From Blaze to Flicker
With his new acquaintance about to be killed down below, Isaac was frozen, not by fear or shock, but an eerie feeling. K'ron's mocking smirk remained plastered on his face, the worry of further burns erased with the appearance of a sudden downpour even as fists continued to rain down, just narrowly missing their target. But, Isaac noticed an outlier, completely foreign to what was going on; there was a steadily increasing breeze nearing them that didn't match the pattern of the storm at all. Since K'ron somehow seemed to be doing okay given the bleak conditions, and Shin was apparently too lost in his own frustration to aim for K'ron's immobile body, Isaac chose to remain where he was in order to analyze the situation further.
Shin couldn't understand, but as seconds ticked by with K'ron still alive he cared to less and less, the simple thought of beating that toothy grin off the brat's face the prevailing thought in his head as rage quashed rational thought.
K'ron had been beaten so severely he could no longer make quick or large movements and he had been on the verge of unconsciousness for almost five minutes now, fighting his body's pleas to rest every step of the way. With all of that in mind, this fight between the pirate captain Shin and himself had long since been decided even as he remained on the wrong end of a vicious assault, but, still, he was the one smiling. And that went a long way towards him being in control at this most critical juncture. Shin's fists hadn't been heated or burning since the rain first started falling right as the first punch from the mounted position was thrown and the repeat punches had also ceased, making dodging the now figurative firestorm with minimal movements much easier.
Under the cover of darkness, unbeknownst to the three at the pirates' base, a small army, no less than 100 people, had marched through the forest directly to their location. The squadron, equipped with all manner of weapons, moved in perfect formation and with purpose, not once breaking line behind the unarmed leader and the two men flanking just behind, wielding a spike tipped chain and twin brass knuckle equipped daggers, respectively.
Along with the appearance of this new group, the source of the breeze that Isaac could not previously ascertain also became clearer, clear enough that the other two would've noticed as well were they not so preoccupied and it not partially concealed by the still raging storm. Having finally discerned the flow of this outlier, Isaac was able to pinpoint the apparent cause: a stream of lights, like fireflies in the distance.
With an unseen hand gesture from the encroaching squadron's leader, the clump of lights expanded and spread over a stretch of the blaze leading from the fort's entranceway to the ring where Shin and K'ron were engaged. The firefly-like lights then slowly descended, smothering the flame below it as it went. Isaac couldn't believe his eyes as a large portion of the inferno gradually dwindled to nothing, especially considering the torrential downpour only seemed to keep it from growing and expanding further.
With a length of the blaze now extinguished, the mysterious lights spread outwards and held the rest of the fire at bay, preventing the cleared space from being reclaimed. What remained was a path of scorched, barren earth cluttered with smoldering bone fragments of the fallen and the charred bits of once impressive wooden structures. Even with a path cleared, the gate was still closed, chained shut, and reinforced with a steel wall, it wouldn't be easy to break through.
Isaac shifted his attention from the dry, wasteland like path and looked at the men gathered outside the fort's front gate, focusing primarily on who could possess the ability to clear an inferno so effortlessly. He instantly recognized the man dressed in a Marine uniform at the head, causing a cataclysm of emotions to collide within him. Anger, fear, confusion, hatred, and bewilderment all fought for dominance as the young man refused to avert his gaze from the threatening figure as he remained perched in his position on top of the fort walls, momentarily frozen even more so than before.
The securely locked steel gate served only a minor obstacle for the group's commander. Without batting an eyelash at the towering entranceway, he slipped off the elbow length glove on his right hand, revealing an almost entirely mechanical forearm. The cybernetic attachment was covered in a liquid that immediately set ablaze upon encountering open air, but just as quickly, more of the mysterious lights at his command tempered the flame, compressing it into a focused aura of extreme heat around the specially made limb attachment. Simply pressing two fingers against the doors was enough to easily melt the thick steel where he touched on his way to carving out a hole large enough for him to walk through. Standing in the middle of the newly created hole, the commander used his superheated hand to melt away the edges, liquefying the solid steel with a tight grip and pushing the edges out until the opening was large enough for three average sized men to walk in side by side.
The powerful commander confidently strode into the base walls, followed first by his two vice commanders and then the hundred or so other men under his command, all in perfect formation. He smiled unflinchingly as he returned the vicious glare coming from Shin, tightly clenched fists dripping blood not his own and chest rising with each heavy breath as he stood triumphantly over the unconscious body of a thoroughly beaten K'ron.
The leader's smile only broadened when the fierce pirate captain took a threatening step forward, punching the heated metal slab between them from the ring with such force that it hurtled towards the group with frightening speed and deadly accuracy. Showing off his reflexes, the man to the captain's left jumped forward and met the projectile with a powerful double fisted punch from his brass knuckle covered fists with enough brute strength behind them to not only stop the hot steel in its tracks but to also send a devastating gust of wind slicing a swath through the fire and leaving two matching lines imprinted in the steel on the far side of the base.
The group's head then placed a calming hand on his subordinate's shoulder and stepped forward, holding out his mechanical hand toward the ruthless pirate still shooting a glare over to him that would kill were it possible.
"Shin 'Twin Pistons' Tensan," the commander spoke, his gruff voice offputtingly casual given the circumstances, "would I be right in assuming this little trap was meant for me?"
Shin then made as if to jump at him, so he continued in a more serious yet condescending tone.
"Calm down, little Shin Shin. Do you really think you could make be break a sweat under these conditions? Pirates can never be trusted, so I did my research on you. Your epithet comes from the powers granted you by the Devil Fruit you ate which allows your muscles to act as pistons, pushing force forward without any extra motion. That can make it seem like your opponents have been hit by multiple punches even though you only threw one. Furthermore, if you pump them fast enough, the friction will cause your body to heat up, maybe even spark a fire. How you're able to withstand that, even I haven't figured out.
"So, what if you know that; that doesn't mean you can stop me," Shin snapped, stepping over Kron's body and approaching the marine.
"I haven't finished. With this rainfall, your pistons become less effective and are liable to backfire, possibly even explode. The fact that you ever thought you stood a chance, shows you know nothing of my power. I can use these lights I release to manipulate oxygen. Do you know what that means? I can disperse the oxygen needed for fire or even the air you're breathing. And, with the oxygen condensed, this right hand of mine is no less than 3,500 Fahrenheit. It'll melt metal effortlessly. What do you think it would do to you?"
Shin's anger and killing intent were overflowing, but there was nothing he could do. He had planned to trap and kill this man at their scheduled meeting in three days, and then attack the rest of them before catching up with his commanders later in the Grand Line. However, those long laid plans, much like his base on this island, were completely up in smoke.
"Why are you even here," Shin finally spoke. "Our meeting wasn't for a few more days."
"We received several reports of thick clouds of smoke billowing from the center of this island. As Marines, it's our duty to investigate and resolve any potentially dangerous situations."
Shin growled in deep frustration, the sound pushing through his throat with the guttural intensity of an overheated engine about to explode. He had been utterly defeated, and it was all thanks to two little gnats that flew in. That he even lost the element of surprise and had expended so much energy was the insult on top of injury. There was absolutely nothing he could do to change the situation except get rid of the maggot that caused all these problems. With that thought in mind he pumped his muscles once more, re-igniting his fist before thrusting it towards the unconscious K'ron's head.
"Heated Mountain... Crusher!"
Shin's muscles pistoned so much the sound was nearly audible as his fist steadily drew nearer to its target. Nothing but mere inches and thick ash filled air remained between him and his target. He would splatter this child's head like a ripe watermelon, and though it wouldn't solve anything, it would provide some semblance of satisfaction.
Isaac, pushed over the edge by the Marine commander's nonchalant tone and blasé attitude, pushed himself into action, rocketing from his perch with such force that the foothold he'd been using was completely destroyed. But, no matter how fast he went, there was no way his fist would reach Shin before Shin's fist killed K'ron. For the second time, he would watch helplessly as someone was killed before his very eyes, all due to his own cowardice.
Isaac ground his teeth together, attempting to will himself to go faster, but it was all futile. He watched as an explosion engulfed K'ron's head at point blank range. The force shoved K'ron's head further into the ground, splintering it with shrapnel and enough concussive pressure to crush his skull, but somehow the young pirate remained alive (to be generous), though on the verge of death. Shin's arm muscles had malfunctioned due to the rust caused by the rain, and at the last possible moment, it triggered an explosion, bursting the fierce fighter's arm and gauntlet from the inside out. Pieces of metal jutted from K'ron's skin as he bled even more heavily than before while the blast also knocked Shin back into the air, right towards Isaac.
Isaac cocked his arm all the way back, and threw a punch filled with the entirety of his tumultuous emotions, letting it loose on Shin's jaw and using the force to spin his body into a perfect landing between K'ron and the Marines.
Shin was thrown into one of the heated steel ring walls, tearing through it and falling into the trench below. His jaw had been completely shattered by the force of Isaac's punch, and the sudden two-fold pain from the explosion and the unexpected attack from behind was enough to knock the powerful foe unconscious.
Isaac desperately wanted to help K'ron, but the enemy in front of him took precedent. If he couldn't get through these Marines, both he and K'ron would surely be dead. He could only hope that K'ron's condition, though critical, was stable enough to last a bit longer. A new fire burned in Isaac's eyes as he gazed upon the Marine leader, something more than revenge fueled him now. Brimming with unexplainable passion and a mixture of other emotions, Isaac gripped a large sword stuck in the ground nearby and unbent even in the intense heat, and leveled the point at his next target. The searing pain of the burning metal in his palm didn't seem to register as he trained his complete focus on the task at hand.
"You killed my father. I won't let do as you please any longer."
The Marine leader leveled an even stare at Isaac. Though a large, sharpened blade pointed at him, he seemed more amused than threatened, merely smirking at Isaac's iron resolve. His top two men weren't nearly so easy going, though, returning Isaac's glare with almost equal ferocity.
It was the one to the leader's right that acted first this time, stepping forward with the utmost confidence as he readied his chain for a fight. However, he was stopped by the commander's arm in front of him.
"No, I'll handle this," the commander smiled. "You must be the son of that traitor. I'd always held high hopes for your father, but he simply refused to bow to his superiors. It'll be interesting to see how well his son has matured. Who knows, maybe there's a spot for you among my most trusted men.
The commander's arms were held out wide, showcasing the troops he'd brought with him. Isaac knew time was of the essence for K'ron, but he couldn't just let that treacherous Marine spit on his father's reputation."
"My father stood up for the defenseless people with pride and earnest, and you stabbed him in the back you coward. You'll pay!"
"Is that right?"
There was no time to get into a back and forth. Isaac wanted to finish this as fast as possible to get help for K'ron. Even though that's what he constantly reminded himself, he knew as well as anybody that against 100 of the Marine base's top soldiers plus three of the top fighters in this part of the Grand Line, he stood no better a chance than a snowball in hell. However, pushing such thoughts aside, Isaac lunged in with reckless abandon, lashing out at the head Marine with a powerful slash from the nodachi.
The commander no longer held an amused smirk as Isaac attacked, his expression now one of mild annoyance. And, as if swatting a fly away, he waved his right hand into the path between the sword and his head. Isaac's strike moved past the commander as if there had been no interference, going past his hand and head in a seamless motion. However, though the sword could withstand the high temperatures of the raging fires, against the extreme heat contained around the commander's mechanical arm, it was little more than a large toy. With almost no effort, he melted through the blade and knocked it aside like a fragile stick.
Isaac didn't let that slow him, though. As if he'd planned for the turn of events, the undaunted orphan threw what was left of the sword forward. The commander saw it clearly, waving his arm up and pushing the broken sword aside with an almost lazy backhand. The lackluster movements to deflect the feint, though, left the Marine wide open to Isaac's real attack, a hard straight aimed right for his chest.
"Tekkai," the commander's voice boomed as he braced for Isaac's punch, his left arm acting on reflex alone. But, even with his Tekkai technique, Isaac's punch still sent him skidding on his heels and bruised his arm in the process. The commander shook his arm loose to relieve it of the numbing sensation running through it, and his eyes shone with a twinkle of intrigue.
"That was Shigan if I'm not mistaken, and with your entire fist no less," the Marine officer stated. "Looks like your old man taught you a few Rokushiki techniques before his untimely demise. Tell me, what else did he teach you?"
Isaac chose to do one better – show him – attacking again with a Shigan punch, but this time moving in with almost blinding speed as well. The commander met Isaac's fist with a Tekkai enhanced punch of his own, moving forward to counteract the punch before Isaac was completely ready. Neither fighter budged, but the ground beneath them began to quake and crack from the combined impact.
Isaac tried to catch the commander by surprise with a kick, but the wily Marine jumped up to avoid it. The look on his face implied he was a bit surprised that it was a normal kick. Performing a flip in the air, he brought his extended leg down for a devastating axe kick. Isaac quickly moved to the side to avoid the strike, attempting to move around and catch him off guard. The Marine, though, swung out with his cybernetic right hand, forcing Isaac to duck to keep from having his head lopped off. Isaac then jumped back with uncanny agility to avoid the follow up knife hand.
A simmering line was left in the ground where Isaac had been a moment before. Isaac needed to regroup, he'd almost forgotten about the lethality of that hand, and that wasn't a mistake he could afford to make. The commander, though, was clearly playing around, smiling as he melted and altered rocks with his bare hand.
"Shigan and Soru, but you don't know Rankyaku," the man mused. "Your dad seems to have only taught you the ones he excelled at. Stop this pointless floundering and I'll make you a Rokushiki user on par with the best of CP9. What do you say?"
Isaac moved even faster this time, momentarily disappearing from vision before reappearing in front of the commander, ready to throw an uppercut. Isaac left cracks in the ground as he launched himself upwards, putting all his weight behind the single punch. The entire sequence happened in the blink of an eye, making it near impossible to avoid. But, nevertheless, the Marine stopped the punch with his metal right hand, the heat controlled enough to not instantly turn Isaac's hand to ash, before countering with a solid knee to the aggressive youngster's chin, wracking Isaac's brain like a marble.
The young man was completely disoriented as an iron vise like grip lifted him off his feet. It was clear he'd been beaten as he regained his senses, and, as if by instinct, struggled for freedom. The first things he noticed were a smell reminiscent of gas and a liquid leaking onto his neck, though it didn't seem to hinder the hand constricting his windpipe in the least. He stopped wriggling and remained still when a searing pain burned the sides of his neck.
"I'd suggest you not move. Holding the flames and heat at bay is quite a delicate balance. And with the fuel already on your neck, even the oxygen in the air would be enough to spark a reaction. But, that was quite the maneuver, if I hadn't seen your dad use it countless times, you might've gotten me. Unfortunately for you, this is the end of the line. Any last words?"
Isaac gathered what strength he could and borrowed a page from K'ron's book, hocking a disgusting loogie in the commander's face. The Marine leader growled angrily, but controlled himself enough not to instantly snap the brash young man's neck.
"Go to hell, you evil bastard," Isaac spat.
"Evil? I'm a Marine, the symbol of good. No matter what I do, it's automatically considered good because I'm a Marine. Whether I make a deal with pirate scum or execute a rebellious subordinate, no one can touch me for I am the Marines and the Marines are righteous. Now why don't you contemplate that in the next life with your father?"
The way this man ground the ideals of the Marines, the ideals Isaac so believed in, beneath the heel of his boot reignited the fire in Isaac's belly, the youth lashing out with wild kicks, fighting to escape, consequences be damned.
"Hmph, incessant till the end just like your father. I think after I kill you, I'll slaughter your village. Even then, no one would bat an eye. A shining Marine example takes down an evil group of treacherous bandits that massacred a civilian town. Who knows, they might even reward me with a medal.
"No, I don't think so," a new voice opined. "Though, I will give you some seastone cuffs for your trouble, Commodore Bryn."
"Hu- AAAH!"
The base commander, Commodore Bryn, howled in agony at the pain of suddenly having his right arm cut off. It was cut with such speed and precision that the injury didn't immediately register, and even when it did, Isaac was already on the ground, the cybernetic forearm still tightly hanging on to his throat, keeping any oxygen from contacting the highly flammable fuel. Even now, Isaac dared not move, merely looking on at the situation with nervous apprehension.
Commodore Bryn's top two soldiers stepped in front of their commander with weapons readied while the other soldiers spread out in formation. The newcomer looked to each of them with a scrutinizing expression as if asking do you really want to do this. Many of them looked unsure, and almost half dropped their weapons when the man spoke.
"Commodore Bryn and all Marines of the G-25 base, you are hereby under arrest. Drop your weapons and surrender immediately! If you do not comply, I am authorized to use whatever means necessary to bring you in."
"Vice Admiral Lykos, what are you doing here," Bryn hissed, clutching the bleeding stump of his arm tightly.
"I came to investigate your base, but they told me you'd come to this island. Luckily, you're still so long winded that I made it in time to fully assess the situation."
Bryn nearly ground his teeth to nothing, but made no overt moves to resist the Vice Admiral while the rest of his men hesitated in deciding what to do without an order from the Commodore himself, instead all except for the Commodore's top men stood on shaky legs, looking at the Vice Admiral with nervous tension, almost completely oppressed by the Vice Admiral's overbearing aura. Even with the distance between the two sides, the infantrymen still felt overwhelmed as if in the presence of a giant instead of the average sized Lykos.
The Vice Admiral stood stoically under the pelting rain, neck length golden blonde hair fluttering in the wind in rhythm with the gold epaulets of the Marine coat draped on his shoulders. His arms crossed over his broad chest and billowing coat on his wide shoulders exposed the gold embroidered scabbard at his hip. Lykos' brow furrowed, gaze narrowing, as he eyed each of the hesitant crowd around him. The whole situation ate away at Lykos' limited patience with each empty breath, and it wasn't long before he partially drew his sword, the blade gleaming so brightly it was as if it cut through the night sky itself.
"If I must fully draw my sword, none of you will walk onto my ship. Is that understood?"