To Walk the Path of Freedom
Naruto sat at the very front of the ship and observed the blue sky and sea ahead of him, his thoughts still focused on figuring out how to overcome an opponent like Argus and free the people of Drum. His thoughts were interrupted by the sight of Watson who walked over to the Captain of the ship and sat next to him. "N-Naruto, I wanted t-to ask you something." The Doctor began to say and the young man turned his head to face him. Watson continued, "I saw the Devil-Fruit i-in the fridge and I-I was going to ask you i-if I could eat it!" He nervously asked the Captain
The Captain of the Void Pirates looked at him for a second before a smile made its way onto the man's face. "Yes you can Watson, but be careful, we still have no idea which fruit it is or what it'll do to you." Explained Naruto as the Doctor beamed with excitement. "Thank you Naruto! With that fruit I can now stop being useless!" He explained, his smile still beaming. Prior to being able to walk away and retrieve the fruit, Naruto voiced out to the Doctor. "Watson" He began. "You were never useless, you're our ship's Doctor and have saved the lives of both Kiji and myself along with patching up Lucy so she wouldn't lose a wing after fighting that rust bucket back on Tin Tan Island. And don't think that the Devil-Fruit is what makes you strong, it's the user not the fruit. Never forget that." Finished the Captain of the Void Pirates to which Watson nodded and walked to the fridge to retrieve the fruit in question
Rose watched the boy run past her into the ship whilst she stepped out and looked ahead, locking eyes with the man. She then took Watson' place at his side and sat beside the rookie Pirate. "I-I didn't get to properly thank you for helping me out back there on Helion Base." She had begun to explain but was met with an outstretched palm. "No need to thank me! Everyone deserves to do what they want with their lives, and you needed help. I'll never turn my back on someone who needs help to be free!" He explained with a grin which made Rose crack a smile of her own but it was soon replaced by a frown. She looked out to the sea and began to speak. "So you really plan on going after Argus then?" She questioned, looking back over to Naruto who answered her with a nod of his head.
"Why? Argus has killed countless Marines and Pirates alike! Anyone that has had their Log Pose point towards Drum Island has not made it further across the Grandline because of him! Why face him?" Expressed the girl in a distressed tone, not wanting to see her new friends die at the hands of her old master. What Naruto did next shocked her, he turned to look at her once again and laughed. "Because he hurt my friends! He hurt you and he hurt Watson! And no matter what I'll always defend those close to me! Besides, I bet he's strong and'll put up a good fight for me!" He explained, saying the last part with the same grin he used before
She smiled while a few stray tears rolled down her cheeks. "You really consider me a friend?" She asked him. His response consisted of throwing his arm around her neck and pulled her close. Facing her eye to eye he spoke, "You're a dreamer Rose! Just like the rest of the Void Pirates! Like us you seek freedom! And anyone who wants that is a friend of mine!"
"T-Thank you Naruto! I'll try to make myself as useful as I can! If you'd like I can act as the crew's shipwright, o-or even an inventor if you need one? I've had lots of experience with various kinds of vessels and I can even add new contraptions and gadgets to this one." Explained Rose and Naruto responded with a shake of his head and a smile. The new found Inventor turned her body towards the door to the inside of the ship and began to run off to start inventing new things for the ship along with repairing any old damage done but stopped abruptly. "Wait." She started to voice, turning her body back to face her new Captain. The Captain of the Void Pirates raised his brow at her and voiced back to her. "Something wrong?" He asked her
Rose's smile from before turned into a frown in advance to walking back over to him. "N-Naruto, I-I want to tell y-you something, something very personal to m-me. B-But you have to promise not to t-tell a soul, not even Russ!" Blurted Rose whilst Naruto returned a nod of understanding. "I need you to take me to Egghead Island in the New World! I need to see Vegapunk as soon as possible!" She told him rather loudly. "Vegapunk?" He questioned, "Why would you want to see him?" He followed up his previous question with another. Rose swallowed while looking at the deck of the ship previous to looking at her Captain. "Vegapunk is my genetic template, h-he made me, I'm a clone prototype of his." She described to the man whose eyes went wide at the reveal of this information
"You're a clone of Vegapunk!? The smartest man in the World!?" Naruto interrogated in disbelief. She nodded her head slowly prior to speaking and confirming. "Yes I am, and please don't tell Russ, he'll kill me if he found out!" She finished saying to which the man laughed. "Of course Rose, your secret is safe with me!" He reassured the woman who gave a sigh of relief. "Thank you Naruto, you have no idea how hard it is keeping a secret that big." Rose expounded to her new friend who agreed with her. "Tell me about it Rose, like sometimes I find it really hard not to tell people that my father's name is Gol D Roger!" He spoke back to her with a laugh in advance to speaking again. "Wait I wasn't suppose to say that. Oh well, can't change what happened!" He finished voicing and Rose fell backwards in shock to Naruto's revelation
A few hours later. . .
A few hours had passed since Rose met Naruto on the deck of the ship and since then she had woken up and agreed to keep Naruto's secret as he was keeping hers. Moreover, Watson had also located the Devil-Fruit in the crew's fridge and brought the fruit onto the deck where the rest of the crew joined him to watch him eat it. "Are you guys sure I should eat this thing?" Watson inquired to the crew while the swirly fruit sat in his hand. "What's wrong kid? Gettin' cold feet? Just eat the damn thing!" Yelled Russ, impatient with Watson as he wanted to see what the Devil-Fruit would do to him
"Be careful Watson, you don't know what it'll do to you. You could turn into an animal like me, or have it transform a part of your body, or you could even become an element. We have no idea what could exactly happen." Lucy told the young Doctor who looked at her and back at the fruit in a nervous way. "I agree with the Marksman, eat the Devil-Fruit and regret your decision after the fact." Kiji voiced to Watson as the entire crew sweatdropped at his words. "Okay fine! I'll eat it! Here we go!" Watson yelled out, raising the fruit to the sky before he brought it to his mouth. He stared at the strange fruit for a second and then bit into it. He almost immediately wanted to spit it out due to its horrible taste but fought through it and swallowed it.
"Feel any different?" Asked Naruto, looking Watson head to toe to see if he noticed any changes. The Doctor did the same and responded to his Captain. "Not at all, I don't feel any stronger. Maybe it didn't work." He reasoned and Rose shook her head. "Impossible, if what you ate was actually a Devil-Fruit it should have changed your body right when you too a bite." She explained to Watson and the crew by extension. The young Doctor threw a fist through the air in hopes of activating an ability but was disappointed when nothing happened. "Do you feel like you're able to transform?" Lucy inquired to the newest Devil-Fruit user who spread his legs and tried his best to do so. "Dammit! I-I'm t-t-tryingggg!" He had begun to irk out prior to breaking form and gasping for air
Taking a step towards the Doctor, Russ drew his pistol and spun the barrel around in advance of flicking his wrist which snapped the weapon's cylinder back into place. "Well we know that fruit ain't a Zoan or a Paramecia that just leaves one option." Explained the Marksman, pointing his gun at the Doctor. "W-W-W-What are you doing Russ!?" Watson squeaked out whilst everyone else widened their eyes at the Marksman's actions
"Don't worry kid, just testin' a theory!" He told Watson, shooting a bullet into his shoulder. Naruto was quick to jump and tackle Russ to the ground with Kiji grabbing the Marksman's other arm and restraining him with his Captain. The crew then watched as a lack of blood came out of Watson's wound and it instead began to crack. More cracks spread out from the wound before stopping and then reseeding back towards where the bullet hit. Seconds past and the cracks on the man's body disappeared completely and Watson was left standing there, looking at the spot on the shoulder where he was shot. "Logia." Naruto whispered while Russ shook loose of his and Kiji's grip while they were distracted
The man got up off of the ground and dusted himself off. "Knew it!" He exclaimed with a grin on his face which only fell after getting hit in the side of the face by Lucy. She glared at the Marksman who wiped his mouth before returning a glare of his own. "WHY THE HELL WOULD YOU EVER SHOOT ONE OF THE CREW!?" She screeched at him. "It's not like I was gonna kill 'em you damn bird for brains! I knew he had a damn Logia, no Paramecia traits or the ability to transform into a stupid animal, process of elimination it's a Logia!"" He quipped back while Naruto ran up to Watson with a grin, forgetting all about Russ's actions
"How do ya feel Watson?" He asked the younger boy who clenched his fists a few times and then smiled. "I feel like for the first time in my life I can actually stand my ground against an enemy! I feel like I don't need to run and hide anymore!" Came his response while he turned his body to face the crossed armed Kiji who had since let go of Russ. The young man nervously asked the fish-man. "Kiji, can you t-teach me how to fight properly! I-I saw all the great things you were able to achieve with your bare hands a-and I want to be able t-to do the same!" He exclaimed to the First-Mate of the Void Pirates who only looked down on the Doctor before a small smirk made its way onto his face
Kiji gave a chuckle in advance to his response. "Under a normal circumstance I would not share the secrets of my fighting style. However, you had tended to my wounds back on Tin Tan Island. For that I shall teach you the basics of Fish-Man Karate to repay my debts." Watson's face lit up after hearing that Kiji would take him on as a student, but his gaze turned to Lucy after she spoke up. "By the way Watson, now that you have a Devil-Fruit you should train to use that as well. I've heard that Logia's can be tricky to control." She explained to the boy. "Not to mention tricky to kill!" Russ interjected, pocketing his pistol
"Either way, it's a good thing we have another Devil-Fruit on our side. Fighting Argus, let alone getting into Drum will be a massive challenge and we need all the help we can get." Rose had begun to explain to the crew to which Lucy responded with her own question. "What do you and Watson know about Argus and the rest of his crew anyway Rose? We should come up with a plan so that none of us get caught off guard and killed."
After she finished speaking, Watson looked at the deck of the ship and clenched his fist while Rose gave a deep sigh. "Unfortunately I don't know too much. I never even met him myself. Instead I was just stationed on Tin Tan and told to make various machines that Argus would request. The only thing that is even worth mentioning about that is the fact that all the armour and equipment I made had to be able to withstand radiation to some degree. But please don't tell him I told you that! If he finds out he could send someone after me to kill me!" She begged the crew while conforming to her mannerisms. "Uhhh ya know he's already tryin' ta kill ya, right?" Russ asked of her to which the inventor paled
"What about the young Doctor? Is he not from Drum? Perhaps he had an encounter with this disgraceful human!" Asked Kiji, while he spat out the last part. One by one the crew turned to face the Void Pirate's youngest member while the ladder stood there, not taking his eyes off of the deck below. "Watson, if there is anything you know please tell us!" Informed Lucy
After her words his gaze shifted from the deck and took turns on each of the crewmembers in advance of his following words. "No, I have never seen Argus but I do know of most of his crew. Not including Bardif along with the ones we saw on Tin Tan or Argus himself, there are 6. Each one of them controls a part of the island and polices it with there own rules, with Argus residing in King Warpol's Castle on top of the Drum Mountains. He never comes down and if anyone needs to see him they go up one of the 5 lifts around the island." He had begun to express
"So you ain't even know what this bastard looks like? 'As anyone even seen 'em?" It was Russ's turn to ask a question which was met with a head shake from Watson. "The only people who have ever seen him are his crew and the Doctors he orders to be kidnapped and brought up to the castle, but they never return back down. Ever since him and his crew arrived they've brought nothing but heartache to Drum! He doesn't allow anyone to come in or leave the country so food is scarce that many stave to death, at least that was before he ordered mass executions of civilians to make resources last longer. On top of that many people have been forced to flea into the wilderness in hopes of surviving the onslaught his crew brings but either get killed by the wildlife or succumb to radiation sickness and with no Doctors around to treat it, it is often fatal." Was his response to Russ
"Radiation poisoning?" Rose asked of him. "If what you say is true then there must be something on the island creating it which is making your people sick. That's why Argus orders anti-radiation items to be made so that his subordinates to not contract the same illnesses. Maybe all of those Doctors they took up to the castle were working on some sort of nuclear device! And said device is releasing radiation onto Drum! B-But wait! I-If w-we go to Drum won't that m-mean that we'll b-be poisoned b-by radiation too!?" Her reasoning turned into panicking while everyone sweatdropped
Russ then pronounced to the newest crew member. "I'd say 'ur freakin' out 'bout the wrong thing Einstein! We gotta get on the damn island first, and deal with the big bastard's lapdogs first! I'd be a bit more worried 'bout that!" "Indeed, we must focus on our enemy. But poisoning will hinder us as just as much. Inventor, are you able to make devices that can counteract the negative effects?" Kiji expressed to Rose who straightened up and nodded
"I should be able to make suits for everyone that can partially block it out but any exposure over an extended period of time could prove to be harmful. Also with the materials I have, the suits will only be able to withstand low-mid level radiation spikes and I'll attach a radiation detector so that everyone is aware of the current level of radiation they are being exposed to." Explained the crew's inventor, running off to go draw up some plans
Naruto watched as she ran off into the ship and then turned to face his navigator. "Oi Lucy, how long until we get there?" He asked her with a look of determination. The lady in question checked her log pose prior to looking out in front of the ship to the sea. "I'd say we should be arriving at Drum in a couple of hours Naruto!" She answered back to him which caused the man to flash a grin. "Good! In just a few more hours I'll get to pummel this Argus guy and allow everyone in the Drum Kingdom to do as they want once again! Everyone! Get your things ready! Cause it's almost time to take down a former Warlord!" The red-head spoke as each member of the crew ran off to get their gear ready except for both Watson and Kiji who both elected to stay on the deck
"Ready all ready Doctor?" The fish-man asked the boy who shook his head. "Not yet Kiji, I just wanted to ask you something if that is okay?" He had begun to speak and received permission from the Vice-Captain of the Void Pirates to ask his question. He took a breath and then spoke. "Do you think Naruto actually has a chance to beat Argus? I-It's just he's a former W-Warlord and N-Naruto a-almost died against-" He had begun to say but was cut off by the hulking beast. "That is enough!" Roared Kiji, anger lacing his voice
Watson took a few steps back out of fear and took up a shaking stance. "Never question the Captain's abilities! The Captain is the strongest, most unorthodox fighter I have ever come across in all my years out at sea! He had managed to do things I had previously thought impossible! If anyone can beat Argus it is him! You must learn to put your trust in him, just as I have done!" Kiji explained to him prior to walking off and preparing a few things for their arrival at Drum
The Doctor watched the fish-man's back disappear into the ship in advance to turning his body to look out onto the clouds that were approaching overhead. 'Snowclouds.' He thought in his head getting a slight chill down his spine. 'We must be getting close then.' His thoughts buzzed. He then thought about Naruto and the stories he was told about how far he was willing to go for each of his crew. 'He barely even knew me and put everything on hold to come and take back Drum for my people. Naruto, you've sacrificed so much for us. And thinking about it now I truly believe you can take down Argus and usher in a new age of freedom for the people of Drum! I need you too!' He thought in desperation, putting the rest of his hope into the young red-haired man
A few hours later. . .
Snow was now falling onto the deck of the ship and the skies had turned from a deep blue colour to a dull grey colour. The crew had also reassembled on the deck and had gotten into the radiation suits that Rose had made, with each one being made of a dark grey rubbery material that covered their bodies head to toe with separate gloves that were jet black in colour. The suit also had a blue tinted face shield that was sealed to the suit but allowed for clear vision from within it. Attached to the back was an oxygen tank with a small filter that would allow the crew to breathe the contaminated air with minimal harm. "I gotta say ya outdid 'urself with this one!" Russ congratulated, putting his ammo belts and weapon holsters overtop of his suit
"Indeed, the suit feels very free moving, which will allow for less restricted movement when delivering punches." Kiji quietly added, flexing in different positions to test the suit's movement capabilities. "They're great but where did you get all of these materials? We only brought a handful of things onboard from Tin Tan, most of it being food that Naruto ate!" Began Lucy, side-eying Naruto who rubbed the back of his head. "Sorry Lucy!" He apologized with a grin on his face
Rose smiled and then had begun to explain herself. "Well actually, some of the things I brought on board were plans for inventions I made up in my free time on Tin Tan Island! One of them was a fabricator that can convert a material into a completely different material! That is where I got the supplies necessary to assemble these radiation suits!" She finished with a smile but Lucy still looked at her with a questioning look. "But you would still need the materials to use for it? Where did you get those?" She followed up and rose retorted with a nervous chuckle
"Uh w-well actually, I-I uh may have t-taken th-them from the rudder o-of the ship! Y-You see I-I calculated the l-likelihood of us w-winning against A-Argus and it was only a 8.327% chance a-and I figured m-might a-as well considering we are p-probably going to die!" The inventor explained herself while the entire crew except Kiji dropped their jaw and the thought of the ship being partially destroyed. "No way! You destroyed the ship!? My ship!?" Yelled Naruto, grabbing at his head with both of his gloved hands
After Naruto's words the crew had begun to bicker at eachother back and forth while Watson remained distracted with his eyes pointing towards the Island of Drum that was not too far in the distance. The Captain of the partially destroyed vessel noticed the young Doctor looking out to the island in the distance and took a few steps towards him. "Ready to finally go home Watson?" He asked with a small smile on his face to which the younger of the two turned his gaze towards Naruto. "T-Thank you for bringing me back to Drum. I-It's been so long-" He had begun to explain but the red-haired man could tell that there was something he was not telling him
Sure enough, Watson started to speak once again. "I-It's just, now that I'm here, I c-can't help but feel like everything that happened, all of the people killed, all of it i-is my fault! I'm a coward for leaving! I-I should have just died along with the rest o-of my people! I should have died along with my family!" He raged, thinking about all of the bad things that happened to the people of Drum and that may have happened to them in his absence. Naruto's response did not come in words but instead he just laid his hand upon Watson's should and returned a warm smile. "Coward or not, you still came back to help them, and that's what really matters. And never forget Watson, you're our friend, along with being apart of our family now, and we will always help you bear your burdens! Now let's go take this bastard down!" He finished stating with a grin and Watson could not help but return a soft small smile
Just as the two boys finished their small conversation, everyone's wrist buzzed to life with a sound that sounded similar to the tuning of a radio. "W-What!? Where's that sound comin' from!?" Came Russ's voice, looking around the surrounding area for the source of the noise. "It's the radiation meter on each of your right arms. It tracks the amount of radiation concentration in a certain area. The fact that you are hearing that noise means that we've entered an area with significant levels of radiation. But looking at the meter, it would only be harmful if exposed for years on end." Rose explained to the crew to which they all looked at the device on their right arms
"What does this red part mean on the meter?" Asked Kiji and was met with an immediate answer, courtesy of the inventor. "If you ever see the meter cross into that part then that would mean the radiation levels around you are at unsustainable levels, meaning that the suit cannot fully protect you. If that ever happens then you need to exit that area immediately or else the probability of you taking in a lethal dose of radiation grows exponentially."
"Wait, I won't be able to transform in this Rose! How am I suppose to fight if I can't transform!?" Lucy exclaimed as she cross-examined the suit that she was wearing to which Rose responded with another clarification. "Your suit should be able to stretch to accommodate your other forms Lucy. I also made the same modifications to other crew members suits so that they are able to utilize most of their attacks."
Not really paying too much attention to anything other than the island, Naruto grinned and walked to the very front of the ship. "Looks like we're in range!" He declared, still keeping the grin on his face prior to turning to his crew. With a wave of his hand he dropped the anchor which caused everyone except him to stumble forward a little at the sudden loss of momentum. "Here we go! Time to go to Drum everyone! Blink!" He yelled, teleporting everyone along with himself off of the anchored ship and onto the snow island
On the coastline. . .
Naruto had almost flawlessly teleported the crew from their ship onto the island, with the only mistake being that he teleported them all about 10 feet above the ground. All at once, they blinked back into existence in advance to falling to the snowy ground below with a thud. "Dammit Naruto! I think I bruised my leg! Do it again and I'll cut you up with my feathers!" Scolded Lucy after getting up and rubbing her leg. The crew's Marksman picked up his hat off of the snowy ground below, dusted it off, before putting it back on his head. "Cap'n, sometimes you make it real hard not ta shoot ya!" He voiced his own discontent after being teleported and dropped out of the air
"Ha ha! You guys are too funny! But don't complain! It's hard to see where I'm teleporting through all of this falling snow!" The Captain laughed, dismissing the threats made against him by his crew mates. Rose looked onto the scene with a sweat drop. "Only you could laugh off threats on your life Captain." She deadpanned. "Even so, a crew should never threaten their leader! They should look up to and respect their absolute authority!" Explained the fish-man, voicing his discontent for the insubordination. "Shut 'ur damn mouth you walkin' sushi roll!" Russ countered which caused the First Mate to take a step towards Russ to defend his honour
"Oi Oi Oi! Do you guys see that? Through the snow, just past those trees!" Asked Naruto, pointing to a cabin in the distance. Watson raised his hand above his eye line and squinted. "That looks to be an old fishing cabin I think!" He expressed to which Russ then asked a question. "What's the point of even havin' a cabin for fishin'? It's not like it takes that long to catch anythin' anyway!"
"Because of all of the snow here it's really hard to be able to take a whole fishing trip in under a day so a lot of these cabins were built to allow people a warm place to stay before heading back the next day." Watson explained to the Marksman who just nodded along while him and the rest of the Void Pirates had begun to approach the cabin to inspect it. "Be on alert, we know not what resides in the small living quarters!" Kiji insisted whilst Russ responded by taking out his pistols and Watson taking out his machete. Each one of them stepped closer and closer until Naruto had his ear against the door of the cabin. He waited a second and listened for noise prior to pulling his head back and knocking on the door several times. "Hello!? Anyone in there!?" He yelled at the door hoping for someone to answer while everyone else looked at him with wide eyes and expressions of shock.
Lucy took a few quick steps towards her Captain and swung her hand down on his head. "You idiot! What do you think you're doing giving away our location like that?! What if there's an enemy in there?!" She scolded her Captain while he rubbed his head. Rose then quivered. "W-What if Argus i-is in there?" She voiced with fear while Watson sweatdropped at the fact that he already explained to her that Argus never left the castle on top of the mountains. The commotion was interrupted by the wooden falling over into the cabin and everyone present began to investigate the inside of the cabin after a few moments.
"Place is trashed from the looks of it!" Russ relayed to everyone as he took a look around the small house. Kiji knelt over and slid his finger across the ground prior to rubbing said finger together with another on the same hand. "Moreover it looks abandoned, there is a thick layer of dust and some black residue all over this cabin." He explained. "That black residue is radioactive so I wouldn't touch it. It appears to be what remains from some sort of radioactive energy blast. But that should not be possible if Argus is planning on making a bomb, this cabin along with most of the island would be a crater. But the radiation spikes around this area seemed to be localized in this cabin. It does not make any sense!" Rose tried to reason, not understanding the metrics her radiation scanner showed
The youngest member of the crew was not really paying any attention and instead elected to push one of the doors open in the cabin with as much force as he could muster. The wooden door finally budged which revealed a pair of bodies with a lot of flesh missing on them, huddled up in the corner of the small room. The bodies themselves were overcome with the black radioactive residue that Rose had explained only moments prior and frozen blood. The Doctor was struck with fear for only a moment but instead of cowering he chose to be brave, pressed on and reached out to one of the bodies to examine to see what could have caused this. But upon examination he noticed a necklace around the smaller of the two and immediately began to breathe heavily, fall backwards and crawl back, not taking his eyes off of the frozen flesh. "N-N-No, i-i-it can't b-be! P-Please i-i-it can't!" He started to panic and Lucy ran to his side and held his back. "Watson what's wrong!? Are you okay!?" She frantically asked of the younger boy who could only point into the room he had just examined
Her gaze followed the same direction of his hand and ended up spotting the pair of bodies. "O-Oh my god-" Lucy began to say bringing her glove up to cover the part of her mask that had her mouth behind it, with her words having a bit of trouble to find their way out of her throat. Russ was the next one to spot the sight that Watson had saw and being the hardened bounty hunter that he was he was practically unfazed along with Kiji who also came to his side. A moment passed and Naruto and Rose ran over to see the commotion and they to both looked at the bodies with Rose cringing and snapping her head away in fear. "Do you know these people Watson?" Asked the Captain of the Void Pirates and the tearful Doctor managed to shake his head a few times and form a couple of words
"Y-Yes, I-I-I know them-" He had begun to say between sobs. "T-They a-are-w-were friends o-of mine. T-The smaller o-one h-her name w-was Kaida, a-and the o-other w-was her mother." He managed to spit out, still overcome by grief. "I told them I would come back! Kaida said she wanted to come with me and I said no! I the one who killed her! I condemned her to her death!" Watson yelled at the top of his lungs, still overcome by the guilt that he could not help his long dead friends. "J-Just please! L-Leave me here to die!" He screamed to which Naruto knelt down beside him and pulled the younger boy into a hug
Watson shut up but continued to have tears run down his face whilst in the embrace. "Watson I know it's hard seeing them like this. Believe me, all of us know how hard it is to lose someone dear. But we need you to get up and come with us and help free your country, if you choose to stay then more people will die at Argus's hand. And we can't let that happen!" Naruto expressed to the Doctor who kept his eyes on the bodies of his past friends in advance to shutting them with all the force he could muster. He remained that way for a few seconds and then spoke again. "O-Okay. . .Gyasta village n-not too far f-from here, we s-should start there." He described to everyone present in the room
On Tin Tan Island. . .
'Damn!' Cursed the figure of Bardif as he limped through the destroyed control room of Helion Base. 'Damn Portgas D. Naruto and his crew! Destroying my base! Making a mockery of my defences! I need to find a working terminal!' The man's thoughts blazed as he turned his body towards the door of the room and left to go seek an undamaged computer
He slowly walked with difficulty down the metal halls of the base, bleeding onto the floors and looking into each room, most of them scorched by the damage the Void Pirates had caused to the base while they fought Bardif and his men. Eventually he wandered into one of the research labs and spotted what he was searching for. 'Perfect, the research computer should allow me to contact Argus and ask for aid back to Drum!' He reasoned in his mind, limping towards the computer
The man eventually arrived at it and pulled back the larger chair, letting his damaged body rest on it. He reached out to the key pad on the device and proceeded to type in a number of different keys and codes. 'Perfect, I'm still able to access the administration server from here! It must've survived the attack!' He put in a few more commands and then a box appear on the screen with an audio reader on it. "C-Captain Argus! A-Are you there!?" He asked with fear lacing his voice to the computer to which the audio reader began to change shape as a voice played from the other end of the communication
"Bardif, what have you to report?" Came the simple response from the Captain. Bardif swallowed and explained what had happened. "S-Sir! Portgas D. Naruto and his crew had stormed Helion Base and have caused significant damage to the base itself! I sent Ushi and Ryouku to thwart them but both had failed their mission! Of course then I-I had stepped in to stop the rookie crew b-but was overwhelmed! I-I am requesting support to bring me b-back to Drum so that I-I may intercept them before they reach you there!" The man spoke, lying slightly in hopes of Argus keeping good favour of him
The audio reader remained unmoving for a second in advance to coming to life once again. "This is most disappointing Bardif, I would've expected my top officer to handle some rookie Pirates. Quite disappointing indeed." Came Argus's response to Bardif's plea to which the ladder spoke out again. "S-Sir! I promise it will not happen again! But please! I require an escort off of Tin Tan Island! The Marines have received word of the clash I had with the Void Pirates and should be arriving any moment!" Bardif pleaded again
"Of course this will not happen again. As for your aid I am declining it, I have lost enough resources due to your carelessness. I care not what happens to you, Ushi or Ryouku along with anyone else left on Helion Base. You have all fulfilled your use to me. Goodbye Bardif." Argus finished, cutting the communication between the two. As the audio reader disappeared off of the screen, Bardif could only sit there in shock, still processing that he had been expelled from his crew. His thoughts were interrupted by several sets of footsteps coming down the metal halls behind him. 'Dammit! It must be the Marines! They're here already!?' He questioned in his mind, struggling to get up in an attempt to hold them off
"Captain! The trail of blood leads into this room here!" A voice came from just outside of the door that Bardif was in. 'Damn! I can't hold them off for long in my condition! Damn you Portgas!' Another voice then sounded. "Bring down the door!" Came an order and within a few moments the door was blown open by a series of explosives that the Marines deployed. 'I need to act now!' Bardif reasoned, letting out a battle cry and charging the group of Marines with all the strength he had left
Before he could lay his hands on any of his enemies, Bardif was attacked. "Bind!" An arm swiped itself through the body of the larger man, leaving a restraint in its place which constricted him and made him fall over in defeat. "Bardif of the Argus Pirates, Hina has heard a lot about you." Came the voice of Captain Hina, smoking a cigarette as she looked down at the restrained Bardif
The only thing the man could do was grit his teeth as his eyes glanced over to see both Ushi and Ryouku, bound as well being dragged along by the Marines. "Fortunately for you Hina will not be taking you back to base just yet, we still have to capture you boss on Drum Island first." She stated prior to waving her hand and having her Marines drag the three members of the Argus Pirates off with them onto her ship to set sail to Drum.
In a certain castle on Drum Island. . .
"Hmm, so it would seem that Portgas D. Naruto and his crew have made it passed Helion Base and thwarted my First Mate. It should not take him long to reach Drum Island. Brimbore!" Argus explained to himself from atop his thrown covered in shadows, prior to yelling out for a subordinate of his. Right on queue a more stocky looking man with a giant axe over his shoulder walked into the room with a grin on his face. The man in question wore a traditional viking helmet with ram horns pultruding from either side. He also was adorned with a stocky lead vest that covered his vital organs with a thick animals hide overtop of it that paired well with his dark brown pants and black boots. Hanging off of his belt was also a gas mask that appeared to be top of the line.
He gave a small bow. "Yes Captain, what do you need of me?" He asked Argus, still smiling. "I would like you to pay a visit to Gyasta Village and set up a number of defences in preparation for Portgas D. Naruto's arrival. Take however many soldiers you see fit." Came Argus's order and Brimbore nodded in advance to asking a question of his own. "Sir, what of the locals in the village?" He asked and Argus gave an immediate response
"We have no need for them, dispatch of them." He explained to his crew mate who grinned. "Gladly!" He responded before walking off and preparing
And that's another chapter in the books! And thank you everyone so much for the reviews! I love reading them so much as it offers my the chance to make my writing style even better! Though I do have some news for everyone regarding future uploads. For the next couple weeks I have a series of exams that I have to write for school and I'll be taking all my time to study for them. This doesn't mean I will no longer be uploading anything for the story but it will just take me a bit longer. As for pairings, Hiyori along with Hina and Robin seem to be the most popular at the moment and I do plan on doing 4 girls so please let me know about the last one and who you all think she should be. Anyways, I hope you all enjoyed the chapter!
Qwert out!