Ch. 20- Straw Hat and Blackbeard

One Piece © Oda

Blizzard © Me

In Level 1, the Crimson Hell, there is a drawbridge being raised up, followed by the sound of gunfire.

"Raise the drawbridge! Don't let them get across!"

"There are only five of them! Stop the Blackbeard Pirates!"

While Blackbeard walked calmly through the jailers, Van Augur and Burgess fought off the guards.

"Fire!" ordered one of them as they fired their rifles at them.

"There's no longer any doubt about this!" said another. "Blackbeard and his crew have turned on us!"

"Does that really surprise you? What do you expect from pirates?"

The guards turned and gasped in horror to see…

"H-Head Jailer Shiryu?!"

"Five of them, eh?" Shiryu questioned, nonchalantly.

"When were you released?!" asked another guard.

"Hmm, that one looks like trouble," said Blackbeard. "That's not Magellan, is it?"

"So, you must be Marshall D. Teach," said Shiryu. "A.K.A, 'Blackbeard'."

"ZEHAHAHAHAHA!" Blackbeard laughed. "That's right! And just who are you?!"

XXX

In Level 4, the Inferno Hell, Luffy and his army of prisoners are still fighting through the hordes of jailers after they had successfully defeated the Jailer Beasts.

"We're finished!" cried one of them. "There's no way we can stop them without the Jailer Beasts!"

"Keep moving!" shouted Ivankov. "We're getting close to the gate of Level 3!"

"Yeah!" yelled one of the New Kamas.

"Nothing can stop us, now!"

"AGH! What do we do?! Their numbers just keep getting bigger! HOW IN THE WORLD ARE WE SUPPOSED TO STOP THEM?!"

Up ahead of the rest of the New Kamas, there is Sadie with her whip at the ready.

"Hey! There's Chief Jailer, Sadie!"

"Who gives a damn?! Trample her!"

"Silence!" Sadie shouted. "Respect my authority! Manifesto of Excitement: RED VIPER WHIP!"

SWIP! SHWAK! Sadie whipped the New Kamas and the prisoners with her pitchfork-whip, causing them to scream in pain.

"How dare you harm, mmmm~, my precious little Jailer Beasts!" she cried.

CRRMMMMBLE! KRAK! KRAK! As a result of her attack, Sadie caused part of the bridge to collapse.

"Damn you!" Luffy shouted. "I'm gonna-"

"Wait, Straw Hat Boy! I told vyou too keep going! WAHOO!"

SWAK! Luffy and Blizzard are literally sent flying by…Ivankov?

It looked like Ivankov, only now, he appeared to be…a voluptuous woman!

"Out of the way, whip girl!" shouted Ivankov as "she" attempted a sideways sweep kick on, who ducked down to evade her.

"Mmmm…silence!" Sadie said. "This must be your female form! Such an anarchist you are, never taking sides!"

"Hee-hee!" Ivankov laughed. "Right now, I just feel like being a woman! WAHOO!"

SWIPE! Ivankov attempted to kick Sadie, again, but once more, the dominatrix ducked.

"Who's that lady?" Luffy asked, bewildered. "She talks just like Iva."

As baffling as that is, does it really matter right now?! Blizzard thought as he started to nudge Luffy along. C'mon! We gotta motor!

"Luffy!" Inazuma called. "Quickly! That stairwell is nearby! Follow me, and I'll open the gate!"

"O-oh! Yeah!" Luffy said as he got up to follow Inazuma. "C'mon, Blizzard! Let's go!"

"This is the Fortress of Hell!" yelled a familiar voice.

"Hmm?" Inazuma hummed, questioningly.

That voice…it's…! Blizzard thought.

"No one…SHALL ESCAPE THIS PLACE!"

"BLIZZARD! STOP!" Luffy shouted.

HWOOSH! SHWAK! YOWL! Up ahead, Hannyabal is swinging a naginata, a Japanese polearm with a katana blade on each end and hitting some of the escaped inmates and New Kamas with it. Not just but, he hit Blizzard in the jaw, too!

"BLIZZARD!" Luffy cried.

FWUMP! Blizzard fell to the ground, but he stood right back up, and after he seemed to realign his jaw and spat out some blood, he growled viciously at Hannyabal.

"Blizzard, are you okay?" Luffy asked.

Blizzard nodded, still growling.

"Who is that guy?" Luffy asked. "And why is he leaving the gate wide open?!"

"It's Hannyabal, the Vice-Warden!" Inazuma answered.

"Look! Behind him!" said a New Kama. "There are a thousand prison Bazooka Troops in the stairway to Level 3!"

"There's no way out for you, now!" said Hannyabal.

"AGH!" cried one of the prisoners, trapped in a net.

"No!" cried another.

Nearby, the guards and jailers began to cheer for Hannyabal.

"Yes!" cheered one of them. "The Vice-Warden is swinging his naginata, Blood Sucker! That means he's serious!"

"We can count on him!" said another.

"I won't allow either you or White Wolf to run free and terrorize helpless civilians, Straw Hat!" Hannyabal declared. "I will execute the both of you, here and now!"

"Get outta my way," Luffy growled.

"No way!" Hannyabal spat.

Suddenly, BAM! Hannyabal found himself getting pushed back by a certain wolf-dog.

"AGH!" the Vice-Warden cried as he was sent flying back.

Grrrrr~! Blizzard growled at Hannyabal, again.

You had better not get in Luffy's way, he thought.

"Blizzard, what are you doing?!" Luffy asked his dog.

"It looks like he's trying to fight off Hannyabal for us," Inazuma answered.

Hannyabal suddenly stood up.

"So," he said, "you think you can actually go toe-to-toe with me, do you, White Wolf?!"

I don't think, pal, Blizzard thought. I KNOW.

Just then, the sound of samba music began to fill the air.

"Huh?" Luffy muttered. "What's going on?"

Looking to their left, the two Straw Hats saw that the guards had started beating on drums, blowing on whistles, and shaking maracas, which was somewhat baffling. However, Luffy, who was trying to be serious at a time such as this, couldn't help but move his hips back and forth to the rhythm a little.

As this is happening, SWISH! SWISH! SWOOSH! Hannyabal began to swing Blood Sucker around and around, left and right, and then started to sing.

"Hannya! De rhythm! Hannya! De Nyabal!"

What in the God's green earth is this moron doing? Blizzard thought. Is he being serious, or is he just putting on a show? Wait…what's…?

FWOOM! As Hannyabal continued to spin Blood Sucker, its blades soon ignited from the friction!

What the hell?! Blizzard thought.

Luffy gasped in shock.

"Presenting, everyone's favorite!" Hannyabal exclaimed. "Hannya Carnival! INFERNO HELL WHEEL!"

"Blizzard, careful!" Luffy warned.

Blizzard yelped as he started to jump and run away from Hannyabal's flaming attacks, but he knew he couldn't evade them forever. He had to attack some time.

"Blizzard, just forget about him!" Luffy yelled. "He's not worth our time! We gotta go save Ace!"

"Save Fire Fist?!" Hannyabal repeated, using Ace's epithet. "Ha! Don't make me laugh! Does this pathetic mongrel really think he can defeat me?! They didn't make me the Vice-Warden of Impel Down for nothing, you know!"

You're nothing but bark! Blizzard thought. X-FANG!

CHOMP! SLASH! Blizzard sends an air-compressed bite in the shape of an X at Hannyabal, and it hits him dead on, creating a large, X-shaped gash, as well as smashing his jackal headdress.

XXX

Meanwhile, at the big elevator on Level 4, Magellan had finally arrived.

"We're here, Warden!" said Domino.

"Warden Magellan! Please, you must hurry!"

XXX

Hannyabal coughed up blood and fell to one knee, but he began to stand up.

"We're not done here, White Wolf!" he said. "I…I won't fall! Not to you!"

"How can he still stand up after Blizzard attacked him, dead-on, like that?!" Luffy questioned, astonished.

Blizzard smirked.

Even after you took a hit from my X-Fang, you still stand up, he thought. I gotta admit, you've got tenacity, and I do admire that…but that doesn't mean you still can't get in our way. I will beat you, and Luffy will save Fire Fist, and if you don't like it…

Blizzard lunged at Hannyabal.

YOU CAN DROP DEAD!

XXX

"So," said Magellan, "where are the leaders of this rebellion?"

"Vice-Warden Hannyabal and his men are busy holding them off, sir!" a guard answered.

"They're by the stairway to Level 3!" another guard added. "Please hurry, Warden, sir! That's quite a ways from here!"

"Come on! Follow the Vice-Warden's lead! Don't let up, no matter what!"

And so, the jailers proceeded to jump over the bridge and ambush Luffy and the others.

XXX

Meanwhile, Blizzard relentlessly attacks Hannyabal, biting on his face and scratching on his left eye (which is closed, thank goodness). However, no matter how many times Hannyabal was beaten down, he stood right back up and continued to attack.

"It's not over, yet!" Hannyabal shouted as he attempted slice Blizzard with Blood Sucker once again, only for his attack to be evaded due to the wolf-dog natural agility.

CRACKER! Blizzard shouted in thought.

BAM! He rammed his skull right in Hannyabal's, sending him back.

As the fight went on, Luffy, Inazuma, the New Kamas, and the rest of the escaped prisoners attacked the guards.

POW! Blizzard punched Hannyabal in the jaw with his paw. THUD! The Vice-Warden fell to the ground in a bloody crumpled heap, seemingly defeated.

Finally, Blizzard thought.

"Blizzard, come on!" Luffy called as he punched another guard. "We gotta get moving! Now!"

Just as Blizzard is about to go on ahead, WHAP! He felt a hand clutch at his right hind leg. Looking back, he saw, to his disbelief, that it's Hannyabal!

"Wait!" he said.

Dammit! Let go of me! Blizzard yelled in his head.

BAP! Blizzard kicked Hannyabal in the face, and then jumped back, just as Hannyabal began to stagger his feet, once more.

"Dammit!" Luffy cursed. "Why won't he stay down?!"

I did say that I admire his tenacity, Blizzard thought, but now, he's just pissing me off!

"I won't let you go!" Hannyabal declared. "Not now! Not ever! You won't leave this place, alive!"

At this point, some of the guards looked rather tearful, watching Hannyabal get beaten within in an inch of his life like this.

"V-Vice-Warden!" cried one of the guards.

"Please, sir! There's no point in fighting White Wolf!" shouted another. "Just stay down! He'll kill you!"

"You fools," Hannyabal said. "You lot are nothing but vicious pirates and rebels who became notorious wicked deeds! You say you want to save your brother, Straw Hat? Well, it will never happen! A ne'er-do-well such as yourself has no right to say such a thing!"

Luffy growled and clenched his fist.

"If people like you were allowed to roam the world's seas, once more," Hannyabal continued, "then the law-abiding citizens would live in such fear for their loved ones, they couldn't be able to sleep at night! This prison was constructed as a warehouse for scumbags like you, so that the decent people of the world could live in peace! If you and White Wolf and anyone else were to get out, you'd terrorize the entire world! But as long as I draw breath, I REFUSE to let that happen!"

GRAAAAAAAARFF!

SHUT YOUR FREAKING MOUTH!

CHOMP! KRASH! Blizzard bit down on Hannyabal's arm and threw him into a wall.

"VICE-WARDEN!" the guards cried.

GRRRARF-ARF! ARF! ARF! Blizzard began to bark, furiously.

"Blizzard…" Luffy said.

How DARE you say that! the wolf-dog thought. You REALLY piss me off! Pirates are the scum of the world, huh?! BULL CRAP! It's true that some of us may get thrown in here because of what we do, but that doesn't mean that ALL of us are without morals! I may've been like that once, but I swore to myself that I'd never return to that life, again, especially now that I have Luffy to protect! If you ask me, THE REAL SCUMBAG IS YOU!

Luffy seemed to hear the wolf-dog's thoughts, and he grinned.

"Well said, buddy," he said. "Whatever it was you just said."

"You damn dog," Hannyabal as he stood back up, once more.

"Listen, pal!" Luffy said. "I can't let them kill Ace, so get the hell outta our way!"

"You bastard!" Hannyabal cursed. "Is there really nothing I can say that…"

"Vice-Warden!"

"Vice-Warden, help us!"

"Huh?" Hannyabal muttered as he turned to face his Bazooka Troops…only to see that they had started…sinking into the floor. "W-what? What's happening?! Bazooka Troops!"

"Help us, Vice-Warden!"

"Enough talk about Justice and Evil!" exclaimed a familiar voice.

Hannyabal turned around again, and saw, to his shock, that a boot was now in front of his face.

"No matter where you go in this world, you're not going to find the answer to it! It's a complete waste of time!"

KRASH! Hannyabal is stamped into the floor by none other than…Blackbeard!

The guards, the New Kamas, and Blizzard gasped in shock.

W…who the hell is that?! Blizzard thought.

"It's that guy I met on Jaya!" Luffy realized.

Crocodile raised an eyebrow, seemingly unsurprised by Blackbeard and his crew's appearance, and Ivankov looked a bit nervous.

"Looks like the gang's all here," said Blackbeard. "It seems like I just interrupted something. ZEHAHAHAHAHA!"

"Teach!" Jimbei shouted with clenched fists. "What the hell are you doing here?! Or should I refer to you as 'Blackbeard', now?"

"Ah, Jimbei," said Blackbeard. "Come on, now! Don't go clenching your fists at people! Oh, but wait. I forgot that you and Ace were pals, but come on, Jimbei! You're getting mad at the wrong man, here!"

"…Blackbeard?" Luffy repeated.

Flashback; Alabasta

"I'm kinda in the middle of hunting down a major outlaw, right now," said Ace. "He's been calling himself 'Blackbeard', as of late."

Fast forward; Jaya, after Luffy and Zoro got beaten by Bellamy and his crew

"The dreams of pirates WILL NEVER END~!" Blackbeard shouted into the air.

Fast forward; Amazon Lily, the night when Blizzard and Luffy left

"It appears that a pirate named 'Blackbeard' had captured 'Fire Fist' Ace…" said Nyon.

Flashback end

Luffy stepped forward, unwittingly pushing Blizzard out of his way, and glared up at Blackbeard.

"Your name is 'Blackbeard'?!" the Straw Hat captain questioned.

"Huh?" Blackbeard asked. "Oh, yeah. I never did introduce myself back on Jaya, now did I? ZEHAHAHAHAHA! Long time, no see, eh, Straw Hat?! I gotta say, I was a bit surprised when I found out that you're the younger brother of my old division leader, Ace! ZEHAHAHAHA! You sure you wanna be hanging around here? If you don't hurry, your big brother's heads gonna roll! ZEHAHAHAHA! ZEEEEHAHAHAHAHA~!"

Luffy growled, his teeth gritted and fists clenched.

Gulp! Blizzard nervously swallowed the lump in his throat, aware of Luffy's impending fury, all he could think is…

Oh…crap…!

TO BE CONTINUED…

Review, please!