Hey again! This chapter took forever to write and I am so sorry for that. I've got the story line all worked out but I always get stuck on the fight scenes. Anyway, hope you enjoy it!
As always I don't own One Piece or it's characters!
Chapter 8 – Tides of War
Foodvalten, Grand Line – Present Day
Yanagi's feet hit the sand and she flailed as her momentum sent her sliding through the sand. She had been running since she left the church, and her sprained ankle throbbed from the strain of the uneven terrain. Sweat plastered her hair to her forehead as the humidity on the island rose steadily. Dark cloud spread across the sky and blocked the early morning light, throwing the island into twilight. Out on the water, waves tossed ominously as a storm rolled in.
The camp of sleeping pirates was quiet, but the guard on duty saw her immediately. Recognizing the head-to-toe all-white outfit, she breathed a sigh of relief and met him at the edge of the camp. He shot her an inquisitive look as she reached him.
"Bit of an odd time for a stroll."
Yanagi rolled her eyes. "You need to get everyone up. They're not coming to the beach."
"What? That's-"
"Look, they're here already and they've got multiple ships. You-"
Another voice cut across her. "What's going on?"
Marco came into view just behind Thatch's shoulder, brushing sand from his shoulders where it had settled as he slept. Around them, the rest of the camp was stirring to life. Ace and Vista appeared from somewhere else and joined the conversation as their crewmates watched groggily. Hastily, Yanagi explained as best she could.
"This rookie crew you're waiting for? They sailed through the night and dropped anchor on the west side of the island. Not a small crew either, two ships worth."
Ace frowned. "And how do you know that?"
"Because I can sense them."
Vista's brows pulled up in surprise. "That's a wide range to be covering with haki, isn't it?"
"That's not the point right now! Look helping pirates isn't exactly in my job description either, but people are going to get caught in the crossfire at this rate."
Marco, ever the voice of reason, drew her attention to him. "What are you getting at?"
"They arrived almost half an hour ago and will have managed to scale the cliff by now. They're going to be taking as direct a path as they can, but the mountain will be in their way. Do you see where I'm going with this?"
Marco was nodding slowly as it sank in. "They're going to go right past the church."
"Yeah. And these guys are smart. They're not going to pass up the chance to take hostages against you. I had the guy on guard outside wake everyone and warn them but there was nowhere to hide but the mountain."
The commanders were all sharing worried glances now. Yanagi continued undeterred.
"The other problem is they've got two ships, and only one of them stopped and dropped anchor. The other one's looping back away from the island. Best guess is they're waiting until their friends have started fighting you lot and then they'll come in to take your ship and stop anyone getting off the island."
Thatch was nodding along. "Not a bad move. Covers all the bases."
Vista looked out to the waters. "Divides their power though."
Ace looked puzzled. "Bold move for a crew with no Devil Fruit users."
"No Devil Fruits?"
The four commanders turned to Yanagi's confused expression. Marco answered her with a shrug.
"All the information we've got on these guys says no one on the crew has a Devil Fruit. Not that that's really anything to gauge their strength with."
Thatch grinned. "They could be strong, or they could just be optimistic."
Yanagi frowned. Something about this scenario was tickling her memory, on the edges of what she could recall. It made her uneasy, like there was something major she was missing and couldn't quite put her finger on. She didn't have long to think on it, as Marco drew their attention back with the beginnings of an embryonic plan.
. . . . .
"You're sure we're going the right way?"
Yanagi turned to Ace for what might have been the twentieth time in less than an hour. What had started as an honest question had devolved into harmless teasing at the adrenaline from the coming fight began to kick in. Marco's plan had involved splitting the crewmembers into four and dividing them up amongst the four commanders. Thatch had taken a few men back to defend the ship, while Vista has stayed posted on the beach. Marco had taken a group up to the mountain, leaving a more than slightly pleased Ace the job of burning the landing boat and dealing with any loitering pirates.
He'd taken only a handful of the crew with him, as they'd all assumed the landing ship would be relatively unguarded. The small party numbered only a handful of crewmembers, briefly introduced to Yanagi before setting off from the beach. Their names were already beginning to blur together in her mind, and she doubted she would remember any of them by the end of this.
She ducked under another low-hanging branch, ferns tangling around her ankles as she twisted a little to maneuver better, and silently cursed her luck. Marco had enlisted her help to find the ship's location because of her haki. Somewhere along the way, Ace had taken to calling her Radar, which only served to agitate her already pounding head ache.
"For the last time, yes we're going the right way Ace. God what are you, twelve?"
"Hey, I-!"
She cut him off, abruptly pulling him and the nearest pirate into a cluster of tangled branches. He glared at her, opening his mouth to protest and she lunged at him, smothering his mouth with her hands just as a figure swept past them. Around them, the forest was filling with mist in the early morning light, transforming the shapes around them into eerie silhouettes. Yanagi shot Ace a meaningful look, and he grimaced in return.
"Why're we hiding?"
"Something weird is going on. I can only sense one presence all of a sudden."
Ace rolled his eyes, motioning to the small group of crewmates around him and signaling them forward. They lurched forward, out into the mist with a roar and Yanagi, helplessly, followed suit. Around her the pirates began disappearing into the mist, and silence descended as each figure disappeared into the thick atmosphere. The silence was oppressive and Yanagi stumbled to halt, struggling to understand. Somewhere off to her left a bullet whistled past her ears without warning, while further away through the fog lights bloomed explosively without ever breaching the veil.
Her head pounded violently as the mist pressed in around her. It felt like a living presence to her, and as it swirled in closer it blocked everything else from her senses; the pirates she had come with, Ace, the trees around her, the island, until nothing was left but her. Head swimming, she half-sprinted to the location of the last blast, hoping the fire logia wouldn't outright kill her by accident. Ahead, fire bubbled out of the mist and she stumbled to a halt as she came to a halt directly behind him. He whirled, fist raised and aflame before noticing who it was and lowering his arm.
"You really shouldn't sneak up on people like that."
She huffed. "Not intentional. Any idea what's up with this?"
"No clue. My fire doesn't get rid of it. It's like a wall against sounds and stuff too."
Yanagi looked around confused. She opened her mouth to speak when, without warning, she was blasted off her feet from behind, flying several feet before slamming horizontally across the trunk of a tree. Her previous injuries screamed as she collapsed struggling to force air into her lungs. Ace had moved to her side and looped an arm around her waist to hoist her up. She wheezed, whole body trembling against Ace's side as she struggled to breathe. Ahead of them, near where they had just been standing, the mist was condensing into the form of a person. Beside her, Ace huffed and glared at the person materializing.
"So much for no Devil Fruits. Any idea who this might be Radar?"
Yanagi wheezed. "I swear to God Portgas, call me that one more time and I'll hand you over to a firing squad myself."
"Guess you're okay after all if you can talk like that." Then, more loudly, "So what's your deal? Devil Fruit right?"
The figure drew closer, and Yanagi took in the details of their attacker with the same vague familiarity she had experienced when Marco had first talked about the crew. It was a young woman, with wild slate grey hair and a complexion to match her abilities. Decked out in sleeveless black combat-attire and a white unadorned porcelain mask, the only thing that gave her away as a woman was the slight swell of her hips and chest. When she spoke, her voice was wispy but rough.
"I would explain myself, Fire Fist, but you'll be dead soon either way. But I'm feeling courteous today so I supposed I'll ease your curiosity. I've been blessed with the powers of the Kiri-Kiri no Mi. You'll find it has many interesting abilities."
Ace snorted as he stepped away from Yanagi and pulled his arm back for a punch. Flames lit around his arm as he unleashed his signature attack, only for his opponent to dissolve and re-materialize a few feet to the right. The woman laughed breezily.
"Are you sure you should be throwing your flames around so carelessly, Fire Fist?"
With a wave of her wrist, the mist parted to reveal Ace's crewmates littered haphazardly throughout the small area. As the mist cleared away from them, their presences reappeared in Yanagi's senses and she was surprised to find she was relieved they weren't dead. In front of her, Ace clenched his fist. The woman disappeared again and the mist closed in around them. Unwilling to be separated, Yanagi made to grab Ace's elbow and watched as an arm materialized between them, aiming for Ace.
Without thinking, she pulled her staff from its holster. She pushed her haki through the weapon, and brought it down hard against the arm's elbow just as it connected with Ace's shoulder. He stumbled forward with the impact, while their attacker shrieked and disappeared back into the mist. He gripped his shoulder with a surprised look as he turned back to Yanagi.
"That made contact…"
Yanagi rolled her eyes. "You're welcome." Ace scowled but let her continue. "And it makes sense she can touch you. Kiri means mist, and mist is just water. She probably cancels your fire out."
The second division commander opened his mouth to protest just as a leg materialized out of the mist and slammed across his side. He was sent stumbling to the side, and Yanagi stepped in. Her staff came up and clipped her opponent's ankle as it came back down. Another shriek echoed through the forest and the woman reformed few paces away. She crouched, cradling her ankle with one hand while the other arm hung limp at her side, the elbow shattered from Yanagi's previous strike.
Favouring one leg, the woman rose to her feet and pulled a dagger from her belt. She rushed at Yanagi, striking repeatedly and forcing her back a few steps at a time. Despite the longer reach of her staff, Yanagi found herself struggling as the mist rolled in around her obscuring her footing. She stumbled against something and pitched backwards just as the woman lunged for Yanagi's face. She brought her staff up hard as she fell, slamming it into the woman's jaw just as a wall of flame caught her in the side and sent her retreating back into mist form. Ace appeared and offered her a hand, pulling her to her feet with a cheeky grin.
"What happened to your fancy footwork from the beach?"
She rolled her eyes, but took his offered hand anyway. "One of these days, Portgas…"
Their attacker reappeared. Her mask had shattered and part of it fell away from her face to reveal a sharp jawline and thin lips. She scowled at the both of them and Yanagi noted with some pride the large bruise blooming across the side of her jaw. Without warning, the woman lunged at them again. Yanagi lurched out of the way, rolling to a stop and stumbling when she landed on her bad ankle. Her attacker took the opportunity and jumped at her with her dagger. Yanagi blocked her with her staff, stopping the knife just above her head.
"Shinka: SHIRANUI!"
Before either could make another move what looked like a spear made of fire flew past Yanagi's head and struck the mist woman in the shoulder. She dropped back with a shriek, steam rising from the wound where the two Devil Fruit powers clashed. The next moment, she dissolved completely and the mist pressed in tighter until the pair lost sight of each other even as they stood only a few inches apart.
"Hitoshirezu fukumen."
A shape appeared at the edge of her vision and Yanagi turned, ready for an attack only to find that the scenery had changed completely. Wooden boards creaked beneath her feet as she came face to face with a marine. She froze, recognizing the weather-worn face and fair hair of Captain Marlow as he stepped out of the mist. His clothes were shredded in places and blood splatters speckled his face, which looked now as young as the day he had found her. Behind him the bodies of pirates and marines alike lay strewn across the deck, unmoving.
Hearing something behind her, Yanagi turned away from her old captain just in time to watch something small scurry into hiding behind a barrel. Vaguely, she thought she heard crying as captain Marlow pulled out a saber and stalked past her towards the barrel, obscuring her view. He began pulling it out of the way, and Yanagi inched closer trying to see around him. She caught a glimpse of a small foot just as the deck pitched and sent all of them stumbling to the side. Something roared in her ears as she straightened, struggling to get a clear view as the scene began to fade and what looked like large fireflies began appearing in the air around her.
"Hidaruma!"
She stepped back surprised as the fireflies caught fire. Around her, the air cleared as the mist evaporated. Ace stood off to her left, arms out and flaming palms facing out ahead of him. He was watching the mist woman as more and more of his flaming fireflies landed on her. She was screaming, steam rising from her body as the fire literally evaporated her. When she disappeared, Ace lowered his arms and dropped his head forward with a sigh. He looked older and soberer than she'd ever seen him, and Yanagi approached him cautiously.
"You alright?"
He nodded, motioning out towards the edge of the island where they could just barely see the mast of the rooky ship clearing the shelf of the cliff.
"I'm gonna get that over with. Mind checking to see that everyone's okay?"
Yanagi nodded, watching him go before turning to her own job. It turned out to be unnecessary, however, as the pirates were all slowly picking themselves off the ground and brushing themselves down looking more annoyed than anything else. Ace returned quickly, a fire blazing over the side of the cliff bright enough to obscure the sun rising behind it.
. . . . .
The group moved through the woods, back in the direction of the church. They had all collectively agreed that offering back up to Marco's group would be the best course of action and had left the burning ship behind them. The atmosphere was sober as they trekked through the forest undergrowth, and Yanagi was vaguely worried as she watched Ace brood as he walked with her. She was about to ask him when, out from the forest ahead of them, someone stumbled into view.
Around her, the pirates tensed into fighting stances. Yanagi pushed past them, recognizing the head of maroon hair that came tumbling out of the bushes.
"Ayana!"
She helped the woman straighten up as she panted for air. Her clothes were torn in places, hair wild, and eyes panicked. She looked terrified. Ace came up beside the two women, worry twisting his freckled face.
"Ayana, what happened? Why're you out here?"
She half sobbed. "Aidan. I can't find him! He ran off in the commotion, I don't-!"
She doubled over again, panting and sobbing. The pirates looked helplessly from one to the other, while Yanagi felt the air leave her lungs with a whistle. Her head swam and she forced herself to take a deep breath and focus. She shook Ayana gently to get her attention before turning to Ace.
"I'll take Ayana and go find Aidan. You can get to the church on your own, yeah?"
Ace nodded. "You sure?"
Yanagi rolled her eyes and nudged him with her elbow. "Not starting to worry about me, are you? I'll be fine. This is a fight between pirate crews anyway, not really my business."
The group of pirates snorted at her comment, and a grin curved across Ace's face. "Point taken. Take care out there, don't know who might be skulking around."
She smiled, carefully pulling Ayana away from the group of pirates. Her head was still throbbing from the last fight, but her haki gave her an idea of the direction she needed. She set off into the woods, Ayana in tow, and cast one last glance at the pirates watching them. They watched the pair of woman until they disappeared into the trees before setting off themselves. Ace followed last, something he couldn't quite name pulling at his thoughts. He cast one last worried glance in the direction the women had taken, before pushing his hesitation aside and following his crew mates to the church.
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So, let me know what you think! :)
PS, for those of you wondering 'Hitoshirezu fukumen' roughly translates to 'Hidden Veil'
