Here's the next chap..

Day 12

Roy is dead.

Just at the end of the Sandora where it opens up to the sea, we ran into the Shichibukai Toddy.

The moment he saw us, he and his crew just attacked us without warning.

He killed nine of our crewmates without even breaking a sweat. He fought with these razors, the kind barbers normally use to shave their customers. Because of his wounds from the previous battle, Captain Jones had passed out earlier and was down in the infirmary.

I fought the first-mate of Toddy's crew and it was a very tough battle. He had an ability which allowed him to turn his body to stone. It made his hits a lot more painful to endure and made my sword practically useless against him. I broke my sword trying to stab him and he just laughed his ass off. I guess that's what saved me. I just threw all my strength into one punch that sent him flying overboard.

Good riddance.

Then I turned my attention to Toddy. He was a slender, pale man with black hair streaked with white. He was dressed like a professional barber and carried two razors in each hand.

Even as I watched, nine of my crewmates rushed at him.

When they were just inches away from him, I saw Toddy's hands move so quickly that it seemed as though they didn't move at all. But nine crewmates suddenly stilled before collapsing.

I saw that their throats were slashed and I knew I couldn't do anything to save them.

Toddy just casually licked the blood off his razors before turning to look at me.

I was pretty beat up from battling the first-mate, but I was too angry over the loss of my friends to care about that. I had no weapon, but I stood up straight to face him anyway.

"You were pretty lucky to able to defeat my first mate," Toddy said in a surprisingly soft voice. "Are you lucky enough to defeat me?"

I just roared and threw a punch at him.

Looking back, that was a really stupid move. But I was too angry to care, I just wanted to avenge my crewmates, I wanted to kill their killer.

The Shichibukai just dodged my punch with such incredible speed that I didn't even realise that he slashed my arm and chest several times until I saw the bloody lines on them.

He just stood back, looking at me with curiosity.

From his slashes, I knew he was way weaker than I am. It's just that he was too fast for me to hit.

I tried to hit him several more times, but he dodged each of my blows and in returned, made a cut in my arms each time I missed.

"You power-based brutes are all the same," Toddy said with disdain. "There's no point in being able to shatter rocks with a punch if you can't even hit your targets."

I just threw a broken timber at him in response.

He just dodged it and I felt both his razors cut into my thigh.

I fell down onto one knee.

I suddenly found both razors at my throat and I saw the Shichibukai standing there, a scornful look on his face.

I thought I was going to die.

But then, Roy whirled out of nowhere and rained blows down on Toddy, who barely managed to dodge Roy's bisento and took a step back.

Roy told me to get back and took up his fighting stance.

He charged at Toddy who dodged his blow and swung one of his razors in return. Roy dodged it with incredible speed and returned the favour.

It was an incredible battle. Both men were equally fast and dodged each other's blows as though they knew where it was coming from. Both of them were like whirlwinds trying to blow each other away.

It was amazing that Roy could wield a bisento that was way larger than him with such speed, but that proved to be the difference-maker. While Roy was strong, the bisento was a huge and heavy weapon and required a lot of energy to wield at such speed. Toddy was wielding two razors which were no heavier than a geisha's fan and could conserve his energy.

I wanted to help, but my wounds slowed me too much, and both men were moving too fast.

I saw that Roy was tiring out and that he had suffered cuts along his arms and torso. Toddy was sweating and panting but he was unscathed as far as I could see. If the battle went on any longer, I knew Roy would lose.

Desperate, I looked around and saw Goji slicing up three enemy pirates. I called to him and pointed to where Roy and Toddy were fighting.

He nodded and was about to head over to help Roy when he was intercepted by two enemy swordsmen. Judging by the few blows they exchanged with Goji, I guessed that those guys were tough enough to give the old man some trouble.

Desperate to help Roy, I looked around for anyone else who could help.

I saw Cook bashing several enemy pirates' heads in with a frying pan but I also saw that he was pretty beat up himself. Everyone else was fighting for their lives.

I forced myself to stand up and slowly made my way to where Roy and Goji were fighting.

By the time I got there, wounded.

I saw Toddy raise his razor to finish him off.

I did the only thing I could, I shouted at him to stop.

To my surprise, he actually did.

He was giving me this look; I'm not quite sure what it was.

I could see shock, anger and the barest hint of fear. He immediately turned away from Roy and charged at me instead.

I took a swipe at him, knowing what was going to happen.

He dodged my blow and tripped me up. He jumped up high and I saw with some sort of sick fascination that his razors were gleaming red in the sunlight.

I just closed my eyes and expected to die then.

Only...Roy got in the way.

Toddy stabbed Roy right in the heart. The blow was meant to be for me, but Roy took it instead. I should have been the one to die, not Roy. What was that idiot thinking?!

Toddy tried to pull away, but Roy was holding on to him with a death-like grip.

I got up and I saw Roy looking at me meaningfully.

I understood what he wanted me to do.

"You're already dying," said Toddy calmly even as he tried to pull free. "Let go."

"You know, Crimson Razor," said Roy, giving the Shichibukai a bloody grin. "You're right about power being useless when you can't hit anyone with it. But your speed is just as useless if you can't run away."

"What the hell do you think you can do?" sneered Toddy. "You're already dying!"

"I wasn't talking about me," said Roy, coughing up some blood.

Toddy turned around and saw me approaching. The calm on his face turned to panic and he struggled more frantically. But Roy wouldn't let go.

Once I was near enough, I raised my fist in a kind of dreamlike state. I was vaguely aware of the man telling me to stop and pleading for his life. But I was not going to spare him, not after what he did.

I swung my fist right into his midsection, putting all of my remaining strength into it.

Toddy was sent crashing into the ship mast, the wood crashing down on him.

I knelt down beside Roy.

"You're a moron," I said.

"That's what I get for saving your life?" Roy said, grinning up at me. "You ungrateful brat."

"Why did you that?" I shouted. "You could've taken him out when he stabbed me! Why did you get in the way?"

"Because you're like my little brother," Roy said, shrugging. "How could I let you die?"

When he said that, I felt as though my heart literally broke. I just couldn't accept that this man, who had been like a brother to me, willing gave up his life to save me! I don't deserve it!

"You moron!" I shouted, grabbing him by the shoulders. "You're not going to get away with this! You're going to live, damn it!"

Roy just looked at me with resignation on his face.

"Grow up, Newgate," said Roy in almost indifferent tone, coughing up blood as he did. I'm amazed he could still talk despite the razors having stabbed his heart.

"We're pirates. Chances of death are pretty high for people like us. You just have to learn to move on. I'm going to die Newgate, deal with it."

"Shut up!" I yelled. "Shut the fuck up! You've just been stabbed right through the heart; if you keep talking shit you're just going to kill yourself! Shut the hell up! You're going to live even if it kills me!"

Roy gave me a look that was almost kind. I knew then that nothing I could do was going to save him.

"Jeez, if you want to hold on to me so much," scoffed Roy, picking up his bisento and pushing it into my hands. "Hold on to that, then. Maybe it'll make you feel like I'm still alive."

I held the bisento in my hands, it may have been too big for Roy, but it fitted my hands perfectly as though it had been made for my hands. I couldn't care less; all cared about was finding a way to make sure that Roy would live to continue wielding that weapon.

Roy gave me another smile.

"You shouldn't cry, Newgate, it makes you look even older than ever," he said.

I realise then that tears had been pouring down my face. I hadn't cried for years, but how could I not cry when a dear comrade was dying right before my eyes. I couldn't do anything to save him.

"Come on, little bro," rasped Roy, his voice growing weaker. "That stupid moustache of yours always looks like a smile, shouldn't you be smiling? Come on, Smiley, smile."

Then he was gone.

I just lost it, I cried my heart out. I lost a dear friend, a crewmate, a nakama.

A brother.

I barely noticed when Toddy emerged from the rubble, gravely wounded. He still tried to crawl towards me, his razor raised to kill me.

I would've let him.

Goji reached me in time and took the Shichibukai's head off with a clean swing of his sword.

Even though their captain was dead, Toddy's crew were more than capable of taking us out. Most of our crewmates were beat up, Goji and Cook were wounded, Roy was dead and they outnumbered us.

But Jones apparently regained consciousness and emerged from the infirmary. He turned the battle around and drove the enemy off.

After that we had a funeral for those who died.

We loaded them onto a makeshift raft and Captain burned the bodies.

As I watched the bodies' burn, holding Roy's bloody bisento in my hands, I finally made my decision.

I will eat the Devil Fruit I found on Little Garden. I will give up the ability to swim so that I will gain enough power to protect my comrades.

I will not let anyone I hold dear to die in front of my eyes ever again.

Next chap coming soon