Hey folks, just letting you know that there will be no update next weekend. Week off and all that.

On with the story!

Doc and Maya were waiting patiently in the operating room. Doc was pacing back in forth in front of the door. He was in his operating outfit and everything was sterilized and ready to go. All they were missing was the patient. The mermaid was watching him with suppressed irritation. She hated it when he started pacing. Maybe it was because she was a mermaid, but she never saw the appeal of walking back and forth like that. But it was his coping mechanism. He always did this when he was waiting do to an operation.

"Worried?" She asked. She knew he was, but talking would help relieve some of the tension surrounding him.

"Of course." He responded. "Our plan is sound. They should be able to do it. But if this really is the same Marine that Rook and Bishop think it is…I just can't expect everything to go as planned."

It didn't happen often. Especially with…witnesses. But Maya had her tender moments, especially when they were alone. With a sigh, she floated over to him and put a gentle hand on his shoulder. "Captain…Doc, we're pirates. We always have to expect that nothing will go our way. It is how we've survived for so long." Then a true oddity happened. She smiled. Not a threatening one she usually threw around, but a warm smile. "You don't like fighting. I know that. Your crew trusts you enough to restrain themselves. But now battle is the only option. So it is your turn to trust your crew."

"It isn't the fighting that worries me. It is what comes after." He looked at his first mate and tried to search for an answer in her eyes. "The brothers are fighting something from their past. If things don't go well…the mental trauma might be too much. Plus there's Alec. He's killed before. In the fray he might do it again. I can't keep him under control when he is on his own." He shook his head. "And to make matters worse, Isaac there's too. He's still healing. I know we need his help, but he just joined the crew and we are already exposing him to danger. And if his wounds open back up his life will be in danger." He began to reach for her hand, to place his own on top of it, but he hesitated. And in the end, he withdrew. "I just wish there was another way."

As the Chess brothers and Anderson stared each other down, Winston was causing havoc in the ranks. He nimbly weaved his way through the enemy Marines and struck any whose guard was down. But wherever he went, he made sure his back was always to the door. And whenever he saw someone shifting their attention to go below deck, he was quick to pounce and put that idea down with swift action. At one point, a man who had a large torso but scrawny legs tried to make a run for Winston's crewmates. The Vice-Captain immediately leapt into the air and brought his elbow and his knee into a powerful collision with the man's skull. The Marine fell to the ground with blood seeping from his ears. There were others working with Winston, men who were still healthy enough to fight, but none of them could match the second in command in pure ferocity. What once was a gentleman was now a predator. He was sure to glance at Bear whenever he could, but other than that he was focused on keeping the rest of the crew safe.

It was at that point Alec jumped in. With a joyous yell, he bulled his way into the crowd directly in front of their ship. He cut down two Marines with his scimitars and then crossed them above his head. He tensed both his arms and his leg muscles until they were burning and then lunged forward. "Jewel Raid!" With a flourish, he flipped his swords around so they were parallel with his arms. With a whoop of glee, he spun around in a circle. Those who didn't see him coming were immediately mowed down by the onslaught of spinning attacks. Those who managed to turn to see what was happening only saw flashes of light bouncing off his swords before they joined their defeated comrades as bloody messes on the ground.

Alec was cackling madly as he went. He never got to let loose like this with Doc around. But he had lifted his strict no fighting policy so now he could do whatever he wanted! And in his wake he left an open path littered with cut up soldiers bleeding from various wounds. Those unfortunate enough to not go down after one slice were subject to multiple attacks before succumbing to unconsciousness.

In that opening, the injured Isaac ran through as fast as he could. He had to leap over wounded (possibly dead) Marines and duck and dodge attacks from some of the ones who hadn't been felled by Alec. He eventually emerged in the rough circle around Rook, Bishop, and Anderson. To his left he could hear Alec and Winston taunting each other as they pushed the enemies away.

"Why the hell haven't they killed your raggedy ass yes?"

"Hmph. You must be more incompetent than you look if you believe this lot stood a chance against me." Despite the jeering, the vice-captain was relieved at the sudden reinforcement. Even if it was only one pirate. With a firm jab to the solar plexus, he left someone choking and gasping in pain on the floor. "Now if you would be so kind as to get my captain out of here!"

"Don't get your gloves in a twist, we're already on it. And there better as hell be a reward for us to go through all this trouble for some stinking Marines!"

Isaac assumed Alec was talking about him. And sure enough he could see Captain Bear motionless on the ground behind Anderson. That was his goal. He needed to grab the captain and run his ass out of there. And now with Alec guarding the escape route, now seemed a good time to do that. Ignoring his wounds, he B-lined for Bear and roughly grabbed his arm to put it over his shoulder. "You still alive, old man?"

Bear grunted in pain. "Easy there. Yeah I'm still kicking. But why are you lot get here?"

"I don't fucking know." Isaac grumbled. "We got a call on that snail thing that you guys needed help. And it looks like my new Captain is a softy. So here we are." Careful not to make things worse, Isaac brought Bear to his feet. But the moment he let go, the marine immediately collapsed again. "Whoa!" Acting quicker than he should have, he caught Bear before he hit the ground. At the same time, he felt a tearing sensation in his sides while blood started to turn his clothes red. "Shit! I think those were my stitches." He groaned. Then he glared at his charge. "Oi, what the hell was that about?"

Bear was silent for a moment before turning his head away from Isaac and covering it with the hand that wasn't applying pressure to the gash in his chest. "…Get out of here, kid. Ain't nothing you can do to help me."

"The hell are you talking about?" Grabbing him again, he pulled him onto his shoulders. But when he did that, he felt Bear's full weight on him. He wasn't even trying to help. "Look, if we're going to get out of here in one piece, you've got to help me out."

"I can't feel my legs, boy." That made Isaac freeze. He looked at him and saw shame and frustration as his legs dangled uselessly. "He cut me through proper. Doc can sew me shut by I doubt he can get me walking again. So leave me here. Gather up some of my crew. Let the doctor help them instead."

Now Isaac had two choices. He could either do as Bear suggests and leave him here to rot. Or he could go through with the original plan like his Captain ordered. Considering how he just joined this crew…

He hefted Bear to get a better grip and grit his teeth together in an effort to move. "Sorry 'bout ya, but I don't take orders from you, old man. My Captain wants you on his table so that's where you're going to fuckin' go."

Bear was slightly shocked by that resolve. Your average pirate would have cut his losses and ran. Yet here he stayed, even though his internal organs were probably fighting to slide out of that gash in his side. If only he hadn't become an outlaw…Bear could have made him one hell of a Marine.

They had taken maybe two steps back to the ship before Anderson saw them. Tearing his eyes away from Rook, he turned to them and said, "Now I can't have you doing that."

He lunged at them but before he could get close, the Chess brothers made an attack of their own. "You must be feeling cocky." Rook said. "Remember what happened the last time you turned your back to me?" He brought his sword down, intending to finish what he started, but Anderson whirled to meet the blow. Metal clanged as their swords once again met.

From the corner of Anderson's eye, he noticed the pirate ship docked next to them where he saw Isaac carrying Bear across the gangplanks. A smile erupted on his face. An eerily excited smile. "Oh this is too good!" He laughed. With one push of his muscled arms, he managed to send Rook skidding back across the deck. "Pirates! You've become pirates!" The sheer amount of joy he was feeling was borderline madness. "Finally…finally I have an excuse for my revenge!"

Doc and Maya's tender moment was interrupted as Isaac kicked open the door to the operation room. He was still carrying Bear and behind him was a trail of the wounded man's blood…with some splattering of Isaac's. But luckily since Bear was bleeding so much that his own blood was hardly noticeable.

"Here." He grunted as he practically tossed Bear onto the operation table. He was relieved to be done with that particular task. Bear was heavy. And carrying him around only served to open his wound even further. As they were headed to the ship, some stupid Marine had tried to stop them. Isaac had to literally kick him overboard to get him out of the way, but in doing so he felt his stitches tear even more.

"Easy!" Doc scolded angrily. "He's hurt enough as it is without you tossing him around like a bag of potatoes."

"Ain't a damn thing I could do to him that could make him worse." Isaac sniffed. He was careful to angle his bleeding side away from Doc. He already had one patient, he didn't need another.

"Hey there, Maya." Bear said as the mermaid positioned him correctly on the table. "Don't suppose you could whip up a nice ham for your patient, do you? Be right as rain if I could just sink my teeth into a nice, juicy ham."

"Shut up." Maya said flatly. "You can eat after we're through."

Doc started checking Bear over. But that was interrupted as they heard multiple sets of boots stomping around above deck. "Isaac." He said, not looking away from his patient. "Go guard the door. Don't let anyone in, even if they say they are on our side. They could be the enemy trying to finish off our patient."

"Eh, I don't really like being called a patient, doctor." Bear complained. "Makes me feel all bedridden."

"Sorry, old habit." Doc explained. He was in doctor mode now. He was going through his examination with single minded precision. He examined the wound in his chest before gently pushing him onto his side so he could see the exit wound on his back. "Good to see you still alive, by the way. Your subordinate made it out to be that you were already beyond my help." He shook his head sadly. "That being said, you aren't in good shape. He went right through your spine."

As Doc, Maya, and Bear hashed out the severities of his condition, Isaac left the room and closed the door. Once he was out of sight, he leaned against the door and sighed in relief. Pressing a hand against his side, he tried to stem the bleeding of his broken stitches as he relaxed his body by taking a few deep breaths. He didn't get to relax for long though. It didn't take long for the intruding Marines to find him.

"We're here for Captain Captain Bear. Get out of our way!" One demanded.

Isaac slowly opened his eyes and smirked at them. Without thinking, he reached up and slicked back his hair. What he didn't realize is that he did it with the hand that was covered in blood. So now his normally bright red hair was colored a shade darker by his blood.

"Hey there." He said, popping his knuckles. "Guessing you bastards ain't friendly." He lunged forward and punched one the Marine that had ordered him right in the jaw. "So why don't we get this show on the road!"

Steady, if not speedy, footwork brought Anderson on top of Rook with his stolen sword raised. "Oh how I've dreamed of what I would do to you after I found you." He brought it down with enough weight that Rook had to leap to the side to avoid it. The resulting impact with the deck created a crack that splintered across the ship.

Looking at the damage that one strike caused, Rook, for the first time, brought his eyes to the sword instead of the wielder. Throughout the entire altercation, he had forced himself not to look at it. Even now he refused to believe that it was Anderson that wielded it. And if he was being honest…he was scared of what he'd see. And he was right to be scared. A blade as black as night, slim in a katana style. The guard was painted silver with a matching cloth wrapped around the hilt. There was black embroidery around the cloth in the design of a fierce beast with fangs and claws and scornful eyes. But the thing that truly made his heart sink, what reviled him above all else, was the aura. He had always worried that this would happen. Every smith worth his steel knew the tales. With every great sword, there was a risk. He had his worries after the incident…but now his fears had come to fruition. A bloodthirsty aura that hungered for blood. It was practically alive with malic and hate, writhing around the blade as if it were reaching out to choke the life out of the closest living thing.

"My sword…" He choked.

But Anderson wasn't going to give him enough to think. He charged forward, but was forced to take a jump back as Bishop shot the ground in front of him. The younger brother didn't say a word. He didn't taunt, yell, scream, or even speak about revenge. He just silently stared at Anderson with his pistols raised.

The two made eye contact for maybe a moment before the Marine's eyes flickered back to Rook. And in that moment, Bishop unloaded his clips. He knew that wasn't enough to overcome him. And sure enough Anderson simply jumped out of the way and used his sword to deflect any bullets that came close. But that wasn't the point of the attack. While he was busy dealing with Bishop, Rook charged forward poised to run him through. But Anderson sent him away with a surprise backhand that caught the pirate off guard.

"Did you think you could stop me? You didn't stand a chance the last time we fought. And this time I've got a powerful sword at my command!" He taunted. With another swipe, he and Rook clashed once again. But this time it wasn't as even. He had caught the younger man off balance and was pushing him down. "You don't know the trouble I've gone through because of you." He sneered. "Even though you unjustly attacked me, I was ordered not to kill you. As a Marine I had to give you a proper trial." He said 'trial' like it was some kind of joke. "But now…now you are a pirate! Which means I can kill you without a single person batting an eye."

Rook's arms were shaking from the weight of his opponent coming down on him. Anderson had nothing in terms of skill, but his pure brute strength was practically overpowering.

But he had one distinct advantage. He wasn't alone.

"Hide Hide Stowaway."

Bishop was suddenly behind him and shot him in the back. Anderson screamed as blood erupted from the wound. He looked back with wide eyes. "Where did you come from?" Last he had seen, Bishop was in front of him. There was no way he could have gotten around without him noticing. Then he noticed that his torso was protruding from the ground, the lower half of his body nowhere to be seen. It was then that he remembered something. When he had first encountered the brothers to get his sword, he had not seen Bishop in forge when he was talking with Rook. But when he started attacking the forge, there he was, appearing out of nowhere.

"Devil fruit eater!" He snarled. But with devil powers or not, he still wasn't going to let these two overcome him. Blocking out his pain, he grabbed Bishop by the front of his shirt and tore him out of his hiding spot before tossing him to the ground at his feet. Rook moved to get between them, but in his haste he couldn't bring up his guard fast enough. With one mighty swing, Anderson sliced into his shoulder and with enough force to send him tumbling back.

With Rook at a comfortable distance, Anderson pointed his sword directly at Bishop, though he stared at Rook with a malicious grin. "This is what happens when you don't listen to your betters."

The two brothers were suddenly shot back to that day. He had said those same words before permanently scarring Bishop with molten steel. In a fit of sudden fear, Bishop once again found himself helpless beneath this towering man. He kept trying to sink into the floor but he was so scared that his powers weren't working.

That made something snap inside Rook. With a roar of fury, he launched himself at his enemy just as he was about to run Bishop through. "Stay away from my brother!" He screamed. He didn't care about himself at all. He got one attack in, across Anderson's right arm. But the next attack was met with a parry. "I'm going to use your bones to heat my forge!" He shouted.

"Once I cut you down, you won't be talking so boldly." Anderson retorted. "The pain you put me through…the agonizing humiliation of being attacked from behind! I was a laughing stock! But now…now that I have my sword I will never be beaten again!"

"Your sword!?" Now that they were shouting, everything came gushing out. The emotions he tempered and kept suppressed would not be stopped now. "I made that sword. You stole it. Never mind a Marine, you're nothing but a common thief!" The adrenaline and anger kept pushing Rook forward. While earlier he had been stopped with just a single shove, now he changed the angle of his sword so that all the weight Anderson was throwing behind his strikes caused him to stumble forward. And while the Marine caught himself soon enough to block the next attack, he quickly found himself on the defensive. With every attack, Rook pushed him farther and farther back, away from Bishop who was still too stunned to move.

"You aren't a swordsman, you're a hack!" Rook pressed. "You do nothing but rely on brute strength and bravado. You're so unskilled that you can't even tell that the sword you're using is cursed!" Even now he could feel the sword trying to reach him, trying to kill the very soul that created it. A day would come when it would betray Anderson in order to find a new, better master.

But that only seemed to make Anderson angrier. "No! This sword was made for me. It doesn't have any sort of imperfections like that!" He tensed all of his muscles to unleash an attack that would devastate Rook. But then his luck ran out. All this fighting plus the bullet wound that the wound Rook had given him on his back started to act up. His back muscles started to spasm. "No! No not now!" He groaned through gritted teeth. His body froze as pain racked through his body.

His men (the ones who were succumbing to Winston and Alec's attacks) recognized those symptoms immediately. "Quickly, fall back!" One of them shouted. "The Captain's in trouble!"

Anderson's crew acted as one collective unit. They immediately turned away from their enemies and gathered around Anderson in a phalanx. Those closest to Rook too out their swords and guns and pointed them at him so that he was faced with a wall of weaponry.

"Retreat!" Two men hefted Anderson up with their shoulders and the phalanx started slowly moving back to their ship. Winston, Alec, and those few remaining fighters allowed their adversaries to leave unobstructed, but Rook ran to his brother.

"Bishop, you need to stop them. Shoot him!"

The younger brother just watched his retreating enemy and then at those already fallen. There were bodies everywhere, some breathing. Some weren't. The toll for this entire ordeal was already so high.

He shook his head. "No. Let them leave, brother." He said softly. "Our revenge is aimed at Rorick, not the men working beneath him." When Rook looked ready to argue, Bishop stood up and put a hand on his shoulder. "Look around. So many injured. So many dead. Continued fighting will only bring more to the count."

Overhead, Isaac heard a bunch of people running away. The men in front of him must have heard it too. Several of them were unconscious, including two that Isaac was currently using as a seat. After knocking them out, he piled them on top of each other and used them as a stool in between fights. Because after the first three knock outs, the others seem hesitant to fight him. Fortunately for him, Doc's room was small enough that the Marines couldn't use their weapons as freely as they liked.

As they heard the calls for retreat, the men started to step back, but a few glanced at their fallen comrades. Isaac scoffed at them, stood up, and kicked his impromptu stools at them. "Get your asses out of here." He said with an air of finality.

The Marines quickly gathered up their crewmates before hightailing it out of there. Isaac laughed maliciously as they left, but that laughter soon devolved into a coughing fit. He leaned against the door again and slid down it until he was sitting on the floor. He spat out some blood from his mouth and breathed raggedly as he put pressure back on his open wound.

"Shit." He gasped. "Doc is gonna be pissed."

Doc was sitting in a sun chair with a newspaper in his lap. He had his hat off, sitting next to him on the deck so that his hair could freely sway with the wind. The sun was shining and the breeze was pleasant. Seagulls called to each other above the ship. Yet despite this, he had a very contemplative and morose look on his face. The front page of the paper had Bear's face on it.

CELEBRATED MARINE CAPTAIN RETIRES DUE TO INJURY

After 30 years of service, Marine Captain Captain Bear was relieved of duty today after a hearing covering an altercation two months prior. Reports say that the captain and his crew were attacked by an unidentified group of pirates, resulting in 23 deaths and 38 wounded. The captain himself suffered a severe spinal injury that has left him paralyzed from the waist down. Bear refused to answer any questions but sources say he is taking up a position as an instructor for Marine recruits. This marks the beginning of a new era where new up and coming Marines will be led by the hand of…

The rest of the article trailed off in a flurry of Navy support propaganda and Doc quickly lost interest. Isaac came down from the crow's nest to see what had his Captain looking so down. He took one look at the newspaper and scrunched his nose in distaste. "You gotta stop reading that shit, Cap. When was the last time the Navy told people the truth?"

Doc shook his head. "Oh that isn't what bothers me. As a pirate you quickly learn that the Navy never reports anything that could make it look bad. So naturally, they'll blame pirates. But notice there's no sign anywhere about A Marine Inspector getting demoted."

Isaac shrugged. "So? The hell would they report something that just makes them look bad?"

Doc shook his head again. "But reporters are notorious for getting that kind of information. Whenever there is a sudden change in the power structure, there is usually a paper that finds out about it."

Isaac tried thinking about that. "So…that bastard got away with it?" He asked in confusion. And by bastard he meant Anderson. They avoided saying his name on the ship. Every time they did, Rook would go sulk in his forge for the rest of the day. And since they were tired of seeing that, they just stopped talking about him.

"No. Even if he was best friends with the Fleet Admiral, he would suffer some sort of consequence. But he probably did have friends in high places. If he had been expelled from their ranks, which is what usually happens in cases like this, there would have been a report on it. The fact that there isn't says that he was, at most, demoted from Marine Inspector."

"So he kills over twenty people and all he gets is a demotion? What kind of shit is that?"

"I'm not sure. But I can tell you one thing. We haven't seen the last of Anderson. And it is only a matter of time before we meet this friend-in-high-places he has as well." He looked out at the horizon of the peaceful sea. "I just hope we're ready when that hammer comes down on top of us."

There you have it folks! Double the usual length and chalk full of that drama and action we all love. But again, please tell me what you think. If I'm not doing something right or if you have suggestions for improving things, please let me know.

Till next time, folks!