Straw Hat RWBYs
AN: My apologies for this chapter taking so long. Parts of this chapter were difficult to get written down right. I hope it's up to the standards of the others. This was mostly setting up for the arc's fights next chapter.
To answer some reviews really quick:
To the ones wondering about the World Noble interaction: That will be shown this chapter, and I understand all your worries, but I hope you all like how I handled the issue.
dirtrevor: Team JNPR will be in the story, but they won't show up until much later and probably not in the way you expect.
Ricochet.Y2K: Thanks for the compliments, friend. I try my very best to keep everyone in character the best I can.
As for the Weiss/Luffy conversation, like I said last chapter, I'm well aware of how out of place and forced it seemed. However, I felt it was needed because Weiss seemed like the most likely candidate to ask for more than just the explanation Luffy gave them.
Also, Perona vs Apathy Grimm? You've just potentially made Thriller Bark more interesting for me.
With that out of the way, let's get started!
Chapter 7: Tragedy strikes! The terror of the World Nobles and Rankin's past!
Hannoki Town Square
Ruby decided she wasn't getting anywhere. She had been traveling through the modest sized town and still couldn't find the Marine captain guy! Where was he?! She searched the whole west side of town and found nothing!
She sighed in fatigue and sat down on the edge of a magnificent fountain. "This is getting me nowhere," she whined quietly.
"Yo! Ruby!" The dark red-haired teen looked up to see Yang jogging up to her, a large beaming smile on her face. Ruby returned it and waved her over. The blonde reached her sister and sat down next to her.
"Find anything?" she asked. Ruby shook her head. "Yeah. Me neither. Hope Weiss and Blake are having a better time than us."
"They went towards the docks, right?" the younger sister asked. "Where haven't we searched yet?" Yang thought for a moment.
"I don't think we've been down the main street," she commented, pointing ahead of them. "I bet it leads to the residential district."
Ruby nodded and turned to Yang. "Have we really checked out everything on this side?" she asked.
"I think so. I've even checked in the buildings and found squat."
"Yang, that's breaking and entering!"
"There's no one around! And the doors were open!"
"That's no excuse! It's not right!"
"Alright! Alright, I'm sorry!"
"You better be." Ruby gave her a stern glare, before staring back down at the road with a sigh. "I guess we don't have a choice." She stood. "Let's go."
"Right behind you, sis." Ruby started marching down the street in a light jog, with Yang taking long strides behind her. The silver eyed girl was smiling until two individuals walked into her field of vision. She skidded to a stop, with Yang slowing up to walk to Ruby's side. The two came closer, and Ruby could start to make out their appearances. The first-person Ruby saw was about the same age as her sister, with dark skin and spikey brown hair. His eyes were white, but as he turned his gaze to them, Ruby suspected he wasn't blind. But she could see he was apparently a Marine, given he was wearing a Marine coat over a white button-down shirt and blue dress pants.
The other figure made Ruby's eyes widened a bit, for she looked like a super tall and older version of Yang! Quickly regaining her wits, she noticed that, while her face and eye color were reminiscent of her sister, she was very different in that she was way more built than Yang and had long white hair, which wasn't as wild as Yang's nearly untamable bird's nest of hair. She also wore a purple tracksuit and a white Marine bandanna wrapped around her head.
Ruby looked to Yang, who nodded to her. She nodded back and walked up to the two. "Hey there!" she called out as she waved at the two.
"Hey, yourself," the guy said in the most bored monotone Ruby had ever heard. "You realize there's a curfew currently in effect, right?" he asked them. "No one's allowed out of their homes at this current time."
"Well, that'll certainly explain the ghost town," Yang quipped. She turned to the girl and called up, "Hey lookalike! How's the weather up there!"
"Sunny and bright! Like your hair!" the large woman bantered back, grinning. "How's the weather down there, mini-me?!" Yang grinned.
"Right now? Shady and cool! Like your outfit!" The two shared a laugh as Ruby and Yang reached the two. The man looked unamused.
"Care to explain why you're not abiding the curfew?" he asked.
"This is the first we've heard of it, honestly," Ruby replied. "No one at the Marine base told us about it when we were there, and they were kind of mean, so we decided to try and find the commanding officer here."
The two Marines scowled. "I told the captain that woman wasn't responsible enough to manage the base," the woman grumbled to her companion.
He nodded. "Clearly, the captain misjudged her. It happens," he told her. Turning back to the Huntresses, he spoke again: "So, you stopped at the base. What for?" The sisters looked at each other and grimaced.
"I…I don't know if you'd believe us…" Ruby said finally, grabbing her right elbow awkwardly. The young man raised an eyebrow.
"I'm from the Grand Line," he told her. "I highly doubt I wouldn't believe you." She looked at him for a moment. He seemed trustworthy enough. She nodded.
"O-Ok. Well, we're not…from Susanos," Ruby explained.
"'Not from Susanos?'" he asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Yeah," Yang interjected. "We were on a school assignment when the sky opened up and some freaky rainbow mist surrounded my sis, our friends, and myself, then we found ourselves falling out of the sky."
The two Marines looked at them. "Go on," the male prompted emotionlessly, which didn't help Ruby's insecurity.
"W-Well, we landed on a ship, and they said they'd take us to the nearest island," Ruby continued, carefully omitting they had landed on a pirate ship. She didn't think that would be very good for them. "They ended up getting some damage to their ship, so they landed near the town, fearing they couldn't make it to port." She dared to look at the two, but the guy looked as stoic as before.
The tall woman was frowning. "No offense, kid, but that's very farfetched," she told them.
"But we believe you," the guy said. The woman looked to him in confusion.
"We do?/You do?" the woman and the sisters asked. He nodded.
"You have very expressive eyes, little red," he said, making Ruby bristle at the familiar nickname. "I can tell you're not lying to us, and I just got a message from Captain Hogan about some rainbow mist appearing from giant holes in the sky."
This had the girls perk up. "Really?!" Ruby asked. The guy nodded.
"He informed me he'd explain more after our guests are safely back on their ship, but apparently the rainbow mist you witnessed is a phenomenon once only seen on one island in the Grand Line."
"Really? 'Cuz I saw that mist stuff too, but I just thought it was an East Blue thing," the woman commented.
"Apparently, it's not Lenora," the guy said. He turned to the Huntresses and continued, "You said you're looking for the captain, correct? I suppose we can escort you two to him. Where are your other friends you mentioned?"
Ruby was ecstatic that they believed her. She turned to Yang and smiled. Yang returned it and addressed the Marines: "Somewhere near the docks. We decided to split up and cover more ground." The woman, Lenora nodded.
"Cool. I know the two patrolling the docks right now. I'll give them a call and have them look out for 'em," she told them. "So, what's your names, kiddos? Mine's Lenora Firon. This is Lea," she finished, pointing to the guy. He inclined his head towards them.
"Lieutenant Vinson Lea, at your service," he introduced himself with a bow. Ruby smiled and saluted him.
"Nice to meet you! My name is Ruby Rose!" Ruby greeted enthusiastically.
"And I'm Yang Xiao Long! Thanks for not 'Lenora'-ing us!" Yang said, cheekily finishing it off with a cheap pun. Lenora let out a full belly laugh.
"Well, it's really rude to just say 'Xiao Long' after we agreed to hear you out!" she joked, making Yang cheer in pure happiness.
"Nooooooo…." Ruby moaned, placing her hands on her face.
"I feel your pain," Lea told her, sympathetic to her plight as they began walking down the street.
At the same time
Weiss growled in annoyance. "That…idiot!" she snarled. "How does someone get lost when their destination can be seen so clearly!"
She had wasted ten minutes trying to catch up to Luffy, only for him to completely disappear on her! She gritted her teeth as she finally decided to leave the braindead pirate to his own devices and decided to go around checking the docks. So far, there was no one around. It made the heiress uneasy.
Something landed behind her, making Weiss grab Myrtenaster and whirl towards the sound. Blake raised her hands up in surrender, eyes slightly wide in surprise. Weiss sighed and sheathed her rapier.
"Don't do that, Blake," she admonished. "I could have skewered you!"
Blake recovered and rolled her eyes. "You'll have to try harder than that," she joked. Seeing Weiss's unamused look, she sighed. "Sorry. Nothing on your end?"
"Not a soul." Weiss turned to glare out at the ocean. "I don't like this."
"Me neither." Blake turned to Weiss and frowned. "Weiss?"
"Yeah?"
"Do you think…Luffy meant what he told you? I mean, do you think he was being truthful?" she asked. Weiss's eyes widened.
"What he told me-You heard that?!" she asked/demanded. Blake, hesitantly, nodded.
"I…I was scanning from the rooftops when you approached Luffy," she admitted. "I was curious, and decided to eavesdrop." She gave Weiss a meaningful look and continued, "I was just as curious as you were, so can you blame me?"
Weiss stared at her for a moment. "No," she sighed. "I guess I can't. As for your question, I don't know. Everything he said, it was too complicated for a simpleton like him to be lies." She frowned. "That being said, it just sounds so…"
"Fantastical?" Blake supplied.
"Yes, exactly." Blake's bow twitched, and the former White Fang fighter turned in confusion. Weiss noticed and frowned.
"You hear something, Blake?" the heiress asked.
"Yeah. I think so," she admitted. She motioned to Weiss. "Follow me."
"About time we made some progress here," Weiss grumbled as she turned to follow her teammate.
Meanwhile, with Nami
"WHERE ARE THOSE TWO MORONS?!" she screeched as she skidded around another corner before running down yet another alleyway. She only made it to the end of the alley before she slowed to a walk, completely breathless.
"…Those…idiots…" she wheezed out, placing her hand on a wall and falling to her knees.
She started to catch her breath and looked up at the mess of alleyways around her. She frowned. "I'm going to beat those idiots within an inch of their lives when I find them," she growled.
"Huh? Nami? What are you doing here?" The navigator turned to see Luffy staring at her in confusion.
She was about to stand and yell at him when she heard, "Oi! Luffy! There you are! Don't go wondering off again!" Zoro walked out of an alley looking irritated. He saw her and said, "Oh, you're here too, huh, witch?"
"THERE YOU IDIOTS ARE!" she shouted, startling the two pirates. "I'VE BEEN HUNTING ALL OVER TOWN FOR YOU TWO! WE NEED TO LEAVE! NOW!"
"Nammmiiiiiiiiiiii!" Luffy whined. "I haven't climbed the mountain yet!"
"I DON'T CARE!" she hissed at him. "WE'VE GOT TO-"
"What was that?" Zoro and Nami tensed and quickly dragged a confused Luffy behind a dumpster. Two Marines walked down the alley and looked around.
"Must be hearing things," one grunted. "Damn place is too creepy without the civies."
"Agreed. At least when the Magistrate was in power, the people could still walk outside. With the new captain, he's got everyone confined to their homes."
"Still, can't argue with the results."
"No, you can't."
"Hey, did you hear they got an Admiral aboard that Celestial Dragon's ship?"
"I did, but why would someone like Garp trouble himself with a rundown island like this one?"
"Dude! He's the guy who bagged the Pirate King! He probably just takes easy stuff like guarding big shots after that."
"Yeah, probably right."
From behind the dumpster, Zoro frowned. "Celestial Dragon? Ain't that those World Noble guys?" he asked quietly.
"Yeah," Nami answered. "Apparently, there's one here and if we attack them, we'll be hunted down by one of the main Marines."
"That's not good…" Zoro frowned in concern.
"…Did they say Garp…?" Luffy asked shakily. The swordsman and navigator turned to the captain and immediately felt a cold chill shoot down their spines. Luffy's face was pale, sweat accumulating on his forehead as he began shaking.
"Luffy?" Nami asked in apprehension. He didn't answer, but then the Marines spoke up again.
"Speaking of the captain, what do you think of his latest orders?" the first asked.
"Ain't part of my job description to question the captain," the second told him. "If he said the orders come from the top, then we ain't got a say in the matter."
"Still…Holes in the sky? Rainbow mist? 'Possible aliens' to be apprehended? Seems a little farfetched to me."
"Yeah, but that ain't our concern."
Zoro's eyes widened. "Aliens to be apprehended?" he repeated.
"Rainbow mists…" Nami gasped. "Team RWBY!"
"Huh?" The two Marines turned towards a new sound, only to find two fists landing on their faces. Luffy looked down at them and frowned.
"Dammit! Looks like they're already on the Marines bad side!" Zoro grumbled as he came out from behind the dumpster.
"But how?! And why?!" Nami shouted. Suddenly, she heard gunfire. "Wait a sec…" She turned south. "That sounds like…it's coming from the residential district…"
"Which way is that?" Zoro questioned her. Nami pointed to her right.
"Just south of us. Down that alley there!" she informed the duo. "Get going before team RWBY is caught!"
"We need to be fast about it!" The two turned to Luffy, who was still looking quite spooked. "If he's here to arrest them, then they'll never get home! We've got to find them! And fast!"
"Yeah, they said Garp was here," Zoro said. "You don't wanna mess with the Hero of the Marines unless you've got a death wish."
"But," Nami tried to regain their attention, "the World Noble is guarded by an Admiral, and isn't Garp a Vice Admiral-"
"Zoro! We're going! Find the girls!" Luffy ordered as he jumped up to the roofs.
"Right!" Zoro agreed as he ran off in a random direction.
"Wait!" Nami tried to stop them, but they ran off too quickly. She growled. "Those idiots…" She reached up and massaged her temples when Zoro suddenly returned and turned a corner. She looked up in confusion.
"Dammit! Another dead end?!" the swordsman shouted. "What's with this stupid town?!" He raced out of the ally and turned right down another path. Not even a second later, he returned and turned back down the same dead-end ally. "Dammit!"
Before she could say anything, Luffy landed in front of her. "Huh? How'd you beat me here, Nami?" he asked. Nami just stared at him in bewilderment.
Zoro ran out of the alley and towards them. "Stop talking! We've got work to do!" he barked at them and passed by the two, running in the opposite direction.
"Right! Let's go!" Luffy, back on track, turned to follow him.
This time, though, Nami reached out and grabbed them by the backs of their shirts. "Hold it!" she said as she used her momentum to cause them to trip and fall on their butts. The two turned to her and frowned.
"What was that for, Nami?!" Luffy demanded.
"You…" she ground out, gritting her teeth. "Dumb…Do you realize you two were going the wrong way?!" she shouted at them.
"Really? We were?" Luffy asked.
"How were we going the wrong way, woman?!" Zoro growled. "That's south!" he told her, pointing.
"That's northeast, you idiot!" Nami screamed at him.
"It is?" Luffy looked confused. Zoro looked confused as well.
"Yeah, isn't south is always where the air gets warmer?" the Santoryu user asked, getting a nod from Luffy.
Nami, at that moment, dimly wondered if some of her brain cells just died from hearing such stupidity. Her eye twitched dangerously as she tried to calm herself. However, looking at the looks on Luffy's and Zoro's face, she did the same thing she did to the little brats at Kokoyashi when they thought they were strong enough to fight Arlong.
She reached up and slammed her fists down hard on their noggins. "Nammiiiiii…" Luffy whined holding a large goose egg on his forehead. "Why'd you hit me?"
"What the hell was that for, witch?!" Zoro demanded, sporting a massive knot as well.
"You idiots…" Fists shaking, she looked up at them with white eyes and shark teeth as she screamed, "ARE COMPLETE AND TOTAL IMBECILES! NEITHER OF YOU HAVE ENOUGH SENSE OF DIRECTION TO FILL A BUCKET!" She pointed at Zoro and continued, "AND YOU! YOU ARE MORE HELPLESS THAN LUFFY IS, AND THAT'S SAYING SOMETHING!"
She grabbed them by their collars and hissed in their faces, "Now, I'm going to lead you nitwits to the residential district, and so help me if you even deviate from the path once… you won't like the consequences." She growled at them. "Got it?"
Luffy nodded mutely, looking at her, mystified. Zoro wouldn't give her the satisfaction of knowing she intimidated him in that moment, so he just grunted. She nodded and turned around, still holding their shirts.
"Good! Now, let's go!" she said as she started dragging them away.
"Nami's scary," Luffy 'whispered' to Zoro. The green haired teen grunted.
Nami slammed them into each other.
Moments earlier
"…and then I slammed my fist down on its pincer and shattered it to pieces!"
"Ha! Sounds like you had a 'smashing' good time!"
"Ahahahahaha! Yeah, but I don't think it matches the time you said you and your crew 'rocked' that pirate ship!"
"P-lease! Taking down a giant scorpion monster is way more impressive!"
"I guess. The girls and I are always taking Grimm out with a 'Yang!'"
"Hahahahaha! 'Out with a Yang'! Good one!"
"Please, stoooop…" Ruby groaned, her shoulders sagging in exhaustion from listening to the two.
"Yes, Petty Officer, please desist with the terrible puns," Lea said sharply.
"But you're still not a pungeon master yet!" Lenora teased, ignoring them.
"Don't 'Weiss' me out yet! I'm gonna 'Lea've you in the dust soon!" Yang fired back with a grin.
The Marine and Huntress groaned in irritation. "They're not going to stop," Ruby whined.
"Perhaps, we can discuss more topics from Remnant to drowned them out," Lea suggested. Ruby's eyes brightened considerably and felt invigorated.
"Sure thing!" she chirped. "What would you like to know?!"
"You were mentioning these Grimm earlier, correct?" Lea asked. "What can you tell me of them?"
Ruby grew serious at the mention of the Huntsmen's greatest enemy. "The creatures of Grimm our monsters," she said simply. "They want to destroy humanity and everything they've made."
"Do you know where they come from?" Lea asked. Ruby shook her head.
"No. We've tried to find out, but we're nowhere close," she informed him sadly. "We can't even research what the Grimm because they disintegrate upon death, and either kill themselves or break out when captured."
The Marine Lieutenant grimaced at that. "They sound like a charming bunch." He looked around the empty town and continued, "Do you know what drives them to do these things?"
"No. But I do know they're attracted to negative emotions. The more negativity in an area, the more likely the Grimm will arrive," she explained. Lea nodded to that.
"So, they're attracted to negativity? That will make it easier for the Marines to track them," he commented. He looked ahead and noticed they were nearing the residential district. "We're here," he announced. Ruby looked up smiling before it vanished at the sight ahead of her.
"What's going on?" she asked, gaining the attention of Lenora and Yang. Lea looked to where she was staring at and cursed.
"Oh, hell," he grumbled as he saw his captain walk out of a house, looking livid, before a goofy looking man in a bulky suit and glass bowl over his head strolled out of the house…
Dragging a struggling woman by a chain.
Ruby gasped in shock and instinctually started running to help the woman, but Lea was quick to grab her arm and stop her. "Ruby, don't!" he hissed out.
"That woman's in trouble!" she protested.
"There's nothing we can do! That's a World Noble!"
"What do you mean 'nothing?!'" Yang shouted, trying to run forward as well, but was held back by Lenora.
"Yang, that's a Celestial Dragon!" Lenora said grimly. "They're the guys running the World Government. Attacking them is suicide!"
While this was going on, Weiss and Blake were finally making their way to the center of the district. "About time, we arrived!" Weiss grumbled.
"It was a lot longer than I thought," Blake admitted as she took stock of her surroundings. "Though, I'm starting to think this was a bad idea."
"Me too. It's still too quiet," Weiss commented, placing a hand on Myrtenaster. "Be on guard."
"Right." Gambol Shroud was taken out as the two walked forward side by side. After moving a couple of yards, they heard a loud commotion ahead, making the huntresses speed up slightly. The two rounded a corner to see a ridiculously dressed man dragging a woman by a chain.
The girls' eyes widened at the sight. "What the hell?" Weiss whispered in disbelief.
"Get up, woman!" the weird man snapped, tugging harshly on the chain. The woman cried out as the metal collar around her neck bit into her skin. "You should be thanking me! Cheering for me! You'll be living in luxury from now on! I, unlike my kin, take good care of my slaves!"
"Slaves?!" Blake hissed. She rushed forward, heedless of her teammate, but before she could move beyond the buildings, a hand reached out and grabbed her arm. She gasped as she was pulled into a tight bear hug.
"I recommend you not rush that way, ma'am," a rough baritone commented. Weiss gasped at the sight of a Marine with a grey pompadour under a Marine cap restraining Blake. Blake struggled against him, but she was unable to move around much.
"Let her go-" Weiss demanded, but she was off by a hand on her shoulder.
"Miss, please, my brother is saving your friend's life," another voice spoke in her ear. She turned her head to see another Marine. He looked like the man holding Blake, with grey spikey hair held back by a headband inscribed with the word "MARINES." Weiss glared at the man.
"How could you say that?!" she demanded.
"That man is a World Noble," the man explained. Weiss paled, quickly remembering her previous conversation with Luffy. Blake's struggling ceased as well, turning to stare at the man.
"T-That's a…World Noble?" Blake mumbled in disbelief.
"How can they…how can they get away with this…?" Weiss asked.
"They're responsible for the creation of the World Government," the Marine holding Weiss explained. "So, in layman's terms, they get to live above the law."
Back with Ruby and Yang, the young reaper escaped Lea's grasp and raced towards the Celestial Dragon and the woman. She was about to active her semblance when she was suddenly tackled from behind. She tried crying out, but a strong hand covered her mouth. "Ruby, please!" Lea's voice hissed in her ear. "If you interfere, all you're doing is throwing your life away!"
Ruby didn't want to listen. She didn't care. She was a Huntress-in-training, and she swore to protect help people who needed it! She struggled futilely against the Marine holding her down, Lea merely tightened his grip to keep her from escaping and causing a scene.
All the while, the scene before them continued on. "Quit struggling!" the Noble snapped again. The woman struggled harder. "Honestly! What is it with you lowly peasants?!"
"Drucilla!" a man shouted, barging out of the house, blood staining the side of his head. The Marine captain (at least Ruby assumed he was) moved to stop him, grabbing his arm.
"Stop," he said in a low voice.
"Get out of the way, kid!" the man roared, but couldn't break free. "Drucilla!"
"C-Carter!" Drucilla cried, fighting harder against the Noble. The Celestial Dragon turned to the commotion.
"Oh? You're awake, I see?" he said derisively. "I thought you'd be sleeping a bit longer, but I guess your head is thicker than I expected."
"Drucilla!" Carter cried again as he struggled harder. The Noble sighed.
"If only I needed a heavy laborer," the dragon mumbled as he pulled out an old flintlock and fired at Carter.
For Ruby, it was as if time slowed to a crawl. Her eyes widened as the bullet pierced the man, Carter's, chest, forcing him backwards from the force of the impact. The Marine holding him slowly turned to his falling body in horror, his eyes widening as the man fell to the ground in a heap. Ruby's struggles ceased as she watched the scene, helplessly
Time resettled as Drucilla cried in agony. "CARTER!" The Noble snorted.
"What a waste," he grumbled and casually reloaded the pistol. He was putting the pistol away when Drucilla suddenly burst forward and grabbed the gun. The Noble was shocked and tried to pull away, but Drucilla was relentless in her attempt to acquire the weapon. Another Marine with a sword tried to intervene, however the Noble shooed her away. He ripped the gun from her grasp, only to accidently fire it, causing the woman to let out a strangled gasp as the musket ball tore through her left lung. She fell to the ground in a heap, gasping as she struggled to breathe.
Ruby's eyes widened in horror; a tiny squeak resonated in her throat. Tremors took hold of her; her hands, once enclosed in fists, were now open and flat against the ground. She lied there, helplessly, as the Noble sneered nastily.
"Damn woman! What a waste of beauty!" he raved and threw the chain down on her. She gasped in pain as the heavy chain landed on her wounded chest with a thud.
"Was any of this necessary?" Rankin asked, his fists clenched tightly against his legs.
"No, but why do you care?" the Noble snapped back. "Didn't you say you hated these people?"
"I do, but dead people require a lot of paperwork for me to sort out."
"Ah. I've heard of that dreaded enemy of Marines. Still, you have my sympathies, Captain Hogan."
Rankin nodded. "You intending to head back home now, I take it?" he inquired.
"Yeah. Shame to leave empty handed, but I'm bored now." The Noble grumbled a bit at that. "The stupid woman spoiled my good mood."
"Shame." Rankin stared down at the dying woman. "Do you require anything else from us?"
"No. I'll be departing immediately. Good day to you Captain Hogan. Captain Nova," the Noble said as he turned around and walked towards his ship. Rankin and Nova watched him walk, his escort quickly followed after him.
Ruby was almost catatonic. "The Celestial Dragons are responsible for the creation of the World Government," Lea explained to the silver eyed teen. "This makes them generally untouchable by everyone, even the Marines."
Yang, upon seeing the event occur, tried her best to break free of Lenora. "They're so important they have Marine Admirals guarding them," the Marine woman told her. "There's only three of them, but they are some of the most powerful Marines in our entire organization. They're the literal definitions of monsters!"
Back with Weiss and Blake, Blake was fuming. "That…bastard!" she hissed.
"They can't get away with this!" Weiss shouted. The Marine's grip tightened.
"They can. They're worms, but worms that hold the chains of dragons," he told her.
"But surely you can do something!" Weiss retorted. "They should not be above the law!"
"I agree," the Marine holding Blake commented. "But if it were easy to overthrow those bastards, it would have already done years ago."
As this all was going on, Rankin glared at the Celestial Dragon's ship in disdain as it disembarked. He took off his hat and ran a hand through his hair. "What a mess," he grumbled.
"Rankin." The Marine captain looked over to see his sister staring at the house. He looked over and grimaced. Two kids, a boy and a girl, were at the door, looking stunned.
"Momma?" the girl mumbled. "Dad?"
"Well, shit," Rankin grumbled.
"Daddy! Mommy!" the boy cried, racing towards this fallen mother. The girl was not far behind him as they exited the house. They weren't fast enough, however, as Nova quickly caught them and held them. They cried and struggled against the older woman's firm grip.
The swordswoman just stared at her brother glumly. "What now, Rankin?" she asked. He sighed again.
"The usual," he replied. He turned to the dying mother and continued, "Cover their eyes, Nova."
"Right." She repositioned the kids and held their heads to her chest as Rankin knelt to Drucilla.
"I'm sorry," he told her. "But rest assured, your kids will be safe. I'll make sure they're given a good life."
"T-T…T-Than…" she tried to say, but she couldn't get the words out. Rankin closed his eye and, with surgical precision, he hit several pressure points on her chest, quickly stopping her heart. Her breath hitched before she exhales one last time, falling to the ground with a thump.
Ruby went stiff at the action. Lea grimaced angrily. "Damn dragons," he muttered.
Lenora closed her eyes tightly. "At least…" She swallowed thickly. "At least, she's no longer in pain," she whispered. Yang was simply staring at the scene in horror.
The same could be said for her other teammates on the opposite side of the square. "T-That…" Blake growled.
"How could he do that?!" Weiss screeched in anger.
"Better than letting her suffocate to death," the Marine holding the heiress shrugged. "Shame it had to go down like that, but she wouldn't have lasted long enough to make it to the hospital."
"Even if she did," the Marine holding Blake added, "there's no guarantee she'd survive from that gunshot being where it was."
Rankin looked up from his dirty deed and nodded to his sister. "Get them to a ship," he told her. "There's nothing left for them here now." The children, who had begun crying as their mother's struggles to breathe ceased, were now bawling in anguish. Nova nodded.
"To the academy?"
"Where else? Hopefully, they'll get a better life with the Marines than they ever could in this dustbowl of an island."
"True. Nothing good sprouts on this island anymore," Nova said distastefully. "Get them away from these vile people."
The siblings' conversation started to slowly restart Ruby. And she wasn't happy. She shook as she felt an intense anger directed at their callousness. Her silver eyes narrowed at the two, glowing brightly for a very brief moment.
Lea sighed. "Guess now's a good a time as any to introduce you to the captain," he grumbled. "I hate that it has to be after…that, but those damn dragons are always causing shit like that." He started to stand, gently lifting Ruby with him. "Come on now. Let's get go-"
His statement wasn't allowed to finish, as Ruby lashed out behind her with a hard mule kick to his crotch. He yelped in pain, folding over in pain and let go of the red clad Huntress. She spun around with her foot in his midsection and let her other foot land on his head. Pushing off him, she propelled herself forward with her semblance, transforming into rose petals and sending Lea into a wall as she raced towards her intended target.
Rankin had just stood up when he heard a loud yell behind him. He turned just in time for Ruby to land both feet on his face. He grunted as she pushed off him, sending him flying into the ground in a cloud of dust. The young Huntress backflipped in the air and landed loudly on the ground in a crouch. She looked up and glared at where he landed.
On the World Noble's ship
"Hm?" A lanky Marine in a lounge chair lifted his sleeping mask off one eye to stare back at the island.
"Huh? Is something wrong, Admiral?" the Celestial Dragon asked.
The man replaced his mask. "Nah." The Noble scoffed. Lazy oaf. How did he ever make Admiral?
Back on the island
"Ruby!" Yang shouted, once again trying to break free from Lenora.
Said woman was gritting her teeth. "Stubborn girl…!" she hissed. However, her shock had caused her to loosen her grip on Yang, something the brawler noticed and took advantage of. The blonde grabbed Lenora's arms and twisted herself around to judo flip the Marine woman into the ground. Lenora cried out as she was spun in the air and grunted in pain as she hit the ground hard. Yang let go of her and unfurled Ember Celica as she turned to the square. "RUBY!" she cried and fired a round behind her, propelling her forward.
Weiss and Blake watched wide-eyed as Ruby drop kicked the Marine captain away. "Idiot brat!" the Marine in the bandanna shouted angrily.
"How dare that little bitch!" the one with the pompadour growled, his grip tightening on Blake subconsciously.
"Don't call my friend a bitch!" Weiss shouted and slammed the heel of her boots into her captor's foot. He yelped in pain and loosened his grip enough for Weiss to slam the back of her head into the man's nose, a trick Yang insisted on teaching her.
The man cried out in pain as he let go of the heiress and clutched his face. She rushed the man holding Blake, who narrowly avoided a stab from Myrtenaster. Thanks to this, Blake had enough room to replace herself with a Shadow clone and flip out of the Marine's arms. She turned in midair and landed a hard roundhouse to the man's face. The man grunted and flew into a wall.
Blake landed and nodded towards Weiss. The white-haired teen nodded, and the two raced towards their team leader. They reached her just as Yang flew past the cloaked girl.
Rankin stood up with a groan, placing a hand on his head to help mitigate some of the pain he felt. He looked towards his attacker to see a blond girl roar in his face before slamming a hard right hook into his nose. He grunted as his head flew back, and the girl slammed two more strikes into his torso before striking him in the gut. Yang fired a concussive round and sent the man flying away again.
"Dammit!" Nova cursed angrily. She motioned the kids in her arms to another Marine. "Get them to the base!" she ordered as she ran at the blond, drawing her sword, a serrated saber. Before she could raise it to cut the blond, a thin rapier raced at her face. She cursed again and was forced to deflect it away. She hopped backwards until she was beside her brother.
Blake and Ruby, who quickly unfurled Crescent Rose, walked up beside Weiss and Yang to glare at the two. Rankin stood and groaned in annoyance. "Well, this is…unexpected," he grumbled.
"Who are you four?!" Nova hissed, brandishing her sword. "Why have you attacked official Marine personnel?!"
"Why?!" Ruby hissed, cutting off Yang who had been ready to snap. Her team looked at her in concern, as they had never heard Ruby sound so furious. "I think THAT is reason enough!" She jerked the end of Crescent Rose towards the dead woman. "Why would you do that?!"
"Would you prefer us to further her pain by rushing her to the hospital and ultimately worsening her injury only for her to die at the front doors?" Rankin asked calmly, regarding the girl blankly. Ruby growled at him.
"You could have arrested the guy who shot her!" Ruby growled.
"I would have loved to, but the man's a World Noble," Rankin explained. "Since their ancestors helped form the World Government, they're virtually untouchable."
"That's a lousy excuse!" Yang shouted, loading Ember Celica with two consecutive punches. "They shouldn't be above the law because of that!"
"I agree, but they've gone to great lengths to insure they cannot be touched," Rankin replied.
"Sir!" Nova and Rankin glanced as Lea, Lenora, and the two Marines who accosted Weiss and Blake raced to their sides. Lea was walking awkwardly for a moment, which Nova noticed.
"What happened to you, Lieutenant?" she asked.
"I don't wanna talk about it," he grumbled.
"Sir, Lieutenant Vinson mentioned you were informed of possible visitors that might come through some rainbow mist?" Lenora questioned. "Well, these four claim to have been swallowed up by that mist." Rankin looked at them in slight interest.
"That would explain a few things," he mused. Turning to them, he spoke, "Listen, it appears you four might be from a different world than ours. The Marines are currently preparing to aid you in adapting to Susanos at Navy Headquarters, as we speak. I'm willing to allow this incident to slide in exchange for you to come with us so we can explain-"
"Explain?!" Blake hissed. "You think we want an explanation after watching that?!" She pointed Gambol Shroud towards Drucilla's corpse. Rankin grimaced and turned to the dead woman.
"I suppose you have a point," he admitted. "Being introduced to the World Noble's tyranny this early can be…traumatic." He turned back to the girls. "What happened here was a tragedy, but it's one we cannot change."
Weiss scoffed. "Oh, please. Spare us the fake sympathy," she sneered. "I'm sure all of us heard how much you hate these innocent people."
"Innocent?" Rankin's face darkened a bit. "You think them innocent?" Unbeknownst to the group, people began exiting their homes, wondering what was going on now. Rankin chucked menacingly. "I suppose if you've never been on this island, you would think that…"
"What are you talking about?!" Yang growled.
"The people of this island," the captain remarked as he stared up at the sky, "are but one other example of human cruelty." This made Team RWBY's eyes widen.
"W-What?" Ruby asked.
"Every one of them," he continued. "From the Magistrate down to the lowest plebeian are selfish, greedy rats only looking out for themselves." He continued to gaze upward. "There was only one person who wasn't…"
.
"Rankin, did you get into a fight? Again?"
A six-year-old Rankin frowned, a welt swelling under his right eye. "Bucks started it," he pouted. "I finished it."
A tall blue haired woman giggled. "Alright then. Come here, my little champion!" Rankin smiled and ran into her waiting arms.
.
"Althea was kindness personified. The only one on this island I can truly say was good for the sake of being good."
"Mother? Why did you give that guy your apples?"
"Because they needed something to eat, darling," she responded. "The stupid Magistrate is making it difficult for everyone to get enough to eat."
"But why help them?"
"…"
.
"Oh! You poor thing! Rankin, hold your sister. I need to help this man to the house!"
"Yes, ma'am."
"C'mon sir! Let's get you healed!"
"T-Thank you!"
.
"She was truly the best part of this island. And then…"
"Mother…?" Rankin stared at his destroyed house, not comprehending what he was seeing. "Nova…?" The rain pelted his head as he stared at the ruined remains of the house. "Mother?! Nova?!" He raced into the derelict home and proceeded to throw around broken boards. "Momma!" he screamed, straining to move a heavy log. "Nova!"
A heavy cough caught his attention. He perked up. "Nova?" He turned around and saw his sister under a large support bean. "Nova!" He ran over to her and gasped as he saw what was behind her. "M…Momma…?"
Behind his sister was Althea, a black serrated sword sticking out of her chest.
.
Ruby's face was ashen as Rankin finished his tale. Her team was not much better off. Rankin continued to stare at the sky.
"When my mother died," he continued, "whoever killed her ransacked our home. I didn't have the money to pay for a funeral."
.
Rankin sniffled as he continued to dig in the pouring rain. His fingers were caked with dirt and blood as he drove his broken nails into the loosening dirt. Finally, after several hours, he had a sizable hole and thankfully, the rain had stopped a while ago. He wiped his eyes and turned to the wrapped body of his mother being tended by his sister.
.
"After her death, things were unbearable for us. And the villagers showed us how much our mother's kindness meant to them."
"You little brat!" A seven-year-old Rankin cried out as he was thrown to the ground hard. "You try stealing from my shop again, and I'll take your hand! Ya got me?!"
Rankin grabbed something off the ground and bolted away. "Hey! Get back here with that, you brat! Come here!"
.
"Truthfully, I don't care how they treated me."
"Here. Eat," Rankin told Nova, his voice hoarse. She stared dully at the muddy loaf.
"You eat it," she croaked out, sniffling. "I don't think I can."
"I'm not hungry," he assured her. "Eat up, sis. You need to keep your strength up."
Her puffy red eyes stared at him for a moment, until she nodded stiffly and hesitantly grabbed the loaf. Rankin nodded happily as he walked out of the shack. His tummy roared in protest, making him fall to his knees in pain.
"But I'll never forgive them for nearly starving my sister to death and letting her die of a simple cold."
.
Team RWBY stared at him in shock as he finished his tale. Rankin continued to stare at the sky. The marines around him were just as shocked.
"C-Captain…" Lenora whispered; her eyes wide as saucers.
"Shit…" the pompadour Marine spat.
Lea, the least shocked of the group, just stared at a wall.
"Brother…" Nova gritted her teeth, hating the memories he brought up.
"Shortly after Nova recovered from her sickness, a Marine recruiter found us and took us away from this place," he finished with a sigh. The people of the town were now gathered around the groups, expressions ranging from anger, blank stares, resignation, and hidden tears.
Rankin ignored them and turned back to the all-girl team. "I made a promise, then and there," he told them. "That I'd return to this place as a fully-fledged Marine officer and make them all pay for nearly costing me my last remaining family."
"So, your big idea for revenge was just to become just like them?!" Ruby hissed, suddenly angry again at his explanation. "If they're as bad as you said, then why would you want to do to them the EXACT thing they did to you?!"
Rankin sighed. "You're starting to remind me of a chain-smoking idealist I know," he grumbled. "Somehow, I don't think I'll be able to talk you down, so why don't we just skip to the part where I just knock you four out, and ship your asses to Navy HQ?"
"Heh! That's wholly dependent on 'if' you can knock us out!" Yang taunted with a grin.
"Captain, they have an ability called Aura which allows them to defend against attacks," Lea informed the blue haired male. Rankin nodded.
"Dully noted, Lieutenant," he acknowledged. "I guess that means I don't have to hold back all that much."
"Won't help ya, pal!" Yang shouted as she fired Ember Celica behind her, propelling her forward.
"Yang, wait!" Ruby's cries were left unheeded as Yang soared towards the Marine captain. Rankin stayed still as she flew towards him. His crew tried to intercept her, but the captain waved them off. As Yang reached him, she threw a hard right hook. That was when he struck.
She threw her punch, but Rankin caught it and deflected it, throwing Yang off balance. Unable to correct herself in the air, the Marine lashed out with two quick jabs, one to her face and the other to her chest. She gasped as she landed shakily on her feet. She tried to swing at him again, but he caught her fist again and spun her around. Disoriented, she failed to see him backhand her back to face him and land a hard spin kick to her sternum.
Yang gasped as her Aura flickered; she was then catapulted back towards her team. She landed on the ground with a crash. She cried out in pain.
"YANG!" Ruby, Weiss, and Blake rushed towards her to check on her. Yang propped herself up and spat out a bit of blood. This caused the other girls to turn and glare at Rankin, who stared them down callously.
Ruby roared as she fired a round behind her, using the recoil and her semblance to boost her speed. Rankin was startled by the speed, but he was still able to bend at the waist just in time to dodge the massive blade of Crescent Rose. Planting his hands on the ground, Rankin flipped around to kick Ruby into the ground. The silver eyed girl cried out as her Aura flickered, letting her feel the full brunt of the hard ground and heavy kick to her head.
Blake rushed next with Weiss behind her. Rankin spun and threw a fist at Blake, but she used a clone to take the hit, allowing her to sidestep him. Momentarily shocked, Rankin barely had the time to dodge Weiss stabbing at him with Myrtenaster. Blake swung Gambol Shroud at the captain, but the Marine grabbed Weiss's arm and used her sword to deflect Blake's. He then lashed out and grabbed Blake's wrist and spun the two around.
They screamed as brought them around and slammed them into each other. They groaned before he delivered a double uppercut to their chins. Their Auras flickered as they cried out and flew away from him. Yang, having finally shook off the cobwebs from her first bout, screamed in anger and flew at him again. Ruby, having recovered as well, grabbed Crescent Rose and spun to strike him with it.
Rankin dodged the massive scythe and Yang's punches with ease before he delivered a wicked haymaker to Yang's temple, sending her flying back to Blake and Weiss. Ruby spun Crescent Rose around her, making it tough for Rankin to get close to her. Ruby went in for a diagonal cut, only for Rankin to grab the shaft of the scythe, stopping it cold. Ruby gasped and tried to retrieve her weapon, but to no avail.
"Impressive weapon," Rankin remarked, fingering a small cut on his face. He frowned when he brought his hand to his face and saw his blood. "Seems I got careless." He landed a roundhouse kick to Ruby's chest. She gasped in pain as she flew into her team. They groaned in pain as they tried to untangle themselves.
Rankin turned to his subordinates and nodded. "Get them to a ship," he ordered.
"You're not going to report this?" Nova asked, annoyed.
"No reason to. They're just kids who are lost and confused," he told her. "We'll let the boys in HQ educate them in how Susanos works." He motioned to the all-girl team with his head. "Hop to it."
Lea nodded and motioned for the others to follow. He walked forwards until he was in front of Ruby. The red clad Huntress looked up at him defiantly. He sighed.
"I'm sorry," he told her as he reached down to grab her. However, he cried out in pain as he was flung away from her. Lenora and the two lookalike Marines were similarly knocked away from the Huntress team. Team RWBY looked confused until they heard a familiar voice speak up.
"If you're sorry now, then you're gonna be even more sorry after I get done with you," Luffy said, grinning widely at the assembled groups as his arm snapped back into place.
AN: And that's the chapter! I hope everyone enjoyed it!
And just to mention it, I felt there were some Marines that would mistake Garp, being the Hero of the Marines, was actually an Admiral instead of a Vice Admiral. Just that'd I say something before someone mentions it in the reviews.
Also, I hope you guys enjoyed Rankin's and Nova's backstory. And I hope you guys caught the reference to another Marine when Rankin was talking to Ruby. Until next time!