Ch. 8- The Prince Arrives
One Piece © Oda
Story and OCs © Me
"Straw Hat!" Langstrom roared as he punched at the wall of the Captain's Cabin, creating a sizeable crack. "Come out of there, right now!"
Inside the galley, Luffy and Pamela both looked up as they heard all the commotion.
"Dammit!" Luffy cursed. "I should have known he'd follow me!"
"One thing about that Langstrom," Pamela said. "Nothing gets in his way!"
"Captain! What are your orders?!" asked Cassidy.
"First off," Pamela began, "make sure that Straw Hat's sister is safe!"
"Right!" Cassidy nodded before she ran to the sickbay where Aika, Mizuki, and Angel were waiting.
At that moment, two huge paws suddenly ripped into the doorway and wrenched the door right off, revealing Langstrom standing behind it...and if Luffy thought he looked pissed before, then this looked like a whole other level of pissed. This Zoan-type user's eyes were glowing a deep, bloody red, and the growl he emitted was so low that he almost sounded demonic. Steam seemed to seep from the lion-man's clenched fangs as he seethed with rage and veins were bulging from his forehead.
"Oh, shit...!" Pamela cursed. "He's in Awakened Mode!"
"What?!" Luffy questioned.
"Listen," Pamela said. "You've been to Impel Down, right? Then you must have clashed with the Jailer Beasts while you were there!"
"Yeah, I remember," Luffy said as he remembered his fight with Minotaurus in Impel Down, as well as the rest of the Jailer Beasts. "That cow guy really beat me up, but I got even with him and his buddies!"
"Well, Langstrom's no different!" Pamela answered. "In this state, he's just about as wild and unpredictable as any lion! If you're gonna engage him, you better watch your step!"
"How bad he could he-" Luffy started, only to gag as Langstrom suddenly caught his throat in his hand and he was pinned to the wall, which shattered upon impact! "...Yep...! Dumb question!"
"BIG BROTHER!" Aika cried in horror, having been behind the wall the whole time while Mizuki, Angel, and Cassidy all gaped in shock.
"Oh, shit!" Cassidy cursed.
"Rrrgh...get...OFF OF ME!" Luffy yelled as he kicked Langstrom in the stomach, causing him to go crashing through the wall back outside to the deck, allowing the Straw Hat Captain to stand up and crack his knuckles, which caused Aika to gasp quietly.
"Big Brother...!" she whispered.
"This time, I'm leaving nothing to chance!" Luffy exclaimed. "I'm kicking that lion guy's ass all the way to Kingdom Come!"
A loud gasp escaped from Aika's mouth. Already, she could picture it...Luffy going head-to-head with Langstrom, who let out a vicious roar as he threw his claws at her older half-brother...and jutting out of his back as they penetrated his rubbery flesh, his claws stained red with his blood.
"NO!" Aika screamed before she ran up and grabbed Luffy's leg, to his surprise.
"What the-?!" Luffy questioned. "Aika, what are you-"
"DON'T FIGHT HIM, BIG BROTHER!" Aika shouted. "PLEASE, DON'T DO IT!"
Luffy gasped silently, his eyes going wide in shock while Aika whimpered, realizing what she had just said. Pamela and her crew blinked in disbelief at what they just heard while Angel nervously swallowed the lump in her throat, her tail drooping down between her legs. Before Luffy could open his mouth to speak, he gasped as he heard Langstrom's vicious growl, the lion-man attempting to stand back up from the kick that the Straw Hat Captain gave him. Luffy's brow furrowed before he turned to Aika, who looked up at him, worriedly.
"Aika, I'm sorry," he said, "but I have to go. If I don't fight him, he'll destroy this place!"
With that, he turned to leave...but the moment he turned around, he suddenly yelled in pain as he felt something pierce into his right hand, causing him to look down, only to gasp in utter shock.
Aika was in her wolf form...biting his hand so hard that blood seeped from the open wound.
"W...what the...?!" Luffy stammered while Aika gasped and backed away in horror.
"B...Big Brother, I...I...!" she stuttered, trying and failing to find the words to say.
"Straw Hat...!" Langstrom growled as he entered the room, forcing the others to back away.
"Damn...!" Pamela cursed before she turned to Luffy. "Straw Hat! You take your sister and run! I'll hold him off for you, okay?!"
"But-" Luffy started.
"Just go!" Pamela shouted before she grabbed her bazooka and her pistol. "I'll buy you some time!"
Luffy opened his mouth to argue...but then he sighed and reluctantly turned away before he glanced down at Aika, who swallowed the lump in her throat as she backed away. He then looked at Pamela before nodding his head.
"Be careful," he told her.
"Can't promise anything," Pamela began, "but I'll try."
With that, Luffy grabbed Aika, tucked her up under his armpit, and ran past Langstrom, who turned and growled as he attempted to chase after the D. Siblings, but then, KABANG! He roared as he felt a bullet graze his ear, causing him to turn and glare at Pamela, who held her pistol in her left hand and her bazooka in her right. Behind her, the Harpy Pirates stood, holding various firearms of their own.
"So...you're all going to take me on, then?" asked Langstorm, a deep snarl emanating from his throat.
"Captain, are you certain of this?" asked Cassidy. "There's a chance we'll end up destroying our own ship."
"...So be it," Pamela replied as she pointed her bazooka at Langstrom...and pulled the trigger.
XXX
Concurrently, as the sounds of gunfire went off behind them, Mizuki led Luffy and Aika to the aft of the ship. They soon jumped off and Mizuki ran over to a rock wall, covered in moss. However, she grunted as she pushed it aside, revealing a hidden tunnel behind it.
"You guys get outta here!" Mizuki told them. "We'll be fine by ourselves!"
"Are you sure about this?!" Luffy asked. "That lion guy is pretty strong!"
"Don't worry about us!" Mizuki answered. "You two need to get back to your crew! Trust me, we'll be okay!" She then glanced down at Aika, who looked at her worriedly. "Besides...you two have something you need to work out."
Aika whimpered, worriedly while Luffy heaved a sigh and nodded his head at Mizuki, who nodded back at him. Soon, the D. Siblings turned and through the tunnel, while Mizuki closed it behind them, then, after pulling out a pistol from her belt, she headed back to the ship to join in the fight.
XXX
Meanwhile, on the Sunny...
"Your wife doesn't want you to be a Marine?" asked Nami, causing Derek to sigh as he looked up at the sky.
"We've actually had this conversation a lot of times," Derek answered. "I guess I can't blame Celia for thinking the way she does." He looked down at his stubby leg. "I mean...how am I gonna explain this to her and my son, next time I see them?"
"I get what you mean," Nami replied. "I guess Celia's pretty worried about you, huh?"
"Especially since she's pregnant again," Chopper added.
"She worries about me every day," Derek answered. "I'm not at home very much, so I don't really know what goes on...but...she's part of the reason I became a Marine. You see, Celia and I met when were just teenagers. I was pretty reckless and always got myself into some kind of trouble. My parents would scold me and say I wasn't doing anything with my life...but Celia was always the first one to come to my defense. She'd even bandage up my wounds if I got hurt."
"Aww, that's so sweet," Nami smiled.
"One day," Derek began, "I noticed that Celia was late to come and see me, so I went looking for her...but when I found her, her parents had been killed...and she was being dragged off by some creeps that were going to try and sell her off to an auction house."
Nami gasped in horror, and up in the Crow's Nest, Carrot also couldn't help but overhear, and needless to say, she also looked disgusted.
"No way was I about to let that happen," said Derek with a fierce look in his eyes, "so I jumped onto their boat and beat up every last one of them. Got beat up pretty bad, too. One of them tried to stab me in the back, but I wasn't going to go down, that easily. I grabbed the nearest thing I could use: a rifle...and then I slammed the butt of it into the ringleader's head. He didn't get back up after that."
"...Whoa...!" Chopper whispered in awe.
"Good heavens!" Brook exclaimed, having also come to listen to the story. "Sounds like a riveting tale of heroics!"
"And all to save the girl you loved," Nami smiled.
"Heh," Derek smiled. "Yeah..." He then exhaled through his nose. "It was then that I realized that...I wanted to become a Marine. I wanted to be able to protect people like Celia from scumbags like those human traffickers. So I went to the training camp where I was taught by Old Man Zephyr...and lemme tell you, he put me and several other soldiers through the wringer...but it was all worth it in the end...at least, that's what I thought."
"...That incident you mentioned where Celia and your son were kidnapped by pirates," Nami started, "is that where she started having her concerns?"
Derek paused. He quietly ran his fingers through his hair, trying to think of what to say...then he sighed.
"Yeah," he admitted. "A few months after that, when Keith turned one...Celia came up to me and she asked me 'Derek, do you think that all this is worth it?'"
"And...what did you tell her?" Brook asked.
"I told her the only thing I could think of," Derek replied. "I told her that while my job was dangerous, it was something I chose to be, come what may...and I told her that the reason why I do what I do is so that I can protect innocent civilians...and I'm not talking about those corrupt World Nobles or those entitled idiots who think that they have more priority over everyone else. I know the world's not black-and-white. I know how things are. Even Langstrom knows!"
The Straw Hats all stared at Derek in awe at what he had said. Among all of the Marines they had ever encountered, he was one of the few who actually knew what really went on behind their walls.
"The reason I became a Marine was so that I could protect innocent people...like Celia and Keith," Derek said. "I wanted them to know even when I wasn't there...I fight hard to protect them. Celia understands that, perfectly...but it doesn't stop her from worrying about me."
"...That's not such a thing, though, is it?" asked Brook.
"No...far from it," Derek answered. "Celia worries about me because she loves me...and I love her and Keith, too, and our baby that hasn't even been born yet. I worry about her just as much as she worries about me, every day! But she knows she can't make me stay at home with her, as much as she would like to, because she understands that that's not fair to me."
"Wow," Nami whispered. "She's really devoted to you."
"We're devoted to each other," Derek replied, "and when I go home, next time...I'm gonna take her in my arms and give her one hell of a kiss."
"Awww..." Chopper cooed while Brook quietly wept, tears pouring from his eye sockets.
"That just melts my heart," he said. "Even though I don't have one. Yohohoho!"
"Then I wish you the best of luck, Derek," Nami smiled.
"Thanks," Derek grinned back. "You know...I never thought I'd be telling my life's story to a crew of pirates."
"We get that a lot," Nami mused.
XXX
Back at the Harpy Pirates' ship...it looked like things had taken a pretty grim turn. Some of Pamela's crew lied scattered along the deck, some of them in crumpled heaps...and as for Pamela, she panted as her right temple bled. Langstrom looked like he had taken quite a bit of damage as well. His right ear was bleeding and he had several bullet holes in his left leg...and yet, he was still standing.
"RAAAAAAAARRGH!" Pamela roared as she fired her bazooka multiple times at Langstrom, who dropped down on all fours and ran to avoid the blasts. He growled as he charged at her, fangs bared and claws outstretched, but Pamela continued to open fire. A few bullets actually managed to graze his left arm, tearing his suit, but the lion-man kept charging, picking up speed with each sprint. Then, with a roar, he lunged for the Harpy Pirate Captain, who gasped as she ducked down to avoid getting her face slashed by his claws. As she strafed to the side, she held up her pistol and attempted to shoot again, but Langstrom turned and smacked the gun out of her hand.
"Captain!" Mizuki cried while Angel ran up and bit Langstrom's neck, attempting to tear out his carotid artery. However, thanks to his thick mane, she couldn't get a good grip on his throat. Langstrom growled as he grabbed Angel and tossed her aside like she was a ragdoll, the black-and-white wolf-dog sliding across the deck. Pamela gasped before she slammed the heel of her boot into Langstrom's jaw, then somersaulted from beneath him. The rest of the Harpy Pirates attempted to shoot at the Vice Admiral from the upper deck, but he quickly jumped out of the way of their shots and leaped at them, causing them to scream as they backed off.
"Back off!" Pamela shouted as she fired her pistol at Langstrom's ear, again, but this time, he managed to avoid the shot as he ducked his head down, then turned and growled at Pamela. He roared as he lunged at her again, and Pamela attempted to shoot one more time...but she was soon pinned down by the lion-man.
"Captain!" Mizuki cried in horror while Langstrom opened his mouth, preparing to bite down on her skull...but just as he was about to do so...
"HEY!"
Langstrom turned around...only to get kicked in the face by a blazing leg, causing him to roar in pain as he collided with the wall behind him. As Pamela looked up, she gasped silently as she saw a blonde man, standing in front of her with his back turned, a cigarette in his mouth. Next to him stood a white wolf wearing a scarf around his neck with a large cross-shaped scar on his left shoulder and a stitched-up scar on the right side of his nose.
"What the-?!" Langstrom growled as he stood up. "Who are you?!"
Sanji stood before Langstrom, taking a drag of his cigarette before he blew out a puff of smoke.
"A man who heeded the call of a woman's aid," he said.
"...Oh, no," Pamela muttered with a roll of her eyes. "Not another one of these dipshits."
TO BE CONTINUED...
Next time on One Piece: Trek.
Langstrom: So...you've chosen to fight me, as well...Vinsmoke Sanji?
Sanji: *kicks Langstrom in the jaw* I AM NOT A VINSMOKE!
Blizzard: Yikes!
Pamela: I don't remember asking for help, dumbass! ...But thanks, anyway.
Sanji: No problem...and perhaps in exchange, you can tell me where my captain and his sister went.
Pamela: *smiles* Sure.
*Meanwhile, it has started raining again, and Luffy and Aika are sitting underneath a rock together, the latter looking guilty*
Luffy: Aika?
Aika: *looks at him, sadly*
Luffy: We gotta talk...now.
Next time: The Truth
I'm pretty proud of this one. Hope you guys liked it!
Review, please!
