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Disclaimer: I do no own One Piece or any of it's characters but the OC's inserted as well as Liza is my own character*

Chapter 25

It was preposterous! Was he actually serious? She never thought the day would come that the young male who worked at her bar would make such a stupid decision. Join a pirate crew? Did he have a death wish?

"Yes, my little Aston-chan is part of my crew now. The poor thing. He came here all pathetically, a way to get stronger and I just had to reach out to him. He's much better now that he's with us. He isn't a lowly coward anymore" Hades said and Liza growled.

"Aston! Are you going to let him insult you like that?! You joining his trash crew? Stop kidding around! You're a bartender at my bar, not a scum of the sea!" Liza yelled at the male, but his expression stayed cold, unreadable.

"He's not working with you anymore. He's part of my crew now. Why would he stay with you? You're just-""Shut up. I'm talking to him. I don't recall asking you anything" Liza dangerously snapped at Hades and his eyes widened.

His men growled at her and wanted to attack her but he raised a hand to stop them. They look back at their captain before they stood back again. Liza then turned her attention back towards Aston, her brows furrowing.

"Answer me, Aston."

"I was weak and I wanted to become stronger. I wanted to throw my pathetic self away and become someone who would be able to fight his own battles. But you wouldn't let me. You kept fighting everything for me, scolding me like a child, making me feel useless" He said and her eyes widened.

"I came here after Captain Hades offered to make me stronger so I could no longer stand in your shadow. Now I don't need you or Richard-san anymore. I don't need you to boss me around anymore" Aston sneered and Liza's brows furrowed.

"You honestly think that you won't be bossed around anymore?" She asked and his eyes briefly widened. "When you're working underneath him, he'll just use you and boss you around more. You have to follow your captain's every order."

"Don't listen to her, Aston-chan, she's just messing with you. She wants you to go back to her where she can treat you like a little wimp again. She's manipulating you" Hades softly told Aston and Liza's anger flared.

"I'm not! You are! Now shut up and get away from him!" Liza snapped angrily at the male, his eyes widened when he heard the chains almost snap loose from the wall. He growled at her and took his arm off Aston's shoulder.

"Aston" Liza said and looked back at him. "I never knew that you felt that way. I should've taken in your own feelings every time I stood up for you. I should've let you fight your own battles. I was wrong. I'm sorry" Aston's eyes widened.

"But, you were never weak. Physically, you aren't the best built, but you have a sharp tongue. You always picked fights and never let anyone step on you. I admired that a lot. That's what made you strong. You don't need to part of a pirate crew to be powerful" She said, her blue eyes gleaming.

"If you choose to join them, then fine. That's not for me to decide, but you can come back with me. We can go on with our lives and I'll teach you a thing or two about fighting. What do you say?" She asked and noticed that Aston's eyes were wavering.

"I...I..." He was struggling deeply inside and seeing him in such a state made her angry to the core. What did they do to him? Why was he being so cold? He was never like that. Whatever they did, they were going to pay dearly.

"Nice try, Red Menace, but Aston-chan isn't going anywhere" Veins started to throb painfully out of her skin and she gritted her teeth. "He's staying right here with us. I won't let my comrades leave once they're part of us" Hades said before his eyes widened when Liza growled at him.

She jumped up onto her feet and pulled back her one leg. She was about to kick him, but Aston was quicker. His hand shot up and the chains behind Liza pulled her back against the wall. She hit the wood with a loud thud and gasped as her wind was knocked out.

Liza opened her eyes and looked back at Aston. When did he-? He was a Devil's Fruit user? She felt the iron cuffs around her wrists tighten and gasped out in pain when they started to dig into her skin, her teeth gritting tightly.

"That's enough, Aston-chan. I'll take things from here" Hades said as he put a hand on Aston's shoulder. He let his hand fall and his expression turned cold like before. Hades walked towards Liza and bent down in front of her. He forcefully grabbed her chin and made her look at him.

"That was some move you used, Red Menace, but it won't work. You see Aston-chan ate the iron-iron fruit. He became an iron human and his reflexes are superb. You won't be able to lay a finger on me-AH!" He exclaimed and grabbed his head that pulsed in pain.

Liza hit him with her head and spat to the side in disgust. "You're right. I won't be able to lay a finger on you, but there are other ways that I can hurt you" She snapped back at him and he glared at her. He stood up, his eyes glaring dangerously at her.

"You know what I love about wenches like you? The way they beg me and kneel before me in hope to receive mercy" He said, his frown starting to form into a sick grin. He outstretched his hand towards her and Liza's eyes narrowed towards him.

What was he planning?

"You see I ate the Mind-Mind fruit and became a Psychic human. I break everyone mentally and it's going to be my greatest pleasure to break you, Assassin" He said, everyone's eyes widened except Liza who smirked.

"In other words, you mess around with people's mind, breaking and twisting everything what they know into nightmares. Well, I'm sorry to burst your bubble, but everything inside my mind is already twisted. You can't break me" Liza said and he grinned widely.

"We'll see about that... Traumatic Memory!" He exclaimed, the palm of his hand glowing slightly and Liza's eyes widened. She cried out when she felt him enter her mind and gritted her teeth as an old memory flooded through her mind.

Flashback

"Captain! Captain! Where are you!?" Liza called as she ran through puffs of smoke and burning pieces of wood. She had cuts and bruises all over her body and her right arm was uselessly hanging by her side.

"L-Liza...?

"Captain Hendrickson! Thank goodness! You're still with me!" Liza said as she ran towards the male covered in burnt wood. She pried the pieces off him despite the wood burning her hands before her eyes widened in horror at the sight.

The lower half of his body...was gone. Only his upper body remained and there were thick blood all over his clothes. Liza's hand went up to her mouth in shock and tears formed in the corner of her blue eyes.

"H-Hey, don't give me that look. I've been worse" Hendrickson coughed up blood, his body aching but the pain slowly fading into something more cold. Liza put her hand beneath his head and lifted him up slightly before she let his head rest on her leg.

"Y-You're going t-to be okay. I know that there are medics on the island. I'll take you there and get you patched up. I think the others are there already-" Liza glanced up in terror and saw the lifeless bodies of her other comrades, all bloodied and some even had limbs missing.

"S-Sorry, Liza-chan..." She looked down at her captain. "I-I don't think I'm gonna make it this time. T-They got us good. Y-You have to go on without me" He coughed more and panic washed through her entire system.

"D-Don't talk! Please! Hang on!" She cried and tears slowly started to fall from her eyes. They dripped onto his bloodied clothing and her body shook slightly. "Y-You can't leave me alone. Please" He smiled at her, his breathing ragged.

"Y-You're not a-alone. I-I'll still be here. J-Just not by your side. Y-You have to go on and live out your dream, just like you've always wanted. I-I'm sure the right man will come in your life. Until then, don't forget about me, okay?" He said and Liza shook her head.

"I promise! I'll never forget about you! But you have to stay with me!" Liza said and looked around. "Someone! Anyone! Help! Please!" She felt him put his hand on hers and she looked back down at him, his smile widening.

"Don't lose your way, okay? See...you later...Liza..."

He let out his last breath and his hand fell limp to the side. Liza's eyes widened and her body suddenly became cold. She looked at her hands, covered in blood, his blood. She shook him slightly but received no response.

"Captain...? Captain...? Hendrickson... Hey, don't joke around..." Tears fell freely from her eyes and she gritted her teeth. "HENDRICKSON! NOOO!" She yelled, her body shaking as she cried but he was gone. Along with the rest of the crew.

She was all alone.

End of Flashback

Liza fell onto the floor, her breathing heavy and tears cascading down the side of her face. It felt like she was there again. It felt real. The pain, the blood, the coldness of his body. She coughed and looked back up at Hades who gave her a smirk.

"Welcome back, how was that? It looks like you were easier to break that you thought. You're a mess!" He laughed and Liza gave him a weak glare. However, it was quickly gone when the image of Hendrickson flashed through her mind.

"Y-You'll pay for this... I-I swear... Just like they did! I'll make you pay just like they did!" She snarled at him, her hair rising as a dark presence seeped out of her body. His eyes widened and he jumped back.

He suddenly saw images of broken, bloodied bodies, each one stacked up against the wall. Some had a knife through their head, other their limbs and others their chest. He watched with terror as Liza's hands drips with blood, her dagger a red smudge of what it used to be.

Then the image shifted and he saw Liza paint something against the wall over one of the dead bodies. Where did she get red paint? No, it wasn't paint... It was blood. She painted a pirate skull with the blood of each of the pirates she killed.

Then, she crossed it out and stepped back. The wall was covered in blood painted skulls with the bodies of the pirates sitting against it. Her tears fell onto the floor but she had a wide grin on her face.

"Did you see that, Hendrickson? I killed them for you. I killed them all for you." Her voice echoed through his head and then followed by her laughter. It was raw and he heard a few sobs break through the maniac laughter before he came back to reality.

His face was pale and he sweat bullets. His body felt cold and he came to look back into dark blue eyes with killer intend. He yelped and moved away from her, fear taking hold of his body and he swallowed thickly, his mouth suddenly dry.

"Y-You monster!"

"Lovely, isn't it? That's how I'm going to use your blood. I'm going to bathe in it, enjoy painting with it and burn down your ship, letting you rot at the bottom of the ocean!" Tears still fell from her eyes but a sick grin covered her lips.

"H-Ha, I-I'd like to see you try. Y-You're not getting free. You're going to die here" Hades said and slowly stood up. "Let's leave the monster here. I'll come back later to finish the job" He led the men out and Aston was the only one to glance back.

His heart broke when he saw Liza's head fall onto the ground, her tears flowing down her cheeks. She couldn't stop them anymore. He then looked back at the stairs and walked up towards the deck, leaving Liza behind.

"Liza... It's okay to cry."

Her eyes widened and she looked up. That voice... It was Shanks's voice. She looked around, but didn't see the male anywhere. She closed her eyes and gritted her teeth. The pain in her chest rising again.

"I'm here to carry that pain with you"

"N-No...Y-you're not...W-Where are you?" She murmured softly and put her forehead against eth floor below her. He wasn't there to carry the pain with her. She was alone. Just like she was when they all died.

"You're not alone. I'm right here with you"

She felt a familiar warmth come over her and she felt the pain slowly being pushed back. The horror filled images slowly faded away in her mind and a grinning Shanks came into her thoughts. Her tears stopped flowing and her body started to calm down.

"See? You feel better, don't you?"

"Y-Yeah... It's so warm... You idiot, you always have a way of making me feel better" She said and could practically hear the male laugh at her. She smiled and her body seemed to relax completely in the warmth.

"That's because I love your smile. See? You're doing it now"

Liza laughed softly and her smile widened. He was there with her. She was so deeply lost in the darkness of her mind that she forgot about the people who was there for her. She made peace with her past, but only because Shanks was there.

"Don't forget about us, Liza"

"I won't. I promise." Liza repeated as she did in her memory and wiped the tears away. She didn't have time to cry. She knew that she wouldn't be able to get out of there easily, she needed help. "You better be on your way... Shanks" She heard him laugh and could almost see him smirking.

"We're on our way, don't go anywhere"

Liza chuckled, the light in her bright blue eyes returning. "Where would I go?" She said aloud and let her head fall back against the wooden wall. She closed her eyes and succumbed to the warmth that surrounded her.

"Stupid, Straw Hat..."

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