Remnant's new ACE hunter
Chapter 10: Wrapping up part 2: Infiltration
"Talking."
Thinking.
ATTACK!
DISCLAIMER: I have no rights, nor will I ever, to either One Piece or RWBY.
"Pyrrhic's here." Taiyang spoke up while looking down at his scroll. Yang hung her head in defeat while Ruby cheered in excitement. Evening had already fallen outside, shrouding Mistral in a pleasant darkness.
"Why're you so excited? Aren't you supposed to be antisocial or something?" Yang asked her sister.
"But Pyrrha's my friend. It's different." Ruby responded as she shouldered her red overnight bag. Yang sighed as she picked up her yellow one.
Parenting was much easier for Taiyang considering his daughters were almost color-coded.
"I have an idea." Ace spoke up, a wide grin slowly spreading over his face. "Do these windows open?" The red eyed boy asked.
"Uh, yeah." Taiyang responded as he watched Ace walk to the window and open it. The former Huntsman grew alarmed when he saw Ace begin to exit the window. "Ace! What're you doing!? Do you realize how high up we are!?" Taiyang demanded as he rose to try to pull Ace back inside.
"This is gonna be good." Ace muttered to himself as he fully exited the room. The dimension hopper gazed downwards at the ant looking pedestrians and cars as he searched for the vehicle belonging to the Nikos family. I'm gonna go out on a limb, and say it's the red one, the thirteen year old thought to himself in amusement. These Remnant people take the whole color thing way too far.
"Ace, wanna tell us what's going on?" Yang asked as she poked her head out the window.
"A surprise. Hah! I knew she'd get out to meet you!" Ace exclaimed as he saw Pyrrha exit the car and wait at the entrance of the hotel. Sometimes the green eyed prodigy was too polite for her own good.
"What's your point?" Yang asked, resting her arms on the windowsill.
"Let's see if Pyrrha scares easily." Ace said before jumping off the ledge he was standing on.
"... Ace jumped off." Yang informed in a tone that suggested she'd seen her crush do this kind of thing before.
"Cool!" Ruby exclaimed as she ran to the window.
"Why do I even bother?" Taiyang muttered.
...
Pyrrha hummed to herself as she patiently waited for Yang and Ruby. The green eyed prodigy was truly glad to have met them. They didn't seem to care about her skill, instead focusing on her values and personality. The redhead stopped humming when she heard noise in the alley to her right.
"Hello?" Pyrrha asked while peeking into the alley. There was no reply. Instead, a small fire appeared out of nowhere, just a few feet in front of her. "That's strange," Pyrrha said to herself as she looked at the flickering flame. Someone should put that out, lest it engulf the entire street in flames, Pyrrha thought to herself. Being the responsible citizen she is, Pyrrha took it upon herself to stamp out the flames. Pyrrha walked into the alley and used her shield to smother the flames.
"There we… go." Pyrrha said, trailing off as another fire appeared just a couple of meters in front of her. The prodigy fighter regarded the small flame with suspicion before moving to put it out. Just like before, the moment she put it out another fire lit up deeper into the alley. Something suspicious is going on here, Pyrrha thought to herself as she debated on whether to put out the third fire or go tell her mother. There are far too many flammables in this alley for me to abandon this fire, Pyrrha thought to herself as she moved deeper into the dark alley. Right as she was about to smother the fire, the bright orange flame went out, shrouding the alley in darkness.
"Going somewhere?" A voice asked from above Pyrrha. The prodigy's head snapped upwards in an effort to find the mysterious voice.
"Who's there?" Pyrrha demanded as her hand slowly inched towards her sword. The lidless trash can to her right erupted into flames, causing the young girl to yelp in alarm and back away.
"Don't leave. The fun's just beginning." The voice said as the fire went out as quickly as it had come.
"I do not wish to harm you. Please cease these games." Pyrrha called out as she kept turning in an effort to find her possible opponent.
"Oh Pyrrha… I'm not the one who's gonna be harmed." The voice said from right behind Pyrrha. The redhead turned in alarm, yet found only empty space behind her.
"I'm warning you. If you do not stop, I will be forced to contact the authorities." Pyrrha said as she began backing out of the alley. How in the name of Oum does he know my name, Pyrrha thought to herself, yet didn't ask the question out loud.
"I've never been scared of authority, Pyrrha." The voice said to the right of Pyrrha. The prodigy fighter turned only to find empty space again.
"Who are you?" Pyrrha demanded as she tried to keep her ever growing panic under control. How could she fight an enemy she couldn'l see?
"I am the night." The voice growled from behind her. Pyrrha turned and found two crimson eyes only inches away, glaring at her.
"Ah!" Pyrrha yelped before thrusting her shield into her attacker's face.
"Ow, what the Hell!?" The voice demanded as he staggered back while clutching his face. Pyrrha pressed her advantage and swept her opponent off her feet. Before the figure could react, Pyrrha had put the tip of her sword at his throat. "It's me! Ace!"
"Wait… Ace?" Pyrrha asked in confusion.
"Yes!" Ace said as he knocked the sword away from his throat. The red eyed boy dusted himself off before looking at Pyrrha.
"Ace you startled me! What were you hoping to accomplish!?" Pyrrha quietly demanded.
"Calm down, it was just a joke. I wanted to see if you scare easy. Then you had to ruin it by bashing my face in." Ace said as he walked out of the alley, motioning for Pyrrha to follow him.
"Forgive me if I don't see the humor in deliberately scaring your friends." Pyrrha replied, walking back out onto the well lit street. So that's why I couldn't see him, Pyrrha thought to herself as she looked over Ace's outfit. She had to admit, he cut quite an intimidating figure in that wardrobe.
"Whatever. Yang and Ruby should be down soon." Ace said while peering into the red car. "How's it going ?" Ace asked.
"Ace! I almost didn't recognize you in that outfit!" Pyrrhic said, causing Ace to chuckle and pull his mask down past his chin.
"Sorry, Qrow says I gotta wear this if I'm gonna go with him and Taiyang." Ace said.
"So they're letting you go after all. Well, be careful Ace. Wouldn't want you to end up in the hospital again." Pyrrhic said.
"I don't plan on going to the hospital for a long time." Ace said.
"No one 'plans' on going to the hospital. Either way, you look scary, so if that's what Qrow was going for, then he did a good job. You've got perfect eyes for glaring." Pyrrhic complimented.
"Thanks… I guess." Ace replied, unsure of how to take the compliment.
"Ace, are you sure you wish to aid in apprehending this criminal? You may get hurt." Pyrrha asked.
"I'll be fine. What can some small time criminal throw at me?" Ace responded with a shrug of his shoulders.
"I don't know, why don't you ask him?" Yang said as she walked out of the hotel, followed by Ruby and Taiyang. Pyrrhic looked Taiyang up and down before chuckling.
"You look like a thug." The mother of Pyrrha said.
"I know," Taiyang said while sighing, "Thanks for doing this Pyrrhic."
"Oh I don't mind at all. Well girls, we should let the boys do their vigilante stuff. Hop in." Pyrrhic said.
"Okay!" Ruby chirped as she entered the red car. Yang wordlessly followed her sister.
"We'll pick 'em up tomorrow morning. Make sure they don't try to follow us." Taiyang said, whispering the last part.
"Alright. Any allergies I need to worry about?" Pyrrhic asked.
"Nope, although I would try to keep Ruby away from any raw sugar you have. There's a smallish chance she'll try to eat it." Taiyang said. He really needed to get that habit out of his daughter's system.
"Great! I'm taking off now. Be careful and I hope you manage to get your criminal." Pyrrhic said as she turned on the car.
"Bye girls! I love you both so much! Stay outta trouble!" Taiyang said, going into mushy dad mode.
"Bye dad!" Ruby happily said.
"See you tomorrow." Yang muttered, embarrassed from her dad's affectionate words.
"I'll tell you girls what we did tomorrow." Ace said.
"Don't forget our souvenirs!" Ruby said as Pyrrhic began to drive away.
"I won't!" Ace called out. Taiyang waited until Pyrrhic had driven out of view, and then turned to enter the hotel.
"C'mon Ace. We have business to attend to." Taiyang said. Ace followed the former Huntsman, knowing that they would soon be entering a crime lord's den.
… Club Zen, one hour later…
Qrow paused to check his watch before looking up at Club Zen. It was actually one of the more popular spots when it came to Mistral's nightlife. The outside was covered by bamboo and bonsai trees. The bouncer was even dressed like a monk.
"They're really trying to sell this whole 'zen' thing." Qrow muttered. Knowing he was on a time limit, the grizzled huntsman walked across the street while doing one last quick once over of his outfit. As with most popular, high end clubs, there was a line of people waiting to get in. Most of them were considerably younger than Qrow, though you wouldn't be able to tell right off the bat. Qrow completely ignored the line and walked right up to the bouncer.
"You gotta wait in line like everyone else." The bouncer said, not looking up from his clipboard.
"Actually, I don't." Qrow said while discreetly slipping Lien into the bouncer's hand.
"Head in." The bouncer said while opening the door, much to the outrage of those waiting in line.
"What the Hell!? We've been waiting for two hours to get in!" Some random guy called out in anger. "Why does he get special treatment!?"
"Don't know, don't care." The bouncer replied. Qrow chuckled in amusement while walking through the doors. Even though it was called Club Zen, the inside was anything but peaceful. Flashing lights and blaring music were everywhere. The dance floor was crowded with people. Qrow ignored the dance floor and beelined it straight to the bar.
"Gimme the strongest stuff you've got." Qrow said as he sat on a stool. Taiyang would probably be against him drinking strong alcohol on a mission, but Qrow wanted to enjoy himself. Besides, he was sure he could handle whatever the bartender gave him.
"Sake from the villages. No better drink in all the land." The bartender said while sliding a cup that looked more like a bowl to Qrow. The thirty-something year old man picked up the cup and stared at the liquid suspiciously. Never had sake before. Well, better now than later, Qrow thought to himself as he downed the entire thing in one gulp.
"... give me the bottle." Qrow said, clearly enjoying the taste. The barkeep shrugged as he took out the bottle and slid it to Qrow's waiting hand.
"Take it easy. Like I said, that's some strong stuff." The bartender warned before going to check in on his other customers. Qrow poured himself more sake, but nursed it instead of swallowing it in one gulp. With his other hand Qrow pulled out his scroll and speed dialed Taiyang.
"Yeah, Qrow?" Taiyang asked. He and Ace were staked out on a building a few blocks away. Ace was currently playing some game on his scroll. Though he wasn't into video games very much, there was just something satisfying about using birds to crush pigs and destroy buildings.
"I'm in the club, and I've sampled what they have to offer." Qrow said while chuckling.
"I hope it's not anything too strong. We've got a job to do." Taiyang warned.
"I can handle it." Qrow said while sipping his sake.
"Sure you can. Give it a few more minutes before you start mingling. Ace and I are going to make our way over there." Taiyang said. "See if you can find out anything useful while you're at it."
"Sure thing. You'll know the club when you see it. It's the one with bamboo and bonsai trees in front."
"That… sounds unbelievably tacky." Taiyang said.
"I kinda like it. The staff is dressed like monks. Would be pretty peaceful if it wasn't for the loud music and sweaty teenagers." Qrow commented.
"Whatever. Ace and I are making our way over there now." Taiyang said before hanging up. "You ready?" Taiyang asked Ace.
"Hang on… ha! Three stars!" Ace exclaimed in satisfaction. "Alright, let's get out of here." Ace said as he got up and put away his scroll.
"Follow my lead." Taiyang said before jumping to the next building over.
"Sure." Ace replied, jumping to the next building while he did so. Taiyang ran before leaping again, landing on another building. Ace followed in what turned into a game of leap frog on a massive scale. At one point they had to jump over a particularly busy street, but Ace was pretty sure that no one had seen them. By the time they had made it to Club Zen, Ace wasn't even winded.
"Let's see if there's an entrance on the roof." Taiyang said. Wanting to show off a little, Ace took a running start before jumping. He did multiple flips in mid-air before landing on the roof of Club Zen.
"No one likes a show off Ace." Taiyang scolded after completing his much more modest jump.
"Couldn't help myself." Ace said while grinning, though you wouldn't have been able to tell because of his mask.
"Whatever. If Glynda's intel is right, then there should be a door right… here!" Taiyang triumphantly said as he found the door that led into the building. Ace walked up to the door and tried the doorknob, but couldn't get it to budge.
"It's locked." Ace stated.
"Wasn't expecting that, but luckily I know how to pick locks." Taiyang said, causing Ace to look at the blonde man in surprise.
"How?" Ace asked. Taiyang just didn't look like the type who would know how to pick locks. That was more up Qrow's alley.
"Qrow taught me how." Taiyang stated as he inspected the doorknob.
Now that makes sense, Ace thought to himself. "So, why did Qrow teach you this?" Ace asked, wanting to fill the silence while Tai tried to figure out the best way to pick the lock.
"He wanted me to help him break into the teacher's lounge at Beacon and pour laxatives into their coffee." Taiyang stated.
"Did you do it?"
"Oh yeah. To this day Port refuses to drink the coffee in the teacher's lounge. I heard he busted one of the toilet stalls that day." Taiyang said, chuckling quietly.
"I actually feel sorry for the guy." Ace said.
"That's nothing. Remind me to tell you what we did to Oobleck." Taiyang said as he got up. "Alright, after careful inspection, I've managed to deduce the make and model of this particular lock. Normally, it would be easy to undo, but a lot of it is rusted. If I'm going to pick it, I'd need plenty of time, concentration, and Qrow's lock picking kit."
"But you don't have any of those, except maybe concentration." Ace pointed out.
"Which is why I say screw it. We're going with option B." Taiyang said as he pulled out Qrow's sword and slashed twice, leaving an X mark in the door. Taiyang causally kicked the weakened door, shattering it into four large pieces.
"Straight to the point. I like it." Ace commented as he pulled out his pistol and held it at the ready. "So, should I go first?"
"Not happening. Follow me." Taiyang curtly replied. The blonde man held the almost impractically large sword at the ready as he entered the door. Ace followed, smiling in anticipation. The duo walked down a stairway before coming to another closed door. Taiyang pressed his ear against the door, listening for any signs of people on the other side. Ace, not having anything else to do, waited for Taiyang's signal.
"Can we go in now?" Ace asked.
"Yeah, but you need to understand something first. As much as I love our witty banter, we can't have any of that from this point forward. You're going to have to treat this as seriously as you can, okay?" Taiyang asked, his normal warm smile replaced by a serious frown. Ace regarded his partner with a raised eyebrow before his face hardened to mimic Taiyang.
"Yes sir." Ace said, gun at the ready.
"Good. The moment I open this door, I want you to go in." Taiyang said, bracing himself to open the door. Ace wordlessly nodded and bent his knees slightly, ready to leap into whatever was on the other side of the door. Taiyang silently counted to three in his hand before opening the door. Ace combat rolled through the doorway. Ace found himself in a dimly lit hallway. Doorways peppered each side of the hall, but there weren't any goons in the hallway.
"All clear." Ace said. Taiyang cautiously walked into the hall, giant sword at the ready. "What now?" Ace asked.
"Well, Qrow and I were only able to find out he would be in this building tonight. We don't actually know where he is specifically."
"Then what's the plan?" Ace asked, his narrowed gaze not leaving one side of the hallway. Taiyang was watching the other.
"Qrow suggested we just storm each room and destroy whoever's in there, one o those hopefully being Saul. I, on the other hand, would rather just enter one room and question one of his goons." Taiyang said.
"Alright, but won't that be noisy?" Ace whispered.
"Leave that to Qrow." Taiyang muttered as he pulled out his scroll.
Turn up the music, Taiyang texted, receiving a reply almost immediately.
You want me to pump up the volume? Qrow texted back. Taiyang sighed in annoyance, picturing the smug smirk Qrow must be sporting right now.
Just give us our damn distraction, Taiyang messaged back.
...
"He is taking this way too seriously," Qrow muttered as he put his scroll away. The veteran huntsman left his spot at the bar and walked towards the DJ. Tai might have been right about this being tacky. Having the Dj look like buddha is pushing the zen thing, Qrow thought to himself as he approached the DJ. True to his word, the musician quite literally looked like buddha.
"What'dya want?" The DJ asked once he had noticed Qrow.
"I want you to turn up the music as loud as you can." Qrow said.
"Why?" The DJ suspiciously asked.
"I came to party, not bore myself to sleep. Besides, do this ad there'll be something in it for you." Qrow said, discreetly slipping the music expert a wad of Lien.
"You got it." The buddha look-alike said as he put his headphones back on. Qrow didn't bother waiting for the DJ to follow through. The veteran huntsman, once out of sight, pulled out a pair of earplugs and put them in his ears.
No need to wreck his sense of hearing for this mission.
Seconds later the DJ turned the music to its maximum setting. Even through his earplugs, Qrow could still hear the music. His body was almost shaking from the bass of the music. The regular party goers seemed not to notice. They just continued dancing, drinking, and being all round basic partiers.
...
"Whoa." Ace muttered when he suddenly felt the bass of the music shaking everything around him. Heck, he could hear the music all the way from the top floor.
"And that would be our distraction." Taiyang said. "Pick a door Ace." The blonde haired man said. Ace nodded, smirking under his mask. The red eyed boy walked to a random door, followed closely by Taiyang. Ace gazed at his adopted uncle before both wordlessly nodded. Ace raised his leg and kicked in the door. They entered a large room, most likely some sort of break room based off of the pool table and fridge located on one side, and found over a dozen lackeys sitting at a table. Both parties stared at each other for exactly two seconds before springing into action. The goons, having gotten a look at Taiyang and Ace's attire, quickly deduced that they weren't supposed to be here.
"Leave one of them conscious." Taiyang told Ace. The red eyed boy charged the group while they were scrambling for their weapons. The first goon Ace faced off against swung a red katana with the intent to slice Ace in two. The young teenager ducked the clumsy sword swing and punched the goon in his solar plexus. The man collapsed to his knees, dropping his katana and holding his chest in pain. Before Ace could continue, he had a brief vision of a lackey shooting him from behind. Ace immediately dropped to the floor. A split second later Ace heard a gunshot, followed by a bullet whizzing over his head. Ace turned around, leveled his pistol, and fired. To the former pirate's shock, the bullet tore through the man's shoulder, leaving a smear of blood on the wall.
He doesn't have aura!? Taiyang thought to himself in alarm. Criminals as big as Saul almost always exclusively hired aura empowered criminals. By the look on Ace's face, he was surprised as well.
"What the-!?" Ace began, but was cut off when an underling bigger than the rest slammed a Zanbato into his side. Ace was much too distracted to dodge or block. The red eyed boy crashed through the pool table and through the wall, landing in the next room over.
"Ace!" Taiyang said in alarm. The Blonde man brandished Qrow's sword and ran to the man, clearly some sort of higher up compared to the goons, with the zanbato. Two oversized swords clashed with a loud clang, yet the loud music made it so no one outside the immediate vicinity could hear them. Taiyang caught movement in the corner of his eye and managed to duck just in time for another red katana to swing overhead. The blonde man silently swore as he was surrounded by underlings. Dammit Ace! Hurry up and help me! Taiyang thought to himself. He was positive he could defeat them all on his own, but he didn't want to risk one of them getting away to tell Saul.
"This just got a lot harder." Ace muttered to himself as he sat up, pieces of wall and pool table around him. I can't kill these guys while Taiyang's here. I don't think he'd like it if I raised my kill count from one Beowolf to one Beowolf and fifty goons. Ace looked around, and, to his frustration, he had ended up in another break room. This one had nearly two dozen criminals.
"Ace! Could use your help here!" Taiyang yelled while sidestepping the oversized sword that was the zanbato.
"I'm a little busy!" Ace yelled back as he pulled out his knife.
… Pyrrha's house…
"So… what would you girls like to do?" Pyrrha asked. She, Yang, and Ruby were in her room, painted red obviously, while Pyrrhic cooked dinner. Based off of the heavenly scent rising from the kitchen, Pyrrhic knew a thing or two about cooking.
"What'dya usually do when you're here?" Yang asked, having mellowed out on the way here. Might as well make the best of this, she has reasoned to herself.
"... train." Pyrrha admitted.
"Besides that." Yang said.
"Uh… sleep?" Pyrrha nervously said.
"What do you usually do when you have friends over?" Yang asked, trying a different approach.
"..." Pyrrha remained silent, an embarrassed blush beginning to form on her face. Yang gave Pyrrha a questioning gaze before her eyes widened in realization.
"Oh my Oum. Do you not have any friends?" Yang asked, her jealousy being overpowered by sympathy.
"No!" Pyrrha hastily said. "Well, I have... acquaintances, I guess." Pyrrha said.
"How? A girl as strong and pretty as you should be the very definition of popularity." Yang asked. Yang felt the back of her mind protest at the fact she had just admitted Pyrrha was pretty.
"Thank you for the compliment, but it's a little more complicated than that. As you saw, I am above average in fighting ability," Pyrrha said, modestly describing her ability, "to the point no one in my class or the classes above at Sanctum can match me."
"And?" Yang asked.
"Everyone assumes I am too good to even try being friends with me." Pyrrha sadly said. "As such, I lack the kind of friendships other people my age have. This is the first time I've ever had anyone sleeping over." Pyrrha admitted.
"Oh, wow." Yang said, her eyes widening and reflecting sympathy. I guess I could be nicer to her, Yang thought to herself.
"I'm sorry. You're probably bored out of your mind." Pyrrha mumbled.
"No!" Yang said. "It's fine. Listen, I've been to plenty of sleepovers before. I can teach you, if that's what you want." Yang proposed.
"Really? That would be wonderful!" Pyrrha exclaimed, overjoyed.
"Alright. First, we change into our pajamas." Yang said. All three girls were still in their day clothes.
"Okay, then what?" Pyrrha asked, completely focused on what Yang was saying.
"We play Kung Fu Ultimate Ninja Death Battle." Yang said, causing Ruby to cheer in excitement.
"That sounds like fun, but… what is Kung Fu Ultimate Ninja Death Battle?" Pyrrha asked, an apologetic smile adorning her face. Ruby stared at Pyrrha in shock and disbelief, causing Pyrrha to nervously rub her arm.
"It's Ace all over again." Ruby complained, playful annoyance clear in her voice.
"I'm sorry?" Pyrrha asked.
"Oh, Ace didn't know what Kung Fu Ultimate Ninja Death Battle was, either. Don't worry about Ruby. She thinks her video game is more important than it actually is." Yang said.
"I can't believe I'm hearing this blasphemy from my own sister." Ruby said.
… With Ace and Taiyang…
Taiyang silently mourned his well thought out plan. It had been a calm, collected plan where stealth and precision were key to their success. Of course, even the best plans can go awry. As it turns out, all it took for Taiyang's plan to be put on temporary hold was a mob of underlings in a limited environment.
What had started off as a fairly ordinary fight had quickly turned into a giant clusterfuck. While Taiyang fought the first group of thugs, Ace found himself surrounded by a second group. Within seconds, Ace's fight had spilled into the hallway. The red eyed boy, though surrounded on all sides, made the best of his situation. True to his word, the enclosed space of the hallway, made even smaller by the giant mass of bodies pressing against each other, was making it very difficult for those goons whose weapons included swords to fight efficiently.
The same couldn't be said for Ace's knife. Because of its much smaller size, Ace was able to wield his bladed weapon with almost no difficulty whatsoever. He had been forced to holster his pistol after he had emptied its clip. Attacks were being sent at Ace so frequently that he had no time to reload. However, even with all the advantages he had, the sheer number of enemies Ace was facing was nearly overwhelming. One second he would block a sword blow only to have to dodge a gunshot the next.
"Someone tell the boss!" The man with the zanbato commanded while sidestepping Taiyang's attack. One random lackey obeyed, quickly leaving the room.
"Ace! Someone's trying to warn the boss!" Taiyang called out while parrying three different swords at the same time.
"On it!" Ace called, spotting the messenger while ducking under four simultaneous attacks. With no other option, Ace flipped his knife and threw it at the retreating criminal. As he didn't know whether the goon had aura or not, Ace aimed for his leg. Ace, though he was perfectly fine with killing everyone here, wanted to avoid Taiyang's reaction should he actually kill someone. He winced when he saw the blade sink all the way to the hilt in the man's thigh. The goon collapsed as blood puddled around him, clutching his leg in pain.
"Carefull! It's like you're trying to kill him!" Taiyang scolded while parrying a slash from the goon with the zanbato.
If only you knew, Ace thought to himself in morbid amusement. The red eyed boy grimaced when he felt someone slash at the back of his head. In hindsight, it would have been a better idea to throw his empty pistol.
"Just piss off!" Taiyang swore while clashing swords with the zanbato wielding goon again. The blonde man couldn't land a solid hit with all these other lackeys constantly attacking him. Taiyang found himself being pressured backwards. Had Taiyang wanted a moment of respite, he could have simply switched to gun mode and shot shell after shell at his enemies. The blonde haired man couldn't do it, though. He didn't want to risk hitting those who had no aura. As such, he had to settle for bringing them down one at a time.
Alright, left-right-crouch-sidestep-leg sweep-right-right-cro-dammit! Ace thought to himself as he was unable to dodge a sword blow. The former pirate was getting frustrated. His lack of training in haki was beginning to show itself. As it was, his kenbunshoku haki would only manifest itself randomly, sometimes alerting him to an attack. In the long run, it was more detrimental than helpful as Ace couldn't rely on it and would lose focus every time it did happen. The red eyed boy evaded a sword swing before delivering a haymaker to the attacker's stomach. Not bothering to see if his attack did anything, Ace turned and caught a sword blade between his palms. With a simple jerk he tore the katana from the goon's grasp and, in that same moment, swept the legs out from under three goons.
Katana in hand, Ace did his best to use his weapon in the limited environment he was in. The young prodigy frantically parried and dodged attacks while making sure no one was slinking away to warn Saul. Sparing a glance at Taiyang, Ace silently swore when he saw the former huntsmen in a similar state of being overwhelmed. At this rate they would never get to the crimelord. There were simply too many enemies in a too small hallway for Ace and Taiyang to make any meaningful headway into lowering their numbers. Had this fight occurred in a more open area, the fight would have drastically favored Taiyang and Ace.
Okay, I'm backed up against a wall, there's still a lot of people to beat up, and we're running out of time, Ace summarized to himself. Unable to see any way out of this situation, Ace decided to pull out his trump card. The red eyed youth had a moment of frustration at the thought of having to explain this to Taiyang.
"Taiy, i have an idea! Just… just don't freak out!" Ace yelled over the cacophony in the hallway.
"Ace, what're you planning!?" Taiyang called back in suspicion. Curiosity and worry outweighing caution, Taiyang switched to gun mode and fired a few volleys at the lackeys. Satisfied that he now had a little breathing room, Taiyang spared a glance at Ace. The older huntsman was baffled when he saw flames begin to coalesce around Ace.
"Enkai" Ace stated as more and more fire gathered at his center. Taiyang looked on in wonder, having never known Ace to posses such an ability. That wonder, however, turned into dread when he saw one goon raise his katana.
"Ace look ou-!" Taiyang was unable to finish as the lackey swung, bisecting Ace from shoulder to hip. Time seemed to slow to a crawl for Taiyang. For a brief moment, all Taiyang could feel was regret and horror. Shock began to run through Taiyang's body as he looked at the two halves of Ace, expecting them to fall to the ground, soaking in blood.
"I said don't freak out!" Ace yelled, causing Taiyang to be broken out of his stupor. To Taiyang's utter amazement, both halves of Ace's body reattached in a small flare of fire. Ace was none the worse for wear. The same couldn't be said for the lackeys in the next few seconds. Having gathered enough flames, Ace unleashed his attack.
"Hibashira!" Ace yelled out, unleashing a wave of fire all around him. People were sent crashing backwards from the sheer force of the blast. Those that had aura were comparatively lucky, only suffering minor burns and major bruising. Those without aura, however, soon found themselves with broken bones and second degree burns. So intense was the attack that those goons lucky enough to not be within the blast radius were left dumbfounded. Though he was as shocked as everyone else, Taiyang would not let this opportunity pass. He quickly disposed of the goons still standing, starting with the big one with the oversized sword. However, Taiyang kept his plan in mind and left one goon conscious, yet incapacitated.
"Damn did that feel good." Ace said with a sigh of satisfaction. Being able to finally use his fire against an enemy was like stretching a sore body part. You could immediately feel the relief. Ace looked around and spotted several small fires burning in the hallway. With a simple wave of his hand, the fires died out.
"Ace…" Taiyang said, his voice full of foreboding.
"Yeah?" Ace responded while suppressing a sigh. He knew what conversation they were about to have next.
"Want to tell me what that was?" Taiyang asked, gesturing all around them.
"My semblance." Ace answered, doing his best to keep a straight face.
"What… how… I have so many questions." Taiyang said while rubbing his head in frustration, "but that can wait. Right now, we have a job to do." Taiyang finished while gesturing to the conscious lackey propped up against the wall. Ace nodded, glad he could postpone this conversation for a couple more hours. The duo approached the goon, intent on getting their information.
"Alright buddy, tell us where Saul is and I'll make sure things go a lot smoother for you." Taiyang reasoned, playing the good cop. The goon, though in no condition to argue, decided to be the dick he is.
"Go to Hell." The goon said before spitting in Taiyang's face. The former huntsman calmly wiped the saliva off of his face and took a deep, long breath.
"Ace, I think our friend here needs some persuasion" Taiyang said in a neutral tone while gesturing to the goon. Ace briefly debated on how to best intimidate the goon before spotting the large zanbato resting in the middle of the room.
"On it." Ace said before walking to the oversized blade. The red eyed boy casually picked up the zanbato with one hand, waving it slightly to test its weight and balance, before glaring at the unlucky lackey. The poor goon's eyes had nearly popped out of his skull when he saw Ace, barely a teenager, easily pick up and wield such an oversized sword. The damn thing was bigger than he was for crying out loud!
"Unless you want to get cleaved in half, I suggest you talk." Taiyang warned. Ace did another experimental, one armed swing to prove Taiyang's point.
"I'll do it, too." Ace added while resting the blade on his shoulder. The goon flinched when Ace took a threatening step forward, clearly psyched out.
"He's in the basement! Boss man's hashing out a deal with some faunus group!" The goon said, doing his best to inch away from Ace. Taiyang exchanged a glance with his young ward before looking back at the goon.
"Thanks." Taiyang said before casually slugging the lackey in his jaw, knocking out the criminal instantaneously.
"So we know where he is, what now?" Ace asked, sword still in hand.
"This could change our plans a little. First I'll message Qrow, then we head down to the basement." Taiyang answered while quickly sending Qrow an update.
"Shouldn't we try to hide the bodies or something?" Ace asked.
"Where're we gonna hide all of these guys? Besides, your little fire show kinda burned a lot of the hallway. It'd save us more time if we were to just beeline it to the basement." Taiyang answered. Ace nodded in agreement before gesturing for his surrogate uncle to lead the way. Wordlessly, the duo made their way to the nearest door. Right before entering, Taiyang glanced at Ace, raising an eyebrow in confusion.
"Why do you still have that thing?" Taiyang asked while pointing to the zanbato Ace was holding.
"I like it. It'll make a good souvenir." Ace answered. As if remembering something very important, Ace turned around, kneeled in front of one of the goons, and pulled out his knife. The unconscious goon groaned in pain from the action while Ace wiped his knife clean on the goon's shirt.
"Ace, that guy's probably gonna bleed out… and that guy… and him… and him." Taiyang said, only just realising how messed up some of the goons were. "We can't leave them like this." Taiyang said. Though he was used to death, and had even delivered it in some cases, he wanted to avoid losing a life as much as possible.
"We don't have a first aid kit. How're we supposed to help them?" Ace pointed out. Taiyang paused, unsure of what to say. They were on a time limit, and had no medical supplies. It made more sense to leave the goons to fend for themselves, yet Taiyang couldn't just leave them like that. An idea popped into Taiyang's head when he looked at the various burn marks Ace had left in the hallway. Taiyang immediately regretted thinking of that possibility. He would be asking a lot of Ace, and he wasn't sure if that would be healthy for someone Ace's age,
"Well… you could… you know… cauterize their wounds." Taiyang said, unsure how Ace would take the suggestion.
"Okay." Ace said with a shrug of his shoulders, not bothered by the suggestion. In fact he was a little bit jealous that he hadn't thought of it himself. Ace turned his fingers into fire with minimal effort. He then quickly cauterised every serious wound that needed attention. It wasn't a permanent fix, but it would tide them over until they could get proper medical attention.
"That was quick." Taiyang observed, somewhat unnerved at Ace's apparent indifference.
"We don't have much time. Should we go?"
"Yeah, let's." Taiyang said while moving to the staircase. Though it was a little awkward getting it through the entrance, Ace managed to bring his oversized sword with him. As they descended, Taiyang's scroll vibrated.
"Qrow's managed to become buddies with the bartender, and… woah." Taiyang muttered, his eyes widening in surprise.
"'Woah' what?" Ace asked.
"Turns out the 'faunus group' the guy mentioned is the full blown White Fang." Taiyang said. Ace's eyes widened in surprise. He'd known that the White Fang had been resorting to violence these days, but to hear they were in the company of actual criminals was a little shocking.
"Does that change our plan at all?" Ace asked. He could deal with his feelings towards the White Fang later. Right now he had to find a criminal mastermind and make him eat dirt.
"Yes it does. We are not prepared for a terrorist group. I think we might need to abort this mission." Taiyang said, worry beginning to creep into his mind.
"Screw that. We're already here, might as well get the job done." Ace said, not at all worried about the unexpected visitors.
"And what do you suggest we do about our faunus friends?" Taiyang prompted.
"We'll pick up Qrow and kick ass." Ace answered. Taiyang was not entertained by Ace's suggestion, so Ace tried to mend the situation. "Look, you saw what I could do upstairs. Believe me when I say that's just the tip of the iceberg. Trust me on this one." Ace reasoned. For added effect, his shoulders began flickering with flame. Taiyang was silent for a minute, silently debating Ace's proposal.
"... How's your aura reserves?" Taiyang asked. While he was nowhere near the danger zone, the upstairs fight had done some damage to his aura.
"Full enough." Ace answered. He didn't bother mentioning that his logia body didn't run on aura.
"Ace, if we do go down there, we won't know what we're going up against. Are you sure you want to do this?" Taiyang asked.
"Tai, I nearly got poisoned to death by this guy. Just try to fucking stop me." Ace said, ignoring Taiyang's scowl at his use of profanity.
"... fine. Let's go get Qrow. We're gonna need his help." Taiyang said. He typed up a message for Qrow before moving down the stairs.
...
"East stairwell, huh?" Qrow murmured to himself while glancing at his scroll. Guess we're actually gonna go through with this, Qrow thought to himself as he bid his good friend the bartender farewell. The grizzled huntsman looked around the room, trying to figure where in the Hell the east stairwell was.
…
"He's late." Ace observed.
"Knowing him, he's probably trying to figure out where the east stairwell is." Taiyang said. As if on cue, the door behind suddenly opened, revealing a somewhat buzzed Qrow.
"You would not believe how hard it was to… what's with the giant sword?" Qrow asked upon seeing the zanbato resting against the wall.
"Souvenir." Ace answered.
"Fair enough. So, we doing this or what?" Qrow asked.
"Ace wants to go down there, so I guess so. You'll probably need this." Taiyang sid while handing Qrow his sword.
"Now you don't have a weapon. Want my sword?" Ace asked while gesturing to the giant blade.
"No, I can get by just fine without a weapon. Alright, I'll take point. You and Qrow follow behind me." Taiyang said before moving down another flight of stairs.
"I, uh, had to show Taiyang my semblance." Ace whispered to Qrow as they followed Taiyang.
"How'd he take it?" Qrow asked.
"Surprisingly well, but I get the feeling he's just biding his time. I kinda got cut in half in front of him." Ace admitted, causing Qrow to stifle a laugh.
"Taiyang must have been about to spaz out." Qrow muttered. "Don't worry kid, I'll back you up with Taiyang." Any further talk was halted when they reached the bottom of the stairs. A door with the word 'basement' stood in front of them.
"We don't know what we're going to find on the other side of this door. Be careful in there. That goes for both of you." Taiyang said.
"We can handle ourselves just fine, Tai." Qrow said.
"Can we go in yet?" Ace asked, impatience clear in his tone.
"Everyone lock and load." Taiyang suggested. Qrow checked the ammunition on his sword while Ace loaded his pistol with a new clip of ammo.
"I'll lead." Qrow said. Before anyone could object, Qrow raised his leg and kicked the door down.
...
"Look, i don't wanna be 'that guy' but my boss says that we'll only take the best of what you have. Can't overthrow the current regime with second rate guns and all that. You know how it is." A young, accented voice said. All around them were dozens of White Fang operatives rifling through numerous crates. Overseeing the operations were another couple dozen of Saul's own men. As the basement was fairly large, no one felt crowded in the slightest. In fact, it was actually kind of roomy.
"Of course not… er... Satin, was it?" Saul asked.
"Why yes it is. Thanks for remembering you human piece of filth!" Satin cheerfully said. Instead of wearing the generic uniform of the White Fang, Satin had opted for a more eccentric look. Sneakers in a brown and black checkers pattern adorned his feet, followed by brown pants. The pants had beige fur around the end of each leg. On his upper body, Satin had a generic black shirt. Over this shirt he had a brown jacket also lined with beige fur. The top of his head was covered with a brown top hat, though what hair did poke through was chocolate brown. Even his Grimm mask was different. Instead of white and red, the colors were brown and yellow. This, combined the way he carried himself, seemed to imply that Satin was no regular grunt.
"Er, right. Well, as you can see, we have the latest in Altesian rifles fresh from its packaging." Saul said while reaching into one of the crates. He pulled out a fairly generic rifle, though that was to be expected from mass produced items.
"Neato, so how're me and my guys supposed to lug this outta here?" Satin asked.
"You won't have to do anything. I'll have my men hide these weapons at a predetermined location outside of Mistral. You and your people can pick it up then." Saul said.
"That's pretty well thought out. I'm surprised a filthy bigot like you even thought of it~" Satin commented in his cheerful tone. Saul's eye twitched in annoyance, clearly forcing himself to calm down.
"If you don't mind me asking…" Saul began.
"I kinda do." Satin said while peeking into one of the many crates.
"... why are you purchasing weapons from me? Don't you hate humans?" Saul asked, his curiosity getting the better of him.
"Cause there aren't any Faunus in Mistral with your kind of connections. We need weapons and we need them now, even if that means cooperating with human dipshits like you." Satin answered, his smile never leaving his face. Saul took a deep breath in an effort to keep from insulting his customer.
"Well, I won't keep you waiting then. If you'll just follow me, we can discuss the matter of paym-"
*CRASH!*
"What the Hell!?" Saul demanded as he ducked behind a couple of his goons. The door had suddenly imploded and was currently resting on the opposite side of the room. From the hole where the door used to be, three figures entered. Two were obviously adults while the third was younger, smaller. The younger figure and one of the adults were carrying massive swords, though the kid's sword was bigger than he was.
"Knock knock." Qrow said, clearly enjoying the moment. All activity in the basement seemed to halt as every eye in the room turned towards the trio of humans.
"Oh great, more humans." Satin muttered.
"So I take it you're Saul?" Taiyang asked while pointing at the crime lord.
"Get them!" Saul ordered. All of Saul's goons sprang into action, though the White Fang troops stayed in place.
"Yeah, what the scumbag said." Satin casually said while waving a dismissive hand in the trio's direction. The White Fang grunts followed their orders, going in for the attack. Qrow, Taiyang, and Ace had to immediately duck behind some pillars to avoid the torrent of gunfire fired in their direction. In retaliation, Qrow and Ace fired a few potshots, though it was largely ineffective.
"We're pinned down! Any ideas!?" Taiyang yelled over the roar of gunfire. He risked peeking his head around the pillar, but had to duck back immediately.
"I can distract them!" Ace called out, drawing Qrow and Taiyang's attention.
"How?" Taiyang mouthed. Ace answered by turning his hand into fire and waving it around. Qrow immediately got was Ace was saying.
"They can't hurt Ace when he's on fire, Tai. Those bullets will pass right through him." Qrow called out. Taiyang had some reservations about sending Ace to face this torrent of gunfire. However, as he couldn't think of any other idea, Taiyang was in no place to protest.
"Just stay away from the crates! You might trigger the ammo and dust in it!" Taiyang ordered. Ace nodded as he shouldered his zanbato. In an area this big, he could use the enormous blade with no problem whatsoever. Pausing to make sure he was ready, Ace ran into the torrent of gunfire. His body was instantly shredded with bullet holes, but, to the surprise of their aggressors, the holes filled themselves in seconds later. Ace grinned as a bullet tore through his right eye, but regenerated in a flash of fire just moments later. Shocked at Ace's apparent indifference to their attacks, the grunts faltered for a second.
This was all the time Taiyang and Qrow needed.
Sensing the momentary lapse in gunfire, the former partners sprang into action. In the blink of an eye, they were engaging any grunt with a melee weapon. As their other enemies couldn't fire on them without hurting their comrades, Qrow and Taiyang were safe for the moment. Of course, in this situation, the term 'safe' was largely relative.
"Ace! Take out the gunmen!" Taiyang ordered while ducking under a clumsy sword swing. Ace nodded before jumping over the line of melee fighters. Bullets sprayed the air as fruitless attempts were made to stop Ace. When he landed, Ace swung his massive sword, catching three goons on the blade. With a grunt of exertion, Ace threw them into the wall. Using the momentum from this attack, Ace spun and crushed a human lackey into the ground. Multiple bullet holes appeared on Ace's torso, though the former pirate barely paid them any attention. Ace levelled his pistol and fired quick, precise shots. Instead of hitting the attackers themselves, Ace, since he knew aura would have minimized any damage he could do, aimed for the weapons themselves. Numerous curses went Ace's way as enemies were forced to abandon their busted guns.
… Pyrrha's house...
"... and we eat this cookie dough raw?" Pyrrha asked. Ruby had already wolfed down her own portion, though that was to be expected.
"It's too much work waiting thirty minutes for these to bake, so we just eat it raw." Yang said. Pyrrha nodded as she placed a glob of chocolate chip cookie dough in her mouth. Pyrrha murmured in satisfaction before swallowing.
"Fascinating, so what else does one do at slumber parties?" Pyrrha asked.
"Let's see, I guess we could play truth or dare?" Yang suggested.
"No! Truth or Dare's boring. Everyone picks truth and wusses out of the dares!" Ruby protested.
"That's true. It's really more of a game for big groups of people anyway." Yang conceded.
"I know! We could tell scary stories!" Ruby ecstatically suggested.
"No." Yang shot down. Pyrrha was silent, witnessing the interaction with a confused expression.
"But why?" Ruby whined.
"Because you get nightmares whenever you see and/or hear anything even remotely scary. Besides, Ace isn't here to tell you more of the story to calm you down." Yang explained.
"Ace told you a story?" Pyrrha asked.
"Not a story. The story." Ruby corrected.
"What's this story, if I may ask?"
"It's a story Ace has been telling us since we were kids. He still hasn't gotten to the ending." Yang explained.
"Yeah! It's full of pirates and devil fruit and sailing and fighting and friendship and brothers and comedy and evil marines and-!"
"Ruby you're gonna spoil the entire thing." Yang spoke up, causing Ruby to cover her mouth with her hands.
"It sounds interesting. Could you tell me the story?" Pyrrha asked, eyes brimming with interest.
"Ace tells it better, but I guess Ruby and I can tell you the beginning just fine." Yang said.
"So it all started in Windmill Village…" Ruby began. Pyrrha paid full attention, not wanting to miss a single detail.
… With Ace and company…
Ace felt great. There was just something so relieving about being able to use his logia body in battle. He loved seeing the shocked expressions of people when he would regenerate from any wound he sustained. His current favorite was when someone had decapitated him. His neck and head had reconnected moments later. Ace was sure the goon was gonna die of a heart attack right then and there.
Sparing a glance at Taiyang and Qrow, Ace was glad to see they weren't having very much difficulty in dispatching their opponents. Though they hadn't been active partners for years, it was child's play for Taiyang and Qrow to fall back into their rhythm. They had been fighting alongside each other for so long that they instinctively knew what each would do next. Qrow would ignore an attack only for Taiyang to knock out the would be attacker. Whenever someone fired dust ammunition at them, Qrow would cover Taiyang with his sword, making sure they were both fine.
Seeing them fight reminded Ace of Luffy. He and his brother had been so in tune that, even after not seeing each other for three years, they had demonstrated perfect teamwork at Marineford. The kind of teamwork Qrow and Taiyang had only came from years of working together. It only came from having complete and utter trust in each other.
Ace's reminiscing was cut short when a dust round tore through his shoulder. Almost casually, he raised his giant sword and smashed the attacker against the ground.
…
"I think our guys are losing." Satin observed while sidestepping a thrown White Fang grunt. Even though his subordinates were being torn down, Satin didn't have an ounce of worry in him. The same couldn't be said for Saul.
"Oh to Hell with this. I have to get out of here!" Saul said while jostling past Satin. The Faunus commander watched the crimelord rush to a seemingly inconspicuous supply locker. Saul pulled it forwards before pushing it to the right. The locker, along with a portion of the wall, detached to reveal an elevator door.
"What about me?" Satin asked.
"You and your animal friends can burn in Hell!" Saul cursed before stepping into the elevator door
…
"Guys, Saul's getting away!" Ace called out while parrying a sword swing. Sure, he could just let the sword pass through him, but this was funner.
"Qrow." Taiyang said while gesturing to the elevator door. Qrow nodded before leaping atop a lackey's face. Using it as a springboard, Qrow jumped over the mob of underlings. While in midair, Qrow switched his sword into gun mode and fired five shots, all aimed at the elevator door. The doors were torn to shreds as Qrow landed. Not wasting a second, Qrow stepped into the elevator shaft, digging his sword into the wall to keep from falling. His gaze fell upwards as he watched the elevator quickly ascend.
"I'm going after Saul!" Qrow called out as he jumped, tearing his sword out of the wall while doing so. He wall jumped at an incredible pace, not at all hindered by his cumbersome weapon.
"Think he'll need help?" Ace called out as he let a sword bisect him, knocking out the grunt while doing so.
"I'm not sure. This is Saul we're talking about." Taiyang replied as he judo threw a grunt into a couple others.
"I can handle things here if you want." Ace said, leaning his giant sword on his shoulder.
"Ace I don't think that's a goo-"
"Uh Tai? I could use some help here." Qrow's voice said from Taiyang's scroll
"What happened?" Taiyang asked, sparing a concerned glance at the elevator door.
"Well, turns out he has what I can only describe as a heavily armored car with a tank barrel on the roof." Qrow responded.
"Wait what?" Ace blurted out.
"Qrow, where is Saul now?" Taiyang demanded as he furiously punched a white fang grunt into a stone pillar, causing it to crack.
"Speeding down the surface streets." Qrow replied.
"... fuck." Ace commented.
"Ace I need you to go with Qrow and-"
"Tai I need you to come instead. Saul's got cars here. We can chase after him." Qrow said.
"But-"
"No time for arguing Tai. Ace doesn't know how to drive and I need someone to man the car. Hurry the Hell up or Glynda will kill us!" Qrow ordered. Taiyang grit his teeth in frustration, indecision clear on his face.
"Tai, there's almost none left! I can take care of this!" Ace yelled while crushing a grunt with his sword.
"Dammit Ace, if you get yourself killed I'll have to kill you!" Taiyang threatened before sprinting to the elevator shaft and vaulting up its walls. Ace spared a glance at Taiyang before focusing on his enemy. All around the room were the defeated bodies of numerous White Fang grunts. There were only three left, including the one dressed differently.
"I think I'll take my turn now." Satin commented as he turned so his left side was facing Ace.
"Are you sure boss?" One of the remaining grunts asked.
"Yeah, you two just focus on getting our boys outta here." Satin instructed.
"Will do!" Both grunts said before they started carrying unconscious grunts out of the basement.
"Hey! What makes you think I'll just let you get away!?" Ace demanded as raised his zanbato for a mighty blow. Just as he was about to crush the two grunts, Satin delivered a devastating kick into Ace's side, sending the former pirate straight through a stone pillar.
"I think I'll be able to buy them more than enough time." Satin commented as he lowered his leg.
A/N: Hello all! Here is the chapter half as promised. I tried to polish it up as best I could so it feels complete. Now sure if it does, but I tried, and that's what matters. At least that's what I tell myself.
I seem to be really bad at judging how long it'll take to finish a particular story arc. What was originally supposed to be a single chapter event has now turned into this. My main problem is probably overestimating how much I can fit into one chapter. I'll try to get a better sense for these kinds of things. I don't want half finished chapter posts to become a recurring thing. Believe me, I seriously would rather avoid that.
It's been over a year and I haven't even gotten close to Beacon. That's a little depressing in all honesty. I wanted to be further ahead in the story by now, but what are you gonna do? You'll just have to be patient with me. Hopefully the wait will be worth it.
Moving on, this story is officially over it's one year anniversary. That is absolutely incredible. I never expected this to get the amount of attention and support it did. I'm ecstatic that you all find my writing decent enough to read. Truly, thank you all for helping me grow and sticking with me through erratic writing schedules and a haphazardly thrown together story. On a side note, I'm a college student now! I'm excited over continuing my education, but of course this means I'll have less time to write. I'm sorry, but this story will always take second place to real life.
Also, I was over the moon when the Ace novel was announced. I was even happier when they gave Ace haki. I can't wait to see where this goes.
That's about all I have to say. Once again, thank you for all your support over the past few months. I hope I can keep delivering the content you enjoy.
I'll see you all next chapter.
Until then