The moment Luffy's foot crashed into the deck, chaos erupted everywhere. What happened next felt like it all happened in a short span of a few minutes.
When in reality it was only a few seconds.
The backlash made it hard for Gin to stay on top of Lambo, and the fifteen-year-old found himself clutching on to the deck for dear life so as to not tumble into the sea.
The ship was still bobbing up and down from the waves created by Luffy's attack, water was raining all over them, as if it was actually raining.
Lambo was breathing heavily as he relaxed his aching body, Gin still on top of him, chest still burning from that last strike.
How heavy were those weights on Gin's tonfas?
Everyone gaped at Luffy and the damage he's wrought.
"He Destroyed The Fin!", screams one of the pirates.
Lambo watched Luffy as he was still crouched down from the attack, the straw hat lowered over his eyes, and a large smirk appeared on his lips.
Lambo felt chills as goosebumps ran up and down his arms.
His captain...
Lambo grinned, "That was awesome."
Is so cool.
Whenever he's not acting like an idiot that is.
"He's trying to sink my ship.", snarls Creed angrily, "You dare defy me!"
Luffy stood back up to his full height, back facing Creed, saying nothing.
"Gin! Kill the boy!", shouts Creed, "Show Straw Hat what happens when people mess with me! Kill Him! DO IT NOW!"
Gin's eyes widened, looking shocked as he stared down at Lambo, who managed to peer up at him from over his shoulder, an unreadable expression on his face.
If he was going to die right now, like Luffy would let that happen, he was not going to show any fear.
"B-but, he's just a kid.", Gin says quietly.
"Gin! Kill Him!", shouts Creed, looking like he was going to blow a fuse.
"Hey, I don't see why your all so upset.", Luffy turned to look Creed in the eye uncaringly, "I didn't sink it."
No, now Creed looks like he's about to blow a fuse.
"Stay out of it chore boy!", Sanji screams angrily, "It's not your fight!"
Sanji gets to his feet, running to Luffy.
"But I will."
Sanji freezes, "What!?"
'Isn't that counterproductive?', wonders Lambo but not commenting.
Both chefs and pirate alike stared at Luffy horrified, like he was crazy. Which he's not.
Just simple-minded.
Sanji marched angrily to Luffy grabbing his shirt by the collar, "You bastard! Do you know what you're doing!? You CAN'T sink this ship!"
"But if the restaurants gone then there's no reason to attack then, is there?", Luffy retorts bluntly.
Lambo sweat dropped, definitely simple minded. But not wrong though.
Unless they stay to fight out of anger and pettiness. Creed looks like the kind of guy to do that sort of thing.
"No!", shouts Sanji incredulously.
It could be Lambo's imagination, but he's pretty sure he heard Zeff laugh over by the restaurant's entrance.
"This ship saved my life.", Sanji said firmly, I owe everything to her! And you're not taking that away!"
"Your gonna die for some old restaurant?", Luffy shouts, though it wasn't really a question, "Are you stupid!?"
"What'd you say?", Sanji asks in shock.
Luffy slapped Sanji's hand away, releasing his grip from his shirt.
"Getting killed?", Luffy grabbed Sanji's collar pulling him close as he shouts angrily at the cook, "That's how you wanna repay your debt!?"
Sanji just stared at Luffy in shock, unable to say anything in his defense.
"The old man didn't save you so you could kill yourself.", Luffy said, eyes hard as he stared steadily into Sanji's one visible eye, "He did it so you could do something with your life! Not to die like a fool!"
"And so, your big idea is to help them attack us!?", Sanji leans forward, yelling back just as angrily.
The two glared at each other, forehead's pressed tightly against each other as fury rolled off the both of them in waves.
"Yare yare."
Sanji and Luffy both felt a hand on their chest's, pushing them away from the other, revealing an irritated looking Lambo with an irk mark on his head.
"You two are both idiots and should both shut up and focus on fighting the enemy instead of each other.", Lambo said calmly, the irk mark and his brow twitching the only indication to his own irritation.
Both Luffy and Sanji both blinked as they stared at Lambo. Everyone else stared at him in shock with mouths agape.
"Weren't you just with Gin?", Luffy asked, head tilted in confusion.
Lambo raised an eyebrow with a sly smirk, looking pointedly to Gin, who stared in shock at a broken piece of mast that he had a foot on.
"How'd you...?", Sanji trailed off.
Lambo's smirked just widened as he winked at his Captain, who began to gain a wide prideful grin, and the baffled cook.
"What? Did you think all I could do was swing a whip I just learned how to use and zap lightning?", Lambo asked rhetorically, "I have a few tricks of my own."
What? Did you think Gokudera never caught Lambo before in the past? He became quite the sneaky escape artist thanks to Vongola's Storm Guardian.
Suddenly Lambo's eyes widened as he saw Gin flying right at the trio.
"Shit-!"
Lambo cursed as he managed to push Luffy and Sanji away, but wasn't fast enough to dodge as well. Feeling a harsh impact on his chest once more as he bounced away, almost falling into sea when he crashed near the edge of the wrecked fin, curtesy of Luffy.
For a moment, Lambo just laid there, letting the pain wash over him without making a sound. Then he groaned as he rolled to the side, pushing himself up in to a sitting position, leaning his back against the mast that connected, almost like a bridge, the Baratie and Creed's destroyed flagship.
"Gin! What do you think you're doing!?", shouts Creed.
"I'm sorry Don Creed. He doesn't deserve to die like this, he saved our lives.", Gin said solemnly, his bandana casting a shadow over his eyes, "He deserves to face death standing up."
Then Gin turned to face Sanji, resting one of his tonfas on his shoulders, shadows receding to reveal cold determined eyes.
"But I promise you Don Creed, he will die by my hand."
Sanji glared at Gin, eyes narrowing, Lambo lifted his head, staring up at Gin with an emotionless expression. His entire face blank.
"Oh, great.", says Creed sarcastically, "My Chief Commander has now completely lost his marbles."
Luffy walks over to Lambo crouching next to his Guardian.
"He's their Chief Commander?", Sanji said in surprise.
"I guess.", says Patty nervously, "Did you see when he hit the kid?"
"One blow and he was sent flying, unable to get back up. I couldn't even see him, he was so fast.", agrees Carne, "Now that's what I call power."
"Yo Lambo, you, okay?", Luffy asked.
Lambo glanced at Luffy out of the corner of his eye before the blank expression disappeared as Lambo smiled at his Captain smugly.
"You kidding?", Lambo says with a grin, "I got the best seat in the whole damn house."
Luffy grinned widely back standing back up proudly with his hands on his hips.
"Ha! My plan worked perfectly.", Luffy says happily, "And now he's out in the open!"
"You Liar!", shouts Sanji, "There's no way you thought this would happen!"
"Your plan was definitely sinking the ship.", Lambo deadpanned, agreeing with the cook.
Luffy just grinned, unbothered by the two's disbelief.
"Sanji.", calls out Gin.
Sanji grunts in frustration but turns, giving Gin his full attention anyway.
"Look, I'm just following orders.", Gin tells him, "I don't want to ruin this ship, but I think it's too late for that."
Lambo rolled his eyes in agreement. Thank Luffy for that, the reckless idiot.
Sanji laughed dryly, "Maybe. But if you think you're going to get to this restaurant without killing me, you got another thing coming."
"Sounds fair.", Gin agrees, "And it will be an absolute pleasure to kill you. My good friend."
Lambo just blinks up blankly at Don Creed's Chief Commander. Who the hell says that kind of thing to someone that they are trying to kill? Especially to someone they call/think of as their friend?
"Gee...", Sanji says sarcastically as he lights up a new cigarette, "That's comforting."
No kidding.
"Asshole.", Sanji adds on out of Gins earshot, causing Lambo to quietly snort.
Sanji gave him a discreet smirk, before his expression turned serious as he stared down Gin.
"You two as well, Chore boy, kid.", Gin adds, insinuating he would go after the two next after, assumingly, killing Sanji.
Lambo just sighs heavily.
"Looking forward to it.", he says airily, borderline uncaringly.
"Gee, thanks. But I'm not afraid of any Creed pirate.", Luffy also says bluntly.
That obviously didn't sit well with Gin, who snarled, and the rest of the Creed pirates, who all looked absolutely outraged. Many shouting angerly at Luffy.
"You had to go make them all mad.", Lambo says as he stood up and walked over so he was standing next to Luffy.
Just in case any pirates try some funny business. Better safe than sorry. It looks like Lambo may be mostly watching from now on. It made him feel antsy at the thought of not being able to fight or help anymore.
"You little twerp!"
"I'm going to stuff that stupid straw hat down your throat!"
"We're the Creed Pirates! Rulers of the East Blue!"
Luffy tilted his head with a grimace at those words.
"Only because you outnumber everyone else in the East Blue.", Luffy answered truthfully.
At first there was silence, then every last pirate was so pissed, they could only manage angry mutterings and deep-threatening, not really, growls as they all shook with rage. Every last one of them.
"Oh boy...", Sanji sighs, "Now you really pissed them off."
"Yeah, no. Now you made them all mad.", Lambo agreed, correcting is earlier statement with a dry look as he sweat dropped.
Only his Captain can piss off an army of pirates.
"Guess I was right.", Luffy replies bluntly.
Not even a second, those words left his mouth. Multiple Creed Pirates were up on the deck storming towards Luffy.
Lambo was quick to take out his whip again, cracking it warningly in front of a couple of the speedier pirates, making them back off a couple steps just as Creed's voice loudly echoed across the area.
"HOLD YOUR PLACE!"
Every last pirate froze, many looked to be growling in frustration.
"But Don Creed...", says a pirate, whining like a child not getting their way.
"He can't say that!", cries out another.
'He just did.', Lambo thought with a small smirk.
"You only prove his point when you lose control or whine like little babies.", Creed tells his whole crew, sitting down nosily, "You see me trembling with anger? Only the weak react to mere words."
Lambo assumed he would be angry too, kind of disappointed he isn't. The prideful bastard.
"Don Creed Pirates Run From No Man!", Creed shouts, inspiring and reining in his crew simultaneously.
"Yes, Sir!"
"Gin!", calls out Creed.
Gin looks back to his Captain expectantly.
"It's your job to take care of that cook.", Creed smirked deviously, a vein popping out at the side of his head, "I'll handle the little straw-hat boy. That brat is all mine."
Lambo noticed the vein, smirking. So, he was pissed off by Luffy's comment too. He just wanted to be the one to beat him up, as if he could.
"Take care of the other kid when your done with the cook too."
Lambo frowned, of course he was an afterthought. Even away from the Vongola and some things still remain the same it seems.
"I understand.", Gin says obediently, turning back to face the trio, "Yes Don Creed."
Lambo's gaze kept switching between Gin and Don Creed, then he slowly peered from the corner of his eyes at the pirates that looked like they were about to climb aboard and attack again at any second.
Well... they could try. Something told Lambo that both Sanji and Luffy wanted to fight these battles on their own, besides he already interfered with Sanji's fight (*cough cough* beatdown *cough cough*), he didn't want to get in the way of the second.
Plus, Lambo felt that this fight would be important for Gin, for some reason.
"Hey boy...", Don Creed drawled.
Luffy hummed, turning his attention back to the fearsome pirate.
"You can try your Devil Fruit Magic on me. But I've seen it all before and have never been defeated by such trickery.", Creed 'warned' while Luffy just stared at him from under the brim of his hat, a dangerous look on his face, "When you experience the full force that conquered the entire East Blue, then you'll understand the meaning of power, Chore Boy."
Lambo felt like facepalming and couldn't wait to see Luffy knock him down multiple pegs.
Less than an hour ago, Don Creed just said that the only reason that he and his crew's defeat by the hands of Hawk-eye Mihawk didn't count was because, according to Creed, Hawk-eye wielded the power of the Devil Fruit. And now he's saying Luffy wouldn't be able to defeat him with his Devil Fruit's 'trickery' and 'magic'?
This guy is a real piece of work.
Lambo wouldn't be all that surprised if he turned out to be insane.
"Your voice is getting on my nerves.", Luffy says dangerously, "I'm gonna kick your ass, it's as simple as that."
Creed scowled, his face twisting in anger.
Luffy grinned confidently, his eyes screaming with the promise of pain, "Hold on juust~ a second. I'll be right there."
Lambo felt a rush flow through him as he stared at Luffy while Creed's scowl deepened.
He may sometimes wonder or ask, never seriously, why he decided to join Luffy's crew, but this. This moment right here. Is the reason why. The way Luffy carry's himself with confidence, the way he handles a battle and/or fight. Luffy fights for what he wants to fight for. Doesn't matter to him what others think. Luffy will fight, because that's what he wants to do. Not others, no orders. Just Luffy fighting because he believes in what he's fighting for.
And that is why Lambo joined his crew. Not just to get stronger, or because the strength of his crewmates. Not because he thought it to be better than his home life with the Vongola and jumped ship first chance he got.
No, it's because of the freedom that Luffy brings. His grin promising an adventure, battles, and fun. Promising a life with no regrets.
And no matter how idiotic Luffy can be at times.
Lambo respects him, and is glad to have joined his crew.
"The impudence!", Creed snarls as he glared at Luffy.
The straw hat boy didn't even flinch beneath his hard stare.
The pirates in the water began to mutter amongst themselves.
One pirate chuckled, "That cook is done for now."
"When Gin takes out his weapons, he's not messing around.", cries out another.
Gin held out on of his weighted tonfas and started to spin it, the momentum quickly building up, the spinning getting faster by the second.
"They call him the cold-hearted Demon.", one pirate said fearfully, "He's our cool-headed cold-hearted Chief Commander Gin."
They've obviously never met Reborn then, now that's a cool-headed cold-hearted demon.
"It doesn't matter if you beg for mercy. He'll still laugh in your face when he kills you."
Lambo turned and glared at the pirates, effectively shutting them up. Silently daring them to say anything else.
This isn't the time for gossip and mutterings.
"I'm sorry Sanji.", Gin apologizes needlessly, "But I can't be defeated."
"Yeah, go ahead.", Sanji said, a bite in bis tone, "Tell yourself that."
Gin slowly leaned forward, the speed his tonfa was speeding at never once slowed, then he sprinted towards Sanji. The cook's eyes widened at the speed.
"Here I come!", shouts Gin.
Sanji leaned to the side, swinging his foot up and around, about to land on top of Gin's head. But the Chief Commander leaped back, smirking confidently at Sanji's failed attack.
With a shout, Gin slammed the spinning tonfa right were Sanji stood, only for Sanji already be safely high in the air, having leapt to dodge the attack. The wood splintered beneath Gin's weighted tonfas, leaving the tonfa in a hole from the attack.
Gin didn't look bothered by the miss, lifting up his weighted tonfa in the hole, and creating a tidal wave of wooden planks as he did so.
"You son of a-!", Sanji shouts as he spins in mid-air, aiming another sharp kick.
But Gin leapt to the side, flipping under it, his smirk growing wider.
He slammed the tonfa down on Sanji, who couldn't avoid it in mid-air, the shaft hit his neck, slamming him into the floor, the weighted ball at the end landed right next to his head. Gin landed sitting cross-legged, the other tonfa resting on his shoulder, and head bowed.
"Sanji!", shouts Luffy worriedly, turning his back on the pirates.
They all shared smirks and started to clamber on to the wrecked fin, only for a loud 'CRACK!' to sound in the air. Sending all the pirates that managed to get on to the deck, flying back into the water.
Lambo walked forward, his eyes blazing, but his expression remained blank.
He didn't say anything, he didn't have to. His message was clear.
'Stay out of it.'
"I warned you.", Gin says coolly, bringing Lambo's attention back to the fight, "But you just wouldn't listen. Would you?"
Sanji looked over to Gin, who raised his head with a sick grin on his face.
"And now, it's time for you to accept defeat.", Gin says lowly.
Kneeling next to Sanji as he began to rapidly spin his other tonfa.
The pirates began to cheer while the chefs watched on with horror, fear, and worry for their fellow cook. Sanji just looked up at Gin apathetically, a shadow fell over Gin's eyes as he prepared for the final blow.
"Die!", he shouts, swinging down the weighted tonfa.
But Sanji spits out his cigarette, the burning end hitting Gin in the forehead, causing him to flinch and look away, allowing Sanji to flip on to his hands just as the tonfa came down where his head once was.
Still on his hands, Sanji's foot came down, slamming down right on top of Gin's head. He leaned back from the blow, blood in the air.
But he gritted his teeth, his grip tightening on the tonfa, and slammed it into Sanji's side.
Lambo's eyes widened and his breath hitched as he winced from the attack. No doubt Sanji's ribs have taken heavy damage by this point. He wouldn't be too surprised if some, if not most, were broken.
The two both fell back from the other's attack. Grunting heavily, painfully, upon impact.
Everyone stared in shock, both pirates and cooks alike.
"That cook... kicked Gin in the head!"
"Yeah, I couldn't believe it. Do you think he's still alive?"
"Enough!", Creed's voice cut through the worry chatter, "After all this time, you should know a hell of a lot better than that you idiots. There's a reason I trust him above any of my pirate crew. Gin is always a cool-headed cold-hearted demon, and he never quits!"
Again, wait till they meet Reborn.
You know what? No, let's not have them meet Reborn. Creed alone would piss Reborn off in a span of five seconds.
When that happens, bye bye Creed Pirates.
No one wants to see an irritated Reborn. God help anyone who faces a pissed off Reborn. There would be nothing that could stand in the way of his wrath.
Lambo's eyes snapped up, back to the fight, watching as Gin slowly picked himself up while Sanji tried to push himself up as well, but was struggling much more than Gin, only barely staying upright on his knees. His body trembled as he clutched his ribs tightly, teeth gritting in pain.
Yeah, those ribs are probably screaming at the cook, making Lambo's gut twist in dread and worry.
"I can't believe Sanji is getting up!", exclaims Patty worriedly.
"He should lie back down.", agrees Carne, "After what he's been through his ribs must be completely smashed."
Lambo clenches his hands into his fists, his eyes never once leaving Sanji's hunched over figure.
"Come on Sanji.", mumbled Lambo, not quite sure what he's encouraging the cook to do.
Somehow though, Sanji managed to get back on his feet, a strained smile on his face as he stands across from the barely hindered Chief Commander.
"Well...", Sanji wheezed, "That... wasn't... too bad... Chief Commander."
You're kidding!? Lambo practically gaped at Sanji, he can't tell if that was out of pride or spite but it was definitely stupid! Why is today the day people have decided to be stupid?
This should not be healthy for Lambo's heart. He cannot tell you the number of times it has leaped out of his chest thanks to both Sanji, Zoro, and Luffy.
If he didn't know any better, he'd say they were trying to give him a heart attack.
Gin said nothing, just stared at Sanji stoically.
"Let me know when your ready to really fight.", Sanji panted.
Please, Lambo is begging whatever higher authority that exists, to shut Sanji up before he gets himself killed.
Gin licked his lips and got ready, his grin screaming for a want of blood to be spilt and/or a good fight. The two men stood there, staring at he each other, both ready for a hard fight.
That's when Lambo realized that Gin wanted a challenged, and it scared Lambo to death because he feared that with all Sanji's injuries from his fight with Pearl, he might just not survive.
Lambo is hoping that he is wrong. Doesn't care how, just that he ends up being wrong and Sanji manages to walk away from this breathing.
"He's just sitting there.", Luffy notes, eyes narrowing on Creed's unmoving form.
"Luffy...", Lambo says warningly, "I want you to kick his ass as much as the next guy but-."
Luffy laughed, not allowing Lambo to even finish, "Now it's ass kicking time."
Luffy jumped up the giant mast that formed a make-shift bridge between the two sides, and ran towards where Creed sat.
Lambo deadpanned as he moaned quietly to himself, "Why did I think any different."
Lambo's ears perked up as he heard one of the Creed pirates whispering.
"That chore boy is done for.", he snickered.
Lambo's eyebrow twitched as with a flick of his wrist, he cracked his whip at the pirate's hands causing him to yelp, losing his grip on whatever he was holding to keep afloat before sinking underneath the waves and then flying back up sputtering up water and words in shock.
Lambo couldn't help the small smirk of satisfaction fill his face before quickly being replaced with worry.
Luffy began to shout as he sprinted down the large mast straight towards Creed, who only just noticed.
Creed smirked, and Lambo felt his stomach drop.
"Don't hurt yourself.", Creed said mockingly before flicking something into the water.
Luffy froze as he stared confused at the orb that landed in the water just beneath the mast.
Not even a moment later, an explosion of water engulfed the area right in front of Luffy. One of Creed's shoulder pad guns opened and a large bullet hit Luffy square in the shoulder, sending him flying back to the deck of the Baratie.
Creed laughed boisterously, but not for long before Luffy slammed his hat down on the deck angrily.
"You a bastard!", Luffy shouts angrily, "Don't you want to Fight Me!?"
"Fight you?", Creed replies incredulously, "Do I really have to? All I want to do is kill you, that's enough for me."
Man, this guy is a hypocrite. Basically changing the rules however he saw fit to best serve him.
"I don't really have any patience for your stupid games.", Creed said uncaringly, "Little fool."
"Oh yeah?", Luffy says, determination clear, "How about I bipe yor heaf off!"
Luffy's words became muffled when he childishly stretched out his cheeks, making a face at Don Creed. The pirates and Creed just laughed at Luffy while Lambo face palmed at his childishness.
And here Lambo thought Luffy was going to have a good comeback to hit Creed with.
But apparently Luffy wasn't the one they were laughing at. Lambo followed where they were looking at to see Sanji collapsed on the deck coughing up blood as he clutched his ribs.
Lambo sucked in a harsh breath as he watched Sanji's pained form with wide eyes.
'Don't you dare herbivore.'
Blood leaked through his hands as he wrapped them tightly around the teen's wrists.
'I know your stronger than you believe, so don't you dare take the easy way out!'
He knew that Sanji's ribs were totaled, Lambo just didn't realize how painful it would be to watch Sanji's trembling weak form as he coughed up blood.
"Sanji!", Luffy gasped, having noticed the same thing and turned to see the hurt cook.
Lambo felt frozen, his eyes stared at the blood on the wooden deck, the pirate's laughter echoing in his ears.
Why would they laugh when someone is in such obvious pain.
Zoro's deathly-pale form flashed in his mind, then the sound of a flat line ringing in his ears as he felt his mind leave the present.
Lambo slowly trudged inside the Vongola mansion, clutching the new pendant that now rest at his collar. His knuckles white from his tight grip, he can still hear the sound of the flat line still echoing in his head, could still feel the cold skin against his.
She was gone.
She outright told him she would leave, but Lambo still couldn't believe that she was now just... gone.
He sniffled; eyes red when he cried silently by himself in the hospital restrooms before heading back to the mansion.
"Hey Lambo! What's wrong this time?"
Lambo looked up to see Hina staring down at him with a 'kind' smile. But by now he knew it was forced and she was just indulging him.
He didn't want anyone to know he was crying; they'd just think he just finished another tantrum.
Somehow the grip he had on the pendant tightened even more, the horns digging into the palms of his small hands. He looked away not answering her, leaving a shocked Hina behind as he sprinted past her and blindly through the halls and corridors of the Vongola Mansion.
He can't get rid of that stupid sound from his head! Or the sight of her pale lifeless body... or the feeling of the cold her once warm body emitted.
Why'd she have to go!
Lambo sniffled, using all his will power to not cry as he continued to run blindly.
Why did Ms. Motina have to die?
Then with a loud 'Oof!' Lambo ran into a pair of legs before falling back down on his butt. He blinked back the tears the threatened to spear as he slowly looked up to the person he ran into.
His wet eyes meeting cold ones.
"What Was That!? Your Pity!?"
Lambo jumped, his eyes wide, the glazed expression he once had now gone as his eyes snapped back to the present and narrowed in on a fight. Seeing Sanji on his hands again, dodging what looked like a fatal blow.
He slammed his leg down hard on Gin's bag, causing him to sprawl face first on the deck.
"I'm Not Dead Yet!", Sanji shouts determinedly.
The pirates gasped, a few called out to their Chief Commander.
Sanji panted, a smug grin on his face, before cracks could be heard as he crumbled down, clutching his ribs, which is where the cracking in originating from.
"Oh no!", gasps Luffy.
Lambo clenched his fists tightly as his face paled at the painful sight. Wince in sympathy for the amount of pain Sanji is obviously in.
"No!", shouts Patty.
"He can't take it!", exclaims Carne, "He'll kill himself if he keeps trying to fight."
With a groan, Gin got to his feet, Sanji jerkily turned to face the Creed pirate. Lambo can hear his ribs cracking from the action. He stared up at Gin, who grabbed Sanji under by his neck and pinned him down to the deck, holding out his tonfas for one final blow.
Lambo knew he wanted to intervene, but his body felt completely frozen, he couldn't move a muscle as he stared wide eyed in shock and worry.
"D-damn bastard.", Sanji managed to spit out.
Gin didn't move an inch, remained poised over Sanji, but made no move to kill him.
Suddenly, Gin began to cry.
Lambo's body immediately relaxed in shock as he stared at the supposedly Heartless Demon who was crying over the cook who saved his life. It's both shocking and yet... relieving at the same time.
"I can't.", Gin his voice breaking.
It took a moment for Gin to gather himself back together before speaking again.
"I can't obey your order.", Gin repeated, his voice stronger, but the tears continued to run down his face as his eyes never moved from Sanji's bloodied face, "This man saved my life."
There was a moment of silence as Lambo dared to let himself hope that this was actually happening.
"I CAN'T DON CREED!", Gin cries out, letting Sanji go, "I WON'T DO IT!"
And Lambo felt like applauding. This man... Lambo has no words to the awe he felt at the scene before him.
"Woah.", Luffy says quietly, staring just as wide eyed and in awe as Lambo.
"I Can't!", Gin cries, desperate to be heard, "I'm Sorry Captain!"
Creed wasn't having it, his whole body trembled as he looked like he was going to explode from his anger.
"WHAT DID YOU SAY!?", Creed shouts angrily.
"I Won't do... What... You Want!", Gin struggles to get out through his sobs as his body shook from his strong emotions.
Lambo felt a small soft smile tug on his lips as he watched the Gin make his own choices.
"He treated me with such respect.", Gin sobs, clutching his face as his tears fell, "With decency and kindness. That's why... I can't bring myself to kill him."
Lambo could feel the dark and dangerous aura emitting from Don Creed, but he refused to let this moment be ruined for him by a selfish bastard.
"I've always been loyal to you.", Gin said somberly, "Up 'til now, I've believed in what we've done. I respect you and appreciate all you have given me. Trusting me as your Chief Commander was the honor of my life. Until this moment I have obeyed every single order you have ever given me without questioning it. I can't live with myself if I kill this man. And I cannot break my oath! So please, I beg you, let me disobey just this one order. Please."
Lambo was filled with euphoria at the sight, not because he enjoyed the sight of Gin crying and suffering from his inner-conflict. But because Sanji treated him right, even saving his life from starvation, that Gin has decided that he couldn't kill.
He isn't just awed by Gin, but by Sanji too. By his kindness, dedication, and strength which has just saved his life.
It is such an amazing sight to see.
Silence engulfed the entire area. All you could hear was the small waves from the water.
"Don Creed, listen...", Gin looked up with a hopeful smile, "Can't we just leave? They could keep the restaurant for themselves."
Creed didn't like that at all as his entire body stiffened with a sharp sickening crack.
"AAAAHHHH!", Creed shouts standing up on his feet, "You Little Son Of A Bitch!"
Of course, he had to ruin the entire moment. The pezzo di merda senza cuore (heartless piece of shit).
"You Think You Can Defy My Orders And Tell Me What To Do!?", Creed angrily exclaims.
Gin didn't answer and Lambo felt like throttling Creed.
"It's pathetic.", Creed spits unsympathetically, "Morality. Sympathy. Weaknesses that I never expected to see from you. You are not my Chief Commander anymore!"
Creed took off one of his shoulder pads with loud metallic 'clank', he held in front of him threatenly.
"Pirates!", Creed commanded, "Step aside."
The pad opened revealing a small whole in the middle.
Lambo had a bad feeling about this.
"No! Not the gas!", Gin shouts in horror.
All the Creed pirates gasping and screaming in terror as they all stared at their Captain in disbelief.
"He's going to use the MH5!", cries out one pirate.
"We're all gonna die!" screams another.
That didn't soothe Lambo's worries at all!
"What?", Sanji said turning to Don Creed.
"Poison Gas!", shouts Luffy in shock.
"Is this guy crazy!?", shouts Lambo, baffled that Creed would risk the lives of his own men willy-nilly.
Then again, he has seen him kill off two of his men off himself already.
His ears perked up as the pirates began shouting about their masks. Gas masks.
That Lambo currently doesn't have.
Oh shit, now Lambo is really worried as he racked his brain on how to survive this.
"The only thing that matters in a battle is who ends up winning.", Creed growls stoically before grinning evilly, "Even if more have got to die. Poison Gas is just a means to an end."
Hell no! This guy is crazy!
"Victory is all that decides who is right and who is wrong.", Creed declared.
Did Lambo forget to mention that this guy is extremely petty?
"If you are dead, then no can hear you complain anyway.", his voice rising, as it steeled as it twisted, "You do not hesitate to do unspeakable horrible things! That is true power."
And this guy is a real nutcase.
Luffy growled as he glared down Don Creed.
"He's insane.", mutters Sanji.
"Is there any line this guy won't cross?", Lambo hissed in disgust.
"MIGHT AS WELL THROW THAT GAS MASK AWAY!", Creed shouts.
Lambo whirled to see Gin holding out the very same gas mask that all the pirates in Don Creed crew are holding to their faces.
"You're no longer worthy to be a Creed Pirate.", Creed snarls as he stares down Gin.
Lambo felt his face drain of color.
'Krufufufu…. If he's too weak, shouldn't we try to find a better Lighting Guardian? Everything would be so much easier.'
'Stupid Cow!' screams Gokudera, 'Stop asking stupid questions! We don't need you, you'll just get in the way! Maybe we should find another guardian.'
"DIE!"
Lambo frantically turned to Gin.
"You don't have to listen to him, his way isn't what power is. You made your own choice to spare Sanji's life because he saved yours. Don't throw that away.", Lambo said in rush, hoping that Gin would listen and see reason.
'I want to see you become strong and bite these herbivores to death. So just hang on!'
Luffy was growling as he ran faster across the mast to try and get to Creed before he could shoot the poison gas.
"I'm not gonna let that happen you bastard!", Luffy shouts angrily.
"You're wasting your time! Choir Boy!", screams Creed as he smashed his fist on top of the mast.
Causing his side to fall in the water, making Luffy trip and tumble down the now slanted piece of wood.
Suddenly, more wholes appeared, and the shield began to rapidly fire wooden stakes, that can hurt Luffy. With a shout, Luffy scrambled back up the mast, falling off it and back on to the deck of the Baratie.
"Ah crap.", Luffy groans.
Gin continued to stare at his mask, body scarily still, and Lambo worried that his words weren't as successful as he had hoped.
"Gin!", Luffy calls out as he slowly pushed himself up to his knees, "You don't have to listen to that blowhard. Because I'm gonna kick his ass!"
"No!", Gin shouts, "My Captain cannot be defeated!"
Lambo stared at Gin with wide eyes as horror began to fill his being.
"Don Creed is the strongest man alive.", Gin said with such conviction and believe that Lambo was close to believing him as well, "And I respect his punishment."
"This isn't a punishment tu idiota!", Lambo shouts, his hands trembling in panic, "This is an execution! You get it!? Morte! Death!"
"Will you please snap out of it!", Sanji shouts in agreement, "He is going to kill you!"
Gin doesn't react to either of them, only staring blankly straight ahead.
"I deserve it.", Gin declares.
Lambo swears he felt his heart stutter at those words. Was that what He felt like with Lambo?
"Obeying my emotions and betraying my Captain.", Gin says somberly, "If I were in his position then I would've done the same thing."
Then Luffy would go and kick your ass you idiot! This. Is. Not. Right!
"And now, death is the only honor I have left."
With that said, Gin tossed his mask away and Lambo felt his stomach drop at the sight.
"Don't!", shouts Luffy, but it was too late.
Gin honestly felt like he deserved to die, and it made Lambo feel sick as he began to sweat. Lambo felt like tearing his hair out as emotions flooded him. Fear, pain, horror, sadness, and empathy.
God! Did he sound this heartbreakingly stupid too!?
"Why? No!", Sanji asks weakly.
Creed chuckled as he smiled smugly at his ex-Chief Commander.
"So, you finally remembered your place.", Creed smirked before scowling, "But it is much too late for that. Now you will both die together!"
Creed glowered at the group as he prepared his weapon.
"This is the MH5!", Creed announces, "Poison. Gas bomb! FIRE!"
The shield unloaded its deadly ammunition.
Cooks began to swim away to safety, Patty and Carne dragged Zeff into the restaurant to safety. And Luffy stretched his arms out grabbing two masks from a couple of Creed pirates.
"Thank. You.", Luffy tossed them to Gin and Sanji, "Sanji! Gin! Catch!"
Luffy smirks at Lambo and turns around.
"Now for ours!"
The two boys panicked at the sight of no pirates, meaning no masks for them.
Lambo eyes darted everywhere his panic slowly rising, and his Dying Will Flames began to spark around him because of it. Sensing his fear and how close he could come to death.
It took him a second to realize that he felt a similar feeling whenever he reached out and summoned the lightning strikes earlier without using the words 'thunder set'. Lambo looked down, and noticed that his sparking Flames were reaching for the sky.
"Uh, Luffy?"
Luffy turned, his frantic eyes still searching for masks they could use, but they then widened at the sight of Lambo's green lightning acting weird.
"My Dying Will Flames is doing something-!"
No sooner as he said that, Lambo became a giant green bolt of lightning and shot up to the sky. Safely away from the poison gas.
Hibari's cold steel gray eyes stared down into Lambo's watery jade green eyes.
Hibari's eyes looked Lambo's form up and down, noticing the tight grip on the new pendant that he has never seen before. He remembered the female teacher that would come by to pick up Lambo for study sessions the two would share every day before dinner.
He only knew about this because he was always the one that would let her in and watch as she took Lambo to whatever place she deemed perfect for their lesson. At first it was just coincidence, then luck, then Hibari made sure he was always close by the door at the appointed time.
Lambo looked up at Hibari fearfully as Hibari stared down at him, his expression unreadable to the twelve-year-old. He flinched when Hibari reached for him, squeezing his eyes closed, waiting for some sort of backlash for running into Hibari, only for his eyes to snap open in surprise when he felt a gently quick pat on his shrinking afro over the years.
Lambo looked up to Hibari with clear surprise but the skylark's expression never changed, he just gently led Lambo back where he came, grabbing a notebook from out of nowhere.
'Let's work more on your math.', Hibari said bluntly, but not unkindly, 'I noticed you were struggling on your equations.'
A couple of weeks later, Hibari took Lambo to Ms. Motina's funeral, silently paying her his respect and gratitude while he stood there for Lambo.
Pretending not to know that the twelve-year old boy was silently crying to himself practically the entire time.
After the funeral, Hibari took Lambo out of the mansion, no one noticed of course, and tutored him at a café at the edge of town a little ways away from the Vongola mansion.
Hibari's schedule felt askew. He would find himself every evening by the door at the time Ms. Motina would come to get Lambo. And every time Hibari would grab Lambo and take him out to help keep his grades up, and helped him study a little ahead so he would be more prepared.
It was his own way of mourning the teacher that died too young. He knows close to nothing about her besides how she was always there for Lambo, with her gone, Hibari slowly found himself taking up the space she had left behind without even meaning to.
He didn't mind, nor did Lambo.
Of course, the two interacted and barely spent as much time together as Lambo did with Ms. Motina. But Lambo found that Hibari would be there more often when things felt like they were too much.
And Hibari was there when Lambo felt like he couldn't take it anymore.
Hibari and Ms. Motina.
The two that were there.