The smoke cloud contains the images of Burgess whipping the blond princess. They continue to watch the scenes unfold, and the moment has arrived for the princesses to die, but for some reason, Akainu feels unsettled, as if something is wrong but he cannot exactly point out what. He frowns, trying to discern such gut feelings that something is about to happen.
And he was right. A demon-like enraged cry penetrates his ears, sending shivers in his spine. Even when they are miles away from Cresta, he can still feel the vibrations of such a shout. A shout of a beast.
It did not take long before someone comes into their views, red-blood wings out, eyes are those of a demon's and his strength – his strength nullifies all attacks from Akainu's men. He knows this man, but why is he here? Why is the High Prince of Beogia - whose hatred for humans runs deep in his bones – is here and helping the humans?
"You will regret if you harm my daughters. You will just bring a disaster right in front of your doors."
Akainu remembers these words before. These are Roger's words to him but he paid no mind at that time. Now, he knows.
A growl escaped Akainu's throat as he reluctantly ignores the memory in favor of watching the scenes unfold. The longer he stares at the one-sided battle, the more he grows irritated. This beast is one of the most powerful creatures in Raftel. Burgess and Devon might stand a chance in a normal scenario, but this one, an enraged beast like him is unstoppable.
Akainu and Teach – who arrived not too long ago – just stares as the red-haired High Prince kill Burgess as if he is nothing but an ant in his eyes. They saw wolves killing soldiers and there was another figure they saw flying towards the execution platform.
Green draconic scales on his back is the indication of his identity. They know who this man is. The High Prince of Vaelon. How is it possible for the two of the most important figures of Raftel to be in the Human Realm just to rescue these princesses?
The more he thinks about it, the more frustrated Akainu becomes. His face frowns at the idea that suddenly came to his mind. It can't be…
There is only one reason why the High Princes of Raftel will go out of their realm just for these princesses. It may be possible the Roger built civil terms with the Raftelians, but base on the histories of warfare and bloodshed, these beasts won't help just anyone out of civil terms. No, there is just one possibility.
Mates…
"These damnable creatures will surely pay the price of killing my men." Teach grumbles, murderous eyes looking at the cloud smoke.
If Akainu has their mates, they will have no choice but to obey him, lest they will be killed. Such an opportunity slips from his hands, just like that.
"ARGHHHHAAAAA!" Akainu shouted, punching the walls in the prison. This is a big loss for him.
===XXX===XXX===XXX===
Rayleigh can feel the storm brewing from Cresta. The sinister energy is not something he can ignore at all. He directs his black horse to run as fast as possible to where Cresta is.
It did not take him too long before he witnesses such a sight. A massacre of enemies. Rayleigh can affirm as to why this happened. The red-haired man paves his way, spilling the blood of his enemies, enraged for what they have done to Sab.
It happened so fast, one moment Rayleigh sees the red-haired man massacres the enemy soldiers then rescues Sab before flying away. The same thing happened with Luffia, who was carried by someone with green draconic wings.
Not long afterward, Shanks arrived with some of his men, to bring order to the chaos that transpired in Cresta. Rayleigh remains in the shadows, not doing anything. He contemplated if he should make his presence known, but in the end, he shakes his head. There is no need for him to appear now. Not yet… He has more things to do for now.
The princesses are safe, he will not be worrying about their safety at all. Their enemy won't be making a move rashly now that they are aware of what transpired here.
With that in mind, he walks away with a certain destination in mind.
===XXX===XXX===XXX===
As soon as she hears the commotion happening on deck, Ann knows that something must have happened. Ignoring the pains in her injuries, she gets up from her bed and forced herself to walk towards the door.
As soon as she opens it, she almost shouts in surprise upon seeing Marco standing there like a wall. His presence makes her feel safe but at the same time agitated. The agitation might have something to do with the guilt that is still in her mind. But right now, none of it matters. She needs to know what happened to her sisters.
"They brought your sisters onboard. Sab's injuries are worse, but she is being treated by Chopper. Same with Luffia." There it is again, the cold tone of his. It hurts Ann that he seems to be distant, but she has no one to blame but herself.
"I want to see them."
"You will see them once they are done with the treatment. Go back to your bed. You need to rest as much as they do."
"But - "
"Cresta is currently in Shanks' hands. You do not need to worry about your people as they are being freed from slavery the enemy put them into, yoi."
Ann finds herself unable to speak or answer him. She is lost for words and the mere answer she came up with is a simple 'Okay' before going back to her bed.
Marco did not say anything as well. As soon as he sees her going back, he closes the door and left, saying nothing. Marco sighed once she's gone and winced a little while looking at his hand flickering with blue flames. It's shaking, unstable.
"Marco..." He looks at Izou who stares at him with worry in her eyes.
"I am fine, yoi. I'll go into seclusion as soon as arrive in Raftel." He said as he clenches his hand to force his powers to remain as stable as it can. But for how long? He knows it's only a matter of time before he is unable to control it.
That is why they must go back to Raftel now.
===XXX===XXX===XXX===
As soon as the enemy leaders were killed, Kidd and Zoro flew back to their ship, carrying the princesses. What is left are the enemy soldiers that have surrendered as well as freeing the prisoners.
Killer is not keen on dealing with the aftermath of such a battle, but he has no choice. The people who were freed are thankful, but once their feelings have calmed down did the humans start to think thoroughly that the creatures in front of them are not humans.
Killer is expecting to receive scrutiny, even hate from these humans. After all, history is a reminder of the pain each side had been through. One elderly started to walk where Killer is standing, albeit the injured left leg. He half expected for the man to shout at him, chase him away and go as far as blaming their kind for the disaster the Kingdom had experienced.
He never expected the elder to bow his head and thank him.
"We are forever in debt to you and your kind for helping us and rescuing the princesses. We would not be able to do it on our own."
The rest of the humans bowed their heads as well. Killer and the rest of the beasts stood there, shocked. They never expected these humans to do such a thing.
"Are you not afraid of us?" Haruta, one of the commanders from Ipraecia asked.
"We always knew your kind existed beyond the Dark Forest. Our King never failed to remind us of that truth." An injured muscular man spoke. He is one of Cresta's soldiers who did not succumb to the offers the enemy gave to him. A fine and loyal soldier.
The reality hit the beasts far more than they expected. Their impression of the humans' nature has started to change ever since the three princesses stumbled in the Dark Forest. And what these humans did today is an undeniable proof that not all humans will succumb to greed and hunger for power.
===XXX===XXX===XXX===
Chopper forgot to breathe the moment his eyes laid upon the amount of blood splattered in their clothes. Their condition is far worse than when he saw them in the Dark Forest.
Regardless, he is the healer. He must heal them. All thoughts and worries are pushed aside in favor of ensuring that they will receive treatment. Chopper immediately went to check on Sab. Her breathing is steady and her heavy wounds are healing quite faster. The healer's eyes landed on Kidd who did not leave Sab's side. There is nothing to guess here. Chopper knows that Kidd administered the same healing Marco did. Through blood.
The blood of their kind can heal their mate's wounds and if given to someone else, it will do more harm than good. The more noble the blood, the faster the healing process will be. Hence, Chopper does not need to worry about Sab and Ann. The only person he needs to worry about is Luffia.
Standing up from his crouching position to where Sab is, he immediately walked over to where Luffia is. As he thought, the healing water provided to Luffia can only stop the bleeding from her wounds. It might be helping her, but the effects will be nowhere near what Marco and Kidd's blood can provide. There is nothing Chopper can do but do what he thinks he can.
"Sab is in stable condition. She will wake up and be healed in no time. Luffia, on the other hand, sustained too much damage that the healing water cannot possibly heal in a short amount of time. Her internal wounds are severe."
"Vaelon's Greendell has healing properties that can help her heal." Zoro spoke of the hot spring that he often uses when he needs to heal wounds from the harsh training he did years ago.
"Isn't that place..." Chopper stopped himself from fully uttering the question in his mind. Zoro's eyes speak of clear intention that he will not be accommodating any objection to his decision of offering the place for Luffia.
Everyone knows what that place is. It is a place only used by the Royals of Vaelon. Not all the noble beasts can use such a sacred place as only the King and Queen as well as their children can use it.
"Do what you must to heal her. We will take care of Cresta from here moving forward. It will also not be safe for the three of them to stay in Cresta. We still do not know if the enemy had planted spies among the crowd of people." Nami spoke. As much as she is worried about the three of them, the best course of action is for them to stay in a safe place. There is no safer place for them to stay than Raftel.
As they all agreed for the next actions to take, Nami excused herself so she can promptly visit Ann. When she opened the door, she saw her sitting anxiously, waiting for news about her sisters. Her external wounds are healing quite faster than Nami wants to believe. It will not take too long for her to be back in her best shape.
"How are they?"
"Sab is in stable condition, healing faster as you do." Ann expected as much. If Sab's healing is as fast as Ann's, she must have received Kidd's blood. "Luffia sustained too much damage that the healing potion they provided will not be enough to heal her wounds." Ann gasped, worried about Luffia. "You three will be going back to Raftel. High Prince Zoro said there is a place in Vaelon, a hot spring that can help Luffia heal."
There's a sigh of relief that escaped Ann's lips. "What about Cresta?"
"I will be staying behind, along with Shanks and our other allies."
"But the people need us- "
"They need you to be safe and away from the same disaster that happened earlier." This made Ann silent. "Now that we know where you three are, it will be fairly easy to initiate communication. Besides, Luffia needs to be healed. The war is not over Ann. Think about your parents."
She nods, understanding Nami's words. They must think of the sacrifices they did. This is not over. They have not won this war and there are more battles to come.
"I understand."
"And try not to avoid your mate this time." This makes Ann blush. "Try to put yourselves in their shoes. I am not saying this to be in their good graces. I am saying this because I witnessed the amount of grief they went through when they saw you get hurt."
"I know."
After such agreement, a few of the commanders from the three Beast Kingdoms stayed behind should there be a surprise enemy attacks while the three princesses along with the High Princes and Chopper sailed back to Raftel with the help of Merfolk. It did not take too long before they arrived at Raftel's entrance.
Ann saw Sab being carried by Kidd. She is still sleeping comfortably while Kidd's cape is wrapped safely around her.
"She will stay with me." These are the words that leave no room for objection. Not that Ann can object, after all, Kidd was the one who saved Sab from being executed. As long as Sab is safe, Ann will not object at all.
"Zoro will bring Luffia to Greendell. Unfortunately, no one aside from the Royal Bloodline of Vaelon can enter that place." Chopper said. Ann understands and unlike before, she trusts Zoro not to bring harm to her sister.
As Kidd flies off to Beogia and Zoro doing the same, this leaves Ann with Chopper, Izou, Thatch, Marco, and a few Merfolk.
Lost on what she must do, she stands there, waiting for anything. She does not know what exactly she is waiting for.
"There are a lot of things we must discuss. We will take our leave, yoi." Marco said while looking at Chopper and briefly nodding at Ann. He hastily left without waiting for any one of them to say anything.
"Marco - " But Marco left without looking back. A sigh left the commander's lips before turning to Ann. "Apologies for his behavior. He has things he needs to take care of. Stay with Chopper for the meantime. I am sure your sisters will be well enough in a matter of time."
Ann opens her mouth to ask about Marco, but in the end, she forced herself not to say anything. Instead, opting to nod and followed Chopper on their way to his manor in Central Raftel.
===XXX===XXX===XXX===
Akainu contemplates the things he discovered a few hours ago. The idea that the High Princes' mates would turn out to be the twin princesses did not cross his mind at all. Had he known, he would have the two princesses brought to where he is and used them as leverage against the High Princes.
Thinking about the gold slipping past his hand brought annoyance to his mind. He would have won the war and obtained what he is after is he had known that information.
Right now, he is dreading the day that the High Princes will go through the mating process with the twins and increased their power twice or thrice than what it already is. Akainu is still confident he can win even if the High Princes and their mates will go powerful, however, it will not be as easy as what he had imagined. It will truly be difficult.
"For once, I thank you, Rauscher, for turning your daughters into humans. Should they be Magical creatures just like you do, mating with the beasts will triple their powers." He grumbled at himself.
But it still unsettles him that those three have the blood of Rauscher. They may be humans now, but who knows what will happen if they mate with the Royal Beasts of Raftel?
===XXX===XXX===XXX===
Luffia can vaguely feel the warmth surrounding him. Even the air she breathes feels hot. Her eyes open slowly. The first thing she sees is the steam surrounding her and the warmth of the water that she is in. As she tries to move, she groans upon feeling the ache in his bones, ache that is slowly disappearing whenever the warm water touches her skin.
"You're awake." she snaps her head sideways, looking for where that familiar voice came from. To her side, there was Zoro, sitting in a meditating position, back turned against Luffia.
"Zoro."
"It has been roughly 4 hours since I put you in that bath. It has healing properties that will help your wounds."
"I see. And my sisters?" She roughly remembers Kidd rescuing Sab, but she still does not know the state they are in.
"Your sister, Sab, is with Kidd. She is in stable condition and should be healed in no time. Your other sister is in Raftel as well. I am not aware if she is with Marco or not."
"They're okay. Thank goodness." That is all that matters to her at this moment.
"You have greatly endangered yourselves by recklessly leaving Raftel. Had we been late, all three of you would have been dead already."
"We did what we think will be best for everyone. Neither of us wanted to get Raftel and the creatures here involved in our war."
"But you know that it will be inevitable. You should know well enough that it is inevitable that we will be involved whether you want it or not. Two of your sisters are fated mates of the High Princes. They will be High Queens in the future. No one in this Kingdom will let the future High Queens be at risk. The beasts will wage war if there will be threats to the rulers and our home."
Zoro's voice is stern, very disappointed at the actions the sisters took.
"We have the same enemies, Luffia."
"The same enemies?"
"Yes. The people behind the attack in Cresta are enemies to Raftel. They've done nothing but harm our people since a long time ago." He said as he remembers what they have been through years ago as well as the catastrophe that they caused when the prisoners of the Blazing Inferno were set free.
They were not sure at the beginning, but they can feel the traces of magic energy surrounding the ship when they arrived. There's no mistaking whose dark energy it was. It was Teach's.
There is more to talk about how things will proceed moving forward. For now, their priority is to let these three recover from their injuries.
"You knew we were coming for you yet you still chose to run away." Zoro is referring to their arrival in Alabasta.
"Even if I told my sisters that you are there, it will only make them want to run away. What do you think should I do at that time?" She asks, making him think about it. She's right, there's nothing she can do.
"Anyway, the change of clothes is there. Yell for me when you're done." Then he left. As soon as he did, Luffia can feel the itches on her back. The same way she felt before although more intense in comparison.
Was it because of the wounds? She shrugs it off again. It's probably nothing... Or at least what she thinks.
===XXX===XXX===XXX===
Ann is feeling anxious ever since she arrived here in Raftel. Yes, they are welcomed back with warmth but she can't help but feel that something is not right.
It's not about her sisters. She knows her sisters are fine. It's about Marco.
The more she thinks about it, the more she feels guilty. She's the one who pushed him away. It is his right to be mad at her but something is telling her that he's not mad, that there's something he's hiding.
"Ann, how are you feeling?" Chopper asks.
"I'm fine, thank you. I feel better now." She answers.
"Good to know. Do you need anything else?"
"No, there's none. I just want to know if you can tell me what happened here when we were gone? And sorry that we put you in that situation." Ann is aware of how Chopper must have felt heavily responsible when they left without saying anything. They left with nothing but a note.
"When we learned that you three were gone, the three High Princes immediately set sail to look for the three of you." Chopper started. "I came with them. We arrived in Alabasta just as you also left."
Ann is surprised to hear this.
"The stones hid your presence very well."
"I'm sorry." That's all she can say.
"Do not worry about it. The war in Cresta is also our war now that we are sure that the people behind the attack are enemies of Raftel too. You and your sisters do not have to feel guilty at all." Chopper's voice calms Ann a little but she still feels guilty. "Take a rest for now. I am sure that there will be a council meeting regarding the war and you three may want to hear about it."
Ann nods before she drifts to sleep. For now, she will ask for more details about these enemies.
===XXX===XXX===XXX===
"This has never happened before." Izou's worried voice rang in their ears as she stares at the wall of blue flames surrounding the waterfall behind Ipraecia's palace.
This is a sacred place for the Royal family of Ipraecia. After all, this is where they undergo a cycle of rebirth.
Anyone may think that Phoenix creatures are immortals but that is not entirely true. They go through a process of rebirth once every century. This year is Marco's year.
During the year where they are supposed to go through the process, they avoid using their powers and expending their life force. If they used their powers too much, the chances of a difficult rebirth are high.
In history, there are instances wherein they fail to come back, their bodies remain as a beast and they failed to retain their sanity. Their form will remain as a Phoenix with no recollection of who they are.
Marco not only used his powers when confronting the prisoners of the Blazing Inferno, but he also used his life force to save Ann's. At this moment, his rebirth is dangerous. His powers are out of control.
The usual warm and cold blue flames have turned into scorching hot blue flames. None of the Warrior Commanders can approach it for their life will be sucked away.
"No one must approach the waterfall."
"Marco, this is very dangerous." Thatch voiced out.
"I don't have much time. I'll go now, yoi."
That was his last words before he said before he walked into the cave behind the waterfall and when the process started, blue flames surrounded the waterfall, barricading Marco from the rest.
No one can reach him and it's all up to him if he will come back as the same him or not.
If there's one person who can reach him, that's Ann, but he forbade all of his Warrior Commanders from telling Ann. As his subjects, all of them cannot disobey his command even if it means he will die. His words are absolute.
"We can only hope that he will come back alive." Izou said.
