A/N: Aye aye aye, it's been a while since the last chapter, particularly considering my stellar record up to this point. Unfortunately, school's been pretty hectic, and I've just lacked the motivation to write any Fanfiction. Fortunately, I'm back now, and should be able to resume a more normal schedule. So, without further ado, let's get into the chapter!

...

Seth's opened his eyes to a dingy prison cell, thick metal bars in front of him and harsh concrete the substance used for essentially everything else. The only light provided to him was by lanterns, all outside of his cell, sunlight not penetrating this fortress. Pushing himself up on the slightly damp floor, the young captain felt as if he had been trapped inside a tornado, a powerful headache and strong sense of dizziness hitting him as he sat up.

"God." Seth groaned.

"Ah, they got you too?"

Head snapping around, Seth noticed a young man who was dressed in a suit, much of his appearance obscured by the dim lights.

"Why are you dressed like that? Are you with those guys?" The captain demanded.

"I could ask you the same thing."

Looking down, Seth noticed that he was also dressed in formal attire, something most unusual for the typically scruffy teen.

"What the?"

"So, you're in the same situation. Good to have someone else along for the ride, I'm Darrius." He explained, waving.

"And I'm Seth." The captain replied, returning the wave.

"So who beat you up?" Darrius asked casually.

"Blonde guy, really tough."

"Span around?"

"You too?"

"Did he mention anything about a crew to you?" The enigmatic teen asked.

"Yeah, the Gentlemen Pirates?"

"I'm assuming he wants us to join his crew then."

"Well, we should just team up on him!" Seth announced, attempting to stand, but finding his movement woefully restricted by his chains.

"If he gives us the chance..." Darrius lamented.

With this, a slight shuddering could be felt in the Earth, and a formidable shadow was cast across the one source of light. Thundering down the stairs was the huge man in green, with him nearly filling the entire doorway in terms of length and having to stoop to fit underneath the doorway.

Fumbling with a comically undersized key, he eventually unlocked the gate to the prison, before grabbing and undoing the chains that held both Seth and Darrius. Although they both attempted to escape, he promptly slammed them onto the ground via the chain, small pieces of the ceiling falling off, and the entire ground shaking. Essentially dragging them along, he held them incredibly tight, and for now, escape seemed impossible.

...

Cole made his way down the street of a small town, the bodies of several well dressed gentlemen littered in his path behind him. They were nothing if not persistent, the pirate had made his way to the other side of the island, and he was still being pursued. Fortunately, the martial artist's beatings always knocked them out for long enough that he was long gone upon their awakening.

Seeing what appeared to be a bar, Cole made his way towards it, only to hear the sound of rapid footsteps behind him. Ducking, the man caught his would be attacker off guard and was able to perform a powerful judo throw that sent the man flying through the bar's doors, and skidding along the ground. Walking in shortly after, Cole noticed that nobody seemed to particularly care, with nobody having ceased their card games or drinking.

"Now this is my kind of place." The martial artist chuckled to himself, a smirk coming across his face as he took a seat on one of the stools. "Rum!"

...

A face full of dirt, grime, and various other unspecified substances was not exactly Seth's idea of a good time, yet he'd been given it anyway. Having collided with each step of a staircase on the way up, the young captain was pleased when he finally saw sunlight, if blinded somewhat by the sheer radiance.

Yanked to his feet suddenly, Seth found himself standing at attention next to Darrius, once immaculate appearance undermined by him being caked in dirt and his hair ruffled as per usual. All around him, the Gentlemen Pirates stood, a myriad of fine wines and cigars between them, cutting a bizarre figure for a crew of rapscallions.

"Ah, our new recruits have joined us." Reginald announced, flamboyantly gesturing with his hands.

"Not this again." Darrius murmured to himself.

"Welcome to the Gentleman Pirates, I see that you gents have changed into suitable attire...if a little disheveled." The captain observed, brushing Seth's hair from his face distastefully.

Lunging forward, the young pirate found himself restrained by the behemoth's grip, the chain not relenting as he moved forward but an inch.

"Full of vigor, I see." Reginald mused as he finished moving Seth's hair. "Good, you're going to need it." With this, he turned away from the two unwilling crew members. "On this island is a Marine Base. The two of you are going to defeat every individual stationed at that base. And with that, your initiation will be complete."

"Wait!" Seth called.

"Hm?" Reginald inquired, turning to face the younger pirate.

"Can we eat first? I'm starved."

"Of course, bring them some food." With a snap of his fingers, two waiters emerged, silver trays delicately balanced on their palms.

Shaking his head, Darrius nonetheless accepted the food being placed into his mouth, washed down periodically with water from fine crystal glasses.

"I see you're wise enough not to bite the hand that feeds you." Reginald complimented Seth, observing his vivacious appetite.

"I'll need all of my strength if I'm going to beat you." Seth replied.

"Very amusing. We'll see how long that gusto lasts. Need I remind you how our last encounter panned out?" Reginald asked.

"That was then, this is now."

"I'm not sure whether you're enormously brave or incredibly stupid. Although I suppose there isn't much difference." Reginald mused.

"I'd rather be an idiot than a coward." Seth shot back.

"Well then, no trouble for you there."

And with this, the two young pirates found themselves dragged along once again, the large First Mate pulling them along. Embracing it, Seth dropped to the ground and was dragged along in a sitting position whilst Darrius chose to remain upright, stumbling along as he went.

...

Eventually, the four reached a grand looking Marine base. With a large wrought iron fence, it was imposing to most criminals, a symbol of justice, a vigil of the law. Of course, this meant it had to be torn down post-haste by the pirates who stood before it.

"Alright, chaps. Brutus is going to let you off here, feel free to wreak havoc, we'll come and detain you when you're done." Reginald explained, and with this, the two were grabbed, only to have their chains undone by the captain, then being thrown over the walls by Brutus, directly in front of numerous Marines stationed there who stood in awe of the sheer bravado of their would be attackers. Shortly thereafter, Darrius's tonfa flew over the wall, landing next to him.

"Sound the alarm!" One roared, as they promptly fled, seeking weapons.

Rising to his feet, Seth shook his head, hair once more falling to its scruffy resting position. "I thought the guy'd never shut up."

Meanwhile, Darrius was looking at his own hair, aghast. "They gave me a man bun? I mean, come on, a man bun?!"

With this, Marines began pouring out of the large base, weapons in hand, some grasping rifles and others wielding swords. Rapidly forming a semi-circle in front of the two young pirates, they would've deterred most pirates from attacking. Unfortunately, they weren't dealing with most pirates.

"I'll take the fifty on the right. You take the fifty on the right." Seth explained.

"Race you?" Darrius retorted.

"Naturally."

And with this, they were off. Seth leapt forward and delivered a powerful kick to the nearest Marine's face, promptly dodging under several bullets and punching the one next nearest to him. He followed this up with a rapid leg sweep, knocking several Marines over, before shooting to his feet in order to deliver a punch to another.

Looking over to see how Darrius was doing, the young captain saw him easily dispatching his share of goons, knocking blades away with his tonfa and using his free hand to deliver devastating punches, a few kicks joining the mix.

"Looks like I'll have to step things up a notch." Seth observed.

Morphing into his hybrid form, the young pirate redoubled his efforts, punches now sending several Marines flying, kicks doing yet more damage.

"Well, if you're going to play that game..." Darrius called over.

With this, he too began to morph. He grew taller, fur beginning to spout from his body as a snout formed and vicious fangs grew from his teeth. Standing as a half-man, half-wolf, Darrius now resembled the werewolves of old, and grinned maliciously as the gathered Marines gazed nervously at him. "I guess it's time to get serious." He finished, before pouncing on his foes.

...

As the carnage unfolded in the courtyard, an oddly proportioned individual gazed from the window. With arms far too large for his body, he cut a strange figure, particularly due to his comically undersized t-shirt, barely covering any of his arms and leaving much of his midriff exposed.

"We seem to have an infestation on our hands." He noted.

"Si." A heavily accented voice replied.

Stepping from the shadows, a man dressed in a matador's outfit emerged. White, as was Marine standard, his face was obscured somewhat by a large sombrero that was unusual for his attire. Eyes hidden, a thin mustache on his olive skin was still apparent.

...

"Five minutes twenty three seconds." Darrius announced, dropping the unconscious body of a defeated Marine onto a pyramid of torsos.

"Five minutes fifteen seconds." Seth replied, sitting atop his own pile.

"Welcome to our base, I see you've made yourself comfortable." A nasally voice called out.

The two teens, both still in hybrid form, looked over to notice a Longarm and matador approaching them. The former dragged a large staff behind him, adding an additional ten feet to his already impressive reach, whilst the latter appeared unarmed.

"We are Captains Longman and Carlos." The Longarm announced.

"Seriously? Your name's actually Longman?" Seth asked, bemusedly.

"Shut up!" The Longarm called back.

"The only thing less subtle would be if you were called 'Longarm'." Darrius added.

"You'll both pay for that. Carlos, take the wolf, I'll handle the pterodactyl freak myself." The Longarm growled.

Taking this as an invitation, Seth shot forward, leaping from the bodies of the Marines, one of whom groaned, and soaring towards Longman, only to be struck in the stomach with the staff, which shot out at an alarming speed and sent the teen flying backwards.

Skidding to a halt a distance away, Seth looked up at his opponent, who was now gripping the staff at his side. It was going to be a long fight.

...

Looking away from the fight that was beginning nearby, Darrius noticed that his opponent had unfurled a red cape from his sleeve.

"Ole!" He called, waving it at his side.

"What the?" Darrius murmured at the parlor trick.

However, Carlos didn't move, and thus Darrius charged forward, aiming to deliver a shattering punch to his opponent. However, when he threw it, the man shot around his body with incredible grace, landing behind the teen. Not wasting an instant, Darrius spun and threw a punch, Carlos raising his cape in defense. Striking the cape, the pirate was shocked to hit a solid surface, arm bouncing off and his body reverberating with recoil.

Stepping back and gripping his fist, the pirate looked up to see Carlos once again waving his cape in taunt. Darrius reached for his tonfa, this was going to get weird, he could tell.

...

Seth was knocked back by the end of the staff for the third time. It wasn't any good, no matter what angle he came from, the Captain's impressive reach and immense speed proved impenetrable. The multiple joints in his elongated arm allowed for the man to wait, angle his blow, and then strike with immense precision, keeping his torso incredibly well guarded, Seth's attacks not even coming close.

It seemed as if he'd have to try something else, if he hoped to win the fight.

"Giving up already? A pity, you talked such a big game." Longman taunted.

"Just getting started." Seth replied.

"I'm sure."

Charging forward, Seth leapt up to deliver a punch to the Longarm, who once again poised himself to knock the captain from the air. Waiting until he got to the range the man had struck at before, Seth's wings suddenly flapped, maneuvering him to the side just as the staff shot forward. With a direct line to the man's head, the pirate swung at the Captain, only to be hit in the stomach by a powerful Palm strike.

Skidding to a halt some distance away, Seth glared up at his opponent, who was smirking bemusedly.

"What's wrong? I thought you were just starting." He taunted.

Oh, he was a dead man.

...

Darrius continued his downright bizarre battle. Every swing of his tonfa was met with the matador raising his cape as a shield, hard as iron with each collision, yet soft as fabric, flowing in Carlos's hands, when not. The fight wasn't helped by the fact that the Captain kept sporadically flitting around the battlefield, leaping around his opponent and landing behind, to the side, or at various other angles.

After once such collision, it was Darrius who leapt backwards, landing nearby before casually spinning his tonfa.

"Alright, what gives?" He demanded.

"Well, wolf boy, it is a tale from many moons ago..." The Spaniard began.

"Get to the point."

"I ate the Hard Hard Fruit, which allows me to make any object I touch as hard as steel!"

"Of course you did." Darrius bemoaned.

...

Rolling through the dirt, Seth stood up once again, dusting himself off slightly as his opponent again recoiled his arms, prepared to strike once again. To the Marine's annoyance, Seth didn't look injured in the slightest, despite the utterly asymmetrical nature of the fight. As the pirate rolled his shoulders and cracked a grin, Longman's patience finally snapped.

"How are you still standing?!" He demanded.

"What's wrong? You were so confident before." Seth replied.

The Marine growled.

"That was fun and all-" Seth mused, the Marine tightening his guard slightly. "But now it's time to get serious." With that, the pirate's grin vanished altogether, replaced by a deathly stare. His eyes bore into his opponent, and Longman felt himself shiver slightly. There was something abnormal about the boy, something had changed, and he felt a new sensation creep into him. Fear.

Shooting forward once again, the teen angled himself towards Longman's head. Still somewhat off guard and startled by the speed, the Marine was still able to prepare a counter, and launched his staff forward once more. However, as his arm soared towards Seth, the pirate flapped his wings with virtuous speed, launching him above the shocked Captain's attack, only to then somersault forward, stretching out upon reaching the other side of his opponent, delivering a powerful spinning kick to the back of the Longarm's head.

As Longman stumbled forward, Seth landed on the ground, pivoted around and delivered a powerful punch to the back of Longman's back, sending him hurtling away. Tumbling across the ground, the Marine managed to keep ahold of his staff.

Not wasting an instant, Seth sprinted along before leaping up, wings seeing him ascend into the sky. Angling himself down, the pirate captain soared towards his opponent, arm trailing behind him.

Standing up, the Longarm grunted and sent his staff flying towards his opponent.

"Meteor!" The two blows met midair, Seth's fist colliding with the staff. A mighty sound was released by the collision, but from the beginning it was apparent who held the upper hand. Longman's staff shattered an instant after the attacks met, and Seth continued. Arm jarred by the impact, the marine went for his alternative attack, and thrust his other arm forward. However, as it hit the pirate, a sickening snap reverberated throughout the courtyard, followed by a ghastly shriek. It was clear Longman's prized arm had been broken.

With no defense left, he was forced to bear the full brunt of Seth's punch, and found himself buried in the ground a mere moment later, bleeding profoundly, and with several teeth knocked out, and lying in a small crater.

"Well, I'm glad that's over." Seth sighed, his casual demeanor returning, in stark contrast to his previous intensity. "I wonder how Darrius is doing?"

...

Cape and tonfa collided with the clanging of steel, cutting a most bizarre sight. Finally withdrawing, Darrius leapt back and skidded to a halt, exhaling as he went. His opponent fought with an irksome energy, never seeming to tire regardless of his flamboyant and acrobatic style of combat. In typical form, he unfurled the cape to the side and held it out. "Ole!" He cried.

Teeth gnashing together, Darrius was overwhelmed by an urge to tear this man apart. His carnivorous urges began to boil over to the surface, and he kept away with a newfound vigor. Recognizing a change, Carlos was on his guard, and found himself struggling to block attacks. Realizing he'd have to change things up somewhat, the marine leapt into the air and furled his cape into a spear like shape. Raising it behind him, Carlos angled, and aimed.

"Lanza!" He cried.

Stabbing down, his blow was deflected by Darrius's tonfa, and the Captain found himself falling directly into Darrius's hand. However, this was not furled into a fist, and rather the teen's wicked claws slashed at the man's face.

Crying in agony as he fell to the ground, bleeding profusely and clutching his face, Carlos was barely capable of raising his cape in time to block a swing of Darrius's tonfa. Sent flying back by the newfound strength of the teen's blows, Carlos leapt to his feet just in time to block another attack. Now thoroughly on the defense, the man barely blocked the oncoming attacks, now hiding behind his shield as opposed to flamboyantly twirling it.

Realizing this, Darrius took a rapid swipe at the side of the man's shin. Shocked by the change in routine, the Captain was struck, and cried out in pain, buckling somewhat. His main advantage, agility, now stripped from him, the captain realized it was time for a last-ditch offensive. And, as Darrius leapt over him, he once again furled up the cape.

"Lanza!" He cried.

"Go Fetch!" Darrius cried, as he hurtled his tonfa at the man.

Spinning rapidly, the item hit Carlos in his already tender face, sending him stumbling back.

"Wolf Claw Mark Two!" Darrius continued, leaping forward from his landing, crossing both arms before cutting outwards in an x-motion, his claws leaving deep gashes in Carlos, seeing him stumble backwards and fall over, finally defeated.

He looked up to see Seth finally dispatching his own opponent. "Heh, five seconds faster!" The teen yelled, bemusedly.

"Not bad at all! You should join my crew!" Seth replied.

"Unfortunately, my dear chap, you seem to have forgotten you both work for me." Reginald explained as he walked in.

"Work is a strong word." Seth shot back.

"Regardless of what you call it, you both work for me now, and unless you're in the mood for a beating, I'd advise you come with me." The captain's voice was icy, and Brutus tensed ever so slightly.

"Well, unless you're in the mood for a beating, I'd advise you release both of us."

"Your arrogance was endearing at first, but now it's simply growing annoying." Reginald replied.

All parties present readied themselves for combat, with the exception of Reginald, who raised his hand to his First Mate. "Stand down Brutus, I'll defeat these two ruffians myself." The behemoth nodded, and the captain's gaze grew icy.

"Very well, if you refuse to show humility I'll beat it into you."

...

A/N: And there we go, another chapter done! We leave right on a cliffhanger, because I enjoy teasing you guys, unless you think my fight scenes are garbage, in which case you're welcome. Anyway, tell me what you guys thought of my alternating between fight scenes. Was it too frequent? Did you love it? Hate it? Not care either way? Anyway, until next time, I'm out!