"I Will Be Their Hero! Death Punk's Tactical Attack!"
Makyo's body was a blur of pain and a bit of nausea as he slow began to wake up. He carefully opened his eyes only to close them back suddenly, a ray of fading sunlight finding its way directly onto his face. The only thing he managed to see in that brief second was the surroundings of wood, and then he heard a voice.
"Hey! Everyone come quick! Makyo's waking up!"
He'd know that spry voice anywhere. It belonged to Jepp. And not long after the call, he heard a rush of footsteps from the dirt ground of the outside to the wooden floorboards. Makyo attempted to open his eyes once more and now found himself surrounded by the Battle Bar crew with Jepp sitting at his side as he rested on some kind of table.
"Wh-where am I?" he cautioned to say before his vision was suddenly filled with a smiling Ralli.
"You're all safe and sound in a little wooden cabin we found, Makyo!" Ralli piped up and then backed away from the fishman to allow him to sit up a bit. Makyo still looked tired and fatigued from whatever he'd gone through, but sat up anyway to address everyone. "We found you knocked out in the forest and had you brought here to get away from the marines. Mary was able to find a few flowers in the forest to use as medicine on all your wounds."
"Oh," Makyo groaned before rubbing his aching head and closing his eyes for a moment. Then, when he noticed everyone was just staring at him, he nervously said, "Um…where's Chico and Nana? Why aren't they here?"
"They ran off to…um…find Tomas," Jepp explained, looking a bit anxious himself at the mention of their hotheaded friend. "We all figured he deserved to know about what happened to you."
Makyo groaned again. "Tomas is going to be furious."
"As I imagine he should be," Ches spoke up from his seat near the corner. "While in and out of consciousness when we found you, you mentioned the name of Petigo?" The second the name came from the navigator's mouth, Makyo and Jepp tensed up. The tension in the room grew taut immediately. "Care to explain what happened, Makyo?"
Makyo took a long moment to respond, so long to the point that it seemed he wouldn't answer.
"If you don't want to tell us about it, Makyo, it's fine with me," Ralli said, drawing the attention of the room to himself as he stood by the fishman's side, arms folded in mild anger. "It won't change my mind either way because I'll find that Petigo bastard and kick his ass myself for hurting you like he did!"
"No, you mustn't!" Makyo was quick to say, even holding out a halting hand as if Ralli was going to bolt for the door. But he pulled back his anxiousness a bit and said, "Please, this is a local matter, Ralli. I wouldn't feel right bringing you into the middle of it. Petigo is my burden to carry, and…and he is for me to defeat!"
"But Makyo, no!" Jepp pleaded, gripping the fishman's leg in protest. "You can't beat Petigo by yourself! He's way too strong! Even Tomas has a hard time against him when he attacks!"
Makyo sighed and patted the boy's shoulder sympathetically. "I know, Jepp, but I am the only reason that Petigo continues to attack our home. I am the reason that so many of those wonderful people in the village fear the sea. If this nightmare is to ever come to an end, I have to finally stand against Petigo and force him away from our island once and for all."
"Is that what happened?" Taya asked, pulling Makyo's attention as she indicated to the various scratched on his body. "Did you try to fight him?"
"Uh…no, not exactly," Makyo explained. His head dropped, eyesight veering to the floor out of shame as he recalled the event. "Petigo and his men took me by surprise in the forest here, not long after you all left to have Tomas treated. I think he said the sounds of fighting are what drew him to our location. Unprepared and certainly taken off guard, I tried to run away from the monster, but he and his crew moved faster than me. My attempt at a fight was pitiful to say the least and I was dragged off, captured once again."
He paused, eyes glazing over for a moment as he envisioned himself trapped by Petigo and his men. "They took me back to their ship. It was just like it was a year ago. The horror I felt couldn't be measured. They kept telling me about the new people I'd work for, how they'd sell me off for millions and millions of beli. And that I'd never see my friends again." Tears actually began to pool in Makyo's eyes as he talked. "They even struck me around, stabbed at me with their weapons, did anything they could think of to make themselves laugh at my expense."
There was another pause by Makyo, but this time not out of his own horrid memory. The fishman stopped to look up at Ralli, who was growling hungrily out anger at the mere thought of what they'd done to Makyo. "Ralli, I…"
"Just keep talking," Ralli interrupted, his voice dark and grizzly.
Makyo gulped back his words and after a deep breath, returned to the story. "By the look of the gods, the latch to my cell hadn't been completely secured, so the first second that they turned away from me, I broke free and ran with everything that I had. Still, it wasn't easy. They moved fast to catch up to me, and Petigo…he's different. He has powers now that he's never had before. He kept throwing deadly projectiles at me as I ran. I believe his attacks are what put the majority of the cuts and scratches on my body. But, I didn't let the pain stop me. I was able to make it back to this side of the island and duck into the forests. The last thing I remember as I ran was seeing this…odd blur of movement. It was almost like watching a running ghost move past me and then I was struck in the back of the head."
"Maybe my mind was playing tricks on me and it finally gave out from exhaustion or what. The important thing is that I fell in the perfect spot to be overlooked by Petigo's crew, and that's what really matters. And I knew, it that brief moment just before I fell into unconsciousness that if I was ever going to be rid of Petigo for good, that I'd have to stand up to him and make him runaway in fear of my power."
Atori scoffed. "Not to be a stick in the mud, but what power, Makyo? You don't seem like you can hurt a fly on your own accord."
That made Makyo arm a dangerous smile, his razor sharp teeth shining in the fading light. "I've been told that fishmen are quite strong, and there has been a few times that I've trained with Tomas and actually overpowered him. So, I figure as long as I put my mind to it, I can probably beat Petigo. Or at least run him off."
"So, you're really prepared to stand up and fight this poacher off, huh Makyo?" Taya mused with a prideful smile that only grew when the fishman happily nodded his head in return.
Ralli offered a bright laugh with the fishman's confidence. "Well, don't worry Makyo cause we'll be right there to back you up! Right, guys?"
"Hell yeah!" Taya announced.
"I'd love to knock a few poachers' heads off," Atori confirmed.
"It'd be my honor to help you stand against those monsters, sakana-san," Mary replied.
"I wouldn't be able to look at myself in the mirror if I didn't help you," Ches agreed.
"Then it's settled!" Ralli declared. "The Battle Bar pirates will help you take down that Petigo bastard and his stupid crew!"
"Like hell you are, boy."
All attention whipped to the doorframe of the small cabin, and all eyes grew shocked to find an absolutely livid Tomas standing just outside of the opening, his massive frame too large to completely be seen. Makyo visibly shrinked back under Tomas's authoritative glare and Jepp was quick to hop to his feet. Standing just behind the angry lumberjack was Chico and Nana, both of which had their heads down in a sign of silent regret at alerting Tomas.
"You damned rotten pirates will do no such thing," Tomas bellowed as he forced himself through the doorway. "Because YOU won't be fighting!" He aimed a meaty finger right at Makyo, who now seemed alarmed. The fishman readied himself to speak, but Tomas was quicker. "You're only hope of surviving this year's attack is to do as you always do, go into hiding, Makyo! I won't have you out there in the way when that freak, Petigo, comes stomping up to the village!"
"But Tomas! I can help!"
"I don't want your help! Nor do I need it!" Tomas fired back, his anger making whatever other arguments die out in Makyo's throat. "And as for you!" The lumberjack turned to Ralli and suddenly swung around a huge backhand for red eye. "You'll stay far away from my SON!"
Easily enough, Ralli was able to block the powerful attack with his forearm, but the sheer power did make the floorboards at his feet crackle and tear as he was pushed across it. With a grunt, Ralli forced Tomas's hand away and yelled, "Makyo's not your son, so let him do whatever he feels, dammit!"
The words seemed to strike Tomas deep, making the large man flinch back before he recover and snarled at the boy. "You just get the hell off this island, you miserable excuse for a pirate! Makyo is my concern, NOT yours!"
"We'd love to, champ, but it appears our ship has a hole in it. Wonder whose fault that was?" Atori snapped with a dangerous leer at the lumberjack.
Tomas just smiled. "Not my problem," he replied and turned away to leave. "Makyo! Kids! C'mon here! We're leaving!"
"But what are we going to do about Makyo!" Chico interjected as Tomas stepped through the wrecked doorway.
"He'll come with me back to the village. I'll just have to sneak him into my house and keep him there until after everything's calmed down," Tomas answered. "Now no more questions! It's my job to keep you all safe and the sun is setting. No need in being caught out here in the dark." Tomas didn't wait for another reply. He simply walked on, allowing his demanding tone to spark them into following, and follow they did.
"I'm sorry," Makyo breathed out, a defeated look on his face as he ran out to catch up with Tomas and the kids.
The crew remained stagnant in the small cabin a moment longer, still a bit surprised by what had just taken place. It was obvious to anyone that Tomas had everyone's best interest at heart, but his erratic anger was beginning to tire out the pirates.
"That lumberjack sure is a peach, isn't he?" Atori grouched.
"Not to say that I'm willing to give up on helping the village, but I feel that I must remind everyone that we have yet to address our issue," Ches mused aloud to his companions. "We won't be going anywhere anytime soon with that gaping hole in Joyous Jenny and we've yet to scope out Gregor's West for resources. Maybe we should head over there in the meantime."
"Yeah, I agree with Ches on that one," Taya announced.
"What about the village, though?" Ralli pleaded with concern written all over his face. "What about Makyo?"
"I should be able to take care of that, sencho-san," Mary piped up with a graceful smile. "I am constantly in conversation with the environment around us. I am more than sure that I could receive notice of an attack on the village if I apply my powers."
"D-does that mean you knew a bulldozing, angry lumberjack was storming towards us?" Atori nervously questioned as he eyed over the ever-casual-looking woman.
"I knew one large figure and two smaller ones were approaching, and could only assume it was Mr. Red and the kids. So, I suppose I did, heiken-san," she happily replied.
Ralli clapped his hands together in agreement. "Well then, in that case, let's head out! The quicker we check out Gregor's West, the quicker we can be back to make sure everything is alright at the village! Let's go!"
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
"Um…Tomas?" Chico started, sounding very anxious as he walked behind the lumberjack. But his eyes were focused on Makyo, and the rather…conspicuous sheet thrown over his body. "There's no way this is going to work."
"What are ya talking about, boy?" Tomas called out with an actual toothy smile. "Makyo's real incognitos!"
Nana and Jepp just deadpanned. "You're joking, right?" they both said, making Tomas burst with a roaring laughter. "His feet are still showing!"
Sure enough, despite the ever-growing darkness around them, Makyo's shiny, scaly ankles and feet could plainly be seen as the blanket fluttered around him. The group found themselves just on the outskirts of the village, every step bringing them closer and closer to their home. And the overwhelming silence of Makyo only showed how nervous he was about returning to the village after so long.
Tomas offered a booming round of laughter for another moment before shushing the children's concern with a wave of his hand. "Calm down, calm down," he said when his laughing died out. "A lot of people took up refuge in Gregor's West after the commotion earlier and many others have barricaded themselves in their houses. I highly doubt anyone will be wandering around to see Makyo, and if there are people outside, I'm sure the last thing that they'll be looking for is his feet."
A stark silence followed after Tomas's attempt at calming the kids and after a few seconds of the suffocating lack of noise, the lumberjack was able to determine its cause. He sighed audibly and then continued to say, "Look, kids, I know…"
"Why'd you have to do that to Ralli earlier, Tomas?" Jepp suddenly demanded of the large man, making Tomas stop walking. "Why did you make everyone so scared of him?! I heard someone almost shot Ralli! Why would you do that?"
"Tomas, they're really nice! They're nothing like the rest of the pirates that we've seen!" Nana added.
"Why are you so mean to them Tomas!" Chico yelled as well.
"You kids will never understand," Tomas said after a long pause. His head bowed in a bit of sadness before he turned to them. "There's no such thing as a good pirate…not in this generation at least. They may seem all nice and friendly now, but they'll show their true colors soon enough. If I remember correctly, you all seemed quite fond of Petigo when he first arrived here, too. Aren't I right?"
Just the mention of the poacher's name made the kids' anger flash away and the notion of them once being friends with the man only left them feeling as if someone had punched them in the heart. The kids dropped their heads in shame and Nana even sniffled a bit as they stood there under Tomas's chastising gaze.
"I make it my job to take care of all of you," Tomas continued. "I only want to see everyone happy, and if forcing you away from a group of deceitful pirates will do so, then so be it. You don't have to like my decision, but you will obey it. None of you are to ever go near those pirates again." He paused to eye over the group, waiting for them to agree. When no one spoke up, he raised his voice. "Do I make myself clear!"
"Y-yes, sir," the kids whimpered out.
"Good, now let's get on to the…"
"No!"
Makyo's demanding voice stopped Tomas dead in his tracks and the kids were quick to try and shush the fishman, but obviously he'd had enough. Makyo took two steps forward and slung the dark sheet off of his body before saying, "You're wrong, Tomas. Ralli is nothing like Petigo! His friends are nothing like those monsters! We can trust them and I won't let you talk about them as if they're trash because they're not!"
A grumble of annoyance rolled in Tomas's throat, but was suppressed as he turned around to face the fishman. "Look now, Makyo. I know you've been through a lot today, and I know that red eye seems like a really good guy from your innocent and inexperienced point of view, but take it from a man whose seen the world, been in the presence of honorable men, and who has fought the lowest of the low. I know what I'm saying here! You don't!" Tomas took a step toward the fishman with a demanding finger pointed right at him. "Now what you're going to do is put that sheet back over your body, shut that trap of yours, and get moving! Now, Makyo!"
Tomas's flare of anger made Makyo flinch back ever so slightly, but he remained strong despite ever cell of his body telling him to be obedient. "I said NO!" he fired back with enough anger to make Tomas look like someone had struck him. "I'm tired of being treated like a child! Like I can't do anything for myself, Tomas! I'm a man! I can do and say whatever I feel like! So, stop treating me like you own me! Like…like I'm your son because I'm not! And when this is all over, I'm sailing away with Ralli's crew to be a pirate and finally have fun again!"
Before Makyo could've possibly expected it, Tomas's struck out with a massive fist to the fishman's face that knocked him flat on his butt.
"Makyo!" Chico, Nana, and Jepp cried!
"Dammit, Makyo!" Tomas grumbled, holding his fist up angrily as he looked about ready to blow a fuse. "Why would you speak such nonsense!"
"Because it's true!" Makyo demanded, holding his face in obvious pain as he attempted to sit up and glare back at Tomas. "I'm going to be a pirate in Ralli's crew!"
"No, Makyo! Stop talking like that!" Nana warned, but the fishman was already in Tomas's angry clutches and was being lifted into the air.
Tomas growled like an angry bear as he locked eyes with Makyo, with amazing strength able to lift the fishman with one hand. "Over my dead body, Makyo!" he yelled. "I haven't taken care of you for the past fifteen years just to have you throw your life away on some idiotic whim! You leave with those pirates, Makyo, and you'll never come back! You'll never come back to me!"
And it was when Makyo saw a single tear begin to form in the lumberjack's eye that the fishman finally began to grasp why Tomas hovered over him like his protector. He remembered the day that they'd met, that sweltering hot day out on the sea with Makyo on the verge of dying from starvation and out of nowhere Tomas appeared, all by himself to rescue the fishman and bring him back to Gregor's East. He remembered moving into to Tomas's small little home, just him and the lumberjack. He remembered all those times that they worked together, building and repairing whatever they may, just the two of them. Tomas was never with anyone else. In fact, the kids would hardly know the man's name had it not been for their closeness to Makyo. Fact of the matter is, since the very day they met, Tomas would be all alone if it hadn't been for Makyo.
"…Tomas, I…" Makyo stumbled out, completely taken aback as the realization finally dawned on him.
"Oi! Oi! Oi! Don't damage the merch, lumberjack! HEH pepepepe!"
That voice made the whole group go still and the obnoxious laugh was all they needed to spin around and look up the path to the village with a feeling of dread weighing down on all of them. And sure enough, standing a ways away hands shoved in the dark attire as he leered down at the group, his men right behind him, stood Petigo with a truly evil smile stretched across the face.
"Petigo," Tomas hissed out angrily, allowing Makyo to drop back to his feet as Tomas turned fully to address the menace. He yanked his large hammer out from its latch on his belt and prepared for whatever the poacher had planned. "You really have returned, you bastard!"
"Heh pepe! Of course, I'm back! You know what time of the year it is, lumberjack!" the man announced and then kneeled down to scoop up a palm filled with dirt. "But, I've learned from the mistakes of our past, Tomas. And have decided to approach this year's attack with a bit more…of a tactical method." A rumbling of laughter bubbled in the man's throat as he watched the look of confusion dawn on Tomas. He ever so casually toyed with the dirt in his hand before suddenly flinging it right at the lumberjack. "And I've come with new tricks! Spike-Spike Projectile!"
Tomas watched the incoming ball of dirt in pure confusion before it suddenly morphed into the form of a deadly dirt spike, and it was far too late for Tomas to even consider dodging. The spike speared right into the man's shoulder, a gasp of pain rolling from lumberjack's maw as it impacted. Shrieks of fear rose from the children and Makyo's alarm was heard as well as Tomas took two shocked steps back and stared at the hardened projectile sticking out of his shoulder.
"Devil's fruit powers!" Tomas hissed and reached up to yank the weapon out and tossed it aside, another grunt of pain hissing out as he did so. "Damn sure wasn't expecting that!" he said and breathed in a deep sigh before looking back at Petigo, who was now holding two palms of dirt.
"Heh pepe! Like it, lumberjack?" the man crooned with a delightfully demonic smile. "It's the spike-spike fruit and it allows me to turn virtually anything I touch into a spike that I can then use to my freewill. And with its new power, I've decided to give myself the new epithet 'Death Punk,' considering not too many people will be surviving with a spike through their heart." Another cackling laugh rolled from Petigo as he watched the look of utter disdain settle on Tomas's face. "Plus, I've got a buyer lined up on the Grand Line who's willing to shell out big bucks for the fishman and I figure I should make myself a bit more lethal for that deadly sea. Now then, Spike-Spike Projectile!" The two dirt balls were slung out for Tomas, instantly morphing into deadly spikes as they rushed the lumberjack.
Tomas's concern was nonexistent though as he swatted at the incoming weapons and destroyed them with ease using his massive hammer. "You'll have to do better than dirt spikes to keep me down, Petigo!" he growled out. "New powers or no new powers, you're still the same punk that I've been defeating for the past five years! And that won't end now!" Tomas pulled the weapon into the air, ready to slam it into the ground and create another shockwave attack.
However, before the weapon could strike, an metal link chain suddenly struck out from out of nowhere to coil around Tomas's hammer and yank it from the lumberjack's hand mid-swing. His eyes widened in utter shock upon the loss of his weapon and when he followed it's departure route, he caught sight of Kanna standing to the side and his hammer dropped nearby.
"Yeah, Tomas, I figured you'd still be a hard shell to crack, so I enlisted a little help," Petigo announced behind another cackle. "I think you've met bounty hunter, Kanna."
"Indeed we have," Kanna spoke up before Tomas could say anything. "And I never would've guessed that you were a liar, lumberjack." The bounty hunter reached behind himself and yanked out the poster from earlier before unfolding it for all to see. "I asked did anyone on that beach have a bounty on their head, and you said nothing, you lying pirate!"
And plain as the shock written on Tomas's face, was indeed an old photo of Tomas on the wanted poster with his signature hammer up in mid-swing. "Lumberjack Tomas," the sign read and beneath the picture was his bounty of ten million beli.
"Tomas, is this really true?" Makyo hissed out in horror and utter shock.
But Tomas didn't speak, his own surprise stealing away his words as he simply looked at the poster. Kanna spoke though, "Oh yes it is! And I'm here to collect, lumberjack! You've evaded your fate long enough!" Kanna's chain-linked cannonball suddenly spun out to his side where he allowed it to swing lazily in preparation of the battle.
"HEH PEPEPE! This is my year for victory!" Petigo decreed from his position on the path, two dirt spikes already formed in his hands as he began stalking towards the group. "It's time you come with me, Fishman!"
Tomas backed against Makyo, holding out his arms to block any attacks that would come for the fishman or children. His frantic eyes darted back and forth between the incoming Petigo and the dangerous Kanna that simply watched him like a hungry lion ready to pounce.
"You're caught, so just give yourself up," Kanna announced with a triumphant grin. "Or, you no what, don't. It doesn't make me any difference! I'm here to collect, lumberjack!" Kanna then rushed Tomas with a madman's laugh. "I'm here for your head, pirate!"
