Chapter 16 - Bandit Clan
In a matter of minutes, Loguetown had turned on its head, going from a peaceful and busy port town to a panicked and scared but eerily quiet place. The townsfolk watched on in fear as a new group had disembarked off their ships. The people of Loguetown all huddled off in side streets or inside buildings hoping, praying this would pass as swiftly and without much bloodshed, trying to avoid crossing the path of the town's most recent but, unfortunately, far too frequent guests.
Bandits.
A lot of them too, three ships worth of armed raiders and thieves ready to pillage, steal, and, if required, kill during this little excursion.
You could see three individuals lead all the men off of the three ships as was the usual case when these bandits raided Loguetown, each one obviously being the leader of their own little group time and time again.
The first was a man of average height but was rather thin, or appeared so due to their clothes being so baggy and loose as if to hide his physical build from his enemies, reminiscent of clothes you'd see from those that live in desert regions. Dark brown eyes and hair, sharp and pointed features due to him being thinner in his build. A pair of sickles hung from his waist, clinking every so often in the wind.
The second was a tall and bulky man, darker tanned skin, balding, bucked teeth but sharpened with a file possibly and a scarred face, although the scars looked quite faded and small. He wore mostly torn and ragged clothes to cover his body, clearly, this one didn't care for his outfit which would be completely fair considering he was a bandit, constantly on the move and in raids, his clothes would be torn all the time. Wearing something that was already damaged meant he lost nothing of value, a fair idea then? A simple rifle and sword hung from his back and shoulder.
The third one was a woman, although she stood out from the rest of the group since she was the only woman among them, she appeared smaller than the males around her as well yet the vibe and atmosphere from her gave the impression she was a dangerous woman, skilled and deadly over directly intimidating. A simple sword by her waist, a hood and cloak covered most of her body from view, colored various shades of red and pink that slowly warped into a deep black, but from what one could see she wore mostly wraps of cloth, twisting and turning over her body to cover herself, a trail of smoke escaped from under the hood indicating she was smoking. One would call her an assassin by appearance but perhaps that's why she dressed as she did, an assassin among bandits sent a message didn't it?
It also screamed suspicious.
But this time was different, one aspect changed from all the other raids in the past. Ahead of them all stood one lanky yet tall and somewhat imposing, middle-aged man. His face was sharp but also rough and worn, having seen plenty of wear and tear over the years, a large nose, thin lips, and sunken eyes. A tattoo-covered his face, one of a panters paw stretching from just below his lips to his hairline. A rough, patchy beard covers his jaw and cheeks, certainly not the greatest of beards in the world that's for damn sure. His attire was rough looking yet it was cleaner and more commanding in appearance than others around him, indicating he was superior to the bandits alongside him. He wore a militaristic jacket, dark red and black in color. His pants and boots were the same as the rest of his color scheme. He didn't appear to have any weapons on him at first glance but on his gloves were metal plates on the backside of his hands, one might think they were just armor plates but once you fought this man you'd realize what his weapon actually was.
It didn't take a genius to figure out the importance of this man compared to the rest of them, standing ahead of the others, including the three bandit captains and far better dressed, for the most part.
This man was the leader of the entire bandit clan. Now the question was, why was he here?
His creepy and somewhat sadistic grin on his face made it clear he wasn't here to make friends. His sharp and analytical gaze observed his surroundings, examining the buildings that made up the docks and the main entrance to the town itself.
Wordlessly he began walking into the town, down the main street away from the docks, his grin never leaving his face. His fellow bandits followed behind without needing orders to do so if there was any doubt this man wasn't the leader they were dismissed right there.
The townsfolk noticed this too, sure they'd been raided before but this man was something new. The other three they recognize since they'd lead raids before but a new higher up was worrying, to say the least.
As the large bandit swarm moved further into the town, the townsfolk kept retreating into their homes and businesses in a poor attempt to hide from the bandits, merely hoping that avoiding their gazes meant they also avoided their attention and wrath.
Anyone who was caught out where nowhere to retreat to, simply moved off to the side of the street out of the bandits' path and looked toward the ground hoping they wouldn't be called out.
Even the bandits noticed this, many of the bandits just smiled, snickered, and outright laughed as they watched the common folk retreat in fear of their mere presence.
Breaking the tension the leader finally spoke, directed toward his subordinates after they'd walked a little further into the town. "Where are these fighters you've been complaining about? The ones that always seem to give you trouble when you raid this island? We didn't exactly make a subtle appearance." The leaders' gravelly voice, carried rather far. The townsfolk heard him even though it was directed at his men.
The sickle-wielding bandit scoffed, "Maybe they saw you coming boss, and decided to remain in their hidey-hole." His statement earned a few chuckles and laughs from the men around them.
"Don't be daft Pok, they're gonna find us soon and then we'll have a real fight on our hands." The woman scolded her comrade, in a rather condescending tone, not even turning toward his direction. Her eyes obscured by her hood but they remained pointed further into the town as if trying to spot their targets coming.
Before the bandit known as Pok could muster a reply their leader spoke up, "Wilt is right, they wouldn't hide simply cause of my sudden appearance. These fools don't even know who I am, all they know if I'm here now and I'm in-charge, nothing more." The leader continued to inform his men, "I'm kinda pissed they're not showing up when I made an effort to come all this way just for them." The leaders' face twisted into a scowl as he closed his eyes, releasing a sigh as he brushed a hand across his head. "What were their names again Bhorn?" His head shifted toward the ragged-looking bandit as he waited for an answer.
The ragged-looking bandit, known as Bhorn, sneered in anger, "Crow and Raven are two of the problems, they always show up together and fight as a pair. They're very effective as a team but the real problem is when they bring another into the fray. One known as Schimdt Benedict, he's a devil fruit user and a real pain in the ass." Bhorn growled at the thought of the three fools that caused them so much issue. "They're equal enough in strength, we could handle the self-righteous pair if they were alone but when Benedict gets involved things become more complicated." The bandits around them all scowled, growled, or snarled at the mention of the bastards, and bitch, that fended them off so often.
"Chief, I suggest we take to questioning the locals for the answers we seek," Wilt spoke once more, her form hardly moving as she spoke, "With force if needed." She added on the end, one could almost hear the faintest smirk form on her face when she spoke of using force.
The leader of the bandits only smirked, as did all his subordinates, "I couldn't agree more." His gaze turned toward Pok and Bhorn, "You two take to the locals around here and get what you can from them. Once you have the info, raid the place." Giddy laughs and chuckles echoed from the bandits at their boss' command. "Wilt, you and your men are with me. Take me to this clinic I've heard so much about, the one this Benedict bastard loves so much." A sadistic smile formed on his face, "I wanna see the value this place holds."
Wilt gave a subtle bow to the bandit chief, "As you wish." Wilt took the lead alongside her bandit chief and began directing the group toward the island's clinic. A sinister excitement dawned on the group as they thought of all the fun they could have ransacking a clinic and the pain in the ass doctor that worked there.
As Wilts' group detached from the main force, Pok and Bhorn smiled to one another before Pok took charge and turned to the frightened locals around them, "Alright, ya pathetic cowards, we've got questions about your protectors that we want answered!"
He armed himself with one of his sickles and raised it into the air in a sort of threat display. "If we drag this out it'll start getting painful!" His voice boomed across the area, drawing worried, concerned, and scared reactions from the civil people around them.
His comrade Bhorn merely smirked, "Let's talk."
To say today had started off slow was an understatement since all Arabella had done was deliver an injured man to a clinic for surgery, wander around the town for a bit, help out a weapons clerk and find out about bandit raids.
Well, finding out about bandit raids actually counts to spicing things up in Arabella's' book but she wasn't too pleased to find out these innocent people have been under their thumbs for some time with no signs of help from the marines or local forces. Arabella has dealt with plenty of pirates and bandits during her time on the seas and not once had she met a respectable bandit.
"The little buggers will be answering to me if I find them." If any bandits were around she'd introduce them to Storm Breaker, the sharp end, for harassing the people of this island.
Arabella was swiftly drawn from her thoughts as she saw a few people run down the street in the opposite direction she was heading, clearly in some kind of frantic manner. "What's got the locals runnin?" She thought as she noticed it was mainly women and children retreating.
A gut feeling told Arabella what the problem was already but she didn't want to jump to the wrong conclusion so she decided to briefly ask one of the fleeing locals as they passed by. As one neared Arabella she took a small step to cut them off and grab their attention, "Hey, what's got y'all running for the hills?" Her question was directed at a young-ish woman holding a small child, no older than seven years old, in her arms. Their expressions told most of the story, however, fear and worry plastered across their faces.
"Bandits!" The woman cried out and she looked behind to make sure nobody was following her, "It's another raid but there are more of them this time!" The woman pulled her child close, "Get to safety if you can." The woman didn't wait for a response from the young helmswoman, instead, she went and brushed past her to continue to flee the area.
Arabella waited a moment before bringing her hands up and cracking her knuckles, slowly too. She sighed, "Well, it's time to give some bandits a well-deserved beating." Not missing a beat, she took off in the direction the people were fleeing from.
Pok growled in anger, another one hadn't spilled the beans on the towns, foolish protectors. Every single person they'd threatened, hit, and berated said nothing about what they wanted to know and it was pissing both Pok and Bhorn off.
"Fuck this!" Pok yelled out as he backhanded a middle-aged man back into the cowering crowd they'd pulled him from. "They're protecting the bastards! We're getting fuck all outta this!" The men around Pok sneered at the crowd in an attempt to intimidate them.
Bhorn was in agreement with his comrade, "They're still hoping their protectors will arrive to save them from the fearsome bandits." Dragging out the fearsome bandits part whilst trying to sound somewhat scared in an attempt to mock the civilians around them.
When these two got excited and hyper they really did turn insufferable, and that's ignoring the murderous bandit part. Pok turned and slowly gazed across the civilians that were simply too scared to attempt to run, not wanting to catch their attention. A smirk formed on his face at the terror they clearly held for them but that smirk turned into a frown, although they feared them, didn't fear them enough to squeal on their protectors.
That frown shifted into a sadistic grin, not missing a beat he strutted over to a small group of people, who all recoiled slightly, and grabbed a woman from the crowd. Cries of fear and worry echoed from not only the woman but the people she stood with, still, none could do anything to stop them.
Bhorn clearly caught onto what Pok was doing, the smirk on his face was evidence of that. It didn't take much for the other bandits to do the same, some laughing, others simply brandished their weapons as if reminding the people around them to not try anything.
The poor woman, however, couldn't even try to resist, Pok dragged her harshly across to the center of the street, she fell halfway there but Pok just continued to drag her on her knees. You could see the woman breathing rather heavily, tears welling up in her eyes as they glanced around her in search of help.
But there was none that she could see.
As they reached the center of the street, a good few meters ahead of the rest of the group trying to be the center of attention and have all eyes on them.
Pok drew the poor woman to the ground harshly, the woman banging her head off the ground but otherwise mostly being unharmed. Fear still gripped her body so she didn't attempt to get up or run, she didn't have the courage to do so.
"Alright, ya bunch of cowards! Here's the deal!" Pok began, slowly turning on the spot so he could gaze in all directions as he spoke, "We're done with your bullshit hiding! We came here for two reasons! To kill those bastard guardians and steal and so far we haven't done either!" Bits of spit shot from his mouth as he spoke, clearly displaying his anger, "I plan to solve that fucking problem! You won't tell us where they are?" A twisted smirk formed on Poks' face, as it did with other bandits who knew where this was going. Pok drew a flintlock pistol from his back, hidden underneath his clothes, she smiled down at the woman, as he did, frightening her even further than he already had been., "This is what happens when you don't give us what we want!"
He leveled the gun toward the terrified woman and everyone knew what was coming next.
Itzal and Francis, with Sherlock planted on Itzals' shoulder, walked along one of the streets of Loguetown only to be met with a small crowd of people both hurrying down the street and congregating with smaller groups at the fronts of stores and houses. The town was on the move, to say the least.
"I wonder if there is an event or festival at this time of year?" Francis stated although judging by his expression, he knew he was wrong about that. He, sorta, hoped that was the reason for everyone running around in a panic but his marine training told him something else. Sherlock chirped in a low and soft tone, conveying his sadder emotions.
"We should check it out," Itzal responded, his observation Haki picked up the emotions of the people around them and all he could sense was fear, worry, and sadness. "They came from that way." Itzal pointed toward the left side of a T-junction street as they both observed people leaving that area.
"We should hurry then," Francis concluded, Sherlock screeching in agreement as well, the pair headed off in the direction of the source of panic but as they did a single sound caught their attention.
The pair paused only for a brief moment before they both took off at a sprint toward the source of the noise.
They could only hope it wasn't as bad as they thought.
Crow and Raven sprinted through the streets, they'd missed their enemies closing in on them and now they had to make up for lost time. They were careless for only a moment and it could cost them dearly for it.
Both comrades readied themselves for a fight having dealt with these kinds of attacks before but this one felt different, their instincts told them that this time was different but neither could exactly tell you why, just a mere feeling.
"Same plan as always," Crow began speaking to his comrade, Raven, as they ran, "We blitz one of them to make it a fair fight." Crow drew the rifle from his back and gave it a once over to confirm it was combat-ready.
"Understood." Was Ravens swift and short response, she really was a no-nonsense type of person when it came to her job. Her hand rested on the handle of her blade ready for a quick draw if required, which she suspected it would be.
Crow smiled at her response, he saw that one coming a mile away. His thought briefly drifted to both her and himself in marine uniforms giving orders as they overlooked their own ship, following behind a pirate ship, giving chase as they fled from their presence.
Something they dreamed about often enough since they were both little, even if Raven wouldn't admit it to anyone besides himself.
But his thoughts were shattered as he heard a heart-breaking sound.
A single gunshot.
The two comrades gazes turned to one another, a look or worry crossing their faces. Nobody needed to say anything as they attempted to speed up their run in the direction of the gunshot.
The townsfolk stood stunned, shocked at what they had witnessed. Whispers, murmurs, and mumbles erupted from them all due to the scene in front of them.
Although the bandits weren't much better their reactions were far more mixed, some ranging from shock and awe like the civilians around them whilst others were angry, annoyed, and irritated.
But none more so than Bhorn and Pok themselves, who could only glare in anger at what had just happened.
Pok sat up from the ground, his back, and rear sore from the rough landing he'd received but that was ignored in favor of anger toward the one, who he deemed as soon-to-be-dead-bitch, who'd smacked him across the street toward his bandits, making a fool out of him. Bhorn looked mildly impressed but it was cloaked by his irritation more so than anything else.
In the middle of the street was the terrified woman that had been dragged out and thrown by Pok, a gun had been leveled to her head. But here she sat, looking up at her surprise savior.
Standing in front of the woman was none other than Lovelace Arabella, her ax firmly planted in front of the woman as a shield from any gunfire.
She stood with her right foot on the ax head as it stuck into the ground, her left hand on her hip as she gripped her ax tighter with her right. Her gaze was solely focused on the bandits in front of her, more so the bastard she'd just whacked across the street.
"Is that how you treat a lady?" Arabella asked somewhat humorlessly, her tone showing she was far more serious than her statement made her sound. A small glare confirmed this quite easily.
Pok growled at her, he stood from his downed position, his eyes never leaving the enemy. Bhorn moved up beside him whilst the rest of the bandits moved closer to them but still stood a few feet behind their two leaders, all of them drew their weapons as they all growled and glared at Arabella. What truly made them angry was the fact it was some small, almost harmless-looking, woman that had not only blocked the bullet but knocked their leader on their ass, making them look bad. Sure, she had an enormous ass but someone like her couldn't possibly use that thing effectively, she was too small to wield something that big!
Not that it did much, Arabella couldn't care less about them. They'd hardly be a challenge at the end of the day, sure there were a lot of them but she had the time to deal with the cannon fodder after she demolished the bastard that was going to execute an unarmed woman.
"Blast the bitch!" Pok yelled without thinking, one of the larger bandits stepped forward and shouldered a cannon, and aimed it at Arabella.
The civilians around clearly ducked for cover when they saw the cannon but Arabella merely looked at it, unimpressed.
The bandit fired the cannon, rocking back from the blast a bit but the cannonball was heading toward its target with great speed.
But clearly not fast enough since Arabella simple, and swiftly, swung her ax upward as the cannonball reached her and cleaved it in two. Both halves sailed right past her and went barrelling down the empty street behind her, tumbling down the road for some time before coming to an eventual stop.
Arabella giggled slightly as she moved in front of the woman as she stood up and prepared to run, ax resting on her right shoulder with her left hand still on her hip, "Man, you can't even entertain a lady properly." A not-so-subtle insult in her words only sparked louder growls of frustration from her opponents.
Not taking the insult lying down Pok charged at her himself, however, Arabella caught him pull out a pair of sickles from his waist before he began his charge. Arabella countered the charge by placing her left foot forward and spin on it, swinging her leg and ax in a powerful spin.
The attack took strike with ease, the two sickles clashing with Storm Breaker. There was a brief stand-off with Pok putting all his strength into pushing Arabella back, however, it wasn't very effective since Arabella pushed back with equal strength but if you looked closely she wasn't actually trying very hard. She seemed to just want to hold him there for a moment and humor him with this little struggle. During this time, the woman that had almost been shot took the opportunity to run toward the nearest building to seek shelter from the conflict.
That was swiftly cut short as her observation haki flared, warning her of an incoming threat. Moving to block another strike Arabella twisted her ax to cause Pok to stumble, with him off balance she used her axes long reach to push Pok off to the side and, using the handle, moved and blocked the strike from Bhorn, his sword striking Arabellas' ax handle, who'd decided to join the fray.
Arabella didn't bother to humor him since the other bandit, Pok would recover and repeat his failed assault in a brief moment so she kicked upward and planted a foot into his gut which completely knocked the wind out of him.
With both bandits momentarily stunned she placed her left foot forward and pivoted on it in and roundhouse smacked Bhorn in the side with the flat of her ax head, the momentum behind her strike was enough to go through Bhorn, taking him off his feet and slamming into Pok causing both bandits to violently tumble backward toward the rest of their bandits, who stood frozen as the display.
This tiny chick just tossed around two of their strongest members. What?!
Arabella took a step back into a side stance, shouldered ax once again, and examined her handy work, watching the stunned bandits and the two captains she'd just smacked. An amused smile formed on her face, "If this is all you got then this town will be safe from bandits once I'm done with you lot." She giggled to herself, her eyes gleamed her cheery nature with a side of seriousness mixed in there somewhere.
These guys really weren't much of a threat to her, although the same couldn't be said for those around her. Civilians wouldn't be able to do much against those two numbskull captains.
Her eyes followed the two numbskulls in question who'd pulled themselves up off the ground, weapons drawn and emphasized in an intimidating manner, not so much to Arabella but still, it was the thought that counted right?
Pok and Bhorn stood once more, their faces and clothes were covered with a thin layer of dust and dirt off the street they'd just crashed across. Their furious expressions and growls made it abundantly clear that they weren't too happy with Arabella, the mere thought kept Arabellas' smile strong.
"Bitch!" Pok half growled half groaned out, only loud enough for Bhorn to hear. He wouldn't admit it but she hit hard, they couldn't take much of any of those types of attacks.
Arabella didn't react as she watched them, just standing on guard but her observation haki told her what she needed to know so she just simply maintained her smile.
"Get her!" Bhorn cried out, swinging his sword and pointing it at Arabella, instructing his men to charge and fire upon her.
As the frontline charged Arabella, the second line readied their guns similar to that of a firing line, which might actually be the extent of their organizational skills…
But the front line never reached Arabella.
"Pocket Burst!"
With no warning, the frontline was hit a condensed ball of heat, the two that were hit directly with the projectile were sent flying into the others behind them, which caused a chain reaction of bandits being tossed into each other, getting knocked about.
Arabella turned her head to the source of the attack, a small smile on her face, "I was wondering where you lot were, about time I found yous." Arabella spoke to the new arrivals to the fight.
Itzal stood not far from the scene, a fist outstretched in front of him aimed toward the bandits, clearly, the one that had fired off the heated projectile. Francis moved past him to close the gap between them and Arabella, his sword was drawn, ready for the fight that was coming. Sherlock has scampered off to safety once they'd seen Arabella, unfortunately, a little monkey can't do much in a situation like this, yet.
Itzal smiled at her, "We heard the commotion, couldn't help but get involved." Itzal responded to the helmswoman. He hopped a tad closer to Arabella, the three of them stood in a poor line directly in front of the bandits.
"Bastards!" Their reunion was short-lived as they turned to see Pok and Bhorn staring at the three of them.
"Who the fuck are you lot?! Where did you come from?!" Pok spat furiously toward them, " Did those little brats hire backup?!" You could see his face turned an interesting shade of red like it was about to pop any second now. "What the fuck did you hit my men with?!"
Itzal just blinked at him before turning to Arabella, "What'd you do to anger him?" Francis shook his head at the question, was that really a concern right now?
Arabella just shrugged, her ax bounced on her shoulder, a smile still evident on her face, "Just smacked them around a little, nothing much." Her voice carried to the bandits across from them, which didn't exactly calm them in any way.
"Bitch!" A simple response from an angry numbskull I suppose.
Bhorn turned his head toward the second line, "What are you dipshits waiting for?!" He yelled toward them, "Shoot them!"
The bandits in the firing line were in the process of recovering when a crack of a rifle echoes out, one of the bandits in the line screamed causing the others to jump in surprise. The bandit in question dropped to the ground clutching his leg, crying out in pain.
He'd been shot in the leg if the blood was anything to go by.
All of the bandits jumped back from him, all searching for the origin of the shot. Itzal, Arabella and Francis, on the other hand, didn't visually react to the shot, although Francis was slightly surprised by it. Itzal turned his head, whilst Arabella subtly looked in the same direction. On one of the rooftops stood two new individuals they hadn't seen before.
One held a rifle with a blade attached to it, the male of the pair whilst the female held tightly to her sword.
"Good shot!" Itzal yelled out, give them a thumbs up in the process to which Francis nodded in agreement. Arabella gave a smirk and a bob of the head in their direction. His gesture didn't go unnoticed, however, Bhorn and Pok turned toward the rooftop and could only snarl at the sight of the two.
The islands' self-proclaimed security. Crow and Raven of Loguetown.
They both swiftly leaped from the roof, landing with a roll with Crow landing on one knee, rifle shouldered and ready to fire whilst Raven brandished her sword toward the two lead bandits they recognized.
Whilst Crow and Raven acknowledged the trio that had engaged the bandit's Crow's gaze was solely on Bhorn. "Surrender now or we will engage," Crow stated, his voice showing confidence, authority, and assertiveness in its tone.
Raven, on the other hand, kept one eye on our trio for only a moment to examine them. Two were visually armed, one with a massive ax wielded by the small woman and the other was the male with the sword. But the monk one was the odd one out, "A fist-fighter then?" Raven thought to herself.
Bhorn and Pok didn't respond to Crows' command, instead, some random cannon fodder bandit thought it was would have been a good idea to shoulder his rifle and fire upon the pair.
However, he never got the chance since Crow was faster. He countered by firing toward the bandit and nailed him in the shoulder, downing yet another hostile.
That's when all hell broke loose.
~ 1 ~
The bandits split their attack with Pok and his half of his men charging at Itzal, Arabella and Francis whilst Bhorn and his charged toward Crow and Raven.
Itzal smirked slightly and charged right back, he leaped off to the side drawing the attention of some of the cannon fodder bandits, the ones armed with firearms all aimed toward Itzal.
They fired a small volley but Itzal was quicker and countered it.
"Penance!"
The bullets collided with Itzals body but much to the surprise and shock of the bandits the bullets melted against his body, which was now emitting steam from all over, his skin turning to that of a forge.
The bullets that impacted Itzal reformed and, using the heat as a propellent, was fired back toward the bandits, hitting them with far more accuracy and damage since none of the bandits dodged or deflected the attack.
Although a few were hit only a handful actually fell to the ground clutching their wounds. The rest attempted to remain standing, staggering in the process. Clearly, they were still hurt by that attack.
The bandits that weren't hit at all charged Itzal in rage at what he'd done to their comrades.
But Itzal beat them to it with his own attack.
"Pocket Burst! - Rapid!"
Itzal formed a condensed ball of heat in each hand and fired it at the bandits, once the first two were fired he formed more slowly building up speed. Blasting condensed heatwaves at the bandits which knocked some across the street, if hit directly, and tossed and staggered others who were unfortunate enough to only be in the small blast radius of the impact zones.
It didn't take a genius to see Itzal was having fun beating these bandits around, although not challenging he at least got to deal with these scumbags himself.
Once Arabella had seen Itzal charge offside and begin his own counter-attack on the fodder bandits, the helmswoman threw herself into the fray as well.
Arabella wanted to end this little scuffle that had been started between her and the bandit numbskull with the sickles. It became clear he wanted the same when he ignored Itzal and went straight for her.
She was all too happy to oblige!
Arabella stood strong and allowed Pok to do the work in closing the distance. Arabella held the handle forward, ready to block the strikes of Poks sickles.
Once he'd reached her he reeled back his sickles over his head and brought them down the helmswoman who blocked the strike using the mid-section of her ax handle.
Once again in a little stand-off, you could see Pok try his absolute hardest to overpower the red-head but it was proving futile.
Arabella was just leagues ahead of this guy.
Waiting for the right moment, Arabella watched her opponent until she spotted her chance. Using her superior strength, Arabella pushed upward with her ax handle and forced Poks sickles back which in turn put him on the back foot.
With him off balance leaning back, Arabella slammed the end of her ax handle into Poks' face, staggering him even further.
"Might as well end this soon, got more ass to kick." The redheaded helmswoman thought to herself, seeing an opening she shoulder bashed the bandit whilst he was staggered, which in turn sent him tumbling backward a few feet. As he fell back Arabella took the opportunity to dash forward and plant a fierce kick into Poks core, both knocking the wind out of him and completely knocking him on his ass a mere eight feet away from the red-headed ax wielder, the ground actually cracked under the force Pok had hit the ground with.
"Where's that bravado gone, tough guy?" The helmswoman taunted as she watched the bandit attempt to recover from her counters. It didn't take a seasoned fighter to see that Pok clearly wasn't doing do well as he struggled to stand up again, that kick really took the wind outta him. All he did was grunt angrily at her.
She blinked once and then shrugged her shoulders, "Guess I'm done here."
With that, Arabella leaped into the air, her ax raised above her head. Pok watched on in slight fear as he saw the red-head descend from above. That enormous ax looming over him like the scythe of the grim reaper, one couldn't help but imagine what kind of damage she could do with such a weapon.
"Pandoras Shock!"
Arabella rushed downward and slammed into the ground, cracking the earth beneath her feet, and brought her ax over her head and straight into the ground before her. Within a second the ground shock and a large shockwave erupted from the helmswoman's ax in a crescent moon shape.
The crescent wave rocketed toward Pok, the injured bandit could only stare on in fear as the attack reached him. The impact was immense, the ground shattered underneath the attack as it struck Pok. The force obliterated his weapons, lifted the bandit off his feet and launched his rag dolling body across the battlefield, or street, and into a nearby food stand.
The body smashed the stand into pieces of splintered wood and torn cloth, kicking up debris and dust to temporarily obscure the view of the crash site. The noise of the attack caused a lapse in the battle for a moment, some of the bandits completely freezing in place as they realized one of their leaders had been tossed around like a rag doll.
As the smoke cleared it revealed the bandit, Pok, laying on the pile of debris, clothes torn to pieces, weapons shattered, bruised, and bleeding but most importantly, completely unconscious.
Arabella, the winner, planted her ax head into the ground once again, "Couldn't even show a lady a fun time." Arabella sassed, shaking her hips from side to side in a rocking motion. "That'll teach ya to attack innocents ya bastard."
The red-haired helmswoman turned to the rest of the battle, first observation being how they were clearly winning this fight despite the lower numbers. A subtle glance to one side revealed the reason for that, that reason just so happened to be a living forge human spewing steam and heat at his foes but still, the cannon fodder stood no chance against them. The second observation, that sniper that took a pot shot at the firing line was busy fighting that other bandit that lead alongside Pok. By the looks of it, he was having a harder time dealing with Bhorn than she had with Pok, she didn't expect the guy to be as strong as her though so that was understandable.
Needless to say, with those two observations made Arabella wasn't all too worried about the outcome of this fight.
Arabella swiftly dashed from her standing position, ax across her shoulder, as she charged in to join Itzal in the cannon fodder mash-up.
Just because the fight was a certain victory at this point didn't mean she couldn't have some fun right?
Francis paused for a moment, a brief lapse in combat for him allowed this moment, the few enemies that had charged him lay strewn across the ground in a mess.
Although not many of them set their sights on him since he hadn't charged them like Itzal or the others had, choosing to allow them to come to him, he dealt with them easily enough. In all honesty, these fodder bandits only had their numbers to their advantage, their physical ability or skill wasn't that impressive.
Not quite matching up to a trained marine like himself, although he admitted he was never the best sword fighter he could hold his own when it came to it. If his opponent didn't have a skill or physical advantage over him then Francis could deal with them with little issue.
Taking the moment to steady his breathing Francis quickly observed the battlegrounds, which just so happened to be a street. Much to his joy, the civilians of the area had long since retreated out of sight of the battle as he couldn't spot a single pair of eyes on them nearby. As long as no civilians were hurt he was pleased, Francis might be an ex-marine but he'd still want innocents to be safe from harm if he could help it.
Some habits will never truly leave the former marine, sometimes he was grateful for that.
His thoughts were briefly interrupted as he caught sight of a bandit hitting a food stand. Although that caught the attention of a few people, most of them went back to fighting a second later. Not all, but most.
With that, quite brief, interruption finished Francis turned back to the battlefield. That's when he noticed a few more bandits, five to be precise, turn to him all brandishing their weapons, which mostly consisted of sabers.
"Can I not catch a break?" The ex-marine sighed before taking a deep breath and fixing himself into a defensive posture, ready to strike or counterattack as needed.
The five bandits broke off from the rest of their allies and charged Francis, all screaming and roaring in a manner that was clearly meant to intimidate.
Which it failed to do…
Steeling himself, Francis made ready to block and counter the closest bandit when a blur of motion caught his attention. Out the corner of his eye, a blur of red and black rushed toward the bandits, clearly catching them off guard judging by their expressions.
"Black Birds Caw!"
Without pause, the bandits were swiftly slashed and sliced from various directions. Small trails of blood spewed from numerous gashes and cuts across different parts of their bodies.
Francis was momentarily stunned at this person's sudden appearance. Just like that they'd cut through five bandits in a blur of motion, something he'd only seen Itzal, Rob or Arabella do to a much greater extent but by no means any less impressive.
The clattering or sabers hitting the hard ground, followed by the thump of five unconscious men soon after indicated the fight, if one cold call it that, had come to an end.
Francis' eyes were trained on the figure, although his stance relaxed slightly he was still ready for any bandit that might try to jump him, it turned out to be a woman wielding a katana in one hand a said blades scabbard in the other.
A beautiful weapon, he had to admit.
This was the woman that had appeared alongside the sniper earlier shortly after he and Itzal had arrived on the scene. The woman turned to him, her red eyes giving him a quick once over. For a single moment, Francis caught the glimmer of recognition in her eyes before it faded to neutral.
Her expression didn't change as she approached Francis, her sword still at the ready since they were still in a combat zone.
"How many bandits have you apprehended?" Her voice was calm, very neutral but still quite sharp. It honestly reminded Francis of how some marines would speak. Something he took note of. However, the tone this woman used did spark that inner marine in him for a brief moment.
"Eighteen, unconscious and unable to fight." Was his response to her question although he mentally berated himself for slipping make in his marine training in his retort.
"Solid copy," she replied before turning her attention back to the battlefield, "Can you disarm and restrain them whilst I continue to engage?" The woman asked, her gaze shifting to Francis to wait for an answer, her sword still in front of her in the direction of the conflict.
"I can if I'm not under fire." Was his reply, he swiftly surveyed all the bandits he'd beaten. His eyes caught glimpses of guns and swords scattered about within arms' reach of some of their unconscious forms.
"Understood, I'll cover your flank while you restrain the apprehended, ..." Her gaze lingered for a moment, the silence told Francis everything he needed. A little more than what was intended to.
"Francis," the navigator responded to the unanswered question, "Rose Francis."
The woman nodded in acknowledgment before speaking herself, "Raven." her gaze turned back to the conflict at hand, spotting a few more bandits heading their way.
Without needing to say more Francis sheathed his sword, but drew his pistol, and moved to the unconscious forms of the bandits he'd defeated. He began using whatever he could to restrain them, whether it was tearing off pieces of clothing or using belts and scarfs.
His eyes trailed back to Raven, a thought passing through his mind as he watched her.
"What did you really want to ask me?" The navigator could tell by the look in her eyes when she'd saw him, there was something she wanted to ask but held back on.
Perhaps it was because they were in a fight or maybe she thought it of little importance but one thing Francis always had to do was to uncover answers to questions, even if he had the answers people were looking for.
Crow was having mixed thoughts at the moment as his bladed rifle struck the sword of his opponent, a bandit he knew all too well for his liking at this point.
It was unfortunate that Crow had the displeasure of knowing this bandit scum by name but they've fought so many times it could not be helped.
Crow knew to deal with Bhorn here and now was the right choice, taking down one of the bandit captains would surely demoralize and confuse the rest of the bandits under his command as they'd certainly try to understand and regain control of the situation, not that they'd manage that when he and Raven would apprehend them.
The thought was pleasing to the young man, to finally take down this scum that plagued their hometown for so long but what concerned him was the fact he only saw two of the three captains they knew all too well.
Pok and Bhorn were here, although Pok appeared to be in a terrible state not far from them courtesy of the small redhead with the huge ax.
"Note to self, don't irritate the small ax maniac." The young defender thought to himself as he countered another strike from Bhorn by parrying his blade and striking him in the face with a punch.
Bhorn stumbled for a moment, spat some blood off to the side as a small trail spilled from his mouth, and ran down to his chin before glaring at Crow. "I can't wait to see your lifeless corpse sprawled across the blood-stained ground." The bandit half growled at him, he wildly swung his pistol toward Crow and fired off a shot.
"Clearly he's in denial about what happened to his friend…" How someone could still believe they were winning when one of their best fighters was down for the count was beyond him. Crow twirled his rifle blade to deflect the bullet off to his side harmlessly, steadying himself for Bhorns next move.
Bhorn had charged in alongside the shot, his blade coming down upon Crow. The blades clashed, sparks flew and metal ground against metal as the two held their ground. Bhorn had hoped the shot would distract Crow for a moment but that idea had been dashed, so, the bandit improvised.
As their blades held each other there, Bhorn limped his pistol downward and fired. The shot tore through Crow's leg.
"Ahhh," Crow groaned through gritted teeth, still holding Bhorn off. His eyes never left Bhorns, his focus still on his opponent. He could feel the injury, he could tell it was mostly a flesh wound. The bullet had passed through his outer thigh, tearing flesh and cloth. A small splattering of blood covered the ground beneath his leg, drippings sporadically.
Needless to say, that had fucking hurt.
Judging by the sadistic smile on Bhorns face, he knew that too. However, Crow had noticed their blades had twisted in their clash, and unfortunately for this bandit scumbag, it was in Crow's favor.
"Nice shot." Crow quipped, wiping the smile from the bandits' face. "But mine was better."
Confusion couldn't even set in before a shot rang out, a pained shout erupted from the bandit captain. His vision dimmed for a moment as his brain tried to figure out what just happened.
Not even allowing for that, Crow twisted his blade downward, dragging Bhorns entangled blade down with it, which revealed an opening for Crow. As the blades clattered off the ground Crow launched a right elbow, slamming it into Bhorns face like a hammer.
A subtle crack and a small spray of blood indicated the bandits' nose took the brunt of the impact. Probably broke it too, which pleased Crow quite a bit.
He staggered back, allowing Crow the chance for another strike. Crow step jumped forward, he kicked at Bhorns front leg in a barn door kick style attack. The force of the kick forced Bhorn to one knee, Crow continued by swinging low with his rifle blade and uppercut the bandit with the stock of his rifle.
The strike lifted Bhorn into the air for a moment. With him being wide open he spun on his front foot and slashed him across the chest in a manner similar to a bayonet stab.
Crows opponent landed with a thump a few feet away from him, sword clattering a few feet further behind the downed bandit. Bloodstained his chest but the soft movement of his defeated opponent ensured the young wannabe Marine that he was still breathing, if only just.
Crow shoulder his rifle and swiftly examined the battle around him.
A huge portion of raiders was down for the count, a few certain unfamiliar fighters being responsible for that. A young swordsman, an ax manic, and the devil fruit user.
All unknown to Crow.
Regardless, he was grateful. He hadn't held the hope of defeating these raiders permanently with just Raven and himself, not until they improved, but today just might be the day they rid this scourge from their home.
And that alone was enough for Crow to hear them out after all this. And offer them his thanks.
His eyes settled on the devil fruit user, seemingly throwing blasts of heat around the battlefield.
Crow couldn't understand why, but he could tell there was something special about the young devil fruit user.
With that, ignoring the pain in his leg, he rejoined the fight.
Needless to say, Arabella was finding this battle quite entertaining. It might not have been challenging but it amused her to see them throwing themselves at her in some vain attempt to defeat her.
Clearly, they couldn't comprehend what she'd done to one of their leaders.
Welp, she was about to prove that age-old saying. Stupidity should be painful.
And she was accomplishing that goal quite well if she said so herself. If the current beaten and broken bandit bodies that lay around her was any form of evidence then she most certainly was.
Yet, these bandits never learn.
"Arrr!" Another two of the seemingly endless clan of bandits roared as they charged the young helmswoman. Arabella barely even registered them as they came at her, to her they almost didn't even qualify as a threat.
But a girls gotta get the job done. So she prepared her ax, plopping it on her shoulder, ready to slam them into the ground.
However, she didn't need to waste the effort.
"Pocket Burst!"
A ball of pure heat blasted the two bandits, their bodies not even slowing the attack down a single fraction.
"Deary me, they really are cannon fodder aren't they?" Arabella thought to herself in amusement as she watched a friendly troublemaker land next to her.
Bellow Itzal, of course.
A brief glance at the young captain told Arabella everything she needed to know.
This was as much a joke for him as it was for her. Still, he did have a smile plastered across his face. Clearly, someone was enjoying the fight as much as she was.
"What brings you to my corner of this little battlefield?" Arabella asked as she sauntered over to the young captain.
"Just making rounds." He replied as he fired off another heatwave, throwing a couple of rag-tag bandits around in the process.
"Is it always this excit with you lot?" The red-haired, master of the helm asked.
Itzal smirked as they moved back-to-back, "I hope so, if it is, then it'll be an adventurous life lived like no other!"
Another bandit moved to slash Arabella but she easily deflected it out of harm's way, allowing Itzal the chance to kick forward and strike the mans' chest, sending him far out of reach.
Arabella gave a dangerous giggle at his answer, "Now you've got me interested in the kind of trouble you'll be causing." She flicked her hair slightly as she turned to some bandits a few feet away, just waiting to get their ass kicked.
"Tell ya what, I had planned to help you get to the Grandline before departing on my own mission but I'll stick around a while longer if ya keep the adventures rolling. How does that sound?"
Itzal nodded enthusiastically, "We'd be glad to have you along for the ride. You're one hell of a fighter and a top-notch helmswoman."
"Aww, you're making me blush." She teased, "I'm interested in seeing how strong ya are yourself, we need to spare at some point so I can see what you're made of! I want a piece of your first mate too, he seems like fun!"
Itzal chuckled, "I'm sure we'll find the time!" The young captain noticed a few bandits band together, so he saw an opportunity to go for a multi-beat down. "Good luck!"
Without another word, he was off to beat some bandit skulls.
Arabella giggled once more, "This crew just gets better and better!" And she too was off to kick some ass.
~ 2 ~
Zarina released a long sigh, she kept a somewhat ridged posture in her seat, her breathing was even and her appearance seemed normal, however, the problem currently lay in her mind.
She'd just witnessed the troublemaker go through surgery, without any form of pain relief, and it had certainly been an experience considering what the two doctors, Raphael and Benedict, had to do in said surgery.
An experience more so for Rob than anyone else.
First, they'd cleaned the wound as best they could, which took some time, before having to re-open the wound since it hadn't healed one hundred percent correctly when he'd gotten it. That was something she'd have liked not seeing in person, re-opening a mans' chest wound using a scalpel. She wasn't in any rush to see that again.
Secondly, was the process of closing the wound with stitches, whilst she'd have no problem seeing that, since she herself had done similar things before, what did trouble her was the blood since it made her mind wander. During the whole operation, she'd seen quite a bit of blood from the red-head but, again, that wasn't exactly the issue.
Where the issue lay was with what the blood meant, it was the fact the blood brought her thoughts back to the cause of the injury. How Rob just stumbled up to the group drenched in blood, a large wound across his torso. That image still concerned her even to this point, although it remained mostly in the back of her mind until now.
She knew how Rob was, how strong he was, but what could have given him something like that? She didn't exactly know but she knew one thing for certain.
This was the life he'd chosen to live, to face this type of danger and overcome it whenever it came his way.
In a way, it was respectable. In another, it was foolish.
Zarina mentally smiled to herself, "Words that described those two quite well." Itzal and Rob, two people who she'd traveled with, fought with, lived with for a few days, and sailed with.
Then Francis and Arabella too, to some extent.
Was this what life with them would be like? The danger? The injuries? More than likely. But those also brought with her chances, adventures, and those who genuinely cared for her. Itzal and Rob had saved her from a life in prison and then stuck with her, waited for her to make her choice on how she wanted to leave, no, how she wanted to live.
Neither of them would ask her to leave, she could stay as long as she liked in their books. She could sail with them, adventure with them, risk her life with them, and, generally, have a one-of-a-kind life very few would have a chance to experience. But also dance with death on a regular basis just as Rob had previously.
And the scary part? She was tempted by it.
"They're insane for what they strive for yet here I am, admitting to myself that I would go with them." Zarina thought to herself as she fiddled with her clothes, straightening them out. She took a small breath, "Yet I fear what that future might hold, whether short or long…" She finished, once again arguing with herself.
Ultimately, that was what was truly stopping her. Her fear, albeit a natural one, of dying.
One cannot argue that is completely rational.
A life of adventure was an appealing one to some degree, sure the insanity of having to deal with Itzal and Rob, especially Rob, on a daily basis was daunting in a way but it was one she'd welcome at some point, even now. Those two genuinely cared for her, her mind didn't argue that fact. Couldn't argue that fact. If she was in trouble they'd come for her without her needing to utter a word.
Zarina mentally smiled, "Of all the people in the world to look out for me it happened to be two pirates and strong ones at that." Of course, she was starting to see that in both Francis and Arabella slightly. She might not have known them as long as Itzal or Rob but she'd gotten a good read on those two. Although she had to admit she trusted Itzal and Rob more.
How many pirates out there went out of their way to help someone like her? The answer, not many.
Zarina's' mind always second-guessed herself when it came to both her future and her very life itself. She wanted to live a long life but the idea of living an accomplished one alongside a couple of pirates had its appeal albeit with a risk of dying along the way.
Zarina thought back to her life before meeting Itzal and Rob, before being captured. Her life on her home island, the one her sister resided, the one she'd built something for herself on, one of peace, a cozy and small life as a civilian. Then, Zarina compared it to the time she'd spent with the Sky Pirates, the danger, the trouble, the headaches, the adventure, and the mystery of what tomorrow might bring each and every day.
Which life did she truly want? In the end, her mind came to its conclusion after another moment of thought.
Her thoughts and conclusion were pushed to the back of her mind as she heard the sound of a door click and open. The scholar turned to see Raphael enter the room wearing scrubs, which were slightly stained in blood, and a small medical waste bag.
Immediately his eyes met Zarina, a slightly strained smile on his face, "I'm pleased to inform you that we're completely finished with our procedure and he should be fully healed within the next day or so. Luckily we didn't have to re-open too much of the wound, just enough to make sure it heals properly in critical areas," the older doctor paused for a moment, "But we're having trouble keeping him in bed to rest, Benedict is still trying." One could see the bead of sweat run down the mans face as he said that.
Zarinas' only reaction was to pinch the bridge of her nose and sigh. "Of course that idiot refuses to rest after surgery." Although she did end up muttering a small thank you to the doctor, unfortunately, he didn't hear it.
As if on cue, the man of the hour, more like day, came through the same door Raphael had emerged from. Rob stood as tall and unfazed as ever, a small smile on his face, the only thing that would indicate anything was wrong with the red-haired pirate would be the tightly wrapped bandages that covered his chest wound.
Before either of the two comrades could speak they were interrupted by Raphael.
"I didn't expect Benedict to give up on getting you to rest so easily." The older doctor commented as he disposed of the trash he'd been holding into a container for further disposal at a later date. "Despite appearances, he's not one to give up so easily when it comes to his passion as a doctor. I'd have thought he would have even attempted to restrain you himself if required." He finished with a small, amused chuckle.
"I'll admit he was adamant about resting my body, allow it to recover for some time, but I think he got sick of my carefree bullshit, his words, not mine, as long as I didn't bleed all over the clinic and ruin all your work he said he didn't care at this point. It seemed to me like he had something on his mind." Rob rolled his neck and shoulders slightly as he spoke, clearly trying to remove any stiffness to his limbs he might have had.
Although he didn't say it, Rob did note this Benedict guy seemed to analyze him during their interactions outside of surgery, as if sizing him up or trying to ascertain whether Rob was going to be hostile after they helped him. He couldn't really fault the guy, some people would abuse the aid of a doctor. Rob certainly wasn't one of those guys but when you come into a clinic like this with a wound like his people start getting suspicious as to how you obtained said injury. Not to mention Rob's response to the injury made it seem like it was a natural occurrence in his life, something a peaceful citizen wouldn't find common.
"I don't blame him for being sick of your crap," Zarina commented, adding her opinion to the conversation. Her response only got a cocky smirk from the target of said comment, which in turn got a subtle eye roll from the scholar.
"Forgive Benedict's attitude, he means well in most of what he does. He's been rather distracted as of late, I believe I know what's bothering him but that's our issues to deal with." Raphael continued, as he observed the pair, "Now, I'd like to ask you both a few questions if you don't mind." Although his words made it sound like it was a request, the doctors' tone made it clear he was hoping they'd oblige his curiosity.
"We'll answer to the best of our ability," Zarina responded, giving a side glance to her partner, a subtle, small glare leveled his way. A small warning to him, one asking to be tactical about this. The subtle glare marginally grew when the red-head smirked a tad bit more.
Zarina lifted her glasses and rubbed her eyes tiredly, she could already feel a headache coming.
Raphael nodded toward her, "I appreciate it, it's just for peace of mind." Raphael moved to stand in front of the pair, "It's not that Benedict or I do not trust you but as doctors, it's apart of the job to understand who we're helping," He glanced over to Rob for a moment, "Or operated on in this instants." He sighed, "We need to know that we're both safe from harm, although I'm sure Benedict would like a challenge. So, please, tell us who you are and why you're here."
Rob gave Zarina a side glance, visually she didn't show any sort of outward reaction but at this point, he knew her well enough, she'd prefer he hide the fact he was a pirate, one with a decent bounty too, which was fair. It wasn't wise to go shouting to everyone you meet that you're a wanted pirate but the red-head looked beyond that. He wanted to be outright honest with the old doctor since he and his apprentice had helped him so readily, and so far all they've asked in return is an honest answer to some questions.
"Sorry Zarina," The red-head mumbled to his comrade who in response only released a sigh, accompanied by a small slouch in her shoulders.
Rob turned to fully face Raphael, his posture strong and confident, "Well, I'm a pirate." The first mate began, not dragging Zarina into his mess by mentioning he was the pirate, not her. "Have been for less than a month, to be honest, but a pirate nonetheless, although I was a former bounty hunter." He gestured to his injury, "I got this bad boy from a rather vicious opponent, or a monster rather, during our last adventure on Tear Island, not too long ago. We were on our way to the Grandline but with an injury like mine, it was decided that we needed to find a doctor. Made port here and went about searching for anyone who fits the bill, hence why I'm here."
Zarina braced for the doctors' response, she'd expected some form of outburst, rise in tension, or discomfort from the old man. If it was the opposite way around she'd feel some kind of unease.
"Odd how I'm the one comfortable around these pirates now…" Zarinas' mind commented in a rather mocking tone for some reason.
To her, well concealed, surprise, Raphael didn't seem to react negatively to his explanation as to who he was. In fact, his first response was to chuckle.
"Well, I already knew about the injury. I've been a doctor and surgeon all my life, I think I can tell combative wounds as opposed to civil accidents of some kind." Raphael shook his head in amusement, releasing a deep breath he continued, "I could tell quite easily that you were some kind of trained fighter, but that's not why I ask. My concerns mainly lay with your intentions to both my clinic and this town."
"Rest assured, we mean no harm to you or your home," Zarina responded. "This was just a stopping point before the Grandline." Off to her side, a genuine, although faint, smile formed on her comrades' face. One that did not go unnoticed by the scholar, however, she chose to ignore it for the moment.
"That's a relief," the old doctor sighed. Before the old doctor could continue, however, his apprentice appeared.
"I figured you were some kind of pirate," All eyes glanced his way to find Benedict leaning against the door frame. The younger doctor seemingly had time to change out of his scrubs and back into his standard attire, the same one he was wearing earlier, which consisted of a black leather biker jacket with a red t-shirt underneath, ripped jeans, and a pair of black combat boots and can be seen with combat knife on his belt. Zarina also noted the fact he wore a pair of glasses of his own, a framed black set.
It seemed Benedict had joined the conversation at some point.
He stepped away from the door and stood closer to the group, "You tango with some marines cowards to get that injury?"
"Benedict, please try not to pick a fight with a patient." The old doctor half scolded. It honestly seemed like he didn't even try to stop the youth with his words, they carried little to no energy behind them.
"I ain't startin' nothing, just asking who gave him that monster of a scar." Benedict countered, shrugging off his mentors' words, he almost sounded disinterested even though he was the one asking.
"Takes a monster to make a monstrous scar."
"So you got your ass handed to you by a monster?" Judging by his facial expression it was hard to tell if he was mocking the redhead or just genuinely curious. Whilst this didn't bother the redhead being questioned, to some it could be mistaken as insulting. Off to the side, Zarina took note of this exchange.
"Seems he hides them quite well." Zarina thought to herself, and a quick glance to the pirate beside her confirmed that he saw it too. Even Raphael seemed to leave Benedict to question the pirate, in fact, he also seemed to be observing his apprentice with a small knowing smirk. Odd.
"Monsters are men, like you and I." Rob countered, a half-smirk on his face and a small tilt of his head. "If I have to face a couple of monsters to achieve my ambitions then so be it."
That gave pause, even a slight reaction out of Benedict. One that didn't go unnoticed.
"Ambitions?" One simple word was enough for Raphael, that knowing smile swiftly morphed into a thoughtful and deep gaze to his young apprentice.
The young pirate gave the young doctor a glance over before continuing, "That's right, I have my own ambitions I want to achieve." He gestured toward his scar, "A price has to be paid to reach ones goals, and I intend to pay in full."
Satisfied with his statement, Rob left his words to hang in the air. Much to his concealed surprise, his words seemed to reach everyone in the room in some way, which only amused him further.
Maybe he's got a knack for speeches? A useful skill for a vice-captain of a pirate crew.
"I must say, I wasn't such a self-driven pirate to arrive in this town any time soon." Raphael is the one to speak up first, he strode over to Rob and Zarina, his hands behind his back, "You mentioned you were a pirate, are you by any chance the captain?"
Not an odd question to ask but the small glint in the doctors' eyes meant something.
"Can't say I am," Rob replied, "My captain is somewhere in town right now, doing fuck knows what, but he's around."
"Probably causing trouble…" Murmured his comrade, which earned her a small mischievous smirk from her friend. A soft side glare didn't solve that issue either.
"I see," Raphael nodded in understanding, "Well, I'd like to very much meet your captain. I'd like to ask something of him."
Now that was strange. Asking to meet a pirate captain personally, that's not something you hear every day.
"Don't try anything old man," Benedict warned from off to the side. He crossed his arms and made to turn as if to leave, "I know what you're up to, just drop it okay? Just learn to leave well enough alone."
"We both know that's a lie, Ben."
Their little exchange left Rob and Zarina with a question or two, mostly why Itzal seemed to be apart of it.
Why did Raphael want to meet the redheads' captain? And why was Ben against the idea?
"For now, that can wait," Raphael stated, almost interrupting that train of thought. He turned his full attention to the traveling duo, "You're both more than welcome to stay the night whilst you recover from the operation. I wouldn't leave a job half complete by throwing you out to sea in such a state."
Zarina gave a courteous bow of the head to the aged doctor. "We appreciate it, although I suspect a certain troublesome duo won't be able to rest until they're on the high-seas again."
Her comment caused her comrade to chuckle, they both knew full well who she was referring to.
One of them stood right next to her…
"If that's how it must be, just allow me some time with your captain. That's all I ask."
"You're too kind." Zarina nodded. "I'm sure he'll agree, you did help his first mate after all."
"I know I appreciate it." The first mate commented, adding his quick two cents.
"You better, you were a bloody handful to deal with," Benedict called over, his expression was still nearly unreadable. "Don't do anything stupid to re-open our hard work…"
"You have no idea…" Zarina mentally agreed with the doctors' statement about being a handful. She didn't even consider the other half of what he said.
She knew damn well what the redhead was going to say.
The first mate just casually shrugged at them in response, "I don't go making promises I'm not gonna even try keep." Carefree as always.
She nailed that one on the head…
His response only garnered a disgruntled groan from the young doctor and an eye roll from the scholar.
"Just don't bleed all over the carpet." Benedict turned to his mentor, "I'll be turning in for the night, I'll see you tomorr-"
The young doctor went quiet, his abrupt silence caused Raphael and Zarina to look his way. They both noted how he seemed to be focusing on something, something further away from here.
"Benedict, what's wrong?" Raphael asked, concerned by his apprentices' sudden silence. Concern that was mirrored by Zarina for other reasons.
Before the young delinquent doctor could speak, the pirate of the group beat him to it.
"Large group moving this way."
Benedict only turned to the redhead for a moment, taking note that the redhead could tell as well, before speaking. "He's right. Big group, heading directly here, and I have a gut feeling telling me they ain't here for a fucking meet and greet."
"You got that right…" The redhead muttered and he fixed his attire, dawning his signature hat, and tidying his shirt.
Zarina knew Rob, she knew he had observation haki, she knew his instincts and awareness were sharp and well trained. So, if Rob could sense something amiss she'd trust him. Who they were dealing with was a mystery to her, however, all she knew was they weren't good news.
Unfortunately, Raphael knew instantly what was happening. He'd had the displeasure of meeting these people before. His young apprentice having to fend them off more than once in the past.
Bandits.
It's always bandits...
"Old man," Benedict turned to his mentor, "Secure the clinic, I'll go out and meet them head-on." The young doctor moved through the room, heading for the front of their clinic.
"Benedict, be wary, remember the injuries you sustained last time." This gave pause to his apprentice mid-stride. "They'll be far more prepared this time around."
"I can handle this old man," He glanced to the older doctor, "Just make sure you're safe," His eyes moved to Rob and Zarina as he spoke, "Them too."
To the surprise of both doctors, Rob laughed before he shook his head in amusement. He looked at Benedict with a confident smirk.
"I ain't missing this fight! I'll join the fray on this one."
While Zarina was expecting this from the insane redhead, hence why she didn't react to his statement at all, it was abundantly clear the two doctors weren't.
It was Raphael that responded first, "Young man, I can't in good conscience allow you to fight in such an injured state!"
"I'm with the old man, you'd be more of a liability than a help." Benedict agreed, still looking at the redhead as if he was actually serious about his statement.
"Clearly you're underestimating him…" Zarina mumbled, her words only being heard by her injured comrade. "And his stupidity…" Her last comment drew a subtle smile from the man.
"How would you be of any use in a fight?" Benedict asked, still in no way convinced the redhead would be of any use to him in a fight.
Rob strolled up to the young doctor, ready to pass him by to exit the clinic, "I'm hurt, not dead. I can handle myself and whatever might come my way."
Words only drove home the idea that this guy had lost it for Benedict. Who in the right mind would ask a man who has just had surgery to fend off a group of degenerate bandits?
Nobody.
Well, nobody except the patient in question apparently. Who were they to say no?
Benedict grunted at the redhead, "We spent all that time fixing you up just so you could go out there and spill your guts again… What a waste of our effort." The young doctor shook his head disapprovingly.
Raphael looked as though he was going to interrupt the two young men but Zarina stepped out into his line of sight, catching his attention, and held up a hand gently in a manner that told him to leave them to it.
The old doctor sighed but resigned from interfering.
"What can I say? I loved the pain of conscious surgery so much I want to re-open my wounds for a third time just to get another sweet taste of it again."
"I'm unsure if you need a bloody psych evaluation or not. You're either insane or you're just plain stupid." The redhead merely grinned at him.
"Only one way to find out, right?" He responded.
"It's definitely a fair chance of both," Zarina remarked.
Just as she finished speaking several gunshots rang out through the clinic, the sound of glass breaking, and bullets splintering wood echoed around the building. Only a few bullets were actually fired, you could have easily counted each shot as they were fired. Zarina and Raphael whilst mostly composed had been surprised by the gunfire, Rob and Benedict, however, were unfazed. They counted a total of nine shots fired, from what caliber guns they couldn't say.
All the noise had come from the front of the building, right where both young men had sensed the group approach.
Now, while Rob could sense it, one didn't need observation haki to sense the feeling of anger emitting from the young doctor. Zarina and Raphael as well could practically feel the anger coming from Benedict.
"Those mother fuc-" He didn't even finish what he was saying before he began marching out of the room, his footfalls resembling more of a stomp than a step, as he made a b-line for the front exit.
Rob didn't linger either, he briefly cracked his knuckles. "Any son of a bitch that shoots at a clinic deserves the beating they get." And he too took off after Benedict.
That left Zarina and Raphael in the lounge room.
"Are you for certain that your friend will be alright?" The aged doctor asked, eyes not looking her way. "This won't be the first time Benedict has defended the clinic."
"That idiot will be fine, he's too stubborn to go down easily." Zarina thought back to Tear Island for a brief moment and made an important point. "He did survive his chest injury after all."
"While he did survive the injury, do you think he'll survive a fight with said injury?" The doctor asked again as if wanting re-assurance.
"As much as I'd hate to admit it, he's right. The only way to find out would be to let him fight." Her gaze briefly went toward the front of the clinic. "I believe he has the strength to see it through."
"You have quite a bit of faith in him despite the odds."
Zarinas' lips twitched into a fraction of a smile, "I suppose I do, but he has at least earned that from me." She turned to face the doctor, "He'll protect Benedict too, he won't be fighting alone."
A look of relief made its way across the old mans' face before returning to a more natural neutral smile. "I'm glad to hear that."
Both remaining figures moved to follow after the two young men.
As they did, an agonizing scream rang out from out the front of the clinic, followed by a loud crash or impact of sorts, the noise had come from where the two young men had disappeared to.
Zarina and Raphael quickened their pace for a brief second as they emerged from the front entrance of the clinic.
Although they were both surprised, and slightly taken aback, they hid it well. There, stood barely twenty feet away from them were a small legion of what they deduced were bandits. Every single one of them armed with either a firearm or sword of some description, all notably pissed off as well.
But three figures stood out the most, the first simply being the one bandit sprawled out across the ground two feet in front of the rest of his peers. Out cold, blood-stained face and a likely broken nose.
The next two were of actual importance. One is a larger man with a tattoo on his face, possibly the leader of the crew since he stood ahead of them all, and a woman next to him. Both appeared more threatening than the others in their own way. One screamed physical threat whilst the other had an air of assassin about them.
A few feet away from the legion of bandits stood Rob and Benedict, placing themselves in front of the clinic in a defensive manner.
It was immediately clear that Benedict had been the one to punch the lights out of the bandits laying on the ground. His expression for the first time actually being readable, his face displayed anger, anger toward the bastards that dared open-fire upon his home.
"Seems like he's protective of his mentor and home," Zarina noted, whilst also noting how casual Rob remained standing beside the irate young doctor. She gave one subtle shake of her head, "Injured, and outnumbered, yet he still doesn't care…"
Everyone's attention shifted between the two leaders of the bandits, and the two young men standing against them. Judging by the antsy movements of the bandits they seemed to be waiting for permission to attack.
It didn't come… At least not immediately.
"Wilt," the large, tattooed man began, "I was told we were only going to deal with some brat and an old geezer hiding in their clinic. So why," his voice turned into an animalistic growl, "am I watching some cripple blocking our path beside the brat?" His eyes trailed to Zarina for a brief moment, "And a bitch too, it would seem."
Zarina held her tongue, but she had seen an almost predatory look in the mans' eyes as they'd roamed across the group. His eyes sharpened when they'd reached Rob and Zarina, like an animal seeing opportunity. An injured prey and a woman.
She couldn't help but feel a shiver go down her spine in disgust.
"An unforeseen circumstance," The creepily calm voice of the woman began, "We just so happened upon the clinic as they treated a patient."
It was noted by more than a few people that the woman's dull eyes focused solely on Rob and Zarina, the newcomers, the unknown entities to this situation.
They were the unknown factor, the only possibility of a game-changer came from both of them.
"Are we gonna fight or are you gonna waste my time?" Benedict chimed in, egging on the situation much to the dismay of Zarina and his mentor.
The leader chuckled, "You're an eager one aren't ya?" His expression morphed into a slightly sadistic grin, "You ain't never tussled with me before brat, you really that eager to bleed?" His tone of voice shifted to a mocking one, hinting at something that Rob and Zarina didn't know about.
"I can handle a bit of blood, can you?" Benedict remarked, his voice still containing a trace of venom.
The large man snorted in response before turning to face Rob, ignoring Benedict for the time being. Benedict would have moved to act but Wilt drew her blade an inch out of its sheath, indicating for all to see that she was ready to fight.
Their eyes met, they both paused, but neither moved.
It appears these two have history.
"What about you deadman?" His eyes roamed Rob's bandaged form once more, "Ain't too late to scamper off and hide."
Rob scoffed, "There ain't nothing to hide from. Especially from a bunch of pansies like you." He smirked as he watched the expressions of the bandit fodder, all glares, and looks of anger.
"Think before speaking you idiot," the redhead heard Zarina say from her position next to Raphael. "Try not to anger the man."
The large man chuckled which transformed into a growl midway through, "You should listen to the woman of the group, fuck off before you piss me off." He grinned at the redhead, but that quickly changed.
"I wasn't telling him to run," She corrected, eyes turning to her which she took surprisingly well, a half-hearted glare directed toward the large man leading them, "I just want him to be cautious during your beating."
Judging by the reaction of the bandits, some calling out bitch and whore, they did not like her comment. But judging from the satisfied smile from her comrade, someone did enjoy it.
"I make no promises for that one, Zarina." He casually responded, giving her a playful wink.
Zarina rolled her eyes, "Of course you don't…"
The large man growled once more, drawing attention to himself.
"The deadman is mine just on principle." His eyes focused in on the redhead. "Wilt, you take the brat."
Wilt and Benedict both tensed, Wilt drew her sword, Benedict withdrew a knife, ready to engage one another.
"The rest of you maggots," he bellowed, "Burn the clinic to the ground."
The words struck a chord in the young doctor because he wasted no time charging Wilt, the two clashed blades.
That was the spark because the bandits all started screaming and shouting, all moving toward the clinic in a slow and predatory manner. Zarina unsheaths her own blade, she noted the number of bandits coming her way. It concerned her for a brief moment before she caught sight of the oddly calm Raphael next to her.
The old man simply stood up straighter and shifted to a fighting stance.
It appears she wasn't alone in this fight.
That left the final two combatants.
The man himself.
And this bandit fuckhead…
The bandit leader cracked his knuckles and smirked at the redhead, "Let us hunt!"
Rob only smirked.
"Let's."
Needless to say, with Itzal and Arabella around, these bandits didn't stand a chance in the slightest.
With so many beaten and unconscious raiders sprawled out, some being restrained by ropes and cords by Francis during this debacle, one would think there were casualties from both sides but they'd be wrong.
They'd beaten… Every. Single. One.
Quite decisively too, nobody could argue they'd won by a landslide. That outcome was kinda expected by Francis since he'd personally seen Itzal, and Arabella beat down tougher foes before on Tear island and they hadn't struggled with them either.
Even with the numbers they had, this was still a step down to what they'd beaten before.
Moving on swiftly on from that fact.
The combatants of the battle had gathered together, Itzal, Arabella, and Francis, with Sherlock on his shoulder, formed one half of the circle they stood around, the other half were Crow and Raven.
In the center of the group were some of the bandits, Crow still retraining and tieing them together with various ropes and cords. Any makeshift restraints would do at this point.
Crow gave a small bow of his head, "Thank you for defending our home, we appreciate the help."
The group mostly shrugged it off, but Itzal was the first to respond, "Happy to help, besides, beating up bad guys like this was actually pretty fun!"
Arabella giggled, "I will admit, it was a good workout!"
Francis playfully rolled his eyes at the two, not at all surprised by their responses. His eyes, however, met Ravens and found her to be analyzing them in some manner. A critical eye about Itzal and Arabella, as if eyeing them as a threat.
Crow smiled, "Nevertheless, we appreciate the help so far. This is the first time we've been able to restrain so many raiders like this." He gave an inclusive nod toward Francis, indicating he knew he was the one to mostly restrain them in all the chaos.
"We can't let our guard down yet Crow," his partner chimed in from his side, "We've only detained two of the three captains. One is still out there."
"What does the third look like?" Francis inquired, "Itzal and I might have come across them without realizing it."
"Wilt, a woman, usually wears a hood and cloak, carries a sword with her at all times," Raven replied, her hand slightly gripping her own blade hilt at the mention of the woman.
Itzal frowned slightly, "Sorry, doesn't ring any bells."
"Any idea where she'd go?" Arabella asked, "I find it hard to believe a group of thugs can move around the island without being seen."
"We didn't catch sight of her or her men on the way here but we have an idea of where they might go," Crow answered as he finished tying yet another bandit up. "A local doctor by the name Benedict usually helps in the defense of the island when raiders come by, chances are that she's gone to find him whilst these two were sent after us."
"A doctor?" Francis said, "We came here looking for a doctor, a friend of ours was injured not too long ago, he needed medical attention. Chances are he's with the doctor right now." Both he and Itzal turned to Arabella for confirmation, to which she only nodded.
"There is only one clinic on the island, it's run by a man named Raphael, and his apprentice, Benedict." Raven explained, "If we move now we could catch them in an ambush as Benedict runs distraction."
Crow turned to his partner and gestured toward all the unrestrained bandits sprawled out across the street before speaking, "We need to make sure nobody escapes here, we can't let them get loose. Not when we're so close to finally ending all this." Raven could only concede his point.
Itzal smiled, "We can go help take care of them whilst you take care of this problem." A thought quickly came to mind, "Although, I'm sure they don't need our help. Rob can handle himself just fine, even if he's hurt."
"We should probably back them up anyway. I'm sure he could defeat them, but let's not give them the chance to torch the place whilst he fends them off." Arabella reasoned, "I can lead us there, I know the way."
"I'll stay here and help clean up this mess," Francis informed his two comrades, Sherlock chirped in agreement with Francis as if saying he was staying too. "With you two and Rob there you don't need my help, I'll be of more use securing the prisoners."
The duo nodded to the navigator before turning to Crow and Raven.
"Go, help your friend." said Crow, "Good luck dealing with Wilt, she's a dangerous one."
Itzal thanked him before turning to Arabella, they both moved off, taking off into a sprint in the direction of the clinic.
Crow, Raven, and Francis, with some aid from Sherlock, all began to dragged bodies around to restrain them in groups.
"Are they gonna be okay?" Crow asked the young navigator, a hint of concern tracing his voice.
Francis chuckled, confusing the duo with him. "I'd be more worried about the bandits being in one piece."
Mega Chapter! (?)
I made up for lost time hence this thing I made. I hope it makes up for it, sorry for the long delays. I thought summer would give me some free time but I got busier with trips, work, family, and other projects (A lot of other projects…). Not much I can do about that.
I've also decided to add short stories into this, it'll probably be labeled "Short Story: Title X" or something. These short stories will allow me to write about characters that haven't shown up yet, (Specifically characters that haven't appeared in the story yet) their views of the story and little side stories of characters and their pasts. These will contain spoilers so I'll put a warning in them. Some can be considered canon, others won't be. But you all can make up your own minds with those. I should be releasing them soon, look forward to that.
Not much else I can say really, I guess that just about finishes everything off nicely.
Disclaimer, I obviously don't own One Piece (For Shame). All OC' go to their respective owners and such.
AlcatrazDGold - Peace!
