A Happier Time Part 2
Five years have passed since that fateful day. Ever since the arrival of those two children, the town seemed to flourish in a way that it never had before. Especially with Veronica.
The now young woman seemed to have an air about her that made everyone happy. She always helped the adults with whatever work they needed and the younger kids adored her like a Big Sister as she played with them and helped them with their homework.
Everybody loved her as if she were always one of them.
Duren took the mantel of Mechanic like Ruben and Max. He idolized the two and followed them like a puppy. Of course they didn't mind their newfound fan. They spent a lot of time teaching the boy about dismantling ships and converting them into different things from tools to weapons.
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"Hey, it looks like we have a nice haul today." Ruben said, looking over a wide array of broken and busted ships. Even though he still wore his usual mechanic coveralls, he had now turned into a handsome and well built man with a 5'oclock shadow.
"You said it. I wonder what the storm brought in today." Max said, rubbing his hands in anticipation. His appearance still the same, albeit a bit taller.
"Whoever gets the best piece is the winner!" Duren shouted as he blasted passed the two like a runaway train. "Yahoo!" The boy crowed as he jumped without fear into the treacherous ship graveyard.
"That kid sure has a lot of energy, doesn't he?" Max said.
"You said it." Ruben agreed.
"But I'm gonna win this." Max pushed Ruben out of the way as he chased after the boy.
"Hey, that's cheating!" Ruben shouted as he followed them.
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In the town, everyone was busy with chores and repairs. The usual routine after a heavy storm.
Several men were hammering away on boards to a roof of a house as a young beautiful woman with long flowing red hair walked up to them. She appeared to be carrying a rather large basket with her.
"Hi fellas. How's work?" She asked.
The men working stopped for a moment to greet her. "Going good so far? Are you making your rounds again, Veronica?" One of the men asked as he wiped some sweat from his brow.
"Yeah, need any water?" She asked.
"Sure, we could use a break, right guys?"
"Yeah." The others agreed.
The men jumped down from the roof as Veronica was already pouring water into some cups from her basket. "Here."
The men took their glasses and drank. "Ahhh, that's nice and cold. Thanks darling." The men said.
"You're welcome. I also brought some rice balls in case you were hungry." She said as she brought out the food.
"Ah, you're the best Veronica." The workers said as they took the food.
"Well let me know if you need anything else. Bye." She said as she picked up her large basket and left to help out the rest of the villagers.
"What a nice girl. Any man would be lucky to have a girl like her." One of them said before he got a nudge in the ribs.
"Ha! You're too old for her, Ricky. Besides, I hear that she has her eyes on someone already."
"Really? Who?" The men gathered like a group of gossiping women.
"Well, I can't say for sure, but…"
Veronica was well out of earshot as she casually strolled through the village, greeting everyone with a smile.
"Bis Sis!" Some children shouted as they ran up to her.
"Yes, what is it?" She asked.
"We need more people for "Scavenger". Wanna play?" One of the boys asked.
Veronica sat down her basket and crouched to their level. "Sorry, but I still have to make sure that the rest of the town is taken care of. Maybe later, ok?" She said, rubbing his head as the boy blushed from her touch.
"Ok, promise?" The children brought up their pinkies. "Promise." She said as she wrapped their tiny digits with her's before they ran off to play another game.
"You are quite the popular one. I haven't seen the children this happy for quite a while." Said a group of women that were cleaning and repairing a house.
"Well, I'm not much of a builder or mechanic, but I do what I can." She replied as she brought out some food. "My mother did teach me how to cook when I was little so I can at least make sure that everyone is well fed."
"I'll say." Said one of the women as the group ate. "With cooking as good as this, you'll make a nice young man really happy someday."
"What?" The girl said out of embarrassment as her face flushed red.
"Sharon. Leave the girl be." Said another woman.
"I was only teasing." Sharon explained, trying not to look like the bad guy.
"No, it's alright. I was just surprised. That's all." Veronica said. "I'm almost out of food so I'll have to make more. I must be going now." She said as she picked up her basket and left at a brisk pace.
"Now look what you did! You scared her off!" The women started to hound Sharon.
"Come on, we were all thinking it!" Sharon fought back.
"At least we were polite enough to keep it to ourselves!"
This argument ensued as the flustered girl continued her pace. Then she saw some familiar faces coming from the outskirts of town.
"Hey there!" She shouted at the three men as she ran up to them. "How was the scouting?"
"Pretty good, we found some strong materials for the repairs. Ever since this 'Pirate Age', we've been getting lots of good ships to salvage." Said Duren.
"I'll say. There are enough weapons for us to be prepared for any pirate attacks." Stated Max.
"Yeah and Duren here is getting to be a very good scout. Maybe someday, he can be as good as us." Ruben stated.
"Oh please, I already am better than the both of you." The boy boasted.
"Oh yeah." Ruben grabbed the boy in a headlock and both started to wrestle.
"Ow, hey! What are you doing!?"
"Teaching you to respect your elders."
Both crashed to the ground into a little dustball as Max could only smile sheepishly at Veronica, in which she returned.
"Now now boys. We have to work together if we're to get anything done." She said sweetly.
"Ok." Both stopped their fight and got up.
"Oh, speaking of which, I think I came up with something that might help us with the increase of ships we've been having." Ruben mentioned.
"Really? That's wonderful." The girl said.
"Ah, great minds think alike. So have I." Said Max.
"You did! That's cool!" Duren commented.
"Well, Max. I'd like to see this new invention of yours." Ruben quipped.
"Excellent, then lets just see who's is better, shall we?" Darkman said as both of their auras started to glow in competition. "And don't call be Max."
"Have it your way. I'll meet you at the Graveyard in three hours."
"Deal." Both took off towards their stations, leaving the confused siblings in their dust.
Unbeknownst only to those closest of them; one could see that they had become rather fond of Veronica just by the look on their faces. However, either through willful ignorance or just plain naivety; the two had no idea that they had fallen for the same girl.
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Hours later, the news about Ruben and Max had already spread across the town and the entire population gathered at the Ship Graveyard. Excitement and curiosity was among them as they waited anxiously for what was about to happen.
Ruben was among them as he stood at one side of a small opening the crowd and sea had created for him. From a certain point of view, the scene could easily be mistaken for a duel.
"He sure is taking his time." Ruben stated as Max was more than 10 minutes late.
"I hope that he's alright?" Veronica said, getting a little worried.
"Yeah, where could he be?" One of the townspeople asked.
This seemed to spark a variety of questions from the group until a loud crash could be heard in the distance.
Everyone became silent as they could hear the sounds getting louder and louder, like a giant was stomping across the island. Some of the people even started to get fearful as the ground began to shake from their force.
A large shadow appeared as everyone's eyes looked up to see what could be making such a ruckus.
"Hey everybody. Sorry I'm late, but it's not easy getting this body through the maze." Max explained.
"Well, uh. Glad you could uh… make it?" Herc said as he looked at Max, or more accurately, face-to-face as he had never met anyone as tall as he was.
Max was attached to a very large mechanoid that was a piecemeal of various metal ship parts that were crudely put together like a strange metal skeleton with oversized arms. It looked closer to modern art than something functional.
"THAT'S SO COOL!" Duren shouted as stars exploded from his eyes.
"Thanks. It took me a while to make everything work right. Luckily, we recently acquired a steam engine that provided me the power I needed to make it work." He said as a puff of steam shot from a large chute behind him.
"Interesting machine you have there, but what can it do?" Ruben inquired.
"Ah, glad that you asked. Well let me show you." Max said as he walked up to the water as the crowd parted to let him through.
"I've been trying to figure out how we could address the issue of carrying heavy loads. Herc has been the only one who has ever been able to carry something as large as a ship on his own. Until now."
The young man aimed his right arm at a large hull of a ship that was a short distance away. A latch opened up before his hand shot like a rocket and pierced the wooden frame as it grabbed the inside.
"And now let the show begin." Small spikes from his legs shot into the ground, bracing him as he grabbed onto the chain that was attached to his hand and pulled.
The chain went taunt and the ship started to noticeably move from Max's strength.
Sounds of surprise and awe came from the crowd as the machine slowly hauled in the piece that was easily larger than a house.
"Yosh!" Max then proceeded to yell as he grabbed the hull with both hands and lifted it with only mild effort over his head like an ant lifting a leaf.
"So, what do you think?" Max asked.
This was answered by a round of applause and cheers from the crowd.
"Good job. I tip my hat to you, Max." Said Ruben.
"Why thank you. And don't call me Max." Max said, dropping the ship next to him with a crash.
"I call it 'The Tech Suit'. I know the name isn't very good, but this is just a prototype with basic maneuverability, and with some time, we could all have one. Better ones. Just imagine the possibilities."
"Well don't get too carried away. We don't want to have a mechanical army anytime soon." Laughed Herc.
"Really?" Max said as he gazed into the sky, his mind already thinking about it.
"Well mine might not be as intricate as yours, but I figured out a similar way to help the town."
Ruben pulled out a remote and pressed a button. A hill behind them started to open like a sea of rubble as dozens of large dumpster-like buckets on a rail system not too dissimilar from a ski lift.
"It's nothing special, but I've been working on this little thing for a few months. This leads into town so all you have to do is put all of the parts in and…" Ruben pressed another button and the buckets began to move.
This too wowed the crowd as they applauded his creation. The idea was so simple and yet could possibly save them hours of work without having to trek through the maze with the massive piles of ship parts.
"What a great idea!" Veronica cheered joyfully.
"Well it'll help keep us from having to spend our whole day gathering parts after every storm for repairs." Ruben stated.
"But still it is a great idea… both of them." She corrected.
"Well, this would be a great time to celebrate! Everyone back to town! Lets party!" Duren shouted, to which everybody agreed with their own shouts of excitement.
"I like the sound of that! Lets go!" Herc corralled the people down the corridor.
"Coming?" Ruben asked, making his way after them with Duren and Veronica.
"Yeah, I'll be right there. Gotta ditch 'The Suit'." Max said.
"Ok, don't be late again." Ruben said as they left.
"Sure." Max replied, waving a large arm.
As he watched them leave, he couldn't help but think about Veronica's reaction to Ruben's new invention. Maybe he was just imagining it, but he could have sworn that… No, it couldn't be. It just couldn't.
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The night began to approach as everyone prepared for dinner. Due to their relatively small numbers, the townspeople were very close and often would eat together, like a very large family.
Max, Ruben, Veronica, and Duren were enjoying their meal together as did the town. The scouting from earlier had turned up a large cache of liquor and everyone was excited as the bottles tend to break from the storms. A lot of the adults really went overboard as they were belligerent and clumsy, which really was the entertainment for the people as they laughed at their feeble attempts to stand before falling over repeatedly.
"Another satisfying meal, Veronica." Ruben applauded.
"I second that." Max agreed.
"Yep, my stomach is satisfied." Duren leaned back as he overly exaggerated his swollen belly as he rubbed it.
"Thank you very much. I do what I can to please my most favorite people in the world."
This got the boys to blush at the compliment.
"Well anyways, I'll handle the dishes so why don't you just relax." Ruben said, picking up his plate.
"I'll help too." Max said as the two quickly gathered the soiled plates and glasses as they went inside to wash.
"They sure are nice guys, don't you think, Veronica?" Duren said.
"Yeah, it was hard after Mother and Father were killed all those years ago, but Ruben and Maximillian did their best to make us feel welcome. Everyone did. And after these last few years, I have come to like it here. I really can call this place… "Home."
"Yeah, I think this place is pretty cool. There's never a dull moment here. Herc and Ruben are pretty cool guys, but Max is by far the coolest. He can make a weapon out of anything. One time he built a catapult out of a ship's mast that could send a cannonball clear across the island. It was so cool." The boy claimed.
This made his sibling giggle at how enthusiastic her brother when it came to his stories. "Well it seems that you have found someone to bond with."
"Hey, don't go making it sound weird." Duren said defensively.
This only made the girl laugh more as the two returned from their cleaning.
"Did we miss something?" They asked.
"No, it's nothing." Veronica said as they sat down.
"Hey! Well looks like all of you are being quite chummy with eachother, eh?" Herc said, his mannerism showing that he was a little more than just inebriated. He was downright plastered.
"Whoa, Herc? How much have you had to drink tonight?" Asked Max, smelling the powerful scent of spirits drifting from Herc's breath.
"Uh, I lost count after the 5th bottle." The tall man answered after counting on his fingers. "Hey, what's going on?" He asked, leaning in.
"Uh, just enjoying a fun night. Just like you." Ruben explained, fearful of what was about to happen. Herc was a very… happy drunk.
"That's what I like to hear!" The giant wrapped his arms around the four, squeezing them hard for a brief moment, before letting them go. "You guys are all right!" He laughed, which roused the four to respond in kind.
What more could they ask for but a peaceful night with close friends.
"So, the people are beginning to talk about you guys. The town is buzzing from all of the gossip. Is there something that I should know, eh?" Herc asked.
"Huh?" The four said, but Ruben and Veronica seemed to react a bit more shyly as their faces turned red as they turned from the other as they fidgeted to hide their embarrassment.
This did not go unnoticed by Max as he saw their brief reactions. His hands clenched into tight fists underneath the table as a seething rage began to boil within him. He didn't want to believe it. It was just speculation and gossip from a drunk man. But if that were the case, then Ruben and Veronica wouldn't be acting the way they were. That only means that…
This was the beginning of the terror that would befall this quaint little town on Magpie Island.
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(A few days later)
"Well, it looks like the storm is right on schedule. Thanks to both of our new toys, we have enough material to withstand any storm the Grand Line can throw at us. Don't you think, Max?" Ruben said, both he and his friend standing upon their usual perch.
"Yeah, I think so too." Max answered, although there was no enthusiasm in his voice.
"You ok? Normally you'd tell me to not call you, Max." Ruben stated.
"What? Oh, sorry. Just a little tired, that's all." Max replied.
"Well then you should get some rest, ok buddy?"
"Yeah, I'll do that." Max replied.
"Well, there's only a few minutes until the storm does hit so we had better get inside." Ruben said.
"Yeah, I'm gonna go to the Graveyard this time. Gotta test 'The Tech Suit' to see if it can withstand a storm." Max said.
"Are you crazy? These storms are strong enough to rip galleon-class ships to pieces! You could die!"
"Nah, I'm too stubborn to die. Don't worry about me. I can handle it." Max grinned.
Ruben let out a sigh as he could only stare at his friend in disbelief. "Well, I don't think I could stop you, even if I wanted to." The man extended his hand. "All I can do is wish you good luck."
"Hurry, there's not much time. Go." Max said, leaving without taking Ruben's hand.
"You sure are a crazy guy." Ruben chuckled before heading back to town.
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The people were already held up inside the Town Hall as they enjoyed food and drink as usual. However, Duren and Veronica were a bit worried as Ruben and Max hadn't made it back yet.
Ruben came busting in, slamming the door behind him.
"Ruben." The two called as he ran up to them.
"Where's Maximillian?" Veronica asked.
"He had to take care of something. He'll be alright?" Ruben assured them.
"Are you sure?"
Ruben simply smiled as he knew Max better than anybody else.
"I know it."
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Max bolted through the maze like a gazelle with his long and lean legs as the wind and rain started to pound on his face, clouding his glasses.
That didn't slow him though as he reached the Ship Graveyard, sliding across the fine rubble as he came next to his machine, climbing into it as it roared to life with a puff of steam.
"Ok, it's time to see what fate has in store for me. Life or death."
He raised his mechanical arms as he prepared to fight the storm. Man versus Nature. A truly remarkable battle was about to take place.
Suddenly, a powerful blast of wind slammed into him, tossing him like a toy as his massive form was sent sliding across the ground, tearing a fissure from the force.
"Damn, that was not what I expected." He groaned as he struggled to stand.
"Ok, I'll give you that one. Time for round two!" Max declared as he planted his feet, his spikes stabbing the ground as he once again raised his arms.
"I must prove that I am strong! Strong enough to take care of everyone!"
A giant wave answered him, bringing with it a fleet of ships as it gave of a low moan like a beast as it arched over him.
"And strong enough to win Veronica's heart!" He shouted as the wave crashed down with catastrophic force.
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The storm eventually passed over the island, sunlight peeking through the last remains of the cloudcover.
The door to the Town Hall opened up as Ruben walked through, checking to see if the coast was clear.
"Alright everybody, it's over!" He shouted as he and the others made their way out of the building.
"Well, it looks like our new parts held out pretty well. All thanks to our Max and Ruben." Herc said.
"Speaking of which? Where is Max?" Someone asked.
"I'll go check on him." Ruben said as he ran off. Being the only one who knew where Max would be, he opened his bucketline and slid down the rail at breakneck speed.
His eyes went wide with horror as he saw the destruction caused by the storm. What remained of anything ship-like was nothing but shattered parts that even he would have a hard time reusing.
"Max!"
He jumped off and immediately began to search for his friend, endlessly calling his name. The longer he searched, the more desperate he became. After what seemed like hours, he finally collapsed from exhaustion.
"Max…" He said, his voice hoarse and gritty from his constant screaming. In the end, all he could do was admit that his friend… was dead.
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The town seemed to give off an uneasy feeling, like something didn't feel right.
Herc, Veronica, and Duren saw Ruben in the distance as they ran up to him. They began to slow as they got closer to the man. Their uneasiness only grew as they saw the look on Ruben's face.
Tears welled up in Veronica's eyes as she collapsed to her knees in grief as the others did their best to comfort her.
The town soon followed her in sadness as the news of Max's death spread amongst them.
The somber day proceeded with a funeral service performed in Max's honor. A pile of flowers created from various parts were placed before a photo of the young man at the center of the town. Indeed, the town mourned the loss of one of their friends.
Ruben remained distant from the others for a while as he was trying to come to terms with the death of Max. He spent a good part of the day at their point that overlooked the Shipyard.
"It doesn't feel the same without you, buddy." He said, taking a drink from a half empty bottle. "I just hope that you're in a better place."
In a flash of rage he reared back the bottle. "You fool!" He shouted as he threw with all of his strength, sending it flying across another mountain of rubble. "You just had to test your machine! You just to go and die! Didn't you!" He roared into the wide open sky.
He collapsed as tears trailed down his cheeks, having been hit the hardest by the loss of his best friend.
"I guess I was the bigger fool, letting you pull such a stupid stunt." He stood up, recovering from his brief episode. "But I will not forget you, Max. You will live on."
Something did strike him odd though as he peered into the distance. Even in his inebriated state, he couldn't believe that Max's tugboat would have disappeared in the storm.
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(12 years later)
As time passed, the people flourished as the town grew larger. Hence, Natural Progression.
Ruben could be seen hammering away on a broken wall after another weekly storm. He still looked the same after all of these years, with the exception of his beard having a touch of gray in it.
"Dad!" Came a voice.
The man stopped hammering as he turned and smiled at an 11 year old Jaime. "Well, look at the little mechanic. Did you come to help your dad?"
"Nah, I've got my own project I'm working on." Jaime said with a hint of mischief.
"Ah, well I'm almost finished here so why don't we both go see your mother."
"Great, will Uncle Duren be there?"
"Well see."
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Veronica was busy cleaning the house, which was a bit in disarray. Having a kid around did seem to cause a little chaos. But there was never a dull moment.
"Mom! We're home!" Shouted Jamie as the sound of the chain rattling from below as the platform rose to the door.
"Hello Sweety, did you find your father?" She asked.
"Sure did?" Jamie stated proudly.
"Hey Honey." Ruben said as he shared a brief kiss with his wife. "How was your day?"
"Good. Jamie and I reworked the well so the town can have more fresh water. You know, a normal day." Replied his spouse.
"That's why I married you. You always take care of everyone." Ruben smiled. "So where's Duren?"
"Probably with Herald. That's where he usually hangs out after work."
"Alright! I'm heading out! See you at Supper!" Jamie shouted before jumping out the door.
Veronica could only sigh as she watched her child disappear. "They never run out of energy do they?"
This made Ruben laugh. "I guess not. We used to have energy like that not too long ago."
"Well I think we still have plenty of energy. Care to find out?" She said, wrapping her arms around her husband.
"Oh? I like where this is going."
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"Uncle Duren! Uncle Duren!" Jaime called out, knocking on Herc's utterly massive door.
The large door opened to see the Goliath's smiling face.
"Hey Little Jaime. How's it going?" The man bellowed. "Come on in. Duren's here too."
"Awesome!" Jamie shouted, running in.
Jaime was completely in awe at Herc's place. As he was a big man, everything he had was oversized to accommodate him. Furniture, dishware, even commonplace items like lamps and pictures were several times larger than what they should be.
"Hey, my little partner in crime." Duren said from an oversized workbench. He was busy welding parts together on it as he turned around and raised his welding goggles off his eyes.
"Hey Uncle Duren. Whatcha working on?" Jaime asked, trying to get a closer look.
"Nothing for you to worry about." Duren replied, covering it up with a large sheet.
"Aww." Jamie whined.
"Well maybe I'll tell you if you tell me about your little project." Duren winked.
"Nope." Jamie turned his back on the man without a second thought as the man got struck by an arrow labeled "DENIED".
"That hurt." He said painfully before he recovered. "So, is it time for Supper already?" Duren asked, changing the subject.
"Yeah, are you coming today?" Jaime asked, excited.
"Sure. Need anymore help?" Duren asked Herc.
"Nah. I think we'll call it a day. You kids go have fun." Said the giant man.
"Thanks, but I am over 30 you know. I'm not a kid anymore." Duren stated.
"Well you're still a kid to me and I plan to keep it that way." Herc said with a grin. "Good night."
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As night approached, the town began to wind down as everyone migrated to their homes after a long days work.
A middle-aged woman was cleaning up around the front of her house from some random parts that the wind blew in. Later, she'll have to figure out how make some use out of them.
As she did, a shadow appeared in her line of sight. Her eyes followed it before her eyes flashed with surprise as her items fell from her hands.
"Oh my god."
XXXXX
Ruben's family of four was enjoying a nice meal together. A lot of work was accomplished and everyone felt satisfied and happy.
They stopped when they heard a loud pounding down below.
"Ruben! Veronica! Come quick!" Came a voice.
"What's going on?" Ruben asked, opening the door as he looked down to see the happy look on her face.
"You won't believe who's here!" She shouted.
The ambiguous, yet specific meaning to her words began to stir some strange feelings inside of him, most of all… hope.
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As Ruben and the others arrived, a crowd had already formed at the Town Square.
The people saw him and began to part, letting him by towards the attraction, quickly followed by Veronica and the others.
Once he made it through, he froze in shock as he saw the tall, white-haired man conversing with some people.
"It's been a long time, Ruben." Said a familiar voice.
"Max?" The man let out, as if not believing who he was looking at.
The man just hmphed in a playful manner. Indeed, he was still the tall man from before, although his attire consisted more of pirate clothes than his former mechanic coveralls. "You know I don't like being called that, but I guess you haven't changed after all this time."
Maximillian walked to the center where his memorial was as he took a good look at it. "Well I like what you did. I consider this quite an honor to be remembered for so long."
"But, but how?" Ruben asked, approaching him.
"Well a lot happened since that fateful day." Max said, turning around as his eyes fell on his friend, then to Veronica, who stood by his side.
"Well it seems that time has only made you more beautiful, Veronica." He said with an intricate bow.
The woman blushed slightly from the comment. "Well it seems that you've become even bolder since your absence." She replied.
"Indeed, I spent a lot of time on the seas and have learned a lot about this world. More than I could have ever imagined." Max stated as he approached her.
"Well if you would like. We would be honored to have you stay with us. We can make up for lost time." She offered.
Max briefly scowled when she said 'we'. His eyes traced them over as his gaze settled on Jaime, who was partially hidden behind Veronica.
"Ah, I see. Well this was not to be unexpected." He turned his back on the as he began to walk away, much to the confusion of his friends.
"Unfortunately I did not come here to visit, so I will be brief." He said as he snapped his fingers.
In seconds, the townspeople were surrounded by pirates with swords and guns, much to the surprise of everyone.
"As I mentioned before, this world has taught me a lot and the most important thing I learned is that if you want something in this world. You have to TAKE it!" He proclaimed.
"What are you doing, Max!" Ruben demanded.
"Taking what I want." Darkman replied. "From this moment forward, I am control of this island! If you wish to live, you will do what I say!"
Everyone cowered from the weapons, caught completely off guard and unable to defend themselves.
"Maximillian! What the hell is wrong with you?!" Veronica shouted. "You grew up here! How can you do this!"
"Because only those with power can change this world. And I will change this world! With Magpie Island as my base of operations, I will create a weapon that this world has never seen! And all of you will help me achieve that!" He spread his arms wide in declaration.
"You can't be serious." Said Ruben.
"Deathly serious." Darkman's expression changed to match his words. This wasn't the same Max from before. "And if you get in my way. I will kill you."
"Not on my watch." Came a voice from out of nowhere as a dozen pirates went flying.
"Everyone! Stand firm and fight! This is our town!" Herc bellowed, brandishing TenTen like a sword.
This roused everyone to fight back and they turned on the pirates, catching them off guard by the sudden attack.
"Ah, Herc. How unpleasant." Darkman said distastefully as the large human walked up to him.
"Well I wasn't expecting this pirate attack to be orchestrated by you of all people. But I will fight anyone who dares to threaten our way of life." Herc said, shouldering Tenten.
"Admittedly, you were the biggest threat to my plans, so I would like for you to meet a friend of mine, Dex."
Herc was struck in the back by a powerful strike, causing his scream in pain before he was sent flying into a building.
"Well it's about time. I thought that you forgot about me." Said a large metal figure that lumbered into view. This was the same Dex, but this machine he piloted was still a bit cruder than his current model as it was quite bulky by comparison.
"Well I was hoping for this to end with less bloodshed, but it seems that I have no choice. Just make sure that you have a few casualties as possible while you have your fun." Said the white-haired dictator.
"No prob, Max."
"That's not my name!" Darkman yelled.
"Right." Dex snickered.
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Ruben had managed to fight his way through, keeping his wife and child at his side. He had to make sure that they were safe so he made a beeline for his house.
"Hurry!" He shouted as they rose up the platform. The man wasted no time as he grabbed a rifle and sword.
"Ruben." Veronica said, holding onto Jaime.
"Stay inside. I'll handle this." Ruben commanded as he jumped out of the house.
"Dad!" Jaime tried to go after him, but Veronica held him back.
"No, your father will handle this!" His mother said. "Stay here where it's safe."
"But…"
"No buts!" She shouted.
Jamie growled and stormed off, slamming the door behind him, leaving his mother alone.
"Please come home safe." Veronica prayed as she could see the chaos in this distance.
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The townspeople had regained their bearings and were giving the pirates a hard fight, much to the surprise of the pirates, which worked in favor for the home team.
Darkman wasn't surprised by this, but he wasn't happy with the outcome he was witnessing.
"Dex! What the hell is taking so long!" He demanded.
"I'm working on it! This guy's tougher than I thought!" Dex shouted as he and Herc's weapons clashed as sparks flashed with each exchange.
The tide really started to turn against him when Ruben joined the fight. His presence alone brought inspiration to the people as he charged to the front line.
"Fight on everyone! No one will ever take our home from us! Make them regret this day for the rest of their lives!" He shouted courageously with sword in hand as he fired his rifle at the enemy forces.
"That's right! Lets giv'em hell!" Duren crowed as he burst from Herc's home. He grinned as he held a cannon in his hands.
Well it was more like cannons as it was actually three stacked together like a triangle. The sheer weight of it caused Duren to have the need to have a strap across his chest to support it at his hip, wielding it like a minigun.
"Now lets kick some ass, Cerberus!" He shouted as he started to fire the cannons, scattering men in all directions from the rapid explosion.
"It looks like Duren has greatly improved his weapons skills." Darkman said to himself before a pirate fell at his feet.
"It's over, Max! You lost! Give up!" Ruben commanded, aiming his sword at his former friend.
"Well it seems that you haven't lost your edge after all of this time, but this won't be a fitting place for our fight." Darkman pointed behind him in the distance.
"You still remember our old place, yes? Meet me there and we will settle this once and for all." Dex dashed towards him, scooping him up as they retreated from the down. "Don't keep me waiting!" The man laughed as they disappeared down the corridors.
Ruben was about to run after him when Duren grabbed his shoulder. "Don't do it. It's a trap." He warned.
"I know, but I have to do this alone. Maybe I can reason with him."
"Well what do you want me to do?" Duren asked.
"Tend to the wounded and check on Veronica and Jaime for me." Ruben said, taking off after them.
"Right." Duren replied as he went to do what he was told.
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Veronica walked around her house in nervous state, hoping and praying that her husband and brother were ok.
"Veronica!" Duren shouted from below.
"Duren!" The woman ran to the edge of the platform. "What's happening?"
"We managed to drive them off. Ruben told me to come check up on you. How are both of you doing?" He asked.
"We're fine. Jaime! Everything is ok now!... Jaime?" Veronica went to Jaime's door and opened it.
"OH MY GOD!" She screamed as she saw that Jaime had escaped out of the window.
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Ruben quickly navigated his way through the maze. Having not ran into a single trap, he knew that Darkman must have deactivated them. If so, there must still be a part of him left that is good remaining. He had to believe that his friend couldn't have become so cold-hearted.
He could see the tall mound of scrap, a place where he still occasionally visited when he needed to think alone. A place where he and his best friend would hang out and have fun together. Now it would be a place where, in the end, one of them might die.
He started to climb towards the summit, where Max had declared they meet. This would determine the fate of the entire island.
"Well well. So you finally made it. I commend your bravery. Or is it stupidity. I can't really tell." Darkman sneered.
"Max! Why are you doing this! We're friends! Doesn't that mean anything to you!" Ruben asked.
"Yes, we were friends once, but that was a very long time ago." Darkman said as the sun set in the distance behind Ruben.
"What happened to you? What caused you to be this way?" Ruben inquired.
"Because you took what was mine! You took Veronica from me!"
Ruben was dumbfounded by the answer as he could only stare at the man in stunned silence.
"You hate me because Veronica and I fell in love?"
"Yes, but I knew that even then, you weren't good enough for her. And so I left the island after that storm in order to obtain power. Now that I have obtained that power, I will claim her as mine. I will give her what you can never give!"
"I don't think so!" Ruben readied his gun and sword. "I will stop you before that ever happens!"
This only made Darkman sneer even wider. "Oh, I didn't come here to fight you." In seconds, several pirates stood on either side of him, rifles aimed at Ruben. "I came here to kill you."
Ruben couldn't believe it. His friend was really going to kill him.
"Dad!"
"Jaime?" Ruben said in surprise, fear gripping his heart.
Everyone turned towards the voice as they saw Jaime running towards Ruben.
"Well now I can have the pleasure of killing both you and your offspring together." The pirates switched their targets to aim at the child.
Jaime could only stare in horror as the barrels were trained on him, his body frozen in fear.
Ruben instantly reacted by running towards Jaime. Instinct taking over as he threw his weapons away to reach Jaime faster.
"Jaime get down!" He shouted.
Deafening explosions filled the air as the sun turned the sea blood red.
Jaime screamed as he flew from the impact, flying through the air and tumbling down the mountain, crashing at the base in a heap.
Darkman looked over the edge with an evil grin. Far below, he could see that he had accomplished what he had come to do.
"Now with them out of the way! I can have Veronica and this world! Aha Aha Aha!" He laughed towards the heavens as he and his men left.
Down below, something stirred. Jaime had come to to find his dad on top of him.
"Dad?" Jamie said, but there was no response.
Upon grabbing him, Jaime felt something warm and looked to see that both hands were covered in blood.
Ruben had been shot several times in the back, using his own body as a shield to protect his child, but at the cost of his own life.
The realization of this caused a wave of pain and tears to flood over Jaime as a mournful cry escaped his lips.
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(Present)
"After that, Darkman built that wall that split the island in two. He tried on several occasions to take my sister by force, but he always met with heavy resistance. Even our own attempts to stop his efforts met with similar outcomes. And so, we were at a stalemate." Duren concluded.
"Until we showed up." Jesse finished.
"Yes, you were the X factor that we thought could push this fight in our favor, but Darkman must have planned for that as well." Said Duren.
"After you realized we weren't attacking you, of course." Kain pointed out.
"Fair enough." Duren replied.
"Well, that doesn't change the fact of the matter. Darkman needs to be taken down." Victor stood up.
"And I'm just the one who can do it."
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A/N
Now that the flashback is over, Victor and Co. are about to what they do best. And that is kicking ass.
Now the group has to lay siege to Hades, a ship powerful enough to destroy the world. Find out next time.