Hi, all my faithful readers!* I apologize for not posting for a while. This is a very intense Chapter so if you're sensitive to gore scenes, please skip through the last bit. Thank you and please enjoy!*

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 38

A few minutes earlier…

Richard sat in the empty bar behind the counter while reading through his journal. He occasionally changed something with the pen he held but was quiet. No one came to the bar and it stayed void of any customers.

It was strange and he could feel a nagging feeling in the back of his mind. He had a feeling that it meant the Navy was still there and hoped that Liza could stop the two pirates' fighting before anything bad happened.

He didn't want another war to break out but he didn't want another fight to break out without him being there to help. He knew that Liza was very angry and that she could wipe anyone easily out. However, it would mean that she violated the contract.

He knew that she wanted to protect Aston and he agreed with her decision despite worrying about the consequences. He knew that Liza would go on the run again and he didn't want that to happen. He didn't want her to leave.

Their life was here where they lived in the bar. This was their home and it was better than any place he had when he was a shipwright. He was always forced to travel around with pirates and even marines but here he was stable.

He had a place to call home.

Someone walked to the front of the bar and Richard's eyes glanced up at the male. He was a marine. It didn't look like Curtis and Richard assumed that he was bringing a message for Liza. Too bad that she wasn't here to have him a mouthful.

"Welcome to 'Dine and Dash'" Richard spoke up as he watched with a bored expression as the marine walked in while looking around. His one hand was inside his blazer as if he was looking for something.

"With what can I help you?" Richard asked, his brows slowly furrowing when the man didn't reply. He kept looking around frantically as if in trouble. Richard closed his journal and stood up. This marine didn't look fine at all.

The marine stopped fidgeting and gave Richard a menacing smirk making Richard's eyes widen. The male pulled out a small pistol and before Richard could react, he was shot in his left shoulder making him cry out.

"Yes, you can die for me"

Richard fell behind the counter and sat against the wood as another assault of bullets was sent his way. Richard gritted his teeth while holding the wound and felt the blood on his hand. He had to get rid of the marine and quickly.

He glanced beneath the counter and grabbed the gun attached to the wood. He waited until he heard the marine pull an empty trigger and moved out from the counter, standing on his knees as he aimed for the male.

"Not today, scum!" Richard shot the marine square in the chest making the male stumble backwards. Blood started to run from his mouth as he coughed and then suddenly pulled out a round object.

"It's a present from the World Government. See you in hell" The male gave Richard a bloody grin before taking out the pin of the bomb. His body hit the ground and the bomb fell beside him, ticking frantically.

"Shit!" Richard could barely move but managed to stumble towards the bomb. He had to throw it out as fast as possible. He grabbed the bomb and shakily stood up, the last few ticks of the bomb in his grasp before he realized…there was nothing he could do.

"RICHARD! YOU HAVE TO GET OUT OF THERE! THEY'RE GOING TO BLOW UP THE BAR! RICHARD!"

Richard glanced out of the bar window and a sad smile came onto his lips as everything slowed down. He let the grenade fall from his grasp and held his bleeding shoulder. It was already too late to save him.

"Liza-chan…"

A large explosion erupted from the wooden building. She was thrown back by the force and crashed into the ground. She yelled out in pain when the flames licked her skin and looked at the damage through her blurry blue eyes. The building exploded with Richard in it.

Liza's ears had an irritating ringing in them that muffled all of the outside screams and cries. She could barely hear her own breathing. She coughed loudly and her body briefly shook from the force before she pushed herself onto her knees.

Richard… Liza gritted her teeth as she forced herself to stand up through the pain of the crash. Her vision blurred and her body reluctantly moved forward. She took shaky steps, her thoughts in a haze as she approached the burning wood of the bar.

"R-Richie!" She rasped out, her throat sore and dry. She stumbled a bit to the side before stepping onto the burning wood. She ignored the pain of the heat and continued to look for the male, her blue eyes quivering with panic.

"Richard! W-Where are you! Answer me!" She coughed a bit form the smoke that invaded her lungs before she looked around again. She couldn't find him. He had to be there. No, maybe he managed to escape beforehand. Maybe he went out to buy something when the bar exploded.

She heard a cough and her body suddenly went cold. She could feel dread wash through her veins and panic made her body shudder. She glanced to her side before her blue eyes widened in horror at Richard's burnt body.

"Richard! Richard! Can you hear me! Answer me!" Liza ran towards him and dropped onto her knees. She gently held him and he let out a fit of coughs. "Richard! Stay with me! Come on!" She yelled and watched as he slowly opened his eyes, relief briefly washing over him.

"L-Liza-c-chan?"

"I'm here! I'm right here, Richie. I'm not going anywhere until we get you some medical attention." Liza gently said as he looked over Richard's badly burnt body, his left side almost burnt to nothing and he had wood sticking out of his leg flesh.

"S-Sorry... T-They c-caught m-me off guard. S-sorry a-about the bar" Richard rasped before he coughed up blood to his side. Liza's hand shook as she felt her hands being covered in blood and despair washed over her.

Not again!

"I-It's nothing! W-We'll just build another one! This one will be much bigger and better. You'll see" Liza found that tears involuntarily formed in the corner of her eyes and panic washed over her. This couldn't be happening.

"Y-You c-can p-perform t-that song then t-too. I-I c-change-ed i-it again" He tried to laugh but almost ended up choking. He watched as Liza started to become quiet, tears starting to fall from her eyes and pain flashed in her eyes.

"I-I'll sing it with you! I promise!" Liza cursed as more tears fell and she felt her body shake. "I-I'm so so sorry, Richie. I should've known! I should've understood my vision earlier but I- I didn't! It's all my fault" She let her head fall onto his half bloodied chest and Richard gave her a weak smile.

"I-It's not y-your fault. N-Now you can b-be free again" Liza's head shot up and she looked at him in confusion. "T-The bar was the only t-thing that k-kept you here. N-Now you can s-sail once again. N-Nothing will hold you b-back now" He stated but Liza shook her head rapidly.

"I'm not going anywhere without you! Not you, not Aston, not any of those other pirate idiots! You're not leaving me behind, Richard! I won't have it, you hear me?! You're staying right here until I can fix you up! You hear me?!" Liza yelled angrily at him but it was dimmed by all her tears.

Richard chuckled dryly and put his hand on her cheek making her eyes briefly widen. More tears started to flow and she held onto his hand on her cheek. No, she couldn't lose him! She couldn't possibly lose him! He meant too much for her. He was her best friend. He was family.

"I-I refuse to lose you…"

"Y-You won'" Richard started, his voice drifting off slightly. "I'll always be beside you and watch over you. I'll be there with you and haunt Aston until he gets rid of his clumsiness" Liza wanted to laugh but the pain in her chest was too great.

"P-Please d-don't cry, Liza-san" Richard begged as his own tears started to fall from his own eyes. "You g-gave me the best years o-of my l-life and I'll always be in your debt. J-Just do one last thing for me, please" Liza looked at him, sobbing softly.

"Keep an eye o-out f-for Aston. H-He needs you more than y-you think. R-Remember t-that no one really d-dies as long as y-you remember m-me" His breathing became heavier and his tears started to stop falling as he smiled at Liza.

"Thank you for everything, Liza-san…"

Liza's eyes widened and her body became cold when Richard's hand slipped from her grasp. She wanted to catch it almost in an attempt to stop him from leaving her but it was in vain. She watched as it touched to the ground, everything shattering inside her.

"RICHARD! NO!"

She yelled out towards the heavens as the tears fell even more and she felt an incredible pain explode from her chest. She held Richard close to her, almost cradling his body while sobbing frantically.

"Richard… Don't leave me... Please…! D-Don't leave me! DON'T LEAVE ME!" She yelled and the wood around her splintered as a dark aura exploded around her. She couldn't accept it. It wasn't true. Richard was alive.

He had to be.

Everything was just a nightmare that she was going to wake up from. She was going to wake up any moment and run downstairs to find Richard talking to Aston. They would laugh and joke around about her temper like always and she'll gave them each a playful hit.

Then the customers could stream inside the bar like always. Richard would be quick to serve the table and helped Aston where he stumbled. He would give in and take his orders and when the day was done they would all enjoy each other's' company.

She felt something poke her face and looked down at Richard's bloodied and wet jacket. She pulled out a journal from underneath and felt her tears falling more frantically. It was his journal. It was Richard's bloodied journal.

He was gone.

Liza held the book close to her chest as she sobbed loudly, her world breaking into tiny pieces. He was gone. She gritted her teeth and held the book even tighter. He was gone. Why did he smile?! Why did he smile like that?! Why couldn't he hang on just a little longer?!

"Richard…-san…?" She heard a weak voice behind her and was briefly snapped out of her sobbing. She suddenly felt empty, void of anything. She couldn't even hear her own heartbeat anymore and she had no control over her own tears.

Aston fell onto his knees behind her, tears falling from his own eyes while the pirates behind him stared in horror at the scene. Richard died and the marines managed to escape through the fearful battle.

It was their loss.

In the corner of Liza's eyes she caught sight of a half burnt marine jacket, the justice symbol mostly burnt away. It was the marines. They were the ones who killed Richard. They killed him. It was their fault.

Liza felt anger rush up in her system and her blue eyes darkened drastically. They were going to pay. They were going to pay dearly for hurting Richard. They were going to pay for their lives just like Richard had to.

She slowly stood up, her legs swaying a bit beneath her before she regained her balance. She tucked the bloodied journal by her side while looking down at Richard's content expression. She pulled out her dagger and the blade immediately darkened as something sinister crawled onto her arm.

"Where are they?" Liza's voice was hard to recognize as her own and Shanks' brows furrowed with worry. Mihawk stood beside him and he held the hilt of his sword tighter. That didn't look like Liza anymore.

"Liza, don't-""I ask you a question… WHERE ARE THEY?!" She screamed, her hair whipping into the air as it floated, her dark blue eyes glaring at everyone. A deadly aura surrounded her and she was no longer in her conscious mind.

"T-They escaped. They're no longer on this island. I-It's over" Shanks replied, his hand shaking on the hilt of his own sword as the hair on the back of his neck stood up. He watched as Liza suddenly took off towards the harbor and he cursed.

They had to stop her before she did something she was going to regret. Luckily, Mihawk appeared in front of her and blocked her path with his dark blade. Liza stood there, not saying anything but held her dagger tighter.

"Liza, snap out of it. You can't go after them." Mihawk tried to reason with her but Liza was past reasoning. She slowly lifted her dagger before she attacked Mihawk dead on. He was barely able to block her attack and gritted his teeth.

"Don't. Get. IN MY WAY!" She roared and threw Mihawk through the town. She felt Shanks behind her before he wrapped his arms around her, trying to hold her tightly against him. She kept squirming and growled dangerously.

"Please stop, Liza! Richard wouldn't have wanted you to do this! Think clearly! You're only going to regret this! Please sto-!" Shanks suddenly let go of Liza when he was sliced over his upper body and staggered back with a flesh wound.

Liza glared at him and her eyes scanned over him before she vanished from her spot. She ran at full speed towards the harbor, no one able to block her way. She only had one objective and it was the marine warship that was retreating from the island.

She ran right towards the edge of the harbor and then crouched down before she shot up into the sky. Her flexible body spun in the air before she landed onto the deck of the ship, the marines all backing away in shock.

Her dark blue eyes shot up as she looked at all the marines, making them all cower away from her. She could smell their fear radiating around her. It was exhilarating. She watched as all of them suddenly pulled out their weapons and fired at her.

Kill.

The first marine that fired at her, had his throat slit and everyone yelled out in horror. The others suffered the same fate. The men started to yell in angst and started to run away, not coming far on the ship.

Kill them.

"What is going on here-?! W-What?! H-How did you get on my ship?!" Curtis exclaimed as he stepped out onto the deck and Liza's eyes locked with his. He immediately took a retreating step back. He wasn't looking at a human anymore. She looked…like a monster.

Kill everyone.

"Attack! Don't hold back!" Curtis ordered and the men all pulled out their weapons. Liza drew back her dagger and a dark grin came ono her lips. As they neared her she spun the dagger in-between her fingers before she countered.

The males with one sword had their arm instantly cut off along with the weapon. The men with two weapons lost both of their arms and those who shot at her was either decapitated or stabbed in the heart.

They all dropped to the ground, their blood painting the wood and their mixed blood dripping from her dagger. She bent down and pulled out a lighter of one of the marine soldiers who smoked before she lit it.

She made eye contact with Curtis and grinned maniacally. She let the lighter fall and the bodies around her shot on fire. Curtis cried out and fell backwards. He had to retreat or he was going to be a dead man. He needed to call backup!

Liza slowly walked through the fire, the flames not touching her even once and her dagger's dark presence spiraling against the heat. She licked her lips as she watched Curtis run inside the ship and slowly followed him.

She was going to let him run and beg for his life. She was going to kill him slowly and neatly. After all, she loved playing with her little prey. They all begged at her feet but there was nothing better than their screams.

"Hello?! Hello!? Is anyone there?! I need immediate backup! I'm being attacked by the Red Menace…No, a monster! Please! Save-!" A blade impaled the transponder snail and Curtis looked back before he gasped.

Kill.

She kept smirking at him as he tried to run away further and into his office before he shut the door. He held it closed and silently prayed before he was stabbed in his back, kicked along with the door and crashed into the opposite wall.

Kill him.

Curtis gasped in pain and managed to pull out the blade that impaled his backside. He looked back up at Liza as he sat against the wall. His eyes filled with fear as Liza approached. She eyed him like he was prey. She was insane!

Kill him, slowly.

"S-Stay away, y-you monster! S-Stay away!" He pulled out his pistol and shot at her. However, Liza cut every bullet into pieces with her inhuman speed and dagger. He let his weapon fall and gritted his teeth.

"Monster? I'm the monster?" Liza bent down at his eye level. Her smirk fell instantly and her dagger digging into the flesh of his shoulder making him cry in pain. She licked her lips as his blood flowed out of his wound.

"You have a nice scream." She looked at his face and pulled out her dagger making the male whimper. She gently trailed the blade of her dagger over his face and cocked her head to the side before she impaled his other shoulder.

"Such a lovely expression… I'm going to have fun with you" She turned the dagger in his wound making him yell louder and squirm as tears fell from his eyes. "You'll pay for what you did to Richie. You'll pay dearly" She snarled and pulled out the dagger.

"Y-You monster! N-No, devil! Y-You're going to pay for this! I'll make sure of that!" He yelled at her and watched as a shadow fell over her features. He saw her shoulder start to shake and he frowned before she burst out laughing.

Tears fell from her eyes as she continued to laugh at him, the sound was empty on his ears and it sounded more like she was screaming in pain. She looked back at him, her dagger twirling in her fingers.

"I'm a Bloodmoore. We're born with devil's blood"

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