Chapter 20: And The Plot Thickens...
'Thinking'
"Talking"
'Kishin Thinking'
"Kishin Speaking"
'Hollow Thinking'
"Hollow Speaking"
'Zanpakuto Thinking'
"Zanpakuto Speaking"
XxxxX
A silver haired woman's only gray eye stared worriedly at the bars bars that contained her. Smoker, her commander, along with herself and the Straw Hat Crew had fallen victim to a trap set by the infamous Crocodile.
Crocodile.
She shuddered. He was the only aside from Don Flamingo that openly defied the Marines. More importantly, it was what he didn't show that scared her more then anything.
Rumors amongst cadets when she had first enlisted in the Marines were always circulating, few more so then Crocodile. The man who sucked water from your body like a straw. The man who ruled over thousands of pirate underlings. More importantly, he was the man who had no problem killing marines.
And here she was, trapped in his own personal Sea stone coated cell. The only other time she had been this afraid was That Night.
Her eyepatch itched at the memory and she sighed tiredly. She didn't want to think about this right now, she was too emotionally drained as it was, and their were no more tears to shed.
She eyed the others in her oversized prison cell.
Their was the green haired man, Roranoa Zoro if she remembered correctly, seemed too similar to Smoker for her liking. Seriously, what was it with brooding swordsman?
Their was the blond. A total pervert of their ever was one. No explanation necessary.
The long-nosed boy. He trembled where he stood and his words were broken by his shaking. Coward then? That was not uncommon.
The orange haired girl, she recognized her as Nami, practically reeked of greed and fear. She was a wanted thief so the greed was expected, at least she guessed it was.
The Tanuki, she could easily tell it wasn't a reindeer. It stood on its hind feet and spoke like a human, she found it extremely cute. It voice was even cute. The small blue nose really didn't help his case either.
The boy with the straw hat, Mugiwara no Luffy. She could say without a doubt that he was the single dumbest person she had ever seen in her life. She was certain he had never read a book without pictures in it before.
Smoker, she knew him all to well. She owed him her life and repaid it with loyalty. Even though she followed him he was still a gruff bastard, she sometimes suspected he only kept her alive because of her powers. Those were absolutely useless right now and she knew it.
She frowned to herself as she realized the pirates were one short. Where was 'The Hollow Swordsman'?
A part of her was relieved he wasn't here. His appearance had been spontaneous and unexpected, He joined the Arlong Pirates, who despised humans, before massacring them to help them. She really didn't get how he could abandon one crew for another so easily, but she didn't really understand pirates much to begin with. Several weeks later, a marine patrol ship arrived at Whiskey Peak for supplies, but got something entirely different.
Rumor had it that it was a bloodbath, they couldn't even identify who was who amongst all the blood and limbs. Their had been a single survivor, Diana Belliet, who they found buried under the bodies of her friends mumbling something about "The Hollow Swordsman" and a bounty. Headquarters pieced together what had happened and reacted immediately and doubled the bounty on killer.
The image of his bloodied face made her shiver, but it was his eyes that gave her nightmares. Cold, gray, and lifeless. Those eyes reminded her so much of him it made her cry at night. She always wondered what had happened to him? Was he okay? Was he happy? Had he gotten over her?
... Had he forgotten her? She was pulled from her thoughts by a familiar shout.
'Wait wait!'' A voice shrieked in panic and she registered the frantic waving of hands. ''How can you two think of fighting at a time like this!''
Her head snapped towards Smoker in an instant and she recognized the tense atmosphere. Luffy was his fist, Zoro his swords, and Smoker his jutte.
"Lieutenant, get over here now!" She frowned at the harshness of his tone And found only one answer.
"No." She was mildly amused by he stunned expressions on their faces and annoyed by Smokers glaring face.
"This is not the time or the place for this Lieutenant." He emphasized 'Lieutenant' . She snorted.
"I could say the same to you." She stared at him with a blank stare. She couldn't quite pull it off as well as him, but she pick up a thing or two.
"Damnit woman." Smoker hissed through gritted teeth. She scowled in response.
"Don't call me woman, Cancerman!" She spat.
Nami scowled, "ENOUGH!" Both quieted and turn their glares to Nami, and she shrank away. "... Is now really the time to be fighting?"
''She's right...'' A cold voice rang around. ''...just give up.'' The prisoners looked towards the aquarium and for the first time spotted a desk. Behind the desk was a antique-looking red chair where the voice came from. ''You're all going to be dying together. Why not try and get along?''
''Crocodile.'' Smoker muttered with disgust in his gruff voice and his Lieutenant stiffened.
''What?'' Luffy questioned and looked towards the red chair that was slowly turning around. Sitting on the chair was the Shichibukai the Straw Hat Captain was determined to beat.
''So he's one of the Shichibukai...'' Zoro stated the obvious while Nami and Usopp were shrinking in fear.
''He doesn't look special to me.'' Luffy said flatly and he scratched the back of his head with a confused expression. Though, his remark caused Crocodile to scowl at him, but kept his cool as he likes to keep himself above others.
''Our long-awaited host finally shows his face.'' Smoker said.
''Whatever, i'm sure Onii-sama can kick his ass!'' The younger Tanuki Chopper cheered.
''Who?'' Usopp inquired.
''You know. Pale, psychotic, black blooded...'' Chopper said and started to count his hooves.
''I'm beginning to think he also has issues.'' Zoro whispered to his crewmates and got nod from them. Even Smoker nodded after his little conversation with Crocodile. Malaki was undoubtedly the least sane member on their crew and the Whiskey Massacre cemented that fact.
''He's been like that ever since they talked back on that fat guys island.''
''...he has a giant sword, super speed, laser emission...''
"We have absolutely no idea where Malaki-kun is at all. He could be on the other side of this country for all we know." Nami said flatly, breaking Chopper out of his thoughs and stopped him from counting with marks on the wall.
''W-what?''
''Thats what I said. He could be anywhere right now. He could be dead right now.''
''B-but he still al-!'' Chopper was about to shout back when Smoker snarled at him, his jutte-weapon slamming in the cage next to him.
''I don't have to take any of this. Listen, he's a pirate, and as a pirate he'll probably die a horrible death. If you decide to just keep living in your silly dream world you'll have a nasty fall, this silliness ends now!"
The Pirates were shocked at the brutality shown, but it was Crocodiles chuckle that woked Smoker up from his short burst of rage. ''My, my. Does justice also require beating on helpless animals nowadays? I might have to call PETA.'' Smoker didn't say anything and sat on a bed that was at the far corner and sulked in there. Chopper fell back on his butt with glossy eyes and his head bowed in shame.
Crocodile chuckled at the sight, but he had more important things to do. "Since thats been dealt with, why don't I get right to the point eh?" He frowned when he heard a shout from upstairs. "What is is it this ti-"
Boom!
The entire building shook and the sound of an explosion caused Crocodiles face to twist in fury.
XxxxX
Malaki smiled to himself as he surveyed the destruction his attack had caused.
The entire front entrance was reduced to a smoking gap of ash and fire. Games and tables closest were splintered masses of singed wood and molten metal. Strangely not a single person had been killed, not that he was complaining or anything. He might be a monster, but he didn't go around killing innocent people.
He stepped over a smoking log as he hummed to himself as he entered the destroyed front entrance.
Today was a good day.
Igualda sniffled with prideful tears, 'They grow up so fast. One day their feelingless sociopaths, the next their blowing up buildings. I'm so proud!'
Malaki snorted, "We have very different definitions of proud, Igualda." In a zoom of speed he was in the center of the Casino floor. He smirked at the terrified expressions on the overweight aristocrats of society. He never really liked those who did nothing and gained everything. He smirk widened when slim suited guards surrounded him with pistols locked.
One of them stepped forward. "Surrender now or we'll shoot!"
He laughed as he down on him, standing a full two heads taller. "Oh really? How about you show me where the vault is and how to open it and I won't kill all your friends, hmmm?" He lowered his head so he was face to face with him. The lead guard shivered with fear when Malaki's predatory eyes loomed over him. "That sounds fair right?" He flicked his forked tongue for emphasis.
Lead guard shakily raised his gun to the pale skinned monster before him. "I-I-I can't d-do that...s-s-sir."
Malaki frowned, "I see." He stared at the human for a moment. "Then I must make a counter offer. What's your name?"
Lead guard looked flabbergasted, "W-wha?"
His eyes narrowed' "I said what. Is. Your. Name."
"F-Fred."
Malaki hummed, "Ok Fred, here's how it is. I'm going to kill your friends here and if you don't tell me then I'll just cut off your legs and drag you around."
Fred's stumbled back on his butt and his eyes widened in horror when Malaki suddenly vanished.
What happened next would forever haunt poor Fred's memory.
Malaki appeared behind the guards and sunk his teeth into one of their necks and lifted the body with his jaws. The guns in the surrounding guards hands dropped in shock when they saw their coworker dry up like a prune.
Malaki dropped the shriveled body with a sigh, "That was nice."
Thirty seconds and several horrified screams later, Malaki stood over Fred with the blood of several people on his chin.
He wiped the blood off his face nonchalantly, "Now then, wanna tell me where that vault is?" He stared down at Fred.
His eyes were hollow and empty, but even so his drive to live existed. He stood up with a blank look on his face and walked mechanically towards a set of stairs With Malaki following him.
He wasn't worried about the gamblers, they had all passed out after seeing his eating habits. A few had even pissed themselves from sheer terror, which wasn't really unreasonable, he killed several people in thirty seconds.
Sometimes he wondered how sane he was.
"We're here." Malaki blinked and realized he was standing in front of a large metal door. His eyes flicked to Fred, who simply stared at him with a dead expression.
"Open it." He nodded mutely and pulled out what looked to be the odd cross between a key and a gun and pushed it into the lock. He pulled the trigger and the bolts holding the vault released.
Fred turned to him, "It is done." Malaki nodded mutely as he gripped the vault door and pulled it open.
"Thank you, Fred." He opened the vault with a mighty heave and looked into it.
"Holy mother of god." There were several thousand mountains of fucking gold. "There is no way in hell I can steal all of this." He sighed mutely. "Well, better get to work!"
"Kill me."
Malaki eyes swiveled to Fred. "Huh? What are you still doing here?"
Fred cracked and broke down crying. "Please, j-just kill me! I can't live with this." He clawed at his eyes with a clearly maddened expression. "Please just let me die!"
Malaki's lips thinned, "I see." He did not hesitate to behead him, nor could he stomach the smile on Fred's face.
His mood dampened, he pulled the pouch from his waist and stepped towards the newly dubbed 'Gold Alps', but stopped when he noticed a small white chest to the left of the vault interior. "Its not the size, but the quality that matters." He muttered and went to the chest instead. The lock came off with the simple application of his claws and when he opened it he couldn't help the large smile that found its way onto his face.
He stared at the chest, rather the Devil Fruits that lay within it. Five of them to be exact.
"Sometimes, my luck is so great it makes me wanna cry." He chuckled to himself. "Won't be needing berries anymore." Without any preamble he took them and shoved them in the pouch before vanishing in a blur of speed.
Their was no point in wasting time after all.
XxxxX
"WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON UP THERE?!"
Nico Robin, known as All Sunday, stare blankly under the furious glare of Crocodile. He wasn't that intimidating, not to her at any rate. She had more important things on her mind.
Namely Malaki Seras.
She knew practically nothing aside from the fact that he had killed off an entire island full of people and was incredibly destructive. He was a sociopathic killer and yet he had taken in the child partner of of the Wax-user.
It was all very confusing really.
She eyed Crocodile with something akin to annoyance. "Apparently Malaki Seras, better known as 'The Hollow Swordsmen', is currently rampaging upstairs and is likely killing everyone upstairs."
Out of the corner of her eye she could see the shocked looks on their prisoners faces, she also noticed e gleeful one on the reindeers.
Interesting...
"YES! I TOLD YOU ONII-SAMA WOULD COME!"
... Interesting Indeed.
XxxxX
Malaki stared at the door in front him and then down to the sword in his hand And smiled.
"GA-"
XxxxX
"-RYU!"
Robin sighed.
Crocodile sputtered in fury.
This was going to be a long day...
XxxxX
Malaki walked patiently through the smokescreen created from his own attack. When he passed through he noted four things.
Crocodile was literally red with unholy fury. Probably popped a few blood vessels.
Robin looked really tired for some reason.
Chopper looked like christmas came early.
Their was someone that wasn't suppose to be their with them.
Her skin was pale and was clothed in what he assumed was the female variation of the marine attire. Her hair was silver but her face was what caught his attention the most.
A headband with the marine insignia acted as an eyepatch, the only visible eye was gray.
Something in his head clicked.
Silver hair.
Missing eye.
Gray eye.
"Impossible."
XxxxX
"Impossible."
She stared at Malaki Seras with confusion and worry.
His eyes were locked solely on her with an expression of utter terror. What confused her was why he was afraid.
She couldn't help but compare the pale creature to him.
She knew it would sound stupid.
She knew she might regret it.
She knew she had to do it.
"Who are you?"
XxxxX
"Who are you?"
Her voice.
Her voice!
It had to be her!
"... Sophie?"
XxxxX
Thus the plot thickens. Is it her? How will they react? Take a guess.
Im starting to develop more Oc anomalies. If you want a character, just do a basic setup and PM me.
Setup is as such:
Name
Age
Disposition (Evil, Unaffiliated, Good)
Ability/Superpower
Mental Status (Insane,Compassionate, etc)
Basic Description: