A Happier Time
Victor and his crew were sent flying in all directions from Dex's strength. The captain cratered one of the factory walls with his body before falling to his knees, cuts criss-crossing his body as blood ran down his frame.
"He's fast. How can a guy that big move like that?" Stated Kain.
Dex seemed rather arrogant as he chuckled evilly; His back rumbling lowly as his blades shined from the ambient light around him. "Well I am a little impressed. You lot are tougher than I expected, but from the looks of it, you don't have much longer to live. So I guess I'll end it now."
Victor got to his feet, not reacting to the pain that racked his body. "Well then, I would like to see if you can." He said as his fingers cracked as he clenched them into a fist.
"Then you'll be the 1st to die." Dex's back roared as he charged at blinding speed.
Victor leaped into the air as the armored man swung where he was, cutting up the ground.
"Gotcha!" Victor fired his Vacuum Cannon, destroying the area beneath him in an eruption of earth.
"Not bad, you almost had me there." Dex said, having avoided the attack as he stood next to the dust cloud.
Victor could only smile. "You are a fast one, I'll give you that."
"Guess this is the end of the road for you as you have nowhere to go but down." Dex said, waiting for the man as he fell right towards him.
"Maybe not?" Victor grinned.
"Huh?" Dex suddenly realized that something was on his legs as he looked down.
"Forget about us?" Kain said, having a whole bunch of clothes clutching onto his legs like ticks.
"You little vermin!" Dex growled, having some trouble moving his legs.
"You should really pay attention to your surroundings!"
Dex looked up as Jesse was right in his face.
"Armor Piercing Shot!" The kick collided with Dex, arching him backwards, sending his gaze upwards to see Cassidy pulling back her spear from above, which seemed to glow a soft white.
"I'll send this right through your skull, Lunar Strike!" She shouted as she threw the spear with all of her might.
Dex growled.
"3000 RPMs!" The pistons resonated even faster and louder than before as he spun with blinding speed and cast everyone aside with great force, scattering them like flies.
Dex's crew roared with excitement, seeing their Captain's victory assured.
Dex himself seemed rather pleased, standing before the wounded warriors. "Not bad, that last attack might have had me. I even had to use more power than I wanted to assure that my armor wasn't scratched. Do you even know how many hours it takes to polish after every fight?"
Cassidy seemed to be the most surprised as she stared at her spear, which lay in fragments. "How can he be so powerful? I even used Haki in that attack."
Suddenly the ground around them shook, causing confusion and fear among the group.
"What's going on?" Dex demanded?
"The ship is moving! Darkman-sama is leaving the island!" A pirate shouted.
"So, Max is making his move. Well it's about time." He sighed a little. "Guess I'll have to end this."
Gunfire and cries of battle filled the air amongst the crew.
"What now!" He shouted.
Members of the Resistance burst from the group of pirates, with Herc in the lead as he smashed his way through with TenTen in hand.
"Hey! I figured you guys could use some help!" He shouted merrily, casually knocking a few pirates out with his free hand.
Victor simply smiled as he shrugged. "Sure, why not?"
"Yosh!" Herc charged straight towards Dex, bringing his weapon down with all of his might, forcing the giant to block. The sheer might of the swing bringing the giant to a knee.
"Damn you, Herc!" He swore.
"It's been a while, eh Dex?" Herc chuckled.
"So you want me to beat you like last time?"
"I'd call it more of a draw if you ask me."
"Grrrr!"
The two were in an incredible bout of strength as the Sparrow Corp. gathered behind him.
"Listen, we can't stay long as our goal was to destroy Darkman's project, which is being taken care of by another group. We set up charges in all of his factories so this place is about to go up in a blaze of glory. Go, I'll hold him off as long as I can."
"Got it. Lets move, guys." Victor ordered.
Herc was relieved as he returned his attention to his foe. That was, until he felt a hand on his arm.
"That means you too."
"Huh…ahhh!" Was all the poor man got before Victor threw his large frame, beam and all, towards the exit, sending him screaming all the way.
Dex simply hmphed. "So you decided to stay and fight. Not the wisest decision, but I'll give you points for bravery. He said, looking down on the Fishman.
"Thank you for the compliment, but as much as I'd like to finish this fight, it'll have to be postponed for now." The Captain explained.
"Oh, and you think that I'll simply let you get away?" Dex chortled.
"No, but you won't be able to chase us either?" Victor raised his arm before he slammed his fist into the ground. "Seismic Hammer!"
"What the!?" The ground around Dex became unstable as he fell into a pit with a cry.
It took the giant a second to understand what happened as he looked up to see Victor smiling from above.
"It was fun! We should do this again real soon!" He shouted before he ran off.
"Damn you! Get back here!" Dex shouted as sliced up the entire wall as it crumbled into a makeshift ramp.
As he made his way up and angrily searched the battlefield, only to find no sign of life aside from his own crew, which were heavily wounded.
"God damn it!" He shouted before explosions erupted all over the island.
XXXXX
Deep underground, the Resistance made their way through dark corridors, illuminated only by dim patches of light spaced along the walls.
The group was silent as they moved swiftly, knowing their destination through the maze passages.
The Sparrow Corp. simply followed them as they were the only ones who knew where they were going.
This trek lasted a short while before the lights started to grow brighter and the tunnel widened and the group walked into what looked like a small war room.
A war room was the only way to describe it. Maps of the island littered a round table that was the centerpiece of the room. Surrounding it was a very sizable arsenal of weapons from pistols and rifles to cannons and bazookas. But compared to Darkman's firepower, it might as well have been a bunch of cap guns.
Upon entering, the Resistance members put their weapons away and disbursed as Herc walked in.
"Well, we made it without losing anyone. That's a good day in my book." Herc said as he leaned TenTen against the wall and sat in a large chair designed for him. "Well aside from getting thrown, that is." He stated, eyeing Victor curiously.
"Sorry, but I wouldn't feel right just leaving you." Victor answered as he took a seat and propped his feet on the table as he pulled out his piece of straw and chewed on it with a neutral grin on his face.
Herc's expression was only slightly annoyed, considering that he owed Dex some Payback. "Well anyways, the others should be returning shortly. They had the task of attacking Darkman's fortress and destroying his project. I hope they're luck held out."
"Unfortunately…" Everyone turned towards the sound as Duren stepped from the dark tunnel, falling to his knees against the wall. "It didn't."
"Duren!" Herc shouted as he ran towards the collapsing man, helping him to a seat.
"What happened?" He inquired as the others displayed their concern.
Duren groaned a brief moment as he clasped a bleeding shoulder as Herc called for a medic.
"It was a trap. That bastard Darkman leaked that information in order to lure us so that he could capture Veronica. The entire team was wiped out. I would have been as well if she hadn't given herself to him. She offered her freedom in order to keep the rest of us safe." He explained.
"Damn." Herc growled in anger.
Victor slammed his fist down in anger, his normal demeanor cast by a dark shadow as he gave off a terrifying presence.
"Where is he?" He demanded, standing up.
"What do you intend to do?" Duren asked.
As he said this, he saw that the light in Victor's eyes gave off an eerie glow as he watched the redhead's irises compress tightly into dark slits. Duren could only assume that he was seeing things due to blood loss.
"Break him." Victor answered as he was about to leave.
"Wait, he's already gone." Duren explained.
"What?" Victor said sternly.
"Exactly what I mean. His project was in fact a ship on a colossal scale. As I left, it was already heading out to sea. Without a ship, you won't be able to catch him."
"Don't worry. I don't need a ship." Victor said as he made his way towards the tunnel.
Jesse stepped in front of him, barring his path.
"Out of my way, Jesse. You don't want to be a part of this."
"As the Vice-Captain, I am already a part of it." Jesse placed a hand on Victor's shoulder.
"But Victor, now's not the time for a rampage. As strong as you are, you are still injured and your arm needs more time to heal. I understand your feelings, but we'll need to come up with a strategy first. Now take a breath and calm down." Jesse suggested, although a bit forcefully.
After a tense moment between the two, Jesse's level-headedness won out with Victor returning to his chair, chewing on his straw fiercely.
"Fine, so what's the plan?"
The others breathed a small sigh of relief as the atmosphere relaxed.
Duren took a brief moment to think before he came up with an answer. "I think the best way for us to take down Darkman is to understand him and his past. You see, he wasn't always like this…"
XXXXX
(22 years ago, aka the Dawn of the Great Pirate Age)
"Hey! It looks like the storm brought in a good haul." Shouted a young man in his mid teens. He had dark cropped hair that was disheveled like he just got out of bed. But aside from that, it appeared to be his only flaw as he was rather handsome and physically pronounced with his broad shoulders and tall, cut features. He wore a simple white t-shirt that was dirty and grimy from hours of endless work. In addition to this he wore a pair of tan mechanic's coveralls that he tied its arms around his waist to keep them up.
This man went by the name, Ruben. And despite his youth, he was one of the best mechanics on the island.
"Really? That's great! We could use some more supplies." Said a taller, but thinner man with large round glasses and tall wild bleached hair. This was Maximillan. Of course, he was a lot different at this time.
The two overlooked a new pile of demolished ships that the storm had brought in. To normal people, it would be nothing but garbage, but to them, it was like a mountain of riches, just waiting to be claimed.
"Now, now boys. You know the drill. Check for survivors first." Said a younger and beardless Herald. Aside from that, he didn't look any different as he was still a hulk of a man with his beloved TenTen in hand.
"Yes sir!" The two shouted as they hopped from their perch and began to excavate.
They sorted through the wreckage, lifting boards and scraps to find whole pieces. As they did, there appeared to be no signs of life. As usual, the weekly storms normally killed any who came to this island.
"Whoa! A Marine Galleon!" Max shouted as he stood before a massive wall of wood.
Yes, even the powerful Marines would lose their lives on occasion, which is why those with accurate maps would avoid this place. Mostly, they would encounter pirate ships as they relied on Log Poses in order to navigate the Grand Line.
Max was quick to scale its side, reaching its broken deck to investigate. His eyes wandered its wooden surface for specific items.
"Hey Max! Find anything!" Ruben called from below as he rummaged through some debris.
Max's face became cross as he leaned over the ledge. "Hey! I told you not to call me that! You know I hate that!"
This outburst only got Ruben to chuckle. "Sorry." He said as he started to make his way up the ship.
Darkman grumbled as he continued his scavenge the Marine vessel, moving planks of wood to get better access to other parts of the ship.
As he searched, a lone cannon started to slip from its rope bracing. Either from Darkman's footsteps causing vibrations or the rope was losing its strength, one may never know.
Suddenly, the rope snapped, causing the 500 pound metal tube to careen towards the boy.
Max turned and could only stare wide-eyed as he let out a scream of fear as it bore down on him.
"Save me!" He screamed.
"Max!" The boy turned to see Ruben running up to grab him. Unfortunately, it was too late as they looked in horror as the cannon plunged for them at high speeds as they closed their eyes and waited for the inevitable.
The sound of metal crashing as dust and wood flew from the deck of the ship.
After realizing that they weren't dead, they opened their eyes to see a massive form standing before them like a great statue.
"You kids need to be a bit more careful, eh." Said Herc with a smile, bracing himself against the massive weapon with relative ease. "You never know when something like this will happen."
"Yes sir." Was all they could say in awe at the man.
"Good, and nice job finding a cannon. We can use this against any pirates that try to attack us." Herc said, loading it onto his shoulder as if it were nothing. "I'll let the town know that the scouting was a success. Keep up the good work." He said as he jumped off the ship and proceeded to make his way across the ship graveyard.
"That was awesome." Ruben said excitedly, watching the giant man disappear in the distance.
"Yeah…" Max answered, his voice slightly vacant from the experience.
"Hey, Maxmillian. It's ok. We're alive." Ruben stated.
"But… you jumped in to protect me, without any disregard for your own life. Why?" The pale-haired boy asked.
"I don't know. Reflex I guess." But this explanation didn't seem to quell the boy's feelings. "Hey, I know if I was in that situation, you would have done the same thing. Because we're friends, right?"
"Right." Max replied, getting a slight smile back.
"Good, now lets find some more cool stuff."
XXXXX
Hours later, the town had hauled in a large amount of supplies. This varied from foods, medicines, tools, weapons, even wood they received from scraping broken ships.
Ruben and Max were treated like heroes by everyone. Together, they could build anything from the parts of fallen ships. Like Rembrandt and Van Gogh with hammers.
"Hey, Ruben, Max! Could you help out for a sec!" Shouted one of the men as a group was bringing parts of a scrapped ship.
"Sure, wanna come?" Ruben asked his friend.
"Uh, maybe next time. For sure." Max replied.
"Ok, take a break. We'll handle this." Ruben smiled as he ran off, leaving Max behind.
"Thanks." Max said, heading back to his place.
He reached the outskirts of the village and stood before a small, yet heavily fortified tugboat. He walked up the ramp to its small deck, routinely checking on his numerous cannons for rust, wet powder, ammunition. As he was always prepared for the worst, he had to be vigilant for any outside attack.
Even though both he and Ruben were excellent craftsmen, even among the adults. However, their building skills were worlds apart. Whilst Ruben's strengths veered towards practical applications like reusable resources and intricate new innovations, Max always had a knack for weapons technologies. He practically created the corridors of traps that protect their town from invading pirates.
After his inspection was complete, he walked inside, climbing into the Captain's Quarters. One could say that he was either a very good artist or architect. Every inch of his walls were covered with designs of many different kinds of machinations that varied from suits and weapons of all sizes.
But one stood out from all of the others. A diagram of a ship of an enormous scale that covered one entire wall of his room.
It was his dream to build to most powerful ship the world had ever seen. One that could rid the world of evil.
"Now if I could only come up with a name… A name." He adjusted his glasses a bit as his mind imagined the possibilities.
Of all the things he has imagined and created. Who would have thought that a name would be the hardest thing to come up with for his masterpiece.
"Of course, the amount of raw materials would be far greater than what is available at the moment. But one day, I will save the world." He said with a smile.
XXXXX
"Alright! A little to the left!" Shouted Ruben as three men on a pulley were lifting a huge piece of a ship's wall for a new building.
"Almost there! Almost… THERE!"
The men let go with a grunt as the piece fell with a crash. In a flash, several others hopped up and hammered it in place, completing the building.
"Good job. That takes care of the school." Ruben said, scratching it off of his list. "Ok, that covers most of the morning's work. Lets take a break and we'll handle the rest in the afternoon." He told the men.
"No problem, Ruben." The men answered as they waved as he left to continue his work.
"That kid has a good head on his shoulders. Not even old enough for liquor, but takes care this town better than any of us ever could." One of them stated.
"Yeah, he's just like his father was. When he's older, it would be good for him to be the next mayor of the town." Another stated.
"Well he does all of the jobs anyway." Said another.
This got the men laughing as they wandered off, leaving the boy alone as he continued his rounds.
Ruben was indeed a busy guy. Along with ensuring the security of the town, he had to manage repairs after every storm that hit the island. As this was a common occurrence, he had to do it a lot. But he didn't mind. Taking care of his people was what he did best.
Of course, he had his best friend to help him with that.
"Hey Max! You in there!" He shouted at the tugboat.
Not getting a response, he climbed aboard and walked on the deck, reaching the cabin door.
"Hello. Anybody home?" He knocked on the door.
"Hang on a second." Came a voice as the sounds of feet sliding across the floor.
"What is it?" Darkman asked, looking rather annoyed.
"Hey, glad to see that you're awake. You aren't much of a morning person are you?" Ruben chuckled.
"No, and you know that." Darkman griped as he cleaned his glasses with his shirt.
"Come on. The early worm and all that, you know. We have to stay vigilant against these storms and pirate attacks. Otherwise, we won't have a town to live in." Ruben laughed.
"Yeah yeah. I know. So what's the agenda?" Max asked, shutting the door behind him.
"Well, most of the repairs have been taken care of this morning. Just a routine check of the traps would finish off the day. What do you say?"
This got a smile on Max's face.
"Sure. Lets go."
XXXXX
The two trekked through the maze of wrecked ships, albeit carefully. Even they needed to be careful as these traps were sensitive and extremely dangerous, which had to be marked for the townspeople to avoid to prevent any accidents. But in order to ensure their security, they had to regularly check them for any faults.
Max grabbed a small block of wood and tossed it at a patch of earth. A large metal platform attached to a large spring launched the piece into the air, sending it far into the distance.
"That's a new one. A bit simple for you, don't you think?" Ruben stated as he took some notes.
"Well simple traps are easier to maintain. Plus, it'll sure take care of any intruders." Max explained as he forced the platform down.
"I'll say." Ruben peered across the sky where the piece vanished. "So on to the next one?"
"You got it."
XXXXX
The next few days continued as the group prepared for the incoming storm. The town was buzzing wildly as people brought in anything that wasn't nailed down into their homes. Buildings were reinforced with extra wood to keep them strong. But they have done this many times before so they were quick and efficient about their duties and were ready long before the storm would reach them.
Ruben and Max stood atop one of the highest mounds on the island. Ruben was looking through a telescope in the direction of a massive wall of black clouds heading their way.
"How's the town?" He asked, lowering his spyglass as Herald was climbing from behind them.
"Everything is ready, Ruben. We're ready for whatever Mother Nature can throw at us." The big man laughed.
"Good." He said as a massive gust hit them. "Cause I think this storm will be one of the worst ones that we've had in a while. Make sure that provisions are adequate enough for everyone." He ordered.
"You got it." Said Herald. "Just don't let all this go to your head." He laughed as he slapped Ruben on the back lightly, but considering his power, he nearly knocked the young man off the hill. Even Darkman fought against his laughter as he watched his friend fight for balance.
"And before you ask, I already deactivated the traps to prevent the storm from setting them off accidentally." Max explained.
"Never crossed my mind." Ruben stated, although he secretly scratched it off his notebook, which Max noticed.
"A little OCD aren't we? And you think it's weird that I collect weapons."
"To each their own." Ruben replied.
"You're such a hypocrite you know that."
"Oh yeah?" Ruben literally got in Max's face.
"Yeah." Max pushed back as the two growled in their strange contest.
Suddenly, the two began to laugh as they broke off.
"I couldn't ask for a better friend, Max."
"Me neither. And stop calling me Max."
"Like that'll ever happen."
Lightning crackled in the distance as thunder rumbled loudly shortly after.
"10 seconds. That means that it's less than 2 miles from the island. At its current rate, it'll hit us in less than 15 minutes. We'd better hurry to shelter before we get caught in it." Max said.
"Sure." Ruben said. As he looked once more, he noticed something in the water. He brought his telescope up to get a better look.
His eyes widened as he noticed a small vessel heading right for the island.
"Crap, we've got people on the way." Ruben compacted the telescope.
"What?" Max said, looking towards the sea.
"Come on. We have to hurry!" Ruben shouted as he jumped down as fast as he could.
"Ruben wait!" Max shouted after him, but he couldn't abandon his friend as he jumped down after him.
Ruben hit the ground and broke into a run as Max came right behind him.
"What do you think you're doing? The storm will hit any minute! It's not like this is the first time this has happened anyway!" Darkman exclaimed.
"Sorry, but I can't just let them die!"
"You always have to be the hero, don't you? Well don't think that you'll have all of the fun without me."
"I wouldn't have it any other way." Ruben said with a smile.
XXXXX
The two reached the beach where they ship had reached, but the storm was already on top of them as rain was a torrential downpour. Visibility was difficult, but they pressed on. The occasional bolt of lightning illuminated the area enough for them to navigate their way to the ship.
They reached its hull and quickly climbed aboard.
A large bolt tore across the sky, revealing to them that the ship was in bad shape. But it wasn't from the crash. This was from a pirate attack.
"Hurry! Check for survivors!" Ruben shouted as they searched the deck.
They opened door, after door, after door in a desperate attempt to find any life aboard the ship, but hope was falling fast. It looked like the ship's inhabitants either abandoned ship or did not survive.
After a long while of searching, the two finally stopped. Tired from their frantic searching, they took shelter inside the ship.
Both were dripping wet and exhausted. In their current situation, they might die from pneumonia… if the storm didn't first.
"I've looked everywhere and nothing. There's no one here." Darkman said, using a wall to brace himself and catch his breath.
Ruben leaned his back against the opposite wall and slid down. "Yeah, we can only assume the worst must have happened to these people. We'll rest a few minutes before we make our way back to the town."
"Ok. That sounds like a good idea." Max said as he also sat on the ground.
The two rested in silence, the only sounds were coming from the heavy rain and the whistling wind.
"It is a shame isn't it? I was kinda hoping there were some people here to rescue." Max stated.
"Yeah, but I feel bad for the people. Who knows what those pirates did to them." Ruben stood up and stretched. "Well, we can't stay here any longer. Lets get going." Ruben reached for the door and turned the knob.
His ears picked up a shuffle. It wasn't very loud, but it was definitely nearby.
"What is it?" Max asked as Ruben knelt to the ground and placed his ear on the floor. He waited patiently, quietly.
The sound came again.
"There's someone under the floor." He said as he and Max started to look around. Due to their experience with tearing apart ships, they were able to find a secret compartment hidden by a desk.
They opened it and Ruben went down first. The space was so small that he had to he had to crawl in order to fit. The only light was coming from the room above so it was hard to see until his eyes adjusted. Inside he could finally see, two younger kids. A boy and a girl.
"Stay back! Don't come near us!" The boy shouted, trying to be brave as he shielded his little sister.
Ruben could see the fear in their eyes, so he tried his best to not look scary to them as he approached them slowly.
"It's ok. I'm not here to hurt you." He said calmly.
"Stay back! I'm warning you!" He shouted, brandishing a pistol now to back up his order.
Ruben raised his hands to look non-threatening, but didn't stop his approach. "Listen, I know you're scared, but you have to listen to me. We are all currently in a storm. A storm that will destroy this ship and us along with it. We have to get to shelter if we are to survive." He explained.
"Liar! One more step and I'll shoot. I swear it!" He shouted, but his hands were shaking visibly.
"What's your name?" Ruben asked.
"It's Duren." The boy answered.
"Duren. It's almost like my own name. I'm Ruben." He looked passed the boy at the young red haired girl that was peeking over her brother's shoulder.
"Is that your sister?" Ruben was answered with a nod. "Do you love her?"
"Of course I do!" Duren replied.
"Well Duren. If you do, you want to make sure that she's safe, right? Well we can help." Ruben closed in to only a few feet, with Duren's pistol pressed against his chest.
"If you want to keep the gun, that's fine, but please..." Ruben extended his hand. "Trust me."
XXXXX
Most of the townspeople took shelter inside of the town hall, which was basically a combination of several Marine warships patched together. But despite the crazy weather outside, the atmosphere was rather relaxed and cordial. People were drinking and eating dinner while children were playing and running around. All in all, everybody seemed happy.
But the older residents still had concern on their faces.
"Where are Ruben and Max? It's been over an hour since the storm hit." Asked one of them.
"Ah, I'm sure they're fine. They're probably in one of the other buildings." Herald said, trying to assure them. Even though he had his doubts.
The small group still held onto hope for the safety of those two.
Something pounded on the door, alerting everyone towards the sound.
"Hurry, open it!" Someone shouted as several people rushed the door.
The door was latched securely so it took them a moment, but they finally did as it swung open to find Ruben shirtless and carrying something.
"Ruben!" Was all they could say as the boy stumbled inside, with Max behind with another bundle.
"Here." Was all he could say as he handed the bundle to Herald and fell to the floor.
Max did the same, breathing heavily as he fell to his knees.
"Quick, get them some blankets!" Everyone scattered, trying to accomplish the order as the boys were led to some chairs to rest.
"What happened out there?" Herald asked as he finally looked into the bundles.
Inside were two small children, both staring up at him with scared looks on their faces.
"Now where did these little guys come from?" He asked.
"Their ship… attacked… They were all… we found." Ruben heaved. He was completely soaked and shivering as he had used his own shirt to cover the boy.
The two were quickly given blankets to keep them warm
"Well you two sure are crazy. I'll tell you that." Herald said as he placed the children at another table.
"Yeah, I guess we are." Max replied, glancing at Ruben, who smiled and the both high-fived as Herc's massive form loomed over them.
"OW!" Both shouted as they covered their heads with several large lumps on them.
"Do that again and I'll throw into the next storm myself!" The massive man swore in anger before the cowering boys.
"Yes sir!" Both cried for fear of another blow from Herc's fist.
A small giggle came from the girl, which seemed to have lightened the mood a bit as she got off the table and walked up to them as she bowed deeply.
"Thank you for very much for saving us." She said sweetly as she smiled at them.
"My name is Veronica. It's nice to meet you."