GIANT PISTOL!~ Searoar here, and well, I'm back guys. To keep things simple, I'll be sticking around to finish this story, but after that, I'm not sure if I'll continue to upload on this site.
The next chapter will also conclude the Menagerie arc and propel the story for the 7-year time skip to ship off Jaune and Emerald to Beacon. Now, I'm well aware of Hawkins' random, fluctuating, and inconsistent power throughout the story, so hopefully, after I've done the next time skip, Hawkins' power will be more consistent.
I'll also be replacing the two recent author notes for a few shorts, as they don't really have any purpose anymore due to my return.
With that, cheers everyone and have a good one.
In the isolated confinements near the southern parts of the island and after much trial and error, Fiona finally managed to slip her hands out of her bonds and activated her semblance. A hollow gap formed in the center of her palm and a metal trinket clinked against the stone floor.
"Fiona, would you mind telling me the reason you have a pair of lockpicks stored away in that pocket semblance of yours?" Carla pursed her lips and looked at her niece disapprovingly.
The sheep Faunus softly chuckled and scratched her cheek.
"Shouldn't we just thank Oum and accept our good luck?"
"Fiona's right Carla, we've got bigger things to worry about anyway. You heard the angry mob and saw the blinking lights that passed by toward the forest. My guess is Hawkins is in trouble, and he needs all the help he can get." Sam coughed and straightened his shirt.
"Nice try to motivate us Sam, but Fiona's the only one who's capable of doing anything." Annabel put her hands on her hips and fixed her bangs.
"You, me, and auntie Carla are pretty much hindrances in a fight, sure you know how to throw a punch Sam, but when was the last time you actually participated in a scuffle?"
The senior slumped his shoulders and muttered a few things, but even he had to admit his age was getting to him. The white strays in his dark brown locks were a dead giveaway too.
"It's alright Sam, it's my duty as a huntress to protect my friends, and I don't plan on failing Hawkins and his kids either!" Fiona beamed and withdrew her weapon with the aid of her semblance.
"Fiona, Sam, Carla, Anabel-rero?" A familiar voice called from outside the prison walls. The ones inside the prison recognized it immediately. After all, there was only one man in Remnant who spoke that way.
"Vito!" Fiona ran to the barred window and waved to the gunslinger.
"Hold on a sec, Kuma's is going to bust down the wall. You and the others might want to stand back-rero!"
Scuttling to the back of their cells, the bricks of the walls crumbled under the heavy fists of the former warlord and soon enough the moonlight basked Fiona once more. However, when the sheep Faunus witnessed her friends' conditions, she couldn't help but wince at their injuries.
A long cut dragged down the gunslinger's face, it wasn't deep enough to leave a scar, but Fiona could tell his left eye was twitching behind his cracked sunglasses. Not to mention the swollen bruises on his arms and legs from the chains the citizens used to entangle him. As for Kuma, sparks and frayed wires protruded through the gashes in his skin and metal plating. The citizens of Menagerie pulled no punches in during their torture of the giant bear Faunus and Kuma's broken glass eyes emphasized the fact. Not to mention the streams of blood pouring down his face.
"We need to hurry to the shoreline-rero!" Vito twirled his guns and shoved them in their holsters.
"W-Why?" Fiona squeaked. The determination that burned in Vito's eyes was something she'd never seen before, and frankly it scared her a bit. Good thing the gunslinger was on her side.
"You saw the mob, didn't you? Almost all the civilians followed Monet into the forest. I'd bet my top dollar that they're in pursuit of Hawkins and the others-rero." Vito grit his teeth and turned toward the road.
"Well, are you coming Fiona? We don't have much time and I'm not going to fail my new captain after all we've been through-rero."
"Is everyone alright?" Saber shook his head and wiped the blood from his lip. That Vergo fellow was stronger than he appeared. It was foolish of the captain to underestimate him.
"A few minor injuries captain, but no one requires serious medical care." Grunted a guard.
Saber nodded and adjusted his chest plate. He swore to protect Menagerie and its people the moment he became a soldier, and now the citizens needed the captain more than ever. To save them from themselves. The barracks were quite far to Saber's liking, but he didn't want to head out without a weapon.
"C-Captain! The human's cohorts escaped!" Shouted a short guard.
Saber jolted upright and his head snapped down the road to where his subordinate was pointing to. True to his words, Kuma, Vito, and Fiona were armed and ready for battle.
"Stop right there!" Saber shouted. Though without his blade he posed little threat to the mighty group.
"I don't have time for your rambling Saber. Are you going to help us save Hawkins and the citizens of Menagerie from the real threats? Or are you going to stand in our way-rero?" Vito tilted his glasses and fixed his hands on his guns. Kuma cracked his knuckles and Fiona clicked her crossbow staff trigger.
"Besides, when you think about it, I think that we can both agree that Hawkins being human is the lesser of the two evils in this scenario-rero."
Saber moved a hand to the bruise Vergo had bestowed upon him. He witnessed the malicious glint in Monet's eyes when she took charge of the gathering mob, and couldn't help but doubt his past decisions.
"Let's say I do trust you in regards to Monet and Vergo, but how do you explain that demonic transformation of Hawkins? I should also add that he tried to attack a helpless Blake!"
"Haven't you ever seen a semblance before? Now it's your paranoia talking. Like how I said to Sienna, if Hawkins wanted to kill Blake he would have smacked with his iron club instead of reaching out to her-rero." Vito snarled. He was tired of repeating the same facts repeatedly.
"In any case, you should get back to the Belladonna mansion and set up as many protective protocols as possible, because I have a feeling things aren't going to get any easier for you after Hawkins defeats both Monet, Vergo, and the mob they command-rero."
Saber tilted his head in utter confusion.
"You expect me to believe that Hawkins in his crippled state can defeat an entire mob? Not to mention you and Kuma lost to Monet, and they're leading the Faunus army!"
"Have you ever seen what a cornered rat will do when it's cornered? Or in this case... it's a cornered magician whose only fear is losing something he holds dear. Though he'd reluctantly admit it if you asked him. Nyorororo!"
"Where are you human?! There's no point in hiding! We'll find you eventually!" Roared the angry mob as their numbers flooded the lower compartments of the Grudgedorf.
"Hey, what the hell are these cobwebs doing here?" Snarled a Faunus with a wolf's nose.
"Those aren't cobwebs you dunce. See? They're made of silk." Snapped a woman with bull ears.
Behind a wide stack of crates and safely hidden in the shadows, Trifa's heart was pounding a million miles a minute. She agreed to the random fairy's ambitious ploy, but she didn't think she'd be spearheading it!
Then again, trusting a random manifestation that appeared on her shoulder out of thin air did seem suspicious, maybe her brain was playing tricks on her to help her cope with her perilous situation.
Trifa gulped and wrapped her fingers around one of the many strings that hung from the ship's support beams. She prayed to Oum her plans would work, and lucky enough her efforts would not be in vain.
"Tug~"
The first string was released and a batch of barrels broke free from their feeble string nets. They rolled across the floors, whacking any unfortunate Faunus aside. They screamed in frustration, but those with traits made for jumping and climbing easily made it over the tumbling obstacles.
"Hey, there's somebody back behind those crates!"
Trifa's nerves spiked. She gathered whatever courage she had left and fled from her hiding spot.
"Tug~"
The second string pulled, loose planks dislodged themselves from the ceiling and bombarded the intruders below. A good number of the angry mob dealt with, Trifa scuttled toward the stairs leading to the upper deck. Slicked with oil, the Faunus who chased after Trifa, had their teeth meet wood.
"Damn Faunus brat, who's side are you on?!"
Trifa gave no reply and yelled to Funkfreed on the upper deck to issue out the third trap. The elephant wrapped his trunk around the ropes attached to the Grudgedorf's sails and yanked on them until they came loose. Large black sheets of cloth rolling from above, it ensnared the Faunus who managed to get past the oil laced steps. Funkfreed took advantage of their struggle and promptly knocked out the members of the mob-like a game of whack-a-mole.
"Hoh, I didn't think Hawkins had an elephant in his new gang." Monet clicked her tongue in annoyance at the pace of her troops. Sure, they had the numbers on their side, but the pace they were setting felt lackluster.
"Vergo-san, why don't you deal with that ivory tusked hindrance?"
The calm man beside her shrugged and used his moonwalk technique to reach the main deck in no time. Funkfreed recognized the black-haired intruder, but before he could do anything, a thick wallop to his forehead by a haki imbued fist subdued the loyal elephant. His body plunking numbly against the planks, the last person between the Faunus mob and the Hawkins family was Trifa.
"Funkfreed!" Trifa shouted. Her blood went cold when the trench-coated man turned to her.
Vergo curled a brow at the child's blue veins and hands. "So you're a spider Faunus I assume? The webs around the ship must have been your doing."
His shoes clicking against the deck, Trifa wanted to scream, she wanted to flee. But her body remained where it was and the distance between her and the antagonizing individual drew smaller by the second. Trifa shot webs in a last-ditch effort, the sticky silk stalling her opponent for a split second before he lifted his leg then disappearing into thin air.
"Troublesome brat," Vergo grunted and came down with his bamboo stick.
"Thunk!"
"I missed?" The trench-coated man curled a brow as Trifa now stood a good foot away from his strike.
That's odd, Trifa didn't move her legs, but she did dodge the attack somehow. Feeling a pull on her feet, Trifa looked down and screamed. The stranger curled a brow at her antics, but ignored her and raised his weapon for another attempt to clobber her skull.
"Thunk!"
This time Vergo was paying attention, but he didn't see anything that would cause Trifa to move.
"What's the matter Vergo-san, can't you take care of one measly brat by yourself?" Monet pursed her lips and flicked her arms into the air to form a pair of giant bird wings.
Taking to the sky, she planted herself on the rails of the main deck and decided to encase both Trifa and Funkfreed in an ice prison of snow bars.
"There, was that so hard?" Monet teased and strutted over to Trifa.
"You're not as stupid as you look. How about you come with me and we can put that brain to proper use? I know a few people who can mold you into someone great, how about it girl? I'm sure you'd prefer siding with us instead of the dying blonde man and his kids."
"N-No way!" Trifa screamed from behind her frosted prison.
The greenette sighed with a smirk.
"Those who don't understand their place on the pecking order are either consumed before they reach their full potential, or they seek shelter in the shadows to amass the pitiful power they were born with. Hawkins is no different child. Did he ever tell you how he failed his former 'family?' They were slaughtered one by one in his feeble attempt to escape. It was all over the newspapers when the 'worst generation' outbreak occurred on Sabaody Archipelago."
Trifa's face paled and her eyes widened. The amber eyes of the intimidating woman before her drilling into her trembling cobalt.
"Yes, Hawkins was the only supernova unable to reach the second half of the grande-line, he is a living example of a failure. Even more so now that he's succumbed to his mental trauma, how do I know this? Ms. Belladonna is quite a chatty woman, and she's quite prone to gossip once you get her going. Alas, I do pity the blonde magician. He would have made a fine recruit in Doffy's ranks."
"Oi, don't boast for too long Monet, we have an image to keep up if we want Menagerie under Doffy's name." Vergo rolled his eyes and moved toward the captain's cabin.
"H-Hey, don't go in there!" Trifa screeched.
"Hoh, so that's where Hawkins is hiding is he? You can rough him up a little more Vergo-san, but don't kill him. After all, the citizens wanted a public execution didn't they?" Monet giggled.
Vergo nodded and gripped the handle of the door. It refused to budge, and appeared to be fighting to keep itself closed. Vergo grunted and applied more force in his attempt to pry the door open. The handle broke off as a result, and a vein bulged at the top of Vergo's forehead. He dropped the piece of broken debris and smashed his bamboo stick against the door.
The wooden planks and metal bars gave way to Vergo's consistent assault. With the pathway to the captain's cabin open, the trench-coated man spotted a panting Hawkins. The magician stood tall, his trembling children in each other's embrace behind the captain's chair, Hawkins raised a broken longsword at Vergo.
"Get... off... my ship."
"Hm, this is surprising, I would have thought a man with your meticulous nature would have prepared a proper trap. Perhaps my expectations of you were a bit too high Hawkins." Vergo observed his opponent carefully.
Blood dripped down the stoic man's past wounds, and his eyes were devoid of life. Merely standing seemed to stress Hawkins' already battered body past its limits. His breaths ragged, Hawkins did nothing as Vergo grabbed him by the throat and threw him toward the main deck then followed him while making a mental note to deal with his kids later.
His feet skidding across the floor, the magician maintained his balance and bumped against Trifa's frozen prison.
"Huff... Trifa... Are you and Funkfreed alright?" Hawkins wheezed.
The spider Faunus nodded frantically. She hated to see Hawkins in such a pathetic state, but for him to be concerned about her well being warmed her heart, despite the perilous situation they were in.
"Ah, there you are Hawkins.~" Monet said in a sing-song voice.
A heavy yolk of snow clasped over Hawkins' shoulders and forced him to his knees.
"Perhaps we should spare you and bring you to the holy mother instead. Both she and Doffy have been searching for devil fruit users, and the ones who refuse to be recruited can at least offer their fruits instead. What say you Vergo-san? Hawkins' ability to manipulate straw is a tad underwhelming, not to mention it's not even a logia." Monet cupped her chin.
"Get... off my ship..." Hawkins coughed.
Groans of the Faunus mob riling behind her, Monet clicked her tongue as the raging groups surrounded her, Hawkins, and Vergo.
"Well done, Monet! Come on, let's bring this human back and serve him some proper justice!" Shouted a horse Faunus. Monet agreed to the mob's demands, and put on a plastic smile, but the weary magician beside her had other plans. Vergo curled a brow as a murky aura enveloped Hawkins' body. This pressure... it wasn't the same as aura, no it felt heavy and menacing... much like...
The Faunus present felt the weight in the air as well. Taking a few steps back, the crowd's bodies trembled as the yolk on the human's shoulders crumbled into tiny chunks. Even Vergo and Monet put themselves a good three feet from the once helpless weakling. Closing his eyes, Hawkins felt a surge of strength course through his veins. Along with a faded memory he couldn't describe with words alone.
Who was this young infant who sat at a table with a lone candle burning on his desk? Before him were a set of cards, but this was not the tarot deck he owned. The rims around the images were pink and purple, and while the designs on the cards were similar, Hawkins barely recognized them.
The clicking of heeled boots brought the blonde child's attention from his tarot readings. It was hard to see, but there was definitely someone standing in front of him.
Long locks of golden hair, much like his own, but these golden threads did not belong to the stoic magician. Two hands came next, they were pale, and too slender to be that of a man's. They were too big to belong to Grudgedorf's spirit. They rested themselves upon the child's cheeks, so softly the boy thought the hands were made of clouds. A feeling, one he didn't recognize, but it felt... welcoming? No, that wasn't the word. Maybe... warm? No, that didn't fit the bill either. A whisper came next, but the voice behind it remained muddled and fizzled out as quick as it came.
Now standing at his full height, the lids over Hawkins' eyes lifted and his once lifeless pupils of now burned a mighty crimson. His cracked and broken bones clicked inside his torn and gashed muscles, but this new sense of power within Hawkins stirred him on.
Harsh winds flew into the torn sails of the Grudgedorf, and the dampened remains of the candle atop the mainmast sparked into an uncontrollable blaze. Monet and Vergo were affected as well. Though they did their best to hide it, the bulging veins and pulsing muscles of the magician's body grew great concern from the duo. In one mighty roar, the pent up stress, anger, fear, and determination to protect what Hawkins held dear alive, was released in one powerful wave of majestic haki.
"GET OFF MY SHIIIIIIIP!"
The swirls of purple haki sparing no individual, the hate-filled mob floundered under Hawkins' overwhelming presence. Trifa and Funkfreed also passed out, and Jaune and Emerald succumbed under the immense pressure as well. As for Vergo and Monet, they were the only two who were left standing. However, Vergo seemed to be the one with the stronger will as he shrugged off the jitters from his body easily enough.
Straw bellowed out of Hawkins' back, tore through his cloak, and reached for the sky. What came out of him was not Straw Man Branwen, but similar in size. Instead of a demonic being, the creation Hawkins' straw manifested was one that appeared to be a benevolent deity. The straw that sprouted atop its heart-shaped face, instead of the usual light brown, was golden, much like the magician's hair. A black dress with an extra-long ruffled collar twirled around the being and tied its waist with a white sash. From its chest, it produced a massive iron halberd.
The winds produced as the straw creation spun its weapon forced Monet and Vergo back while the fainted Faunus on the main deck flew off and landed on the soft sands of the shore. The eyes of Hawkins' manifestation glowed a gentle pink but quickly shifted to a fiery scarlet when its sights landed on a particular bird Faunus and trench-coated man.
"Kyiiiii!~" The high pitch of the straw being resembled that of a banshee as it swung its halberd towards its enemies.
Vergo and Monet clamped their hands over their ears and agreed they had to prioritize their efforts in disposing Hawkins' straw creation.
"Snow Fence!" Monet engulfed her arms in snow to form her trademark pair of cold wings. She took to the sky and bombarded the straw entity with numerous snow rabbifor V, he decided to deal with the straw being's source and blitzed across the deck toward Hawkins. Odd that the magician wasn't moving at all while his puppet performed aggressive actions, but that didn't matter to Vergo as his sole priority was to knock Hawkins' head off his shoulders.
Coating his bamboo stick in haki, Vergo closed the distance between him and the magician with his most powerful attack.
"Demon Bamboo!"
"Kyiiiii!~"
"Ktang!"
Vergo hit his mark, or so he thought. Sparks flying as his coated bamboo ground against the sharp blade of a halberd, Vergo blinked as he looked up to meet a scowl and pair of menacing scarlet pupils. The straw being was surprisingly fast, and intercepted his attack just in the nick of time. But how was it moving without Hawkins' command?! Not once did the magician move during the fight! However, a white symbol glowed on his chest and Vergo could feel the heat emanating from the magician's skin. "Snowstorm!" Monet shouted.
Vergo escaped into the air using moonwalk, as a tornado of snowflakes swallowed Hawkins whole. Leaving Vergo and the magician's straw creation to battle outside. Monet took the form of a monstrous harpy inside the chilling dome and extended her icy jagged teeth. She wrapped Hawkins' limp body in several snow bindings, but the moment Monet's jaws made physical contact with the magician, she winced and released her hold as the heat produced from the symbol on Hawkins' chest was enough to sear through the dropping temperatures.
"Kyiiii!"
"Urk!" Vergo grunted to parry the heavy blows of the straw entity. Each time he blocked an attack, his feet would dig into the ship's withered planks and his posture would stagger. Fed up with playing defense, Vergo sprung into the air and came back down with a haki imbued bamboo stick, followed up by a string of finger pistols.
Every single move Vergo made was blocked, and the trench-coated man was promptly swatted from the air by the dull end of the straw creatures halberd.
"Gyaaaah!" Monet shreiked.
The dome around Hawkins dispersed and Monet staggered back while clutching her bright red forearm. She attempted to slice Hawkins in half with her snow blade technique, but her attempt proved to be a grave mistake.
"Monet!" Vergo shook his head and stood himself up. Only to be blindsided by a sharp blade. He managed to coat himself in haki, but the sheer force of the halberd knocked him clear off the ship and into the ocean.
"V-Vergo-san!" Monet panicked and turned her sights to the daunting presence before her. How was Hawkins doing this?!
Spinning its halberd above its head, the straw being's weapon came down with a crushing force. Several snow hut layers were made, but were promptly sliced through. There was something other than haki at play here, this burning sensation that sizzled Monet's arm... Now that she reflected on it, it was a similar sensation to Carmel's aura when she wasn't using her devil fruit. But Hawkins didn't have aura, did he?!
"KYIIII!"
Monet's pause cost her dearly. She wasn't as defense-oriented as Vergo, and when the sharp halberd collided against her, it tore through her snow, sliced through her skin, and left a nasty gash on her right shoulder as it propelled her farther into the ocean than Vergo.
The light around Hawkins' chest dwindling, he tilted his neck to catch a glimpse of the new technique he devised. However, even in his half-consious state, the magician had a feeling that the will of the manifestation who fought in his stead did not belong to him. Further proof was Hawkins' body.
The straw creature had taken many blows during the battle, yet the magician remained unharmed.
"Kyiiii~" The tone that the straw being used this time was soft, almost comforting. It rested its weapon on the mainmast and crouched down to meet its owner's crimson stare.
The eyes that the straw creation wore, they were a perfect replica of Hawkins', but unlike his, they carried a caring glint, one filled with concern yet happiness.
"You... are a manifestation of my devil fruit and will right?" Hawkins coughed.
The being shook its head and smiled. It weaved its iron nails carefully through Hawkins' bloodied hair in silence. The hot emblem on his skin no brighter than a mere ember, Hawkins veered his attention to the opposition beside the hull of his ship. A few members of the Faunus mob had come around, but the fire that once propelled their songs of hatred was sullied by a trembling sensation that coursed through the sand from the ocean.
From the darkness of the water, a Grimm unlike any Hawkins had seen before, broke through the water with a pair of boney scales and a trademark skull. Documented as a leviathan Grim, its ear-piercing cry forced all to cower. All except for Hawkins and his straw partner, the Faunus froze in fear of what fate cruel awaited them.
However, another rumble followed shortly after, but this one was much larger than the one the Grimm produced...
Shrill screams of panic took hold of the atmosphere, the waves growing and crashing against the shore, a pair of beady red eyes shined through the darkened water. Hawkins didn't need to perform a tarot draw to know what was coming, but his predictions were dashed. From the ocean depths, a titan of a fish showed itself who's size could rival the entire city of Kuo Kuanna! Hawkins' eyes widened, how the hell did a sea king get here?!
Its teeth longer and wider than the masts of the Grudgedorf, they glistened under the moonlight as the seak king flapped its many green-colored gills and narrowed its sights on the helpless audience on the shore. It's low toned cry causing more confusion and horror, the supposed monstrosity approached the shore behind the Grimm, each of its strides increasing in speed as its lips spread into a wide grin.
A wry smile crossed Hawkins' features. None of the Faunus present were fast enough to outrun such a large being, but they deserved it didn't they? Their own prejudiced views caused their downfall. So why should Hawkins give a damn? Though now that he thought about it, wasn't Hawkins just as screwed?
"Thock!"
The back of his head knocked for good measure, Hawkins winced and turned to meet the disappointed gaze of 'his' crouching straw creation. It seemed to be laughing at his decision to let the Faunus be devoured and picked up its scythe with a look of resolution in its scarlet pupils.
"You can't be serious." Hawkins frowned.
"Thock!"
"... Fine I'll help you save those pathetic racists." Hawkins rubbed the sore lump on his scalp and jumped down from the main deck down to the sands below.
Hold on a minute, how come Hawkins felt no pain when he moved around? Come to think of it, he felt fine actually. The bones in his ribcage felt aligned, and the cuts and bruises on his limbs and face didn't hurt, if they were even there for that matter.
All attention landed on the blonde magician. The groups of Faunus scowled at him, but he rolled his eyes and nonchalantly weaved himself through the crowd. His giant straw creation behind him, it politely pushed aside its onlookers and positioned itself behind Hawkins.
"Well, what do you expect me to do about a Grimm that large? Even you and Straw Man Branwen are dwarfs compared to that evil beast." Hawkins grumbled.
With the sound of Straw fluttering apart, the magician whirled around to find the straw being no longer there. A bead of sweat rolled down his cheek. Did it seriously abandon him at this crucial moment?!
"FOOOMF!" A sudden roaring blaze erupted beneath the skin of his chest and ignited a sensation that occurred not too long ago.
The Faunus spectators stepped back, family and friends clung to each other to offer what little comforts they could in what they assumed to be their final hour.
The Grimm opened its maw and planted its limbs on the shore.
"Grooowr~" The sea king quirked a brow. It's expression filled with curiosity, the sea king crouched down and peered over the shoulder of the Grimm to observe... Hawkins?
The magician met the glance of the sea king, and with no order whatsoever, the giant fish chomped down on the vile Grimm. The obsidian beast flailed and screeched, its thrashing sending winds that swept a few Faunus off their feet. After a few more bites, the Grimm was devoured, but the rotten taste was not to the sea king's liking.
As such, the mighty fish spat out the bones and puffed out the evaporating ooze from its less than desired meal. Once finished, the sea king lowered its head in an attempt to meet Hawkins' stoic gaze. The Faunus on the sidelines clutched their hearts and thoughts of the worst scenario possible stirred their already panicked minds. Many fainted, unable to endure the emotional stress, but those who remained awake experienced several revelations.
The sea king... bowed to Hawkins?!
Jaws flattened the sand and more Faunus fainted. If it weren't for Hawkins' stoic demeanor, he would be sharing the exact same expression as those around him.
"Grooowr~" With one final spit, the sea king flashed Hawkins a kind smile and returned to the dark waters of the ocean.
His mind on shutdown and the adrenaline in his body finally depleted, Hawkins did the only sensible thing. He fainted and fell back first on the sand.
"Damn that magician!" Vergo panted as he ran down the forest paths.
After being washed up on the other side of the shore, Vergo panted with an unconscious Monet on his back. Their mission came to be a complete failure, not only did they lose their hold on Menagerie and its people, but when the Belladonnas came around Blake was sure, to tell the truth about the battle at the mansion. The only option now was to flee and recover their strength.
"Eh? Look who we have here-rero."
That speech style... no it couldn't be!
"Aha, it looks like we missed the battle, but we do get some sweet revenge don't we fellas?~" Chirped a feminine voice.
The giant bear Faunus said nothing and cracked his knuckles.
"Urnf, Vergo-san, what happened?" Monet said groggily. Her hair stood on end and a cute squeal of dismay escaped her lips when she met three predatory glares.
After much pummeling and justice serving, Kuma subconsciously activated his devil fruit powers and blasted both Vergo and Monet off the island.
"Oi, Kuma, how come you only use your devil fruit at these crucial moments?" Vito sighed. He really wanted to rough up Vergo and Monet some more.
The warlord looked down at his hands and shrugged.
"Well, in any case, we're not too far from the beach. Come on you guys, Hawkins and the others need us!" Fiona declared.
Somewhere in the Mistral underworld.
"So there aren't many royal bloodlines who survived the great war?" Crocodile scratched his chin with his golden hook.
Both he and Mr. 1 found themselves in one of the bars owned by the Spider's Web. A crime syndicate dedicated to any shady deal for customers willing to pay their prices. However, Crocodile needed information today, not manpower. Luckily he'd managed to arrange a meeting with the head of the Spider's Web, little Miss Malachite herself.
A stout woman with shoulder-length blonde hair, she tapped the table and took a puff from her cigar.
"I'm sorry Crocodile, but we've been awfully busy as of late. To be honest, there aren't much ma boys can dig up in regards to royal bloodlines. If anything, the Schnee family would be your best bet, along with the world renowned Arc hunters." Ms. Malachite shrugged.
"Hmph, the Schnees live in Atlas, and as long as those bastard Admirals are there it'd be hard for me to do as I please in those cold territories. As for the Arcs, there have been rumors that Harold's son survived, but nothing has popped up in the news or the underworld-"
Crocodile's train of thought derailed as a sudden projectile smashed through the roof of the bar. Among the dust and debris, Mr. 1 approached the two knocked out individuals and curled a brow when he recognized them. As for his golden-hooked partner, Crododile's smirk stretched from ear to ear at the pathetic state of one of his rival's underlings.
"What the hell's goin' on here?!" Ms. Malachite fumed as she and her subordinates lifted themselves off the floor and peeked over toppled chairs and tables.
"Oi, Mr. 1," Crocodile said.
"Hm?" His loyal comrade replied.
"Watts' recent hacks in the Vale networks produced some interesting results didn't they?" The warlord's slanted gray pupils tilted down to a bear paw imprint on Vergo's trench coat along with a few strands of straw.
"Yes, I believe the former tyrant Kuma has taken residence in that kingdom, along with Phantom gun Vito, and..." Mr. 1 scratched his forehead then snapped his fingers.
"Basil Hawkins, a former member of the worst generation who both Kuma and Vito now follow. At least that's what Monet reported when she and Vergo docked at Menagerie."
Crocodile nodded and walked toward the exit of the bar.
"Thank you for your usual stellar service Ms. Malachite, I'll be seeing you soon enough." Crocodile huffed.
"Basil Hawkins eh? Come on Mr. 1. I think I've made up my mind on who I want as the final member for our fake hunter team..."
