his chest. The man gasped as he was sent sprawling back into the tables. The force of the girls kick took him off guard. He went through the wooden bar and lay on the ground unconscious.
Several of the lower ranked members stared at the short line of broken furniture where the man's body had just traveled. "I told you," Chris said to them, pushing a stray hair back into her hat. Her eyes turned to Leo and she stared murderously into his. "You're going to pay for what you've done to these people,"
Leo swallowed a lump forming in his throat and forced himself to stop shaking. He was Gold Lion Leo! He could stand up to a little boy! "Bao!" he shouted. The lion, hearing its name called, lifted his head from its half eaten slab of meat and looked at its owner. "Attack!"
The lion rose to its feet and stared at Chris with amber eyes and a deep snarl. It was enormous; easily more then half her height, and walked toward her with tense muscles. Chris stared at the lion. Sure, she could handle human men and women, but an animal… that was much more difficult. Humans were predictable. You never know what an animal will do to you. She sheathed the dagger and stepped back a bit. A slab of wood caught her attention. It was a leg of one of the tables, torn off of its host. She wondered if she'd be able to pick it up before the lion decided to attack. As the thought crossed her mind, the lion charged.
She made a split second decision. She turned and picked up the large piece of wood, then, she spun, swinging it blindly. Luckily for her, it caught the lion in the head and knocked it off course. It staggered and then fell, rolling into a cabinet. The shelves broke, dropping shards of glass all over the large creature. It rose, and was about to charge again when a rather large pan fell from the shelf onto its head. The lion staggered forward a bit, dizzy, and then, it fell.
"Bao!" Several crewmembers shouted. Chris smiled triumphantly at her victory. However, she didn't have much time to appreciate it. A slab of wood, similar to her own, slammed into her arm. She cried out from the sudden pain and dropped her weapon. Two sets of hands grabbed her arms as she reached for the wood and held her back.
Leo stood before him, a furious expression plastered to his face. He held the plank with both hands. "You're a foolish boy," he sneered. He drew back the plank briefly, then, he slammed it against her ribs. She felt a sickening crack and bit her lip hard to hold back the scream. Instead, she let out a pained groan. "Just like those other idiots!" Again he hit her, on the same side. She felt her breath catch as she struggled to breathe in. Every breath hurt.
Leo pulled back the plank again. "And you're going to die," he said. He slammed the plank into the side of her face. The two men holding her released her as her body twisted form the force of the blow and she crumpled to the floor. She felt blood filling her mouth from a cut in her cheek and spit it out as she rose to her hands and knees. She cringed as a spasm of pain shot through her body, originating from her ribs, and coughed. She was breathing heavily. "You think… that you can kill me?" she asked. The wood slammed into her back, knocking her down yet again.
She rolled onto her back and struggled to catch her breath. "My adventure's barely starting," she said with difficulty. She pushed herself up to her feet. "And I'll be damned if I die this early in the game," She looked at him and smirked. "You can't kill me no matter what you do,"
A crazy glint flashed in Leo's eyes as he approached her. He grabbed the front of her shirt and bent a bit to be level with her. "Watch me," he hissed. He stepped back and prepared to once again strike with the slab of wood. Chris closed her eyes and braced herself for the pain, and was surprised when it didn't come.
She heard the sound of wood hitting the ground and the splatter of blood, and opened her eyes. Zugai was standing to her left, the labrys held out and dripping with blood. Chris couldn't hold in her relieved laugh.
"So you decided to join the party?" she asked him slowly, holding her ribs in pain. Zugai looked at her and smiled a bit.
"Did I have a choice?" he asked. Suddenly, Leo screamed out of pure fear. Chris looked back at him. He was stalk white, and was holding his wrist tightly. Chris noticed at that moment that there was nothing there anymore. She looked at the ground where the mans right hand was lying limp and motionless. Her eyes widened. Zugai looked at Leo, his one visible blue eyes burning with rage. "Just sit tight now, Chris," he said. "I'll take care of the little kitty cat here,"
Leo stepped back as he hastily wrapped a piece of cloth around the bleeding stump that now resided where his hand once was. "What are you waiting for?! Kill him!" he shouted, pointing his good hand at Zugai. The higher ups rushed at Zugai without hesitation. Others ran out of the bar, screaming for their lives. Zugai knelt down and grabbed the severed hand off the floor. Chris wasn't sure how exactly he did it, but suddenly, he was holding the smaller bones; Chris couldn't identify them; in his hands. He threw them at once at the men, and half of them fell instantly, bleeding from miniscule holes in their chests. Chris' eyes widened. He used the bones as weapons? And with such precision! This boy must have had some practice! Her amazement was broken when she saw a man point a gun at him from behind.
"Zugai, watch out!" she shouted. Zugai didn't even look at her. The bullet was fired and it clearly hit him, but he didn't flinch. Instead, he turned to look at the man who shot it. He lifted his axe, twirling it a few times with the ease of a master, and approached him. When he was within range, he swung the axe, severing the arm holding the gun. The man shrieked, struck with fear, and ran out. The others followed. Zugai turned his attention to Leo, who was shaking, obviously terrified.
"This isn't over!" Zugai shouted. "We'll meet again! And I'll kill both of you when that time comes!" The man with the club had awakened, hearing the shouts and screams, gazing around at the blood, his eyes widened. He swallowed a lump in his throat.
"Kairo, let's go!" Leo said. "Get Bao!"
The man didn't even hesitate. He rose to his feet and clumsily ran toward the lion, and after heaving the creature up over his shoulder, he and his captain ran out of the bar.
Chris heaved a sigh and collapsed into a chair. Zugai looked at her as he lowered his axe. "You ok?" he asked her. Chris looked up at him.
"I'll live," she said. Zugai approached her and knelt down, placing a hand on her ribs. "They're not broken," he said, "but you definitely cracked them,"
Chris smiled. "Thanks for the info," she said.
"I saw Kei and the others," Zugai said as he stood. He walked toward an upturned, unbroken table and flipped it right-side up. "Kei said that the only reason they made it out alive was because you showed up and caught the pirate's attention,"
Chris looked away. "Have the twins regained consciousness?" she asked. Zugai nodded. Chris heaved a sigh of relief.
"Thanks," Zugai suddenly said.
"No problem," Chris said. She frowned. She couldn't take this guy away from his home. They obviously needed him. She stood and stretched (but regretted it afterward due to the sudden stab of pain), then, walked toward the door. "I'd better get going then,"
She exited the bar without another word and started down the street. She'd go off to another island and find someone else, as much as she wished she didn't have to. She was several buildings down the street when she heard, "Chris!" being called behind her. She stopped and turned.
Zugai stood there, arms crossed, holding his axe lazily as usual. She looked at him. He had a wide grin on his face. "I thought you'd made your decision to take me along. Is the offer off the table already?" he asked.
Chris looked surprised. Was he being serious? She couldn't hold back the smile that crept across her lips. "Of course not!" She said back. He walked toward her and she extended a hand. He slapped his own into it and the two held like that for several seconds, smiling. "Welcome aboard," Chris said.
Crew Members:
Chrisanthia Hopkins – 16 Years, Captain/ Thief
Zugai Hibiware – 18 years, Shipwright/ Blacksmith
A/N: Ok, so I wasn't sure if Zugai would be that violent, but hey, he was pissed off right? And that completes the first! It's pretty long, and I was tempted to make it two chapters, but I didn't want this little section to drag on for too long, so I kept it as one. I hope you enjoyed the chapter, and don't forget to read and review. And go ahead and keep submitting characters, good or bad! The next character will be introduced in the next chapter!
SNE121
