Sighing in disgust, Ryoga shut his spyglass and put it away. "Can't see a thing..." This was the sad truth, as the marine ship and her crew were lost in a fog so thick they could barely see in front of them, let alone find The Majestic. "Where's the captain?" He questioned a passing private. "Ah, I think he's still in his cabin, sir, sleeping off a...you know."
Ryoga sighed. "Yes, I know." Frowning, he turned back around and felt the the rail. "That man cannot handle his liquor. If only he hadn't eaten that Devil's Fruit."
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If Captain Brandy was one thing, he was a snorer. Leaned back in his chair, the noise came out of his gaping mouth like a motor. From within his desk came a low noise, although it was loud enough to stir the captain out of his slumber. Groaning, he reached over and opened the drawer, bringing out a Snail Phone, which was vibrating and giving off a noise to signify a call coming through.
Taking the receiver off the snail's back, he fit it to his ear. "Hello?" He listened as the orders from Marine Headquarters were relayed to him. "Relocating to the Marine Base on Newport Island? That's the one with the funny smell and the Merman Reservations, right? Right, I'll tell the crew. See ya." Putting the receiver back, he shut the Snail back in the drawer. "That guy in charge of Newport...Helsing, I think his name was...I've been hearing some funny rumors about him from the Marine Bases in West Blue...'spose me and Ryoga might as well check if they're true while we're there."
One Piece: The Skull Pirates
Chapter Seven: I cannot Strike! The shinobi's Dilemma.
"What? You're saying that you were attacked by Mary the Thorn? You'll excuse me if I'm a little sceptical." As Adianne leaned back in her chair, one of the women in front of her shook her head. "I'm positive, Adianne-sama! There's no doubt that the woman who assaulted us was Mary the Thorn!"
"Huh...Mary the Thorn and Skull Pirate Jack Bones on the same island...tighten security around the mansion. I'm not afraid of that idiot Jack Bones in the slightest, but if he's working for Mary, then he'll have the direction of someone with a brain. I like it here, and I don't want any disturbances. Is that clear, ladies?"
"Yes, Adianne-sama!"
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Jack nearly spat out what he was drinking when Frank suddenly appeared sitting across from him. Pounding his chest to make sure his heart was still working, he glared at the shinobi. "Are you trying to give me a heart attack, Frank? Because if you keep doing that, that's what going to happen." Frank bowed apologetically. "My apologies, captain. I have finished my analysis of the mansion and the surrounding area, and I have come up with a plan of attack."
The skull pirate shrugged. "Why do we need a plan. Two of us are Devil's Fruit users, and you're no slouch in a fight either. Can't we just break in and beat them up?" He winced as Mary reached over and flicked him in the forehead. "Are you an idiot, Monsieur Ossements? Adianne's crew outnumber us by ten to one, and they have guns. Rushing in will only get us shot to pieces. Please, Monsieur Goldfinger, tell us your plan."
The shinobi nodded. "Yes, Mary-san." Removing a rolled up sheet of paper from within his cloak, Frank spread it out over the table. Written on it was a hastily drawn sketch of the mansion area. "Now, we are here." Frank marked one of the houses with a checkmark. "And the entrance to the mansion is here." He marked that with another checkmark. "Now, as Mary-san said, a frontal assault is inadvisable and would more than likely result in failure. However, I have considered this and come up with what I like to call the Stealth Pincer Attack."
"Which is..." Jack prompted. Frank nodded. "Precisely at midnight, Gerald and I will stage a frontal attack on the mansion. While we have the attention of Adianne's crew, Jack and Mary-san will enter through the back entrance and with any luck, make it to the top floor, defeat Adianne and free the captured Martin. Overall, I'd say the odds of success are about 90, give or take. Any questions?"
Gerald raised his hand. "Is it absolutely necesary that I take part? The last time I fought I was nearly sliced to pieces by a maniacal doll. If that Adianne women is reflective of the entire crew, I could be in serious danger."
After this sentence, Frank fell silent, not saying a word. Slowly he looked up. "Gerald, in the place I come from, they have a saying for missions like these. 'With Comrades, 100. 'Without, 0.' What this means is that no matter the mission and no matter the plan, if you and your comrades are not in synch, the mission is already a failure! Without the full crew, the success rate is 0! Jack's leadership, my cunning, Mary-san's grace, and your ingenuity; all are crucial pieces in this plan of mine. Without you, there is no mission. There isn't even a crew!"
With that, he settled back in his chair. Jack and Gerald stared, bug-eyed. This was the first time they had heard Frank speak more than short sentences, and never so spirited. Coughing gingerly, Gerald raised a finger. "Frank, do you understand the meaning of a rhetorical question?" The shinobi sweatdropped, obviously embarassed. "Well, that is, er, I don't usually talk like that. Forgive me for yelling at you, I shouldn't have done that, you are my superior on this ship..." He trailed off as Gerald shrugged.
"Don't worry, I get your point. However, if I get killed during your plan, I'm going to haunt you." Frank's hand instinctively went to the hilt of his katana. "I know more about spirits than you know, First Mate. Isn't that right, Nidai Kitetsu?"
"They're idiots, all of them. But, I like them anyway. I suppose that makes me an idiot too." Mary mused.
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Later that night...
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At the top of the hill, two of Adianne's crew stood guard in front of the gate. Shouldering her rifle, one turned to the other. "Exactly why are we out here, anyway? It's not as though any of the men have enough nerve left to attack us." The other shook her head. "No, apparently there are other pirates here. One of them even tried to attack Adianne-" The women stopped as whistling reached their ears.
Clothed in the garb of a plumber, Gerald stepped around the hedge on either side of the fence and began to approach. The guards lifted their rifles warningly. "What do you want?" Shrugging, Gerald motioned to the toolbox he was carrying. "I'm the plumber, I've come to fix the pipes." One of the women adjusted her rifle to point at his face. "They've been fixed."
Gerald nodded. "Ah, I was afraid of that. And so was Frank, which was why this is just a distraction." The guards recoiled in shock as a katana was drawn directly behind them. Before they could turn halfway around, Frank had already knocked both of them out with the flat of his sword. "Excellent work, Mr. Plumber." He declared.
"Couldn't you have just done that without me dressing like this?" Frank folded his arms and shook his head. "No. We must follow my plan exactly. Now, by now, Jack and Mary should have reached the secret passageway..."
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And true to his prediction, they had. As they walked down the corridor, Jack turned to Mary. "Hey Mary, how about you join my crew? We could certainly use you, and you are a pirate." Mary shook her head. "Not for long. Once we're through with this, I'm going to marry Martin and live happily."
Jack shrugged. "So bring him along. The more the merrier." Mary reached up and adjusted her beret. "I will think about it, Monsieur Ossements. But right now, we should get moving. According to Monsieur Goldfinger's plan, by now they should be..." A large crash came from above. "Exactement. Let's hurry."
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Swinging a cricket bat around, Gerald slammed it into a woman's face before turning and punting away another sneaking up behind him with the golf club in his other hand. "That's five so far for me, Frank!" Sidestepping a bullet, the shinobi knocked the gunner out with the flat side of his katana. "Only three for me, First Mate."
"I'd step it up if I were you. I'm only using sports equipment, and you've got a-" Gerald was cut off from his undoubtedly witty monologue as he was punched hard in the gut, the impact hard enough to send him skidding across the foyer. "First Mate!" Hearing the sound of a sword being drawn, Frank spun around and held up his katana to block a sword that would've sliced his head clear off.
"Rather sad, don't you think, sister? These men are so weak it's pitiful." The armoured blonde-haired woman holding her sword in a deadlock with Frank shrugged. "Oh, they're no complete weaklings, sister. This one managed to sense my attack in time to block it. Impressive." The brown-haired women dressed in animal furs cracked her knuckles and shrugged. "Well, too bad I can't say the same for fancy-pants here. Couldn't even take one of my punches."
"Oh...really?" Spoke up Gerald, who was getting to his feet. Retrieving his weapons, he stood up. "Well, I might not have the super-human qualities some of this crew might have, but I can certainly take a few punches from some trumped-up feminist!" This exhibited a snarl from the brown-haired women. "Is that so? Well, I don't think you two know who you're dealing with. My name is Fran!"
"And I am Ada." The sword-carrying women calmly stated. "And we are Adianne's strongest warriors, the Amazoness Sisters!" Gerald scoffed. "We don't much care who you are, do we Frank?" The shinobi shook his head. "No. We will fulfill our role in my plan, no matter who stands in our way."
"Really? Those are strong words...let's see if you can back them up!" Ada lunged out with a kick into Frank's stomach, breaking the deadlock. As he stumbled backward, she lunged forward with her blade. Leaping backward, Frank went into a series of backflips; kicking off the floor, he straightened out, flicking a Tao Scroll into his hand. "Tao Scroll; Fire Storm!"
Ada scoffed as the projectile flew at her. "Oh, please." Swinging her blade smartly around, she cut the paper scroll into two halves which fluttered to the floor. Landing, Frank frowned as he saw a bloody gash on his jumpsuit's right leg. "I was careless..."
Ducking under a spinning kick, Gerald blocked a right hook with the handle of his bat, wincing as he heard it crack. Swinging his golf club downward, he jerked his hand back as Fran backhanded it away to clatter against the stairs. "Well, bugger." Ducking away from another punch, Gerald threw himself into a roll, coming up near the golf club and retrieving it.
Turning, he threw the bat and club up to defend himself from another of the Amazon's punches, the equipment shuddering from the impact. Kicking out, he struck Fran in the kneecaps, forcing her to kneel, then quickly thrust his bat forward and into her nose, knocking her over. Getting to his feet, he turned and ran as the amazoness scrambled up and chased after him with a roar of anger. "GET BACK HERE!"
Ada frowned as Frank took a step backward, countering her sword with his katana. "What's wrong? I can tell you've got more skill with your blade than this, and yet all you've done is counter my attacks." She glared as Frank knocked her weapon aside once more. "Don't tell me...you're going easy on me because I'm a woman!"
Frank stopped cold, sweating behind his mask. "T-that's not true whatsoever! I-it's just, I have a code I must uphold, you see, and..." Ada leaped forwards suddenly, driving her blade across his chest. "You can't afford to make exceptions in a fight, you fool!" The force of the blow blew the shinobi off his feet, sending him flying across the room to smash into the far wall back first. Slowly he came to rest on the floor, not moving at all.
"Frank! Frank, are you alright?" Gerald gulped as no answer came. He began to sweat hard as both Amazons turned to look at him. "Oh, BUGGER."
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"Frank...Frank Goldfinger, wake up...wake up...OI, I SAID WAKE UP!" Frank jerked backward as a spiritual force smacked him across the forehead. "There, that's better." Looking over, the shinobi blinked as his eyes came into focus. He was sitting on the flat top of a long pillar of rock. A few feet below him it disappeared into mist. On a similar column across from him sat a strange-looking old man. Despite being clothed in white robes adorned with ornaments and symbols, the most unique feature of his appearance was his mustache. It was extremely long, stretching beyond his face, over the pillar, and down into the mist.
Raising the cup of tea he was holding to his face, he slowly took a sip, then looked over at Frank, who was bowing to the ground in reverence. "You may rise, Frank Goldfinger. It is good to see you again, young one. Unfortunately, I must say, you certainly are getting your ass handed to you by that woman." Straightening up to his knees, Frank adjusted his mask and bowed his head. "Forgive me, Hokage-sama, but Rule 34 of the Shinobi Code prevents me from fighting to my full ability. N-not that I'm blaming you, that is. I would never do that."
Pausing to take another sip, the Hokage looked over at him and raised an eyebrow. "Rule 34...which one is that again?" If he hadn't been in the prescence of the Hokage, Frank definitely would have face-fallen. "T-the one that prevents any shinobi of our village from attacking a woman, Hokage-sama. I would think you'd remember that, since you made them..."
"Well, there are over five hundred of them, Frank, and I am getting on in years. Now, what exactly is the situation here." He waited as Frank began to explain the situation to him. "Well Hokage-sama, the captain I have sworn my loyalty to has decided to help a woman whose beloved has been stolen by the pirate who has taken over this island. Unfortunately she and her crew are all female, so you can understand the conondrum I find myself in."
The Hokage stroked his legendary moustache for a moment. "I see. Now, let's see." He gestured with his hand and a large, golden trimmed notebook appeared in his hand. This was the Master Shinobi Guide. Changing this original copy would immediately change the text of all notebooks held by shinobi operatives. Gesturing with his other hand, a pen appeared in the Hokage's hand. Flicking it open, he penned something new, then flipped it closed again. "It is done. Now go show off your Ninjitsu to these witches, Frank Goldfinger."
The shinobi nodded. "Yes, Hokage-sama!" The dream world began to fade away as he came back into consciousness.
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Gerald had been put through the ringer. One of his eyes had an impressive shiner, his nose was bloody and probably broken, and he was fairly sure his left leg was sprained. This was along with the various bruises and cuts he had sustained from the two Amazons. And they showed no signs of stopping yet. Fran smiled and cracked her knuckles. Ada, more composed, simply prepared her sword.
"Leave our ship's first mate alone, you witches." Fran and Ada turned to see Frank getting to his feet. "Alright, then we'll just clobber you!" Gerald facepalmed as Fran leaped into a flying kick which slammed directly into the side of Frank's head, knocking him across the room. Laughing, the amazon dusted herself off. "He acts confident, but he's really just an - eh!?" Fran went wide eyed as Frank lightly hopped back to his feet, ignoring the bloody bruise on the side of his head. "What the...well, take this then!" Charging forward, she slammed her first straight into the middle of his face, bouncing him across the floor like a rag doll.
Snickering, she cracked her knuckles again. "This time he's positively down for good!" The two sisters gaped as the shinobi got to his feet, his nose cracked to the left, but not looking effected at all. Snarling, Fran pointed a finger at him. "How the hell are you doing that!? Ada cut you up, I pummeled you, but you're still getting up like it's nothing at all! WHAT'S GOING ON!?"
Spitting out a glob of blood onto the floor, Frank wiped his mouth. "Bloodline Limit; Goldfinger Invincible." Ada pointed her sword at him. "Invincible? What the hell are you taking about?" Frank adjusted his mask. "My ancestor was a stuntman, and was also named Frank. He perfected this move to be a perfect stuntman, and passed it on to his ancestors. By concentrating, I can store all pain I take from attacks into a reserve in my mind. Although my body registers the pain, my brain does not, making it a perfect defense technique. Strike all you can, I won't feel a thing."
Ada smirked. "Very well, then I will!" Frank lifted up his katana and once again countered the amazon's blade. "Hmph, it's just like before; you're too much of a coward to attack a woman!" She cried out as Frank suddenly kicked her in the stomach, then backhanded her away. Taking out his copy of the guidebook, he flicked it open. "Rule 34 of the Shinobi Code; no operative is ever allowed to harm a woman. HOWEVER! Amendment Number One: This rule is rendered null and void if said woman have done anything to harm a comrade you hold dear. Show them no amount of mercy, and show them the same pain they gave your comrade!"
"I don't care about your comrade! Take this!" Ada leapt to her feet and charged, swinging her blade. Frank countered easily. "You don't...that does not surprise me."
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A few days earlier...
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Jack turned to look at Frank. "So, who are you again?" Frank nodded. "As I have told the First Mate already, my name is Frank Goldfinger, a shinobi from a secret village in the Grand Line. I had been sent to capture and turn in Bandock the Butcher. I have accomplished that goal, and now I have joined your crew to bring other criminals to justice."
"Really? So basically, you're going to help us, right?" Frank nodded. "Exactly. I have now sworn loyalty to you as part of your crew. We are now comrades, Jack Bones. Order me as you will!"
Jack shrugged. "Whatever. You've got good eyes, right? Get up to the crow's nest and be the look-out." The shinobi saluted. "Aye aye, captain!"
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He shook his head sadly. "I would not expect someone like you to understand the concept of a comrade. A shame. Because of this, you cannot beat me!" Striking out, he knocked away Ada's sword. He then dropped his own to the floor and grabbed Ada hard around the waist. "W-what are you doing? Let me go!"
Ada then gasped as a red light appeared from within Frank's clothes. "Stuntman Ninjitsu; Douteki Bakuhatsu!" (Dynamic Explosion) Fran cried out as the Fire Storm Scroll detonated, the explosion carrying over half the room. "Sister!"
Gerald nodded. "I see...using that invincible technique of his, he turned himself into a bomb, knowing it wouldn't hurt him...completely insane, but effective." As the explosion dissapated, Ada's scorched form dropped to the floor, while Frank stood tall, effected the same by the bomb as everything else thrown at him so far. "That...was for Mary-san."
"How dare you do that to my sister, you cowardly man!" Fran suddenly felt a tap on his shoulders. She turned to see Gerald draw back his cricket bat. "In case you've forgotten, you're fighting me! Number Four Gutsy Bat!" Fran's eyes slid up into the back of her head as the hard end of the bat cracked her on the head before snapping in two. She slid to the floor to join her sister. Tossing the broken weapon to the floor, he sighed as he turned to Frank. "Well, that was certainly-"
He gasped as Frank dropped to the floor, smoke rising off his body. "Frank!" Rushing to his side, he shook him hard. "What happened? I thought you said you were invincible!" Weakly the shinobi turned to look at him and chuckled. "The fatal flaw of the Bloodline Limit is that after the battle is over, all the pain returns at once. My ancestor only used it to avoid flinching when he performed his stunts. I'll live, but I don't think I'll be fighting anyone else anytime soon."
Gerald sighed, leaning back. "Same here. I suppose it's up to Jack and Mary then."
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"Skull Skull no Boomerang!"
"Rose Rose no Broche Fouet!"
Jack nodded in satisfaction as the latest of Adianne's crew to block their way slid to the floor. "I think that's all of them." Mary nodded. "Yes. Now, all that's left is their captain." They both turned to look at the double doors in front of them. "Shall we?" Jack asked.
Mary turned to him and smiled. "We shall, Monsieur Ossements."
Simultaneously, they both turned and kicked the doors open.
To be continued...
Jack and Mary face off against Adianne at last. Mary fights Adianne, while Jack must deal with the brainwashed Martin without hurting him. Can the two of them emerge victorious, or will Jack's tale end here?
Next time, "Farewell, Rose Island! Skull Pirate's fourth member!"
(Hooray for Frank!)
Luda59 - Jack is just a cool name. Jack Sparrow, Jack Bauer...it's universal.
Malchior the Draco - ...Not sure what you mean by that.