A/N: What?! A surprise chapter?! I think so!
I don't own Fairy Tail!
Please enjoy!
Chapter 34: The Wrestler
April 16, X792 – Morning
Cordelia hummed as she messed with Bones on the deck of the front, white ship, smashing his cheeks together before pushing the loose skin of his face back and popping his ears up. She laughed at the unamused stare the pit bull seemed to send her. She relaxed the grip she had on him before kissing him on the nose and standing up to see the island of Tonituri coming into view. While the thunder island had been relatively close to Fulgur and they could have easily reached its shores the previous day, Cordelia had ordered that yesterday was a resting day before they dove back into the hunt. After everything that had happened, physically, mentally and emotionally, the guild master thought it was only right that they take a day of rest. No one seemed to complain about this, using the new free time to do as they pleased for the day. But now Cordelia had the guild back on the move again and it seemed that most of her crew was more than ready for another adventure, especially with their guild master in a more uplifting mood.
"Cordelia," Sam called out, the young man coming to stand beside her, "I think it was wise of you to take a day off yesterday."
"I think so too," Cordelia smiled at him, "I feel much better because of it, so I hope everyone else does too."
"I am sure they do."
"Ya know, Sammy," she said, chuckling lightly when she watched him twitch at the nickname, "If things ever get that heavy again, you are allowed to step in and tell me to step back and take a break."
"Are you certain about that? I feel like you might yell at me if I do," he said, a ghost of a smile appearing on his face.
"Is that a smile I see?" she said, watching as the faint smile quickly disappeared, "And yeah, I probably will snap at you, but you should probably keep in mind that I normally never mean anything by it…well not for you anyways," she said, her eye twitching at the picture of a smirking Ingrid in her mind. It still infuriated her that the woman had won their eating contest the other night. Now she would have to think about a new contest to win against the woman, "But it would be better for everyone for you to remind me when things are getting too hectic. I take your advice seriously. You should remember that."
Sam stood in silence as he thought over her words, momentarily feeling happy that someone actually cared to listen to the things he had to say. Though, his happiness was quickly ended by Cordelia's next comment.
"Sam, are you not getting sleep again?" she asked, peering over at the boy with a careful stare, "You're looking kinda worn out. At least from what I can tell by the growing bags under your eyes. I hope you're not staying up late to review information again."
Sam looked worried for a moment, thinking that no one would notice his lack of sleep, especially with the treasure hunt going on. He quickly recomposed himself before he answered, "Ah, yes well, Matilda gave me some new maps to review, so I have been going over those for the past few days. I tend to lose track of time when I am studying something new."
Cordelia watched him for a moment longer, not fully believing his story, but also not having the time to look into it at the moment as the guild was coming into a port. Cordelia tucked the thought away for later, knowing she'd have to catch up with Matilda to make sure the woman had actually give Sam those maps. For now, she let the subject go with a sigh.
"All right, well make sure you get some sleep some time today or tonight. Both Matilda and I are more than capable of taking care of the navigating and such while you get some rest," Cordelia said as she began to walk towards the bridge at the back end of the ship, "And that's an order from your guild master!" she called out before she and Bones began walking across the bridge, leaving Sam to sigh heavily before he returned to the navigation cabin.
. : + : .
Cordelia made her way up onto the main vessel of the guild, watching everyone stare at something that was on the island near the docks. She would have called out to them, but a booming clap of thunder cut her off. She jogged up to the growing crowd as more and more people stood to watch whatever was going on. She began pushing her way through the crowd until she popped out at the front. She cocked her head to the side as she watched a group of men work quickly to build some sort of fighting ring. The platform of the ring was white and solid, standing at least a good six feet up off of the ground. Four posts were hammered into the corners of the square platform followed by three thick rubber bands being run around the posts. The men took a moment to take a breath before posing triumphantly next to their successful work.
"Uhhh…did they just build a wrestling ring?" Cordelia asked before another crack of thunder echoed across the sky. She looked over to Ace, who had moved to stand next to her at the head of the crowd. He gave her a shrug of his shoulders before they looked back towards the scene in front of them.
The booming of music quickly took the place of the thunder. Overdramatic, heavy rock music began blaring with the thumping beats of the drums seeming to match the level of the thunder that encased the island. The morning light dimmed as an overly large black sheet was thrown up behind the ring as lights began to flash.
"Ladies and gentlemen!" one of the men that had built the ring began announcing in a loud and hyped up voice, "Prepare yourself for the fight of your life!" he continued as a shadowed figure began walking up a ramp that led into the ring. A large muscular form could be seen from the figure as it walked higher and higher up the ramp, the figure striking poses as it moved, "Because the world will shake and men will bend to the power that is Jimmy Ryans!" they shouted as the figure jumped up into the sky before slamming back down into the ring, "Better known as the world's greatest fighter, Atlas!" they finished as fireworks flew up into the air and the lights all shined down on the man in the ring who was posing with one knee bent while the other leg was straight along with his arms curled upwards, showing off the thick muscle of his body.
Atlas was a thirty-three year old man that stood taller than even Seth at seven feet. He had short, messy brown hair while his eyes were a striking, sharp blue. His heavily tanned skin covered thick layers of muscle, the man looking like he could break a person in half with his bare hands. The only piece of clothing he wore was a pair of flashy pants that were bright orange in color with a yellow, zigzag pattern running down the legs.
"Yes! Gaze upon the champion! Do you know why I'm the world's greatest?!" Atlas boomed out, shifting his pose as he did so. And while he received no answer from the guild, he didn't falter or look disappointed as he continued, "Because I smash down all my opponents with my bare hands! You know why that is?!" he continued, once again changing his manly pose, "Because a champ doesn't need weapons to win! I do it all on my own and that's why I'm the best there will ever be! Be overcome and cry in the presence of the glory that is the world champion, Atlas!"
The entire guild was silent as they stared at the scene before them, many of them having sweat drops rolling down their heads. The only sound that passed through the two groups for a good five minutes was the rolling thunder in the sky.
"Boss! It looks like you shocked them into silence! You're amazing!"
"Of course I'm amazing!" Atlas said, laughing loudly as he moved into a new pose, "I'm be the best there ever was! It's hard to take in all this magnificence!"
Cordelia finally couldn't take it anymore and laughter was soon bubbling up and out of her. It started softly at first until she was letting out roars of laughter, having to lean on Ace to keep from falling over. Ace joined her laughing instantly, the siblings leaning against each other for support. The laughter began to spread throughout the guild until the roar of their laughter could be heard even over the thunder.
"Oh! This is too much!" Cordelia said, holding her stomach with one hand, "I can't take it! Who is this guy?!"
"It's hard to take in all this magnificence!" Ace said, mocking the large man, "You've gotta be kidding me!"
"You dare laugh at the great Atlas?!" the men standing around the ring shouted at the guild.
"It's all right men," Atlas said, "There have been many that have laughed at me before, but you know where they end up?! At the end of my great and almighty fist!"
This statement only had the guild rolling in laughter all over again.
Cordelia managed to compose herself enough to stand up on her own, but a few laughs still managed to escape her lips as she spoke, "Please don't tell me that you're from the Black Skulls and you're here for the map?!"
"Those may be the orders I have," Atlas began, "But I am here for a grand and glorious fight first! If any think you can handle me, take a step into my ring! I hope you have someone worthy enough to fight me!"
Cordelia coughed as she tried to fight back her laughter again while turning to look at her guild. She then pulled out the map from her coat to read over the clue again, "Finding a spirit of wishes and playing his game, hmm," she pondered, going over names in her head of who would be best to send onto the island. She felt a weight on her back and she glanced up to see Ace leaning on her to glance down at the clue, "Definitely not you," she mumbled, earning a flat stare from her brother, "And we'll probably need a team to deal with…that," she said, looking back at the still posing Atlas. She snorted in laughter again before turning back to the clue only to come face to face with light blue eyes.
"Having some trouble, angel?"
Cordelia jumped back in surprise upon seeing Isaak right in front of her, happy that her brother had been there to catch her, "Don't do that!" she snapped, bonking the man on the head.
"You should be more aware of things," Isaak said with a smirk, rubbing the top of his head where he had been hit.
"Whatever," she mumbled before realization hit her, "Isaak!"
"That is my name."
"Guess what you get to do!"
"Please don't say that I have to fight the man in the ring. I already have my hands full with Eli."
"What was that, you four eyed card loser?" Eli said lowly, having appeared behind Isaak just in time to hear his remark.
"Ahaha, did you hear something?" Isaak asked, "It sounded an awful lot like an idiot that needs to come up with better insults."
The temperature in the area quickly began to rise after Isaak's comment, but Cordelia quickly ended the fight before it turned into a brawl by slamming a hand into Eli's face, "Cool it!" she said, "I need Isaak for today's clue, so back off!"
Eli stared down the silver haired mage still smiling at him, but kept himself from lashing out at him.
"So you need my help then, angel?" Isaak said, making sure to add on the nickname just to get under Eli's skin. It seemed to work as he watched the fire mage twitch in annoyance.
"Yes, I do," she answered, turning towards him to hand him the map, "I need you to find the spirit of wishes the clue talks about and then play whatever game it is that it has planned. You're smart enough to handle that, right?"
"Of course, but it may move quicker if I have some help. Just not any idiotic help," he said, glancing back at Eli.
The temperature began to rise again until Cordelia's hand tightened around Eli's face, her nails biting into his skin.
"I would ask that you refrain from teasing him until you figure out the next clue," Cordelia said, a vein ticking on her forehead.
"If that is what you wish."
"Cordelia!"
The group's attention was pulled to the right when they saw a huffing Jean heading their way. The blonde man came to a stop right in front of the guild master with folded arms and Rin standing close behind him, the younger man having been teasing Jean a moment ago.
"What is it? I'm in the middle of something here," Cordelia answered.
"I must make a complaint! How is it that I've become S-Class finally and yet I have seen less action than when I was a normal mage?"
"Seriously…you're gonna do this right now?" Cordelia said. Though, she quickly remembered Isaak's request of having other people help him and a sly smile appeared on his lips, "Well, if you're so anxious to do something, then you get to help Isaak out for the day with figuring out the next clue!"
Jean and Isaak exchanged glances, unsure about how they felt with working together.
Though, Isaak soon smiled at the blonde, "He is better than some fiery buffoon."
"Isaak!" Cordelia snapped, feeling her hand heat up this time until she eventually had to let go.
"Looks like that one slipped," he said, laughing as he rolled up the map and tucked it away in his coat, "Let's head out, Jean."
"I suppose this will do for now," Jean said, glancing back at Cordelia, "But I hope to have a decent mission once this hunt is finished."
"Yeah, yeah," Cordelia said, doing her best to keep Eli back from Isaak. She then noticed Rin staring over at Jean and Isaak, frowning slightly, "Oh! And take Rin with you too!" she said, watching as the young mage lit up in excitement, "I'm sure he'll be helpful too!"
Jean gave a quick glare over at the top hat wearing mage, but didn't fight the orders that had been given to him. The three men quickly began making their way down to the docks after that, finally giving Cordelia the moment she needed to smack the fire mage on the head.
"What did I say?!" she snapped at him, "Chill out!"
"Tch," was all he replied with as he rubbed the back of his head.
"So that covers the team for the clue, but what about the team to deal with…that?" Ace asked, pointing over at Atlas.
"I am becoming bored!" Atlas shouted up at them, "I will come aboard your ship and pick an opponent myself if one does not step up! But I do hope that someone within your guild has the courage to take on a great champion such as myself!"
"If you do not mind, Miss Murdock," Kasra said, stepping up to the guild master, "It would be my pleasure to deal with that fine wrestler down there," he said, eyeing the large man down in the ring.
The Murdock siblings made a face at the same time at his comment, knowing what he really meant by it, before Cordelia smiled up at the man, "You are welcome to do as you please, Kasra."
"Wonderful," Kasra smiled widely, keeping his eyes locked on Atlas's muscles.
Ace looked over at Cordelia with slight worry, "Maybe you should send someone with him to make sure some actual fighting gets done."
"Maybe you're right," Cordelia answered, "And since we sent three men out on the other team, might as well make it three for this team," she said, scanning over the crowd.
"Oh man, what a fucking loser," Gordon said, still laughing over Atlas.
"Oi! Metal head!" Cordelia shouted.
Gordon froze when he heard his name come out of Cordelia's mouth. He looked over at her slowly, seeing a wicked smile on her face as thunder cracked across the sky.
"It's time you start helping out with this treasure hunt! It's your fault that we're in this predicament in the first place! Go fight the wrestler!"
"What?! Hell no!"
Cordelia walked right up to Gordon, the smile still on her face, "Are you defying your guild master?"
"So what if I am?"
"You're going whether you like it or not."
"I'd like to see you try and make me go."
In a flash, Cordelia called out a gun from her re-quip space and shot it off at Gordon. He had squeezed his eyes shut, thinking that he was going to feel some sort of pain. Though, the only thing he felt was something sticking to his forehead. He looked up to see that a red suction dart was stuck to his forehead.
Cordelia started laughing loudly, "You actually thought I was gonna shoot you for real!"
Gordon's face flared red in anger and embarrassment, but before he could reach out to make a grab for her, he was swooped up and lifted over a shoulder.
"I'll be taking that third spot then," Seth said, smiling down at Cordelia while locking Gordon in place over his shoulder, "A wrestling match looks like fun."
Cordelia smiled in response, "Watch over Gordon and Kasra then, would ya? You know how they can get."
"Just what the hell is that supposed to mean?!" Gordon shouted, "And put me back on the damn ground!"
"Don't worry. We'll all have a great time!" he laughed as he started walking off towards the docks.
"Oh! And if you make it past this Atlas guy, go ahead and help Isaak and the others out! Better to have more people working on the clue than not enough!"
"Aye!" Seth answered before disappearing completely.
Things were quiet for a moment before Ace walked up to his sister again, "You do realize that you just teamed together three of the biggest flirts on this guild to figure out the clue, right?"
Cordelia froze for a moment before her jaw dropped and she let out cry of realization.
"And I'm the stupid one," Ace chuckled.
He was quickly met with a hand to the back of the head. Though, any arguments between the two were put to a quick stop when they felt the presence of a large ship coming up behind the guild. They both turned to see an overly large, white ship coming up on them, the symbol of the Naval Forces printed across the side of it.
"That's what I call bad timing," Ace said.
Cordelia smiled widely instead, "No," she said, watching as a large figure stood at the head of the ship with a black wrapped halberd resting on one shoulder, "That's what I call perfect timing."
. : + : .
"What do you mean you're not going first?" Gordon growled, glaring down at Kasra who had somehow managed to set up a stained wooden table with two matching chairs and a dark orange umbrella to keep him shaded. On the table was a chilled tea with three glasses along with a plate of cookies, "And just where the hell did all this shit come from?"
"How can one man be so angry when he looks so handsome?" Kasra asked with a smile, knowing it would easily deflect Gordon away from him. It did the trick, considering the large step he took away from Kasra, causing said man to chuckle in response, "Now then, I would like to see what this manly wrestler can do. Which means I need to sit and watch while you fight him. It is not all bad though. I do get to watch two men tangle with each other, and even better if they end up tangle together in the process, but either way it is entertaining for me."
A violent shiver ran up Gordon's spine before he started shouting and pointing over at Seth, "Then why can't he go first?!"
"But that would be too easy, you see," Kasra answered, wearing a rather pleased smile, "Dear Seth here is S-Class. The fight would end too quickly if he went first. Where is the fun in that? And besides," he said, stopping Gordon from retorting, "Wasn't it Miss Murdock that said it was because of you that we are currently in this predicament? It seems only fair that you go first in the ring."
"He has you there," Seth answered, wiping cookie crumbs from his face before taking a drink of tea, the tattooed mage having already taken the second seat at Kasra's table for himself, "Plus, you get to have all the fun by fighting him first. All his moves will be surprises!"
"See? I am giving you a gift. Go enjoy it," Kasra said.
"I don't know what kind, but you're definitely some kind of evil," Gordon said, "But fine. Whatever," he grunted turning towards the ring, "I'll go first."
"Evil I may be," Kasra said just before Gordon jumped into the ring, "But what lovely eye candy you are."
Another violent shiver ran up Gordon's spine while Seth choked on his tea. Seth hit his chest a couple times before he was finally able to let out a booming laugh in response to Kasra's comment. Gordon managed to pull himself together and jump up into the ring, pulling the bands around it apart for him to step through.
"All right!" the announcer from early started, "It looks like we have our first match up! Tell us your name so that all will know who-"
Gordon slammed a hand into the man's face as his eye twitched in annoyance, "I'd suggest you get the hell out of my face now before I make sure to fuck yours up, got it?" he said, feeling annoyed that he had to be in this ridiculous circus of a show. The man gulped and nodded, running out of the ring to join the other men. This left Gordon and Atlas standing in the ring alone, the metal mage cracking his knuckles as he stared down the large man, "I hope you know what you're asking for here."
"Men like you always start off the same," Atlas said, "But you will marvel at my strength by the end of this match!"
"Yeah, whatever," Gordon said with a roll of his eyes, "Can we just get this started already."
"Ah, but a great champion always starts with a heated stare down! It gets the crowd pumped up!"
"Well I don't care what your little lackeys want," Gordon said, donning his metal skin, "I want this shit to be over as fast as possible! So let's go!" he shouted, stepping up to the man to slam a fist into his face in hopes of making a knockout punch. Surprisingly though, Atlas caught Gordon by the neck and easily lifted him up into the air before slamming him down on his back. Gordon coughed from the force of the hit, not having expected the man to do that. It wasn't many people that could lift him up while he had his metal covering in place since it added weight to him. He stood up and shook his head to clear it before he charged the man again with a punch. Atlas easily ducked it and ran for the three bands that were around the ring. He spun so his back landed against them, using their stretching force to launch him forward back towards Gordon. He grabbed onto the back of Gordon's head and slammed the man down again, watching as Gordon's head ricocheted off the flooring of the ring, "What the fuck?" Gordon mumbled as he tried to get his head to stop spinning.
"Never underestimate an opponent!" Atlas shouted, "Not only do I have the most outstanding wrestling skills you will ever see in your lifetime! But I also have Strengthen Magic! This means I can channel my magic through my body to make me stronger and more durable than your seemingly useless steel body! Gaze upon the champion yet again and know failure, little steel man!"
"Like hell I will," Gordon grumbled as he crawled up to his knees.
Atlas jumped up onto the post closest to Gordon, "Let me show you how to shake the world! Earth Shattering Slam!" he shouted as jumped out towards Gordon to completely slam him back against the stage.
"Metal Make: Shield!" Gordon shouted, creating on overly large shield to cover himself. It appeared just in time for Atlas to slam against it and for Gordon to crawl out from under it, "Metal Make: Hammer!" he yelled, slamming a fist down to bring down a huge hammer onto the man. Atlas managed to roll off the shield just as the hammer came down to clang against the metal.
"It seems the steel man has some decent moves, but they are nothing compared to my strength and showmanship!" he shouted while striking a pose right in the middle of the ring.
"Go boss!"
"You're the best!"
"Kick that guy's ass!"
"What a showstopper!"
"Ah, the sound of fans is the best motivation in a battle!" Atlas said, smiling as he turned his attention back onto Gordon, "Let's go, little steel man! Show me what you've got in hand to hand combat!"
"This guy is seriously fucking crazy," Gordon said before taking up a fighting stance. The two stared each other down for a long moment, the cheers from the crowd around the ring growing, "Dammit! Now I'm getting caught up in his stupid stare down!"
"What a glorious thing a stare down is! Man against man! Fist against fist! It builds these things up and a champion cannot be a champion without them!"
"You're so damn annoying!" Gordon shouted as he charged the large man, entering into a heated battle of fists. Some punches made contact while they were able to dodge others. Gordon even started using the bands around the ring much like Atlas was doing. Their speed and strength started to pick up and they were running back and forth through the ring as the cheering began to rise from the crowd.
"The champion approves of your fighting, but it is time to make a finishing move!" Atlas shouted as the two separated to lean back against the bands to launch themselves at each other again. While Gordon simply charged at the man with a fist at the ready, Atlas prepared a slightly different attack. He twisted around Gordon and came back on him just as the metal mage turned to look at the man in surprise, "Lariat!" Atlas shouted as he slammed his forearm into Gordon's neck with a crushing force, the only thing keeping Gordon's neck from actually crushing like it should have was the metal that still coated him. His body was flung backwards as he chocked out a cough from the attack, skidding to a stop at the other end of the ring away from Atlas. The wrestler began walking up to Gordon, who was struggling to get back up. He easily picked the metal mage up, lifting him high above his head. He walked around the ring a few times to show off his strength against the mage before coming to a stop in the middle of the ring, "Back Breaker Surprise!" he shouted, falling to one knee while bringing Gordon down towards the other knee that was still up.
Gordon's eyes went wide, knowing from the title of the move alone that the ending result couldn't be good; so before the wrestler could actually slam his back against his knee, Gordon quickly created a new spell, "Metal Make: Anchor!" he shouted. A giant anchor appeared above the pair, quickly dropping down towards them, "You should never underestimate an opponent either," Gordon said, punching the man to let him go. Atlas lost his grip on him, Gordon managing to slip away just as the anchor fell onto Atlas.
"The champion is…stuck!" Atlas shouted from under the anchor.
"Good. Keep your ass there!" Gordon said as he moved towards the edge of the ring and slid out of it.
"That was great!" Seth said when Gordon had moved over to their table.
"Yes, quite the good show," Kasra smiled at him, earning an eye roll in return from Gordon.
"Well, now that my job is done, I'm going back to the guild," Gordon said.
"Ah, ah, ah," Seth said with a smile, grabbing onto the man's shoulder, "Cordelia asked that we go help out Isaak and the others after dealing with Atlas.
"What?! That's some bullshit!"
"Do not complain like that. It is not very becoming of such a handsome man," Kasra said, standing from his table and laughing at the irritated twitch Gordon's eye made, "Besides, it will be good to stretch our legs and to check out the town. You should learn to enjoy yourself more, so let us be on our way."
Gordon grumbled, but followed the two men further inland nonetheless.
"Boss! Boss! Are you all right?!" Atlas's men shouted as they ran into the ring and pushed the anchor off of him.
With being able to breathe again, Atlas started laughing loudly, "What a grand and spectacular fight! I must have more! And a champion cannot lose so easily! We must have a rematch, those mages and I! They must understand the true magnificence of the world champion, Atlas!"
His men cheered in response, happy to see that Atlas was ready for more fights. They quickly began to tear down the ring to take with them, knowing their boss loved to have the ring anywhere he went and it would only be right to finish his matches in the ring where they started.
Atlas looked back towards the guild and struck another dramatic pose, "Thank you for sending me such wonderful men to fight! I'll continue showing them how to make the world shake!" he shouted as more random fireworks exploded behind him.
A/N: And there we are! I hope you all enjoyed it!
Credits
Jimmy Ryans aka Atlas - reven228
OMG! I laughed during this entire chapter! I was crying in laughter when Atlas finally made his appearance! He's just so great! And I had to dig deep, but I managed to break into all the wrestling I used to watch with a friend way back when, so I can only hope that Atlas lived up to that and what his creator imagined for him. And while picturing a number of wrestlers for him, I would also like to thank Russell Crowe in Gladiator for the whole 'Are you not entertained?!' bit since I drew inspiration from that as well. We'll definitely get to see more of both these forms of inspiration in the next couple of chapters with Atlas in them. So I truly hope you all enjoyed him because I just love him so much!
But anyways, inspiration hit me for this chapter and it just demanded to be written, but I'm sure that you all don't mind a surprise update like this, haha. I think you can thank reven228 for giving me Atlas and Origm2012 for his recent quick updates. They both got me pumped up to write this chapter!
I'm forgoing the Question Corner this time since this was a surprise update and I really just want to get this posted asap, but it will be included on the usual update on Sunday.
So thanks for all the reviews last chapter as well!
Johua1277 - Yep, Madmartigan pretty much broke Duke by taking Cheyenne from him. And Duke did finally manage to recover, but like you said, he won't ever be the same really. I like that Finn can still impress himself too, lol. And yeah, eating all that crab probably made them (at least Cordelia) sick in the end, haha! But I hope you enjoyed this chapter!
Benthino - Always with the feels! It's just so easy to do! Duke lucked out with coming out of that depression thanks to little Cordelia. She's just so cute! And I hope you liked Atlas and the chapter as well!
Momochan77 - Little Cordelia is super cute! I just wanted to hug her! But I'm glad you liked that little flashback to wrap up things. And yes! I'm super excited for what I have planned for Mia, lol! Hope you enjoyed the chapter!
Origm2012 - Finn really is a good dad and figure to gain knowledge and advice from. And I'm even happier that is coming out through the writing for him too. Haha, yep, gotta sneak a Natsu reference in there somehow! And Ingrid! LOL! She's just too much sometimes, but I love her so! And Atlas! OMG! I can't wait to see how you'll react to this chapter! I know you've been waiting a long time! Hell, I've been waiting a long time too! And I just loved all of it! So, so much! So I can only hope you loved it as much as I did, haha! So I hope you enjoyed the chapter as a whole!
reven228 - Yep, the Duke's flashback is all finished up! Glad you liked all of it! And that you're now that much more invested in the treasure at the end of this arc! And thank you once again for Atlas! He was so much fun and I've been waiting so long to bring him into the story! So I hope he lived up to your expectations! And I hope you enjoyed the chapter!
mrady - Glad you're always looking forward to a new chapter! And don't worry! I have plans for John in the very near future! Hope you enjoyed the chapter!
Sakura-Fiction - No worries on the reviewing! But I'm glad that you enjoyed the last chapter so much and that you could even picture it as its own anime! That really made my day! But all those feels though, haha! But I think this chapter let up on the feels, so hopefully your heart can make it to the next round of them whenever they come up again! But toying with emotions is just so easy to do! Haha! Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the chapter!
LightandDarkHeart - It seems that flashback killed a few of you readers again, but at least it was a bit sweeter this time around. But yep! Cordelia is back in the game! And I hope the new Black Skull member kept your interest! And I hope you enjoyed the chapter!
ThePrinceOfLight - Glad you enjoyed the chapter! But yep! a two year old Cordelia is super cute and helpful for Duke. And Finn is a good dad, really he is, lol! And yeah, Atlas was definitely excited for his turn! Hope you enjoyed the chapter!
That should be it for this time around!
See you all on Sunday!
Yours Truly,
MyDearWatson