"Normal speech"
'Inner speech/thoughts'
"Hollow thoughts"
Instincts and Madness
[Inner World]
Malaki fell to his knees in complete exhaustion, every muscle torn and bones shattered. He could feel them knitting back together like he was some doll again.
"Partner that's better, you might actually last a full five minutes!" Igualda shouted in glee as he stood above Malaki, covered in blood that definitely wasn't his.
He glared impassively at the cackling Hollow in front of him, but said absolutely nothing.
Malaki thought about his training, if you could call it that, and just what he had learned.
First, his training really consisted of only two things. One was training in his Hollow abilities. Sure it sounded easy, but he hadn't even unlocked one yet! Anyways… his Hollow abilities were linked heavily to his instinct, meaning that and he quotes "Your powers are like your hormones! It's completely natural and lacks control!" Not really the best saying but at least he understood. The second part of training could be described simply as hell. A free-for-all match, one where all abilities were allowed, and he would only use his fist. Malaki had managed to force Igualda to use his sword but it was downhill from there. He did, however gain tips by watching Igualda and his movements to improve upon his own. This allowed him to brush up on his technique, and even learn a few hand to hand combat moves.
Second, time passed at a different rate in his Inner World. A minute out there was ten in here and vice versa. He had been in his Inner World for about thirty hours, about a day and a half while on the outside would only be about three hours.
This would be useful indeed.
Lastly, his Hollow and partner was a very strange person. He seemed to jump in between rolls. At one point he was a very knowledgeable friend, and at another he was a psycho so cruel and sadistic Satan himself would nod in approval. He didn't know what exactly triggered these changes, but it did seem to balance itself out. He wouldn't hold back in training, even though he only used his fist to begin with, something Malaki took as a sign of respect, and he would also support him in his own strange/sadistic way.
Malaki shook the thoughts from his head as he stood up once again, fixed up and ready to go. He grabbed both his Zanpakuto lodged in the ground in front of him.
Igualda grinned psychotically, something that sent an involuntary shiver down his spine; he knew exactly what it meant.
"Ready for round… what, like thirty something?" He asked in a sickly sweet tone. Malaki merely brandished his blades in response.
They were about to attack one another when they both felt a tug in the back of their heads.
Igualda sighed in annoyance, "Sorry partner looks like you got to go outside." He turned and walked away, grumbling something about "Losing his punching bag."
Malaki shook his head, Igualda was an interesting character. He closed his eyes and let the tug in his mind win, sucking him into darkness.
[Going Merry]
Malaki sat up in his bed with a groan as he remembered everything from his inner world.
He was happy that his injuries didn't transfer to his body. From what he understood, the only way he could harm his body from the inside was if it was a battle for dominance, or he was in Bankai, and that wasn't possible for the time being.
"Oi Bandages! Nami-san wants everyone on deck, there's an island up ahead." Someone shouted (Gee, I wonder who?)
Malaki turned to the door and saw the swirly-browed cook, who seemed annoyed for reasons unknown.
Malaki stared at Sanji and stood up, he unconsciously rubbed his chest as he felt phantom pain from his fight with his Hollow. Sanji noticed this, but said nothing.
"I'll be there in a moment." Malaki said.
Sanji nodded and left the room. He idly wondered about his crewmate, they knew pretty much nothing except he was some sort of spiritual monster.
Sanji froze
Monster…
Why had he thought that?
It was true he didn't like the gray eyed man very much, he kept stealing his thunder! Though in honesty he could tell Malaki wasn't very interested in relationships if his attitude was any indication, but he was getting off subject! Sure Malaki wasn't human, he had said it himself, but did that make him a monster?
He began walking again, ignoring the sounds of laughter and annoyance (Luffy and Nami) as he leaned on the decks railing, staring off into the sea.
A monster, in his opinion, was something without a soul, an evil creature lurking in human skin. Was that what Malaki was?
He shook his head. No, he wasn't a monster, despite his cold shell they had all seen him smile, albeit a small one, but a smile nonetheless. He thought about those eyes of his, just what had happened to him to make him this way?
He had nearly starved to death and even he wasn't like that. Nami had lost her mother from what he gathered and she smiled all the time! Then a thought struck him.
If Nami was capable of smiling after the loss of her mother, then whatever happened to Malaki had to be infinitely worse.
He shivered at the thought; he must've had a truly horrible life .Maybe he should speak to the others about this, it was obvious he needed help.
Yes, even though he acted like a bastard sometimes, he cared about his crewmates. So it was easily warranted to have the rest of the crews concern when one of there own was emotionally damged.
He steeled his resolve, he would bring this up when he got the others alone, else Malaki try to stop him before it starts.
He heard the light patter of feet and looked back to see Malaki walking towards the sleeping, green-haired swordsman. He sat next to him, and Zorro, much to Sanji's surprise, said nothing. The two swordsmen sat shoulder to shoulder, eyes closed, but neither fell asleep for whatever reason.
Sanji stared at the two with curiosity; he had noticed the bond between the two. A strange mix of friendship and respect. He theorized it was due to there qualities, out them all, Zoro was the calmest, albeit he was a bit battle crazed. The respect, in his opinion, was a thing between swordsmen.
Though neither of them knew, he had seen there fight a few days back. He had been surprised by the respect they showed one another, unlike Zoro and himself. He had also been shocked when Malaki revealed his 'Hollow hole' as he called it, but opted to say nothing. At the time he didn't know it meant that he lacked an actual heart.
Meanwhile Malaki could feel a pair of eyes locked onto him with unnerving intensity. He opened his own and saw Sanji staring at him.
Cold grey clashed with dark blue.
Sanji's eyes were filled with an unusual mix of emotion, annoyance, sadness, and…
…Concern?
Why was he concerned about him? Did he still believe he would become a monster again? Did they no longer trust him because of his secrets?
That thought made his chest sting with a pang of sadness, something he did not like very much. For some reason, ever since his first transformation he had been more receptive to his emotion, though it was almost unnoticeable at first, it was slowly growing. It didn't bode well for him, if he felt everything then he would be consumed with sadness he had locked away so long ago. A thought clawed its way into his head.
Did he belong here?
If his crewmates don't trust him, then what was the point of being here? Even though he's been on the crew for a while, he still feels out-of-place. It was a strange feeling, like he belonged somewhere else, but he never dwelled on it. He didn't know what it was, but a part of him was telling him his stay was only temporary.
He sighed in annoyance. Why couldn't things ever be plain and simple?
The answer was, ironically enough, simple.
He lacked a heart.
It wasn't that he lacked emotions, he just lacked at heart to properly use them. His eyes flashed to when he was on the marine ship. He had ruthlessly killed them, even when they tried to run away, he had ended every last one without so much as flinching.
How many of them had begged for mercy?
How many of them had wife waiting for them?
How many of them had a son or daughter?
He didn't know, but what truly sickened him was that he didn't care. He knew what he had done and felt not even an ounce of guilt over it. He was a sociopath by definition. Sociopaths know the difference between right and wrong, but simply don't care, and are infinitely more dangerous then your run of the mill psycho because they retain rational thought.
That defined him well, as much as he hated the idea. He wasn't a monster…
Not yet anyways.
He felt another pair of eyes on him; he turned and saw Nami's chocolate-brown eyes locked on his figure with a dazed look.
She wasn't emotionless really, she didn't even seem aware she was staring at him, and that was a little creepy. That is, until she finally realized just what she was doing and turned away with a blush.
He raised an eyebrow in confusion, sure he could handle stares, but that was just weird.
In truth, Nami was just as confused. She was about to attack him and Zoro for sleeping while they did all the work, but when she looked at him something in her brain just went nuts.
"Biiiiiiig cactuses!" do you even need to guess?
Malaki looked up, and the landscape was lo and behold… surrounded by giant cacti.
"Uhh… Luffy, I think its cacti." Usopp corrected.
"Whatever!"
"There's a river leading down there. I think it's safe to land there.", Nami said.
Usopp, as nervous as ever, asked, "Er… e-e-e… don't-don-don'tcha think they're gonna be monsters or stuff like that?"
"Monsters?" asked Nami.
Sanji spoke up, "There's always the possibility that we bump in one of some sort. We're in the Grand Line after all."
"And if we meet one, it's a matter of turning the ship back and run away, right?" Asked Luffy.
"Hold a second! We have to stay here for some time, remember?" Nami said.
"For what?", Luffy asked.
"For the Log Pose to adapt itself to this island's magnetic field. Otherwise, we can't go on. It can take hours or days." she replied.
"That means…" Usopp trailed off.
"That we can't go away until the Log is set, even if monsters are chasing us…", Sanji said.
"What only upsets me even more…" Usopp replied tremulously.
"That's right. To keep thinking about it and worrying won't take us anywhere." Zoro said as he, along with Malaki stood up from there resting spots.
"Let's think about it when it happens!" Luffy said, grinning widely.
"Ok, so we're going in. But remember: don't lower your guard. Be cautious and ready to fight or run." Nami warned.
She got no reply, much to her chagrin.
We entered a misty zone that kept getting denser.
"Yeah… guys… I… I have a disease that stops me from landing in this island…", Usopp said sickly.
Malaki scoffed, "You're just terrified."
"How dare you? Never heard about this terrible disease?", he replied.
"Just calm down, there is no point in being afraid...yet." Sanji said with a smirk.
As we went forward, the mist thickened… as annoying as it was.
"What's waiting for us on the other side?" Sanji asked.
A little ahead… and, bit by bit, shadowy figures were appearing from both sides.
"There's something moving here and there.", Luffy said.
"Is it… people? Guys, there are people in the shores!" Sanji announced.
"Aaahh… damnit… looks like the worst is gonna happen… monsters or whatever it may be… bring it!", Usopp, trembling, challenged.
When the mist finally cleared… people… screaming form all sides, completely crowding the area around the river in celebration.
"Is the monster island… saluting us?", Usopp asked.
"There obviously humans." Malaki said off-handedly,
"But what's happening?" Sanji asked, puzzled.
They were shouting things like "Pirates!", "Welcome!", and "Long live the heroes of the Sea!". The Straw Hats only stared in confusion.
"Ooooohhh! There's lots of beautiful girls!" Sanji screamed.
"Where?" Usopp asked.
"There! Look!"
Malaki sighed at the two; Sanji was starting to corrupt Usopp as well.
When we landed, we were received by a small committee, and were led by a man suited like a baritone, sporting long, long hair.
"Welcome to" he coughed, interrupting himself. "Ahem, ahem… maa, maa, maa~. Welcome. My name's Igarappoi. I'm Whiskey Peak's mayor."
"Ah. I'm Luffy! Nice to meetcha. Hey, ossan, your hair's way too curly, right?" he said, pointing to the mayor's hair.
He didn't mind and said, "This is the city of the best drinks and of the most upbeat music: Whiskey Peak! Hospitality to visitors is our biggest reason to be proud. We have an ocean's worth of liquors to appease even the most eccentric of tastes. Would you like to join us in the partying and tell some of your adventures to us?"
"WITH ALL PLEASURE!", Luffy, Sanji and Usopp quickly exclaimed.
"You should not be so trusting Captain." Malaki Remarked.
Nami spoke up with a conflicted look, "Well… Igarappoi-san, how long does it take for the Log Pose to adapt to this island?"
"Log? Ah… do not worry about small details as this. Come with me! Let us prepare your well-deserved rest after this tiresome and troubled trip of yours."
He put his hands, one in Luffy's shoulder, and one in Usopp's, to say: "People, prepare the party! Sing upbeat songs for our brave adventurers!"
The night fell down and with it there was a great feast in a bar of Whiskey Peak's village.
"…So I said, coolly… 'Even if you're the mighty Sea Kings, freakin' big as you are, do not lay a finger in my comrades.'" Usopp said.
The women and girls melted into rabid squeals… and the men were impressed.
Malaki wondered how he had gotten dragged into this
"I have to admit… I didn't have the barest idea of how we were gonna escape the Calm Belt… I was trembling… of excitement!" Usopp continued.
Malaki could honestly say… Usopp was the worst liar alive.
"And as you can see, we made it out alive!" He exclaimed.
"That was great! Why doesn't your friend tell us about an adventure?" A member of the audience said. The others hummed in agreement, even Usopp.
"No." Malaki said coldly.
"Cooooommmmeeeee ooooonnnn! Just one story and I'll be quiet!" Usopp whined.
That got Malaki's attention,
"You'll shut up?" Usopp nodded.
"No more crappy stories?" a tick mark appeared on his brow, but meh nodded anyways.
Malaki tried to think of an adventure, when an idea popped into his head.
"Alright… I don't exactly have an adventure, but why don't I tell you the story of my people?" Malaki asked. The others nodded, they had been told of how he wasn't a human.
"Excellent… My people are spiritual creatures from a place called Las Noches, a massive white palace surrounded by miles upon miles of gray sand. We were a simple race bent on either power or peace. We have holes in our body symbolizing the fact that we lost our heart to gain power. Back then we did not have human forms, for we were monsters. We were lead by a man named Barragan, an incredibly powerful being that thought everyone was below him, and a self-proclaimed god. That is until he came."
Zoro left had left his spot where he was sleeping to listen, and Sanji actually ignored the girls around him for once. Nami was to busy trying to win a drinking contest and Luffy was… well he was Luffy.
"His name was Aizen, a manipulative monster who's Zanpakuto, Kyoka Suigetsu, had the power of complete hypnosis. He had betrayed his government, The Gotei 13, in order to steel a weapon called the Hogyoku. The Hogyoku was a tool of incredible power, capable of giving my kind Zanpakuto, and the human bodies you see before you, we were called Arrancars. He came unto our land and defeated our king, we hated him so much, their government was the one that hunted us like rabid animals."
"Anyways… Aizen began to capture our kind to evolve us and turn us into his soldiers. He wanted to wage war on the government he once served and harvest the souls of a town called Karakura to create a key and become a god, to say the least he was insane. Those that he captured were placed in one of the ranks."
"The first were the Espada. The Espada were the ten strongest Arrancars in Hueco Mundo, and numbered from one to ten. The top four were restricted from releasing their Zanpakuto because the sheer power would destroy Las Noches. They were all a strange group, one was lazy beyond belief, another was a battle crazed sexist."
"Next were the Numeros. They went from 11-99 and were made up of mostly former Espada. They had been Espada at one point, but others with more power came and slowly lost their positions."
"Last are Fraccion. The Fraccion were servants hand-picked by the Espada and were usually made up of Numeros because, although they were weaker, compared to others they were still pretty powerful. They usually work together to increase their effectiveness."
"Meanwhile The fourth Espada, by the name of Ulquiorra Schiffer Kidnapped a girl named Orihime, who had the ability to "reject" events entirely. Aizen held this ability in high regards considering its god-like power, but an orange haired boy named Ichigo and his friends attacked Las Noches to save their friend."
"At the same time Aizen and his Espada attacked Karakura town while fighting the Gotei 13. The battle had nearly destroyed the city, but the Espada had lost, and Aizen had betrayed them without an ounce of mercy."
"Ichigo and Ulquiorra had begun their battle by then, and the Espada had released his Zanpakuto atop Las Noches. He grew two terrifying black wings and his power far outgrew Ichigo's… yet he never quit."
"He refused to surrender or give up on his friend, so he fought on. Until Ulquiorra had enough and released his full power…Segunda Etapa. With this power he utterly crushed Ichigo and killed him."
"Or so he thought, Ichigo tapped into something else something dark and transformed… into a hollow. He had been a half-breed the entire time! But in this form he was mindless and extremely powerful. He defeated Ulquiorra with disturbing ease and returned to his town to battle Aizen."
"it had been a battle between gods, both had long since transcended dimensions above our comprehension, but Ichigo was even more powerful went he became the raw energy of his strongest attack and defeated the crazed monster at the cost of his own powers."
"The few Arrancar left either killed during the War or were hunted down and killed by the Gotei 13. None of the remained, it was complete genocide, but one survived. He had a child with a human woman. The child was special, his soul was intertwined with his body instead of it being a container, but as the child gained power his father lost his own and eventually became human."
Sanji's eyes lit up with a grim understanding.
"When the child was six his parents were killed by a mere human." He spoke with almost maddening hatred. "When the child saw his parent's dead, he lost it and killed the man, repeatedly stabbing him even when he was dead. Unable to deal with the pain he closed off his heart and truly believed them his greatest weakness. On that very day he became what he was meant to be…he became a Hollow."
"The child's name was Seras D Malaki." He finished with a grim look.
Everyone one just stared with wide eyes, not believing what they just heard, Sanji, Usopp, and Zorro more so then the others.
Sanji wished he had been wrong, but it was most definitely worse than Nami's loss.
Usopp and Zoro were simply floored, after all… how could someone's life be that bad.
Malaki stood up and walked to the bar, inwardly smirking at the gazes of pity locked on him.
It was an excellent plan. He had effectively sated the curiosity of his crewmates as well as creating a way to stop them from asking him in the future. Of course the pity he gained from the rest of the crowd mattered little to him, they were all insignificant to him.
He sat on a stool and waited for the bartender to come.
Sometimes he questions his own actions, and when he did he blamed his emotional state. Things like sadness and anger were becoming more evident, what he did in Loguetown was proof of that. Normally he would simply lock his emotions again, but he simply couldn't, they were far stronger than before. That happens when already massive emotions are bottled up for years on end.
"What ya need?" a childlike voice asked.
Malaki looked to the source and was a little thrown off by the man in front of him.
He had jaw-length blond hair with a straight cut and a large Cheshire grin painted on his face. He stood roughly five and a half feet and wore a brown and yellow checkered shirt with a pair of blue jeans, around his neck was a silver chain connected to a small piece of metal with symbols he didn't recognize.
But that wasn't what threw him off…
It was his eyes.
Two, nearly glowing, crimson orbs twinkled with playfulness, but when he looked deeper he saw something flickering under his red eyes, something akin to a snake in the grass, but try as he might he couldn't identify it. All though he did know it reminded him of himself.
This was not a happy thought.
He was snapped from his musings when he noticed a hand waving across his face.
"Hello? You in there silly?" The bartender asked.
Malaki shook his head, "Sorry, just… thought I saw something."
The blond tilted his head in confusion before shrugging, "Ok, what can I get you mister…"
"Malaki, Seras D Malaki, and any drink would be nice." He said.
The blonds smile threatened to split his face, "I'm Nicolas Alberstien, I'll be right back with your drink sir!" He exclaimed before scurrying off.
Malaki rose an eyebrow at 'Nicolas's' antics, it seemed he really did attract the strangest of people.
Nicolas returned seconds later with a mug full of dark purple liquid. He sat it down in front of Malaki with that weird smile of his.
"This is a special drink native to our island, it's made of special fruit so you wont get drunk at all! Isn't that great?!" He exclaimed.
Malaki sighed as he hesitantly grabbed the mug and sipped the liquid.
It took all of his willpower to not spit it out right then and there.
He could taste everything… everything!
He could taste the sweet grape-like fruit in the drink, as well as the drug mixed in. There was something else in the drink, it was coppery and acidic, but something felt just wrong about it, but that wasn't the problem.
The tastes were just so strong!
Every taste bud in his mouth was going off like firecrackers.
He shakily swallowed the drink and put the mug done.
"It was great right?" Nicolas asked.
"Y-yeah." He whispered back.
"Great! I'll see ya later buddy!" With that he zoomed off to the others at the bar.
'What in gods name was that?'
"That, my poor little partner would be a downside to your abilities." Igualda interrupted.
Malaki merely raised an eyebrow, no longer surprised by his Hollows presence.
'Haven't heard from you in awhile.'
"I was just practicing for when I take our body partner!" Igualda exclaimed with maniacal laughter.
Malaki sweatdropped at his partner's psychotic tendencies, he would never understand him.
'So… you said something about a downside?'
"Uhh… yeah, I mean think about that king, dragons are just flying reptiles. So it would make sense for them to have traits of each kind right?" Igualda reasoned and Malaki nodded in understanding. "So which reptile has sensitive taste buds?" he questioned.
Malaki thought it over for a moment, and thanked the fact that he actually paid attention in Zoology. 'Snakes right? They have the ability to literally 'taste the air' so to speak.'
"Yeah you haven't noticed because this is the first time you've actually used your tongue for anything but talking!" Igualda yelled.
Malaki's lips curved up a little into an almost unnoticeable smile as he let his tongue slip out his mouth and flick back and forth.
His senses were immediately bombarded with the acrid scent of sweat and alcohol. He sucked his tongue back in at the repulsive smell.
'That was disgusting.'
"Yeah, well… you shouldn't have done that in the middle of a party idiot!"
'noted…'
"Well… I'm gonna go train some more, remember king! Don't do anything I wouldn't!" He shouted with a perverse smile flashing in Malaki's head.
Malaki fought the urge to facepalm, now he had to deal with a psychotic and perverted voice in his head.
With that he continued to test his new sense for the next couple hours, drinking the drugged drink every few minutes.
At midnight the music had faded away and all was quiet. Malaki looked around to his almost indisposed crew.
He looked over to Zoro's sleeping figure and moved to sit next to him.
"I know you're awake." Malaki whispered.
Zoro cracked an eye open and stared at Malaki, "How did you know?"
Malaki shrugged, "A swordsman must always be on guard right? Plus, something tells me you've realized that something is off." he said
Zoro nodded, "No one just welcomes pirates."
Malaki nodded, "True." He looked to his right when he heard a creaking sound. "Lets go, there's no point in waiting for them." Zoro nodded, and the two walked up to the roof.
The pair watched as the mayor talked with Ginger 9, Miss Wednesday, and Miss Monday.
Malaki looked to Zoro, who looked excited at the prospect of a fight. An idea formed in his head as did a genuine smile.
"Zoro."
"Yeah?"
"Want to make a bet?" he asked with a small smirk.
Zoro rose an eyebrow, "Maybe, what is it?"
"If I kill more than you, then you will teach me everything you know about swordsmanship." He said.
He stared at Malaki before shrugging, "And if I win?" he asked.
Malaki tilted his head in thought, "What do you want?" he asked confusedly.
Zoro's smirked, "Answers."
Malaki raised an eyebrow, "Answers?"
"Yeah, truthful ones, to whatever question I ask you." he said.
Malaki thought it over, it wouldn't be that bad, and he just wouldn't lose.
"Alright, I'll start us off." Malaki said and Zoro nodded.
He smiled despite himself before he Shunpo'd behind a crowd of bounty hunters. He summoned his Hollow Zanpakuto and held it horizontally as he began chanting in a low whisper.
"Flames that arc the heavens, come down and sear their bones. Unleash your bellowing roar Raijin and bathe them in your raging thunder."
One of the bandits heard his murmurs and turned around.
"The he-"
"Hado #32: Ōkasen! (Yellow Fire Flash!)" He yelled.
A horizontal arc of yellow energy burst from the center of Malaki's Zanpakuto, burning right through everything it touched. The bounty hunters didn't even have a chance to scream when the attack cut the group in half. The remainder of the attack crashed into the ground behind Igarappoi and his group, sending them flying into a nearby wall.
Malaki smirked; he created the chant himself, not the attack. It was something he picked up while fighting his Hollow.
"God damnit, now you're ahead of me!" Zoro shouted as he jumped into the nearest crowd, swords drawn.
"That's twenty-three right there Zoro!" Malaki shouted before he Shunpo'd into the center of another group. He summoned both his blade and started beating down his enemies.
Both raised their swords as they got into their stance and charged at the blond with their swords pointed forward. Malaki simply waited as they came, and began to dodge as soon as the first strikes began. Dodging, parrying left and right, side stepping side to side or ducking underneath as he retreated, drifting further away from crowd, with the masked bounty hunters chasing after him, not even managing to nick him a few times as he purposely slowed down to dodge some of their strikes. Malaki sighed as he was kept on the defensive, using the sheath as means of parrying some of the sword strikes. His enemies were too weak to take his time with.
"Weaklings." He whispered coldly.
He began cutting them down with brutal efficiency. Cutting his enemies down as he slowly walked back to the crowds of bounty hunters. A cleave here, a beheading there, even going as far as taking low swipes at fleeing swords-no they weren't worthy of such a name, taking low swipes at fleeing garbage, effectively tearing there Achilles tendon.
They tried in agony, begging weakly for mercy, but Malaki would have none of this and decisively pierce their hearts. Not so much as a twitch as he killed them all.
'Guess I really am a sociopath'
He suppressed a scoff at the obvious statement in his mind.
Other bounty hunters could only watch in horror as the Hollow swordsman cut through their friends and allies like they weren't even there, leaving none alive as he continued his tirade of blood.
A group of bazooka wielding bounty hunters lined themselves up in preparation to kill the demons that were massacring them.
When they saw it…
Those eyes…
Cold gray eyes that pierce their very soul! They were paralyzed in fear as a strange weight slammed into their shoulder.
Before any were able to utter a word, they found the air leaving their throat. They then felt an unbelievable force lifting them from the ground and slamming them into nearby buildings, they screamed in pain alerting the others. Others turn to see Malaki's aura of power suffocating them.
Malaki panted lightly, he could do this but it did have its toll.
Seeing the one they saw as friends in pain cause anger to rise off of them. They pulled out each of their weapons and prepared to kill the bastard. The only one that didn't bother to move was Vivi; who was looking at the scene with fear in her eyes, and Ginger nine, who was to terrified to even try.
The bounty hunters open his left eye and looked down at Malaki's, fear raised in him just seeing them. Malaki gritted his teeth before his Reaitsu flared to life around him and blasted out around him. His power swept over all them, and each of them eyes went wide with horror at what they saw. Each of them seeing their deaths, each of them either being ran through or cut completely in half. As fast as it came it vanished, leaving each of them dropping to the ground and their power leaving them.
The others were staring at Malaki's form in fear. Oddly enough, the only one that didn't seem to see their death before their eyes were Ginger nine, Igarappoi and Vivi. The glow in Malaki's eyes stopped and it let go of a shocked looking Vivi who also had tears in her eyes. Malaki looked down at the weaklings in disgust before walking away, passing by each of them with a sicken look on his face. He stopped in front of Vivi and tapped her shoulder, which the bluenette flinched at.
"I have no time to waste with these fools." He stated. "This should be proof enough that I can help you." before vanishing; only leaving a small swirl of dust.
Malaki continued his campaign, killing men left and right with the occasional Kido blast, but remained more or less unchanged… until he felt it.
His blood boiled with something corruptive and black, and his perception of the world seemed to twist as he, for lack of a better word, lost it.
What was originally a massacre escalated into a gruesome tirade of insanity.
Cold and decisive kills became violent gory slashes that tore flesh like an animal.
Kido attacks became uncoordinated punches and kicks that shattered bone and smashed skulls.
A cold demeanor, lacking any form of emotion became an all too emotional one, but it reeked of insanity.
Malaki suddenly stopped in his tracks, his head bowed, but not in defeat. The last bounty hunters wanted to run, oh how he wanted to run, but he just couldn't! He was literally frozen in fear!
Malaki's head lifted slowly, and his lips stretched open in a strange, cold smile. A chill rippled down his spine.
Malaki's eyes had gone wide and glazed. None recognized the look.
Madness.
"That's more like it," He whispered.
Malaki extended his hands. "T-t-this feeling… what is it?" he said quietly as he sealed his blades into their dormant form.
His hands cupped his face as he began hyperventilating. "I-I can't stop it. It's in my blood. It's making me drunk, drunk on your fear! Its-Its amazing! Better then any drink, any food, even desert! I can't stop it, but hopefully someone can." He whispered.
Malaki giggled a high-pitched, unnatural sound.
"Stop this!" Zoro yelled, fear edging into his voice.
He had been fighting his own opponents when he heard screams, inhumanely agonizing screams. After he finished off another group he searched for Malaki, but instead he found the bodies, if you could even call them that, left in his stead. What he saw would be forever etched in his mind.
Malaki ignored him. He cackled and charged at the last man, who had already fallen unconscious, one hand upraised. He would have killed him if Zoro hadn't jumped in front of him and stopped the clawed digits with his swords.
Malaki pushed for his kill, but Zoro would not yield. Zoro, realizing his situation jumped afoot in the air and slammed both feet into Malaki's chest. Malaki stumbled back and clutched his chest, which he hadn't shielded with Hierro, in pain as he felt broken ribs pull themselves together as Reaitsu flooded his bloodstream.
Malaki's mouth opened, and a piercing, inhuman scream erupted from his throat. Another scream mixed in with his, it sounded like dozens were screaming at the same time, that of a Hollows .Its voice resonating with Malaki's. Zoro fell back, and others cried out, clamping there hands to there ears.
He'd never felt anything like it, that sound—the way it wormed through his skull and into his thoughts, shaking them apart. His legs gave out, and he fell to his knees, eyes shut tight as the scream echoed around and around in his head. When it finally died down, he looked up and saw Malaki on his hands and knees as black blood leaked out of his mouth.
Wait black?
Zoro had no time to dwell on the thought when he heard more psychotic laughter.
"AHAHAHAHA, nee-chan will be so happy!" A voice called.
Malaki was still giggling, a jittery, wild sound, when he looked up, and his eyes widened even further.
It was Nicolas from the bar!
Standing on the top of a nearby building, Nicolas smiled madly. "it seems you recognize me! I'm flattered! Hey, you seem to well maybe you should have another Black Blood Cocktail! AHAHAHAHA!" He exclaimed, his smile never wavering.
Malaki's madness diluted mind worked as hard as it could, searching his memories for an answer to what he just heard. The term 'Black Blood' sounded familiar.
When Malaki drank the purple, drug laced drink at the bar, he hadn't realized it. The coppery twisted taste in his mouth wasn't apart of the drug…
…It was blood.
Black Blood to be more accurate, curtsey of one Nicolas Alberstien.
Nicolas saw the look of understanding, "So you know what I did to you huh? Well, Id loved to see more, but you know what they say-" as he spoke two fountains of black, corrupted blood shot out of his back and condensed into a pair of smooth black wings. "-Gotta fly!" He shouted before leaping off the roof before his wings caught air and soared into the sky with a mad cackle.
Malaki just started as he felt the boiling sensation in his blood dissipate and panted as exhaustion hit his body. Zoro watched Malaki cautiously, not wanting to deal with another psychotic fit.
Malaki just looked at the ground tiredly. It was beginning to look incredibly inviting. Neither of the two were aware that Nami, Usopp, and Sanji had already made a deal with Vivi for protection against Mr.5 and Mrs. Valentine.
No one was aware that Luffy was intent on killing Malaki for the particularly gruesome scene of, what he believed to be, good and kind people.
Zoro stood up and began walking towards the near unconscious Malaki and plopped by his side.
"One hundred and seven teme, I win." He managed to say.
Malaki smirked a little, "One hundred… and… five… I guess…you win." He finished between pants.
Zoro smirked as he patted Malaki on the back. "I'll still teach you, but we gotta a lot to talk about."
"TEME!" An enraged voice bellowed, Zoro barely had time to doge as a rubber fist rocketed into Malaki's head, sending him skidding into a building.
Zoro locked gazes with his captain, who was literally burning with righteous rage. He jumped in front of his captain, blades raised.
"Stop."
Luffy snarled, "STOP! You want me to stop! He killed at least two hundred innocent people and you want me to stop! No! He needs to be punished! No one in my crew kills innocent people!" He ranted as he practically threw Zoro out of the way.
He leapt at Malaki, who had just mustered the strength to stand, and punched him in the gut with his left hand and grabbed his head with his right and slammed it into the ground.
Malaki stood up through sheer force of will as flesh pulled itself back together.
"Cap-" He was cut off when his captain grabbed his throat and slammed him into a wall.
"Capt-" his blood began to heat up.
PUNCH!
"Captai-" black blood pulsed in his veins once more. His punches were only skin deep now.
PUNCH KNEE
"Captain!" He was beginning to lose control.
PUNCH KNEE PUNCH
"Luffy!" He shouted through clenched eyes as he waited for the strikes to come, but they never did. He looked up into Luffy's glossy eyes, no longer holding rage, but a sincere sadness.
"Why?" he murmured.
"This town is made of bounty hunters Luffy; they intended to kill you and the rest." He whispered.
Luffy stared at Malaki with wide eyes, "W-what! But they invited us here and everything!"
"They drugged the drinks and food so they could catch you off guard."
Luffy abruptly dropped Malaki, realizing what he had done. "S-so I nearly killed you… because you saved me?" The last part was a horrified whisper.
He prided himself on living for his nakama, his friends. To him it was just another word for extended family, and to hurt someone for saving you… it was unforgivable.
Malaki stood up as he felt his body finish the last of its repairs and waved off the comment.
"Captain, it is hardly that easy to kill me, and it was a misunderstanding anyways. I-I lost control out there and what you saw out there was something you never should have." He said reassuringly as he grasped Luffy's shoulder. Luffy put up a small smile, but was inwardly still had lingering feelings.
"Ok you pansies, that's enough of that." The duo turned to see the rest of the Straw Hats, along with Vivi and Igaram.
"Took you long enough." Malaki whispered before passing out form both mental and physical exhaustion.
[Inner World]
Inside of Malaki's soul, Igualda was wondering how this had all happened.
Igualda scowled at the land before him, to judge just how much had been changed by whatever this was.
Everything was solid black. The grass, the sky, and the sea were black as night, and raging madly, as though made of metal (or more accurately, blood).
So the corruption was indeed here to stay. He glared at the ground, and somehow he knew it was glaring back. It was fortunate he had started to push back against this intrusion when he had. It had consumed the entire sea, which raged with madness at one moment and calmed the very next. The black terror wasn't fading from Malaki's blood, it was just the opposite. It was integrating itself into his genetic structure.
He allowed himself a small smirk. He would normally be fighting this substance, but an entirely different idea came to mind.
The property of the blood was simply to good to pass up. If he mutated the stuff during Malaki's next transformation, he could make something magnificent.
He fired a cero at the sea, which quite literally consumed the attack, and he chuckled darkly.
Magnificent indeed
But still he hated being played for a fool. It was all that… bastards fault! He didn't know how he got here, but he knew that if she was ever freed he'd kill him. He strongly suspected that the man… Nicolas… was a Kishin. He had been under the impression that only one Kishin existed, but it was possible for him to be wrong. He had suspected the moment he had felt his soul. No other being could give off such a feeling of malevolent madness like that.
He sighed, it didn't matter, he was the one with a gift and next time he saw Nicolas…
…he would tear him limb from fucking limb!