The Path of the King

Chapter Four

Siblings

"Caleb, I swear, if that cat of yours tries to tackle me again, I will skin it and line my clothes with it!" Leaf roared in anger. In the past three days, Unci had found it to be incredibly amusing to 'play' with Leaf, but because of his size, this typically ended in Unci knocking Leaf over.

"Don't call him a cat!" Caleb retorted as Unci hid behind him. "He's a leopard, for one thing, and he has a name!" Unci nodded as Caleb said this, and Leaf merely shook his head.

"Whatever." The older man huffed as he refocused his attention on the sea. "We'll see Recardna in the next couple of minutes, so get ready." Caleb nodded and gathered the materials together, but then turned back to Leaf.

"Why're we going to Recardna again?" Caleb asked, causing Leaf to slap his forehead.

"For the fourty-seventh time," Leaf said, "we're going there because I know someone who might be willing to join us, and he lives on Recardna." The man turned to face Caleb, and his anger was apparent. "Got it?"

"Got it." Caleb muttered. He re-adjusted the sails and prepared for docking.

It was just getting docked as Caleb and Leaf docked in Recardna. Caleb looked around, scanning the town to see what it looked like. It reminded Caleb of Robinville, actually. The houses were built out of wood and brick, and the streets were paved in concrete. Lights lined the street, and in the darkness of the night it provided an eerie glow across the town. "Something doesn't feel right." Caleb whispered to Leaf as he mentally told Unci to guard the ship.

"No, actually, this town's always been pretty creepy." Leaf sweatdropped. "I think that's why she likes it so much."

"She?" Caleb asked, not knowing Leaf's friend was a she. "Who is she?"

"You'll see when we get there. Now come on." Leaf beckoned for Caleb to follow him as he entered the creepy city.

After a short walk they arrived at the brightest part of the city; a place known as Hollow Inn. Leaf smiled as he and Caleb walked in to a roaring building. Inside were people punching each other, drinking copious amounts of ale, and a multitude of beautiful women. The sheer noise of it was loud enough to force Caleb to cover his ears.

"She may be a downer," Leaf yelled over the ruckus to Caleb, "but damn, Perona can still throw one hell of a party."

Before Caleb could ask who Perona was, a young woman walked up to them. She seemed to be about Caleb's age and was dressed in a very revealing waitress outfit. She had long brown hair and quite the impressive set of...well, you get the point. In fact, if there was any less clothing on her, Caleb would probably have had a nosebleed the size of Arizona. With the outfit she had on now, however, Caleb merely had one the size of Rhode Island. "Can I get you boys anything?" The woman cooed as Caleb clutched his nose. "Like a napkin, maybe?"

"The owner, if you wouldn't mind." Leaf said over the crowd. The girl nodded and motioned for the two men to follow her. She led them to the back of the bar and into a room guarded by a very large, very muscular man. Then she turned around and, without any warning, brandished a pistol.

"Who are you two?" She asked coldly as Leaf and Caleb held their hands up. "No Marines are stupid enough to come here anymore, and I can tell that you guys aren't locals."

"Things are that bad, eh?" Leaf muttered under his breath. He turned to Caleb and said, "Turn your head around." Caleb gulped, but he followed Leaf's orders. After a half minute, he heard a gasp, and then Leaf tapped him on the shoulder. "You can turn back around." He said.

"Terribly sorry about that!" The young woman said as she holstered her pistol. Caleb noticed that her words were rushed now, and it seemed like she couldn't wait to get out of the room. "I'm the owner of this place. Name's Miranda. How can I help you folks?"

"Where's Perona?" Leaf asked coolly, and Caleb could see the shivers run down Miranda's neck.

"Dead, about three years ago." Miranda shivered. "Mom died of a heart attack."

"Mom?" Leaf asked, quite startled. "Perona was your mother?" When Miranda nodded, Leaf grinned. "Ahh, so you're the one who ate the Devil Fruit! Perona mentioned you!"

Miranda's face fell at this. "Well..." she said, "yes and no. I have eaten a Devil Fruit, but only recently. The one my mom told you about was my brother."

"And where is he?" Leaf inquired.

Miranda didn't answer him. Instead, she placed her hand on a panel in the wall, opening a secret door behind her. "Follow me." She said solemnly as she walked down a flight of stairs. Caleb was about to follow her when Leaf held him back.

"Stay close." He said. "I'm concerned. Perona never mentioned having a daughter. Stay on your guard, Caleb." With that, he followed the young woman down into the cellar.

It was incredibly dimly lit downstairs, and Caleb had trouble seeing what Miranda was trying to show them. He heard Leaf's short gasp, however, and knew it couldn't be good. "Let me get the light." Miranda said solemnly as she lit a torch and held it in front of a sight Caleb would never forget.

In front of him was a man, a savage with green skin and red eyes. His hair was dark black with a yellow streak in it, and his teeth were all pointed. He had a gray hood that covered the hair fairly well, but the man's bloodthirsty, sadistic grin was showing just fine. As soon as he saw the intruders, he snarled and lunged out, but he was restrained by chains attached to his four limbs.

Miranda's eyes teared as she turned to her two shocked companions. "This is Petrov." She whispered. "He's my brother."

"So what do we do?" Caleb asked as he finally got Unci to fall asleep. "Do we try to help the guy, or do we just leave?" They were staying inside of Miranda's inn. After she'd led them out of the basement, she'd set them up in the largest room the inn had. Caleb had wanted to tell her a normal room would have been okay, but when he remembered that Unci was going to have to stay with them, he instantly agreed.

"You mean Petrov?" Leaf asked from the windowsill. He was munching on an apple, one of his favorite snacks. "I don't know," Leaf's brow furrowed, "it's a strange case. Miranda said that his current condition was because of his Devil Fruit. As far as I know, there's no way to cure a Devil Fruit."

"Yeah...I suppose you're right," Caleb sighed, "but that doesn't mean I can't try to fix him." He stood up from Unci's side and faced Leaf. "Someone's coming towards the door."

Leaf smiled as someone knocked at the door. "Your hearing's improving." He complimented Caleb as he opened the door to let Miranda in.

"Sorry for intruding," she explained as she walked in with a tray full of food, "but I figured you guys might be hungry, so I made you guys some food." She set down the tray, and almost instantly Unci shot up from his sleeping spot.

"That smells super good!" He mentally said as he rushed over to the food and started eating it.

"Hey!" Caleb yelled as he jumped for the remaining food, "That's for me!" The two comically wrestled each other for the food as Leaf and Miranda watched.

"He's such a child." Leaf complained as he finished his apple.

"Yeah, but he's good-natured." Miranda said, smiling. "And the cat's a cutie too."

The two friends turned around from fighting after she said this. "He's a snow leopard." Caleb said with a deadpan voice as he tried to remove Unci's paw from his face.

"But thank you for the compliment!" Unci smiled as he smacked Caleb with his other paw, drawing a cry from the young man as the leopard went back to munching.

Miranda's eyes widened as Caleb rubbed his cheek and Unci continued to eat. "Did that cat – I mean, snow leopard – did he just speak?"

Almost instantly there was silence in the room. Leaf dropped his apple core and Caleb's jaw dropped in awe of what Miranda's statement meant. "You can hear him?" Caleb asked in amazement. When she nodded her head, he turned to Unci, who was proudly grinning. "Why didn't you tell me you could talk to anybody else before?"

"It was funny making Leaf think he wasn't special." Unci thought proudly. "And besides, I don't really like him."

"What? What'd he say?" Leaf asked angrily as Caleb laughed and Miranda stifled a giggle.

At two in the morning, as the residents of the inn were finally falling asleep, someone knocked out the window to the basement and slipped in through the now-gaping hole. He had a headband on his forehead just below his bright orange hair, and he wore all black clothes in an attempt to blend in with the shadows. At his side was a rapier with no sheath. Pulling a key from his back pocket, he walked up to the now – docile Petrov. His appearance had drastically changed; his hair had now become the same color as his sister's, and the gray hood had transformed into a large black hat which was hung over his shoulders. He was wearing a black overcoat with a blue undershirt, and he had fingerless gloves on. If his eyes had been open, they would have been blue instead of the green his sister had.

"Come on, boy," the man said as he freed Petrov from his shackles, "let's get you out of here." With a grunt, he threw Petrov's arm over his shoulders and attempted to walk up the stairs. However, before he could get to the door, a voice stopped him.

"You know, I came down here to see what Petrov looked like when he wasn't startled," Leaf said as he stepped out from the shadows, "but I must say, I'm not impressed." He brandished the Nuevo Kyubi and pointed it at the intruder. "Name yourself and your intentions or you'll lose your head."

"Dustin." The man said in a bored voice. "Do we have to do this? I'm on a tight schedule."

Leaf grinned underneath his mask. "Well, yeah, we kinda do. I'm under orders too." He used his speed to jump in front of Dustin and point his sword at the man's exposed forehead. "Now, drop Petrov or die. Your choice."

Dustin's eyes furrowed for a moment, and then he sighed and walked back down the stairs, bringing a surprised reaction from Leaf. He put down Petrov and motioned for Leaf to follow as he jumped back out of the window. Leaf made sure that Petrov was still unconscious, then followed Dustin outside.

Just as he jumped out from the window, Dustin attacked. Leaf was barely able to raise his sword in time to block the blow. "Cheater!" He said through gritted teeth as he swung back at Dustin, who nimbly dodged the blow.

"What can I say," Dustin mocked him as he returned to a fencing position, "I don't play by the rules." With that, he charged at Leaf, thrusting the rapier at a speed too fast for normal eyes to comprehend. Leaf, however, was not a normal man, so he was able to block the blows.

"You're good," Leaf complimented Dustin as he parried thrust after thrust, "but not good enough, I'm afraid."

Dustin grinned and repelled Leaf's next attack, then jumped back and sheathed his sword. "I may not have to."

Leaf furrowed his brow. "And what do you mean by tha-" He was cut off from a shadowy figure knocking him out from behind.

"Never figured you to need help." The shadowy figure said slowly as it shook Dustin's hand.

"Never figured you to give me help," Dustin grinned as the figure emerged from the shadows, "Petrov."

"Anything for a comrade." Petrov smiled. "Now let's go." And with that, the two men disappeared into the night, leaving the unconscious Leaf behind.

End of Chapter Four

AN: DUN DUN DUNNNNNN

So is Petrov a good guy or a bad guy?

I WANNA KNOW!

Wait, I do.

Wink.

In any case, next time, the crew discovers Petrov is gone, a deal is struck, and Petrov's problem is discovered.

Plus, as a bonus, we're gonna see a fight! Who it's between is a secret...mwahahahaha

Good afternoon, good evening, and good night,

dryderson