It was now morning on Rover Island, the sun was peaking its way over the horizon.

Five Dagmarar pirates were sent flying out from the front door of Gillinder Bar, breaking the door from off of it's hinges and making them crash into another building opposite of the bar. It became apparent that a pretty hectic battle was going on inside.

Daiko laughed "See? My first mate just sent five of your guys out the door! The same thing will happen to you if you don't tell us why you're attacking us!" he was speaking to a tall shirtless man with very baggy brown pants tucked into brown shoes standing tall at an imposing 7ft tall. He was completely bald and wore a black bandanna over his mouth and nose that had the Dagmarar jolly roger on the front. This man had brown skin and was lean but very muscular and had an assortment of Dagmarar tattoos all over his bare torso. He was always seen with a very calm look on his face.

The tall man spoke "I am Valachi, 3rd division commander of the Dagmarars. Everything on this island is my responsibility, you see. From what I've gathered, you and your crew are responsible for the damaging of our second ship, The Quakemeister, and must atone for your sins."

Austell shouted "This is all your fault, Mr. Tora! I told you this was gonna happen! We should've left!"

Tora responded "Hey kid, quit blaming me! Maybe you should blame that stupid little cook for hitting me on the head earlier! Destroying things is the only way I can alleviate my anger!"

Semi sighed "Let it go Tora. It looks like we have no other choice than to fight."

He barked back "Yeah right, Cook. You don't know anything about fighting do you?!" It wasn't long, however, before Semi swung at him *WHACK!*

"OWW!" Tora shouted

Austell shivered "That guy says he's the 3rd division commander. And his crew is HUGE! He must be really strong!

Valachi went on " So it really was you.. you rookie pirates who damaged our ship... that is all I need to know... Soru!" Valachi vanished and reappeared next to Tora, he then kicked Tora in the side of his neck, sending him head-first into the wall.

"You bastard! You're gonna pay for that!" Daiko began to charge for Valachi as his arm instantly transformed into gleaming iron "IRON FIST"

Valachi turned to face Daiko and raised his index finger "Foolish kid.. my next technique will pierce straight through your flesh...Shigan..." he caught Daiko's punch easily with his left hand and jabbed his right index finger into Daiko's shoulder, but to his surprise, it didn't pierce through. Instead, it made a metallic noise, like hitting a pan with a spoon.

He raised an eyebrow as Daiko tried to pull his fist from his enemy's grasp "Hmm... I see you're no ordinary rookie... this technique would easily wound a normal human."

Daiko grinned "I'm the Captain of the crew, you can't beat me!" he tried to punch the tall man with his free hand but it was also caught.

"No." Valachi lifted his leg and kicked Daiko in the ribs, sending him into the other side of the bar counter. Bottles of wine and beer toppled and cracked over him, soaking him in alcohol.

"Daiko!" Semi and Austell shouted in unison. Austell fell to his knees and began groaning again as his eyes burned a fiery yellow, he was seeing his friends attacked and that was more than enough for him to make his transformation.

Valachi turned his head to see him making his wolf transformation and displayed an unusual amount of interest

"Interesting, so even the young boy there is endowed with a Devil Fruit. I see you have eaten quite a special one, indeed." the tall man said as he studied the transformation. "That is no ordinary Zoan transformation. It is something much greater than that; a Demon."

Semi backed up as Valachi was sparked with interest "This guy... is starting to creep me out!"

"Zodiac Swipes!" Austell ignored his words and used his shining black claws to attack him

Valachi studied his atttacks "Hmm! This is rather interesting! Kami-e!" he dodged each attack with complete ease, all while standing still. With each dodge, he studied the young boy's wolf form. He then finished by kicking Austell in the chest, making roll back next to Semi.

"Austy! Are you okay? I don't think it's a good idea to fight here. If more of them show up we'll get outnumbered fast! Let's just get out of here!" Semi said worriedly as Austell, Daiko and Tora got up to their feet slowly. Daiko was soaked in alcohol and had a serious expression. Austell growled and Tora cracked his knuckles. The three pirates were starting to look much more serious.

Valachi sighed "I don't see why you're even trying. You fools started this mess, you've only brought this on yourselves."

Tora shouted "Shut up! I haven't gotten serious yet! Hey Captain, I want to fight this guy one on one, alright? "

Daiko shook his head "No Tora, I want to kick his ass too!"

Tora gritted his teeth "Dammit, Captain! just stay out of this, I need to test my skills!"

"Test them somewhere else, Tora! I'm the captain of this crew so I call the shots!"

Valachi turned his head to Tora "So you fight with Rokushiki also, ponytail man? Interesting... but not as interesting as the cursed wolf child..."

Tora responded "I know a whole lot more than Rokushiki, asshole. I can show you, the hard way."

"Care to demonstrate?" Valachi asked when suddenly, a Dagmarar pirate appeared at the entrance to the bar, panting heavily "Commander Valachi! We have a serious problem!"

Valachi turned his head to the panting men at the door "What is it?"

The Dagmarar pirate went on "THEY FOUND US! Marine warships have been spotted on the horizon, they're planning a Bash Call on this island! They have heavy artillery pointed at the island right now!" Valachi and Tora were completely shocked.

Valachi clenched his fists "That can't be true! They would never make a Bash Call on an island this close to the Red Line! That's why we came here in the first place!"

"It's true commander Valachi! The marines are just minutes away from the island!"

Semi turned to Tora, who was still in shock "Wait, what's a Bash-"

Tora answered before she could even finish the question "Bash Call, its one of the strongest military actions possible from the World Government.. it has enough fire power to destroy an entire island. All it takes is atleast one vice-admiral to call one. It's like a weaker version of the Buster Call but they use it way more often." Valachi, as well as the rest of the Dagmarar pirates in the bar made their way to the exit.

Daiko shouted as he jumped over the bar counter "What?! They're gonna bomb this place?"

Semi got up "Then we have to get back to the ship now before we get caught in it!"

Upon seeing that the fight was ending prematurely, Austell immediately turned back to normal and had a very worried look on his face.

Before exiting the bar, Valachi turned around to speak one last time "Oh yes, I forgot to mention. Before I accosted you all today, I ordered many of my men to loot and destroy your precious little iron ship. Right now, your ship is probably nothing but scraps!" Austell gasped as Valachi went on " But oh, don't be mad, don't fret! Be thankful that I'm allowing you all to walk away with your lives. Just remember one thing: don't ever cross the Dagmarar Pirates again." he walked out of the door, having to duck in order to get out due to his large height.

"Get back here and finish the fight ya big coward!" Daiko shouted.

Austell's face turned to pure anger as he bit his lip "THEY BETTER NOT HAVE TOUCHED EVE! I'LL... I'LL KILL THEM IF THEY DO!"

Semi put her hands on his shoulders "Relax Austy! Being angry here won't he-" Austell morphed into a pure complete black wolf and abruptly charged out of the bar entrance and towards the docks.

Tora scratched his head "The ship was great while it lasted I guess."

Semi put her hands on her hips as she scolded the ex-marine "Shut your mouth, Tora! Don't act so smug when this is all your fault!"

Tora responded "You're still blaming me?! You're the one who keeps hitting me with that stupid fishing rod for no damn reason!" Soon, the ground they stood on began vibrating and explosions were being heard all over the island.

Semi gave another frustrated sigh "We have to find Kuma now and find a way off of the island!"

Meanwhile at Austell

Austell was shocked to see around 8 marine warships firing at the small island he had to dodge a number of explosions as he made his rush to the docks. These marine ships were fast and steam powered, explaining how they were able to arrive at Rover Island without being spotted. Cannon balls and other heavy artillery whistled through the air. He was even more surprised to see that Eve, Iron Thunder appeared to be completely unharmed. He moved swiftly on his hind legs as the town behind began to be set into flames. He felt guilty for leaving his crew behind but still had faith in them and wanted to check on his other close friend, Eve, Iron Thunder. Hundreds of Dagamarar pirates rushed to their ships and were too panicked to notice the large black wolf running amongst them towards the docks.

The black-haired navigator turned back into his normal human form and began climbing the ship, upon reaching the deck, he noticed there were 20 Dagmarar pirates lying all over the deck. Most were unconscious while the rest were barely moving, all were bleeding out badly and appeared to have been wounded by deep cuts. Austell knelt next to one of the barely moving men and asked "Who did this to you guys? What happened here!"

The pirate slowly answered "We were... ordered... by our Commander to loot this ship. We were told that no one was aboard... but when we got here.. there was someone waiting for us. It...it was... a swordsman...blue hair..." he coughed up blood "He ... he was wearing no shoes... had two katana on his back." the man fell unconscious.

"Kuma? He was here and he defended the ship!" he thought. The only question now was where did Kuma go? Austell turned his head and noticed a small note wedged in between the planking of the main mast. Upon picking it up, he immediately noticed it was from Kuma, (he could tell by poor handwriting and the smell of booze and drugs on the note) and was separated into two halves. Upon reading the top half note, Austell's heart sank.

He then heard light footsteps and turned around to see Kuma, standing behind him.

Kuma scratched his head embarrassingly after noticing Austell reading the note "Oh shit... I wasn't expecting you to be here this early, little bro. That's why I left that note there... ha. Man... this is embarrassing. I should be gone by now..."

Austell shouted "Kuma! What does this note mean? You're kidding right, Kuma?"

Kuma smiled "Nope. The note means exactly what it says, I'm leaving."

Austell ran up to Kuma and grabbed him by the middle of his shirt, shaking him back and forth. "We just got to the Grand Line! What could be so important that you have to leave?!"

Kuma's hair overshadowed his eyes "Heeeyy, Chill out. We're brothers, we shouldn't-"

Austell got angrier "Shut up Kuma, I'm not your brother anymore! Don't even bother calling me that, if I was actually a 'little bro' to you, then... then... then you wouldn't be leaving the crew in the first place! We haven't even spent much time together!" he angrily slammed his weak fists against Kuma's chest.

As he complained, one of the wounded Dagmarar pirates slowly got to his feet while holding a large steel hatchet in his hand. The Dagmarar pirate sneaked behind an oblivious Austell and raised his axe into the air "Die!" he yelled.

In a hasty response, Kuma pushed Austell aside, making him fall to the floor, and pulled out both of his katana "Stance of the Falcon! Hunt!" he cut the pirate down, causing him to once again fall to the ground.

Kuma sighed "Stay the fuck away from my brother!" he barked at the fallen pirate.

Despite being saved by Kuma, Austell was still upset, still giving the swordsman an innocent scowl

"Heh, sorry 'bout that lil' bro. Looks like I did a poor job with that guy..." Kuma sheathed his swords. He then looked to see the Austell was still anrgy with him. He was biting his lip in frustration and glaring at him with a serious puppy dog expression.

Kuma smiled awkwardly whilst scratching his head "Oh c'mooon, little bro. Don't give me that look.~~ Listen man, when I was with my... other pirate crew, we had a code. That anyone who joined the crew and became friends were forever our brothers and sisters. Bounded together by destiny no matter what decisions they made. So don't ever say that again, little bro. We're brothers, nothing will ever change that."

The young navigator frowned "Then why don't you just tell us where you're going! We have to know!"

Kuma sighed, he thought deeply about Austell's frustration and finally gave in "Alright... But you have to promise me something first, got it?"

"Okay! Okay! Just tell me already!" Austell stood up eagerly.

"Give me the note I left on the mast." Austell handed himthe note, Kuma quickly scribbled something new on the bottom of the piece of paper using the head of a cigerrate from his pocket. He then gave it back to Austell.

Austell read the words 'ALABASTA' on the piece of paper(in disgracefully poor handwriting) and raised an eyebrow "Alabasta?"

Kuma put his left hand on Austell's shoulder. He then spit on the palm of his right hand.

"What are you doing...?"he said, partially grossed out by Kuma's actions.

The swordsman answered "This is a what my old captain used to call a brother's promise. You put your left hand on my shoulder, and spit on your right palm. Then we shake hands, ya got it? I want you to promise me not to tell anyone about where I'm going. Not even Cappy Daiko."

The black-haired navigator thought about it for a second but then did exactly what Kuma said to. What else could he do? They shook their right hands three times, as their hands seperated, a string of saliva drooped from Austell's hands.

"That was really gross." he wiped his hands on his black tabard.

Kuma laughed aloud and patted Austell on the head with his dry hand "You know, I've never mentioned this before but.. your hair is really cool! Do me favor and keep it that long, okay?" he turned around started to walk to the edge of the ship.

Even though he had just forged the agreement with Kuma, Austell still was in disbelief and partial denial. He didn't want him to leave, but what could he do? Austell shouted "D-d-do you really have to go Kuma? We can just help you with whatever you're doing..." he began to sob quietly, Kuma stopped walking for a moment.

"Aah, c'mon little bro! Don't cry, you're a man now. You taught that scumbag uncle of yours a lesson. You don't need me. Look, I'm sorry it has to be like this." Kuma jumped on the railing of the ship and prepared to jump into the sea as explosions continued to echo throughout the burning island."You're a strong kid, and you're a helluva lot smarter than I am. No matter what these seas throw at you, I know you'll make it out here."

Austell couldn't say anything at this point. He felt weak and powerless, pathetic. What will his crewmates think if they find out that he just let Kuma leave like this? Again, what could he do? Kuma is alot stronger than he is, it's not like he can stop him.

Kuma began to say his final goodbyes "Remember to take care of Princess Semi, she's a princess and deserves some damn respect. Oh yeah, and don't let Mr. Ponytail get to ya, he's just an angry carrot-head. Big Bro Daiko will be your guide now, little bro."

Kuma smiled while looking into the sky. Despite the chaos happening on the island, thinking about Daiko brought a smile to his face "Let him guide you. No matter how goofy that kid is, he's gonna be a king." One last thing, make sure you all, even Mr Ponytail, get off the island alive. Peace." Kuma jumped into the sea.

"B-but wait Kuma!" Austell ran over to the side of the ship but Kuma was no where to be found and he was unable to swim (thanks to his Devil Fruit). Austell just walked to the center of the deck and sat against the mast, sobbing. Tears rolled down his pale face and dripped into the ocean. Despite being raised with his three older brothers, not a single one of them was as much of a role model as Kuma. But unfortunately, Kuma left, just as they did.

A few minutes later

Semi climbed aboard the ship to see Austell resting against the mast with his head buried in his knees and arms. She first noticed the group of unconscious pirates lying along the deck and around Austell. "Austy!" she walked towards Austell, looking down left and right at the beaten pirates and stepping over them if necessary.

Tora climbed on deck with a surprised look "Wow, so the navigator kid wasn't kidding when he said he was going to kill them all. I'm impressed kid, I didn't think you had the heart to take down so many people." he said, not knowing that it was actually Kuma's work.

Lastly, it was Daiko who climbed aboard "Istheshipokayistheshipokayistheshipokay?!"

Tora scratched his head "Settle down, Captain. Everything appears to be in order. Let's just focus on getting the hell off this island. Captain, you set the sails. I'm going to get rid of these pirates on our ship." Tora began picking up the unconscious Dagmarar pirates and throwing them offboard and onto the Rover village docks.

Daiko protested "Hey! I'm the captain here, I call the shots!"

Tora rolled his eyes "Okay then, Captain. What are your orders?'

"I'll set the sails, you get these guys off of our ship! Wait a second, how do I set the sails? HOLD ON, WHAT ARE THESE PEOPLE DOING LAYING ON THE SHIP?!" he yelled.

Tora sighed "What you just said is stupid in like eight different ways, Captain."

Semi sat next to Austell and put her arm around his shoulders "Austy, what happened here? Did you do all of this?"

Austell muttered "It was Kuma."

Daiko cheered "Kuma saved our ship? Sweet! Where is he though?"

Semi continued "Did you see Kuma on the ship, Austy?"

Austell lied instantly, as an automatic response "N-N-NO I DIDN'T!" he stood up and pulled out Kuma's note from his sleeve. "All I saw on the ship was this note." keeping his promise with Kuma was a top priority for him, he couldn't crush was remains of his bond with Kuma. He kept the other half of the note, the half the read 'ALABASTA' in his pocket.

"Let me see it!" Daiko ran over and snatched the note from Austell's hands before Semi could, he then studied it and scratched his head "Oh yeah... I forgot... I can't read! Hahaha!"

Semi snatched the piece of paper from Daiko and gave him an menacing look "Daiko, stop being an idiot and set the damn sails already before we get blown up!"

Daiko smiled "Heh.. sorry Semi."

Semi read the note and looked shocked "Austy! Are you sure this is from Kuma?"

Austell nodded "Yes, it's from him."

"What does it say?!" Daiko and Tora exclaimed as the Iron Thunder began to finally leave the docks.

Semi said with a serious voice "Well... according to this... Kuma's leaving the crew."