Chapter 18 - Captain and Chief


Wilt had watched as the redheaded bounty hunter stood opposed to her leader, the word making her gag a little, having stalked them from a distance, observing the fight with greater interest. She was certain that the redhead had sensed her as his eyes had trailed over to her position at one point in his scuffle with Cecil.

After seeing enough, and declaring long ago that Cecil was done for, she had opted to pull back completely.

And she would have if she hadn't been spotted.

"Hello there~" A cheery voice greeted the bandit swordswoman, she swore to herself as she turned to face her latest opponent.

It appeared that the HeadHunter wasn't the only one to locate her.

Stood opposite her was a surprisingly short, redhead, wielding a giant ax. The ax rested on her shoulder casually, one hand keeping it from going anywhere whilst her other hand was on her hip.

And for some reason, she felt familiar to the swordswoman.

"You wouldn't happen to be Wilt, would you?" The ax maniac asked, shifting her weight from one leg to the other.

"If I said I wasn't, would you believe me?" Wilt snarked back, one hand falling to her blades' hilt. Her cloak shifted to better cover her body's movements as Wilt turned fully to her opponent.

"Nope~" Arabella pulled her ax out in front of her, clutching it with both hands. A smile formed across the berserkers' face.

Both charged one another, weapons clashing as they met in the middle.

Ax Versus Sword.

Only one can win.


"You have no idea what you just did." Cecil hissed as he stood, one hand attempting to soothe the whelp on his cheek courtesy of Itzals' superheated fist.

Itzal just continued to smile at him, not agonizing or spitefully, just his standard cheery smile, "I punched a bandit in the head?"

A small chuckle came from a redhead on the sidelines, "Got it in one, Itzal." His response helped maintain Itzals' own good mood but did little, to nothing, for Cecils' bad one. Benedict remained mostly silent, watching the exchange with interest, but at the same time, he was waiting to see if he could sneak attack Cecil similar to how Itzal had done.

"Who are you?" Cecil spat, keeping everyones' eyes on him, his eyes going between the young pirate and bounty hunter specifically, almost forgetting his original opponent, the good doctor.

"Bellow Itzal," Itzal introduced with a nod, "Captain of the Sky Pirates."

Cecils' eyes narrowed, "I've never heard of you before." He growled as he realized something, "You're some rookie pirate, aren't you?"

"Yeah, pretty much." Itzal shrugged, which seemed to only anger Cecil more.

"Some no-name pirate thinks they can beat me?!" Cecil roared, "I'm backed by people far more dangerous than you can imagine!"

Itzal just blinked at his anger, "I don't care." He stated simply, "I'll be making enemies of a lot of strong people, I'm gonna be Pirate King after all."

His statement changed the atmosphere almost instantly. Gone was Cecils' anger, instead replaced by boisterous laughter. Laughter that was directed at Itzal.

That was his reaction to Itzals' statement, but the doctors' was very different.

Benedict could only stare at the young pirate, Itzal. The doctors' mind worked to understand why Itzal would announce such a thing, something so… impossible. Yet, he seemed so sure of himself. Was it the pirates' dream? Ben had heard stories of people claiming such a thing in the past, how they'd anger at the mockery of their dreams, how they'd kill all who opposed them. But all previously had failed, being all bark and no bite. The doctor watched to see the captains' reaction to his opponents' mocking laughter.

To his surprise, there wasn't one.

Itzal, and Rob, showed no reaction to the laughter. No anger, no frustration, just a neutral expression across both their faces, as if they were both used to such humiliating laughter. Rob might not have been the one being laughed at, but he didn't even flinch at his friends' brazen claim.

"Why?" Benedict thought, watching the three men, fists clenching, "Why is he not shutting that bastard up for his mockery?!"

Cecils' laughter began to die down, slowly morphing into a growl as he eyed up the young pirate captain, "What kind of fool are you?!" Cecil stood to his full height in his hybrid form, and began to walk around Itzal in a circular motion, "There hasn't been a pirate in one hundred years! And you think you have what it takes when generations before have failed?!" The bandit leader scoffed at his newest opponent, "You're just some punk from a worthless sea."

You'd think Itzal would be mad, but he just wasn't.

"Maybe I am a fool," Itzal admitted freely, "But that won't stop me from trying to reach my dream. Achieve the greatest ambition in the known world, the one no other could reach. Chase what others deem impossible." And to Benedicts' surprise, Itzal smiled at his opponent. Not a smirk. Not a grin. But a genuinely happy smile, "If only a fool would ever try, then only a fool could ever succeed."

Such simple logic…

"It's impossible, that will never change! " Cecil barked back, his expression growing more irritated by the second. "You can never achieve such an ambition!"

"It's always impossible until someone does it." Rob countered on behalf of his captain, his smile much more similar to Itzals' than his usual smirk. The pair shared a look for a single second, but Benedict could tell there was more said between than he could imagine.

A knowing look.

A silent agreement.

An understanding that needed no words.

The young doctor worked his brain, trying to understand the pair. His two allies. Two pirates. Was this how Itzal managed to recruit the HeadHunter? Did they have some secret that only the two of them shared?

Hearing Itzal speak of dreams, whether possible or not, and how he would chase them to the end. Benedicts' thoughts went to his own, the dream he holds deep inside. He never thought he'd get the chance to chase after it, never thought he would see it, but to hear Itzal declare his, regardless of how impossible it was, it inspired a sense of respect.

If Benedict believed he couldn't achieve his dream, one that seemed far more possible than Itzals', then what did that say about the young pirate captain?

If someone like him chased the impossible, maybe there was a chance he could chase the one that was possible?

A snarl drew the doctors' attention back to their final problem.

"Enough talk!" The bandit glared at the young pirate, eyes filled with rage, "Let the hunt begin." His voice trailing off into a growl.

Itzal turned to Rob and nodded to him, "Go help Zarina," he turned his head back to Cecil. "I'll wrap this up soon." Gone was Itzals' soft smile, in its place appeared an excited smirk.

He was gonna enjoy this one.

Rob smirked at his captain before turning to Benedict, "What about you?" He asked as he turned to leave.

Benedicts' eyes didn't leave the standoff Itzal and Cecil were having, answering without even glancing the ex-bounty hunters' way, "I'm staying here," his fists clenched, "I need to see this to the end, once and for all."

"It will end." Was all the redhead said as if fact before he made his way out of the forest in the direction of the clinic.

And like that, he was gone.

Then only three remained.

"Pocket Burst!"

Itzal fired off a burst of heat without warning, Cecil dodging off to the left just about as the attack sailed past. But Itzal proved faster as he had followed up with his attack by charging at the bandit, heated fist at the ready.

The fist collided with Cecils' chest, the force enough to throw the bandit across the opening over twenty feet. Cecil recovered quickly though as he rolled off the tumble.

Itzal had dashed at him again, but this time Cecil had enough space to react.

"Predators Instinct!"

The bandit vanished in a dark blur, with Itzals' heated punch missing its mark. Itzal skidded to a halt, killing his momentum, and stood still.

He flared his observation haki to find his opponent, and as he did he felt an incoming attack from his back left.

Without turning, Itzal leaned off to the side as Cecils' claws sailed back where his neck had been. Swinging his leg around, Itzal spun out of the attack so that he now faced Cecil head-on.

Itzal doubled punched Cecil in the gut, slamming two heated fists into the bandit chief. He gritted his teeth in pain, a choked grunt escaped his lips as he was forced back. Heels digging into the ground, kicking up dirt as he skid backward.

But the bandit remained on his feet.

"Carnivores' Call!"

Cecil reared back on his legs, arms stretched upwards, claws extended, roared, before slamming them down into the ground in front of him. The impact created a shock wave, combined with sound waves of his roar, creating a wall that propelled itself at Itzal at high speed.

The shockwave tore up the ground along the wave, however, Itzal was fast enough to avoid the shockwave as he propelled himself out of path using a burst of heat from his feet.

"Pocket Burst!"

Itzal fired off three bursts of heat, as Cecil closed the distance between them. He dodged the first two just barely, but the third would land.

Except, Cecil shifted forms just as the third blast grazed his back, burning the tips of his feline fur, as Cecil turned full panther.

Cecil pounced Itzal, claws landing on his chest as he bit into his extended forearm.

Off to the side, Benedict thought Itzal just might lose his arm or have it reduced to a bloody, torn, mess of tissue.

Itzal merely ground his teeth in pain as he felt the teeth of his opponent sink into his skin slightly, except Cecil was forced to retreat as Itzals' body turned molten hot. Imbuing his arm with haki to stave off the bite, Itzal raised his bodys' temperature even further.

Steam poured from Cecils' mouth as he reared back, howling in pain as his jaw, tongue, lips had been burned by the contact.

"Pocket Burst!"

Itzal let loose another heat blast, hitting directly into Cecils' side, as he was still in panther form, throwing the bandit back in an unceremonious heap.

Benedict felt his fists clench as he saw the state the bandit was in. This pirate, pirate captain, was trashing this scum round. He had nothing on Itzal, as the young pirate had something to counter everything he'd thrown thus far.

"He's stronger than anyone else here." Benedict couldn't help but think, admit, to himself.

They watched Cecils' form shift again, back to his Hybrid form. He planted himself on all fours, exactly as a Panther would when it's standing its ground against another predator.

Was that a sign of what the bandit thought of Itzal?

Perhaps.

But it also meant the fight wasn't over.


This was getting tiresome.

For both Zarina and Raphael.

The pair had successfully defended the clinic thus far whilst the boys, Rob and Benedict, had gone off to deal with the two leaders of the raid. Zarina did have to admit she did have some concerns as to the state of her red-haired companion.

The crazy fool had just had surgery, and he threw himself into another fight without a care in the world. That merited at least some level of concern for her friend.

Friend.

Zarina could only mentally sigh at the thought, and how true it was. Over the last while, Zarina has started to grow attached to Itzal and Rob, the pair that had saved her from a life in prison, the pair that she had been traveling with, the pair that would bring her exactly wanted to go to start her new life.

The scholar parried a swing of a mace, allowing for Raphael to sneak into some precise cuts that dropped the bandit in an instant.

Her eyes saw the last stragglers attempting to defeat them, probably seeing the exhausted state of both their opponents as an opportunity to finally beat them. Sweat across their brows, both breathing heavily, but not hurt in any way.

The bandits thought they might be able to finish them off.

And they possibly could, but Zarinas' mind, while she was worried for her own sake, she still wondered where the others were. And if they were okay.

"L-look alive...," Raphael panted off to her side, coughing once, eyeing another three bandits charging at them side by side, practically shoulder to shoulder. Zarina groaned tiredly but raised her blade at the ready, quickly attempting to figure out which one she had to go for first.

A blur out the corner of the scholars' eyes drew her attention for just a moment before the three charging bandits were sent flying as one mess of bodies, slamming into a tree, scattering it in the process, just off to the side of the clinic.

The last few bandits froze in panic, and fear, at the sight of their comrades being flung like ragdolls through the air.

Zarina slumped forward, her arms giving out, dropping her guard, as she saw their savior.

Rob.

Leg outstretched, after giving three bandits a vicious side kick that surely broke bones. The redhead let his leg fall back to the ground, his stance shifting from balanced to casual, and chill.

And the smirk on his face only confirmed how chill he was.

"Need a hand?" He asked as he strolled over to the two tired defenders, keeping one side facing them, and the other facing their opponents.

"You gave a leg," Zarina sassed back toward the irritatingly casual fighter, eyes only narrowing at the bounty hunter before she just sighed, "But thanks for the assist," she groaned, "I've not fought so many people at once before…"

Rob turned to eye the damage Raphael and Zarina had done, seeing over three dozen bandits sprawled out across the grounds outside the clinic. Less than ten remained, and the bounty hunter could deal with them in his sleep if he wanted to.

But he had to admit he was proud in a way.

Rob turned back to her, his smirk taking a more sincere form, "You should be proud, Zarina," her attention back on him, "You're stronger than you think."

"That… she is." Raphael agreed, now only slightly out of breath, straightening himself out, "She carried me through this fight."

Zarina couldn't even muster the strength to blush at the praise if she would even blush at such praise. She had never seen herself as a fighter, she didn't even see herself as a survivor, but apparently, others did.

That was something to be proud of.

"I'll deal with the scrapes," Rob said as he turned to face the last few bandits, who all flinched at seeing his gaze on them, yet they still pointed their weapons at him.

"What happened to their leader?" Her curiosity getting to her, "What of Benedict?" Zarinas' second question gained Raphaels' attention as well, clearly concerning his apprentice.

"Being dealt with, and safe," Rob answered swiftly, eyes not swaying from his opponents. Before Zarina could question him again, he continued, "Itzal and the good doctor will be back shortly."

Well, that answered the question of who was dealing with the bandits' leader. For a second, Zarina worried that Itzal might be in trouble but shook that thought off quickly.

Itzal was stronger than that.

She knew he was stronger than that.

Itzal had earned that much fate.

Rob charged the last few bandits, leaving Zarina and Raphael to recover, to their thoughts, the scholar fell into contemplation as she was finally allowed to rest.

She had to admit, she did better than she had expected of herself. How willing she was to fight, and how well she could fight when needed. She was more of a fighter than she expected.

Comparing her to others though, there was still work to be done.

It wasn't much of a comparison…

...especially compared to a certain few she'd been travelling with recently.

But it was something.

"Maybe I do have what it takes to make it on my own." She thought.

She looked to her companion as he dodged around the last few bandits, seemingly having a great time, but she couldn't focus on that. Not now.

The scholars' mind was preoccupied with one question.

Where did she go from here?

She'd made it to Loguetown, made it to freedom in a sense. She could make her own decisions from here on out, finally saying goodbye to Itzal and the others.

She proved to herself this day that she did have strength of some kind. She wasn't as helpless as others might think. Zarina could find her own path, make her own choices, live how she wanted to live.

But was there anywhere that would accept her for who she was?

Would she be safe? Would Marines come after her? Would she be able to defend herself against pirates or worse? Would she truly find a place to call home? Would she find people to care for again? What did the future hold for her? What did she want her future to hold?

Her one question turned into a dozen. Each with more than one answer to them. She could spend the rest of her time on Loguetown trying to decipher her own thoughts, doubts, and concerns, but she was too tired for that. Too exhausted.

One thing Zarina was sure of though, was this.

She would always have a place with a certain crew.

And just maybe, that was all she needed.


To say Wilt was at all pleased at the moment would be a lie. A bare-faced lie.

The swordswoman dodged to the left, avoiding an overhead swing from her rather giddy opponent. The impact of the ax on the ground shattered it, turning it into a crater.

Wilt couldn't but hiss to herself, seeing the destruction the maniac could cause. If Wilt was in any way interested in fighting, she'd teach this brute a lesson.

Yet Wilt underestimated her opponent as Arabella skidded off to the side of her ax, the same side Wilt had dodged to, and threw her body into swinging her ax into Wilts' body flat side on.

The wall of metal that was her ax slammed into Wilt, throwing her across the green they fought in.

A small tumble, and roll, was all it took for the swordswoman to recover. Her cloak now stained green and brown with grass stains and dirt.

The swordfighter growled silently to herself as she stood to eye the happy-go-lucky redhead.

"Not having fun?" Arabella teased despite how she kept her guard up. "Because I am loving this!"

Wilt merely rolled her eyes at the pointless taunting, "You're quite rude, aren't you?"

Arabella pouted playfully at the bandit, "How am I rude?" Both opponents began to circle one another, weapons pointed at their foe.

"You've yet to even introduce yourself despite knowing mine," Wilt explains, "Should I not get to know who I fight?"

"Arabella," The ax warrior sang, "Lovelace Arabella, pleasures all yours~"

That gave the swordswoman pause, something Arabella noticed, the bandits' eyes changed from frustration and irritation to one of intrigue. And to be honest, the redheaded helmswoman wasn't sure what to think of that.

"Lovelace?" Wilt questioned, although Arabella was certain she was speaking to herself, testing the name, not asking for confirmation.

The redheaded helmswoman said nothing as her opponent continued to examine her.

"I've heard of you before." The swordsman stated, "You're a known entity."

"A known entity?" Arabella thought before responding, eyebrow raised curiously, "Who exactly am I known by?"

"Important people." Her vague answer wasn't really a fuckin answer, but Arabella wasn't gonna get a proper response out of her with just words. "People that might like a status update."

Arabella didn't even have time to ponder what Wilt meant by that as the swordswoman dashed toward her. Blade reared back.

The helmswomans' ax clashed with the bandits' blade, locked in place.

The stalemate lasted ten seconds, metal grinding on metal, sparks flying, but neither opponent budging until Arabella used her superior strength to push Wilt back.

But using that force, Wilt redirected Arabellas' ax to the side, and to the redheads' surprise, stepped on it.

The ax wielder felt her eye twitch at that one.

She twisted her ax, angling it so it was nearly completely horizontal, and pulled her ax upward.

With her opponents' foot on her ax, she'd be thrown off balance.

Except, Wilt used it to propel herself into the air way above any of the trees around them.

Arabella could still the small smile on Wilts' face as she sheathed her sword in mid-air.

"Till next time, Lovelace." Her voice carried a trace of venom to them.

"Blink!"

And in an instant, the swordswoman vanished without a trace.

Arabella focused her haki, searching for her presence nearby but couldn't find it. She didn't feel an attack coming, nor did she sense a threat. She was gone.

Her foe had fled the battle.

The redhead hoisted her ax up onto her shoulder, as she glanced into the air where Wilt had vanished from.

"Important people, huh?" she thought back to the vague answer she received. "Good to know someone has an interest in me."

The Who part of the question could wait. She'd deal with them in her own time. For now, it was time to meet up with the others at the clinic.

The day was surely won.


Cecil looked beaten, and quite frankly, Benedict liked the fact he was so battered. Burnt fur, red marks, bruises where Itzal had punched him. A trail of blood ran down his face starting just above his eyebrow. Another splatter of blood leaked from his upper lip, trailing down to his chin.

Itzal, on the other hand, looked fine. Only one thing was wrong with him. The bite mark Cecil had given him was bleeding, pretty badly actually, as there seemed to be a few cuts from where the zoan users' teeth pierced skin across his left forearm.

Benedict mentally agreed to be the one to fix that for him. On the house.

Hell, if they finally ended the raid with Cecils' defeat once and for all, Benedict would owe them a huge debt. Itzal, Rob, Zarina, and whoever the fuck else they called friends.

Cecil growled, eyes glaring holes through Itzal.

The young captain remained unfazed, hell, he looked as though he was enjoying the fight judging by his little smirk. Fists up, ready to sock it to the bandit chief.

"On the Hunt!"

The bandits' lips curled up again but disappeared into a blur similar to how he'd done the first time with his Predators' Instinct attack.

But it seemed different.

A good ten seconds passed and the bandit had yet to strike. No sign of the bandit chief, not a sight nor sound. The only sound one could hear in the grassy field was the whistling of the wind.

Both Benedict and Itzal remained on guard, especially the doctor as he wouldn't put it past the dishonorable bandit to attack someone on the sidelines. He knew he'd be the perfect target, whether to kill or take as a hostage.

Another five seconds passed, and still nothing.

And that's when Itzal heard it.

The faintest shift in the wind, from a whistle… to a howl.

Itzal leaned bent backward just as a claw came into view from offside. For a brief few moments, Cecil darted past Itzal, having missed his attack.

Itzal swung a heated roundhouse kick to counter but just as it looked like it was about to hit, the bandit chief disappeared again.

Gone was the howling in the wind, the soft whistle rolled back as the trees rustled in the breeze.

Itzal focused his senses, his haki, as best as he could to locate the bandit, but every time he sensed his presence, he disappeared again. It was like it was flowing around him on the wind. All around him, yet not.

Itzal stood tall, strong, but kept his body limber, loose. Ready to bend, dodge, and avoid whatever Cecil might try next. His gut feeling would be an attack from his back and sides, the young captain didn't doubt the bandits' style of attacking from unexpected ways.

Itzal felt it.

The wind shifted, the howl returned, and he felt a presence slowly appear behind him. The pirate monk leaned to avoid the strike he felt aimed at his back, leaning to the right on one leg.

Unfortunately, Cecil was faster than Itzal had expected as he felt his foes' claws cut through the skin on the lower shoulder. Three lines cut across his left shoulder, with Cecil flying past.

Itzal endured and countered.

"Pocket Burst!"

Itzal fired off another heat blast. His attack briefly chased its target before he disappeared again, the pirates' attack missing its mark again.

Itzal frowned at the miss but recovered, standing up. The pain in his arm was quite manageable, but he was annoyed that Cecil was playing hide and seek in his fight.

The wind changed again, back to the gentle whistle.

"So a howl before he strikes?" Itzal contemplated to himself, taking note of something else as well, "It's not his speed that lets him vanish. It's a part of some kind of martial art." An image of Rob popped into his head. He knew his first mate was fast, probably matching the young captain's own speed, being able to move so quickly it was hard to keep track of them at times but that was different to this.

Cecil was literally vanishing like he was using the wind to conceal his presence.

Itzal focused his haki once again, searching for Cecils' location. He'd get little blinks here and there but he was constantly jumping from place to place. Making an estimated guess, Itzal attacked.

"Pocket Burst!"

Itzal fired a blast off to his front-right, the attack shot through the air at high speed. The attack didn't hit anything but the attack did do something as Itzal had been right.

Cecil flashed into existence for a moment, a low growl sweeping across the wind, before he disappeared again.

Itzal smirked. So, he could disrupt his ability with the right timing.

"Prisoners' Prayer!"

Itzal activated his forge body, using his arms to pull from his body two chains. He wrapped the end of one chain to each arm. Using his Life Return to manipulate the metal in an almost living, snake-like manner.

Attached to his arms, Itzal had two iron chains that stretched well over fifteen feet each.

They went slack by his feet as Itzal let his arms hang loosely from his shoulders.

"Omniscience Liberated!"

The captain focused his mind, channeling all his effort into his Observation Haki and Life Return. Combining the two, raising the sensitivity of all his senses in an effort to locate Cecil.

Itzal felt an attack coming and spun on his front foot as Cecils' clawed leg passed him by harmlessly.

But Itzal didn't move to counter, instead just shifting back to his previous stance.

That time Itzal had heard the shift, the change in the wind. He'd felt his opponents' presence long before he moved to strike.

The pirate monk waited.

The clearing went silent again apart from the wind.

A flicker of Cecils' presence became clear to Itzal who spun on his back foot, swinging both chains two different angles. One from the right, the other the left. One high at arm wrist height, one low at ankle height.

The chains looked as though they were gonna hit nothing, but Cecil faded into existence again. As the captain expected, his attack had interrupted Cecils' wind ability.

The chains collided with Cecil with immense force, as Itzal has used a combination of his strength and Life Return to do as much damage as possible. The bandit hissed in pain as the metal slammed his limbs.

But he wasn't done yet.

Using his Life Return, Itzal manipulated the chains using them to ensnare Cecil as the lower one wrapped around one ankle, whilst the other grabbed his wrist.

Itzal propelled himself into the air well above and beyond Cecil using a blast of heat from his feet. Once at the peak of his jump, Itzal pulled on the chains, yanking Cecil off his feet and into the air.

With his immense strength, the pirate swung the chain bandit up and over his head before swinging downward.

The chains sent Cecil spiraling downward, the bandits face slamming into the dirt creating a small impression on impact.

Whilst still in the air, Itzal yanked the chains back up, pulling Cecil straight up to the pirate so that he would end up right underneath him.

The chains separated from the bandit chief, leaving the two suspended in the air.

With Cecil caught mid-air, it left him wide open.

As both Itzal and the bandit airborne, at close range, there was no way for Cecil to dodge at such close proximity to his foe. Nowhere to go, and nowhere near fast enough.

Now was the time for a finishing blow.

"Pocket Cannon Inferno!"

Itzal instantaneously formed a burning ball of pure heat energy in between his two hands, forming a metal casing around it before thrusting the mass into Cecils' chest.

At such close ranges, and with Cecil recovering from the missed attack, the attack landed in the center of the bandits' chest.

The casing exploded on contact, the explosive shockwave rippled through the air. Kicking up a massive dust cloud as it bounced off the ground.

The temperature in the area spiked drastically, as even Benedict felt the heat from where he was. Not enough to burn him, but enough to make him shield his face from the intense heat.

Cecil, being at the center of the explosion, took the brunt of the damage.

The force of the heat blast struck the bandit, the blast wave propelled him straight down as Itzal had aimed.

He flew through the air at such speeds, one couldn't keep up with his body. It was a blur of motion as his body impacted the ground with such force it shook the earth itself. A huge plume of dirt, rock, and dust kicked up into the air, traveling higher than any of the trees around them by far.

Despite all the destruction, Benedict had only one concern.

Was the fight finally over?


Zarina sat on a bench located outside the front of the clinic, elbows on her knees, sword on her hip. The sweat she had worked up had been cleaned off courtesy of a towel Raphael had gotten for her, as well as a fresh bottle of water.

Rob had made quick work of the bandits, taking the last seven bandits out with a single kick.

Literally.

He'd toyed with them for a moment, dodging blades and gunfire until he deemed it time to strike. The ex-bounty hunter had surrounded themself with bandits and simply did a round-house handstand kick.

The force of his kick carried through them and all the bandits collapsed into a heap of bodies after being thrown from the force of Robs' strike.

After that, at the request of Raphael, he'd begun tying the bandits up and rounding up their weapons. She did note how Rob didn't actually pick up a single weapon, instead, using his feet to kick all the weapons into a pile.

Obviously a good distance from where the bandits had been tied up, and together.

Arabella had shown up too. From where? She had no idea. The scholar had yet to ask what brought her back to the doctors' clinic but she would assume it was something to do with the bandits.

But they'd probably been beaten already. As if the helmswoman would let bandits run wild.

Raphael had provided rope required to tie the bandits together, whilst he got the water and towel for her. Which she thanks him for.

Zarina watched as Rob, Arabella, and Raphael finished up the cleaning, but her mind was preoccupied once more.

She had time to think now that this mess was dealt with.

All the questions that plagued her mind up until now, from her rescue to Loguetown, seemed so… pointless now.

The scholar could understand her own worries, they were natural even. An uncertain future awaited her once she made it to Loguetown as she would say goodbye to her friends and leave on her own to make her way in the world.

That uncertainty died quickly when she had come to her ultimate decision.

"Beli was your thoughts?" A voice asked, drawing her from her thoughts.

Her eyes meant the form of Rob standing just off to her side by the bench she sat on. His posture was as casual as ever, his usual smile on his face.

"My thoughts aren't for sale." His smile turned into an amused smirk.

"Your mind is a priceless artifact." The scholar rolled her eyes but a small trace of a smile made its way across her face. "How are you holding up?"

"Alive, and breathing, so I can call today a victory."

"Just being alive is a victory to you?" Rob asked, with a curious raise of his eyebrow.

"It is with you and Itzal around." Her sass earned a small chuckle from the redhead.

"Can't deny you that one," Rob shrugged, "Finally sorted through that head of yours? Got a place to go?"

"I do." Zarina glanced away from her comrade, eyes drifting to the sky, "I know exactly where I want to be."


It had to be over.

Benedict looked over the devastation that Itzal and Cecil had caused in their battle. The destroyed ground, broken trees, splinters of wood, and chunks of dirt scattered across the grassy fields.

The most glaring piece of destruction though was the crater Itzal had created, which had impressed the young doctor given the strength needed to create such a blast.

Ben watched as Itzal fell back to the earth, the impact of him landing pushed all the dust and dirt around him away, giving the doctor a good view of the pirate.

The captain of the sky pirates stood with no effort, despite the battle he'd just been through. Blood trailed down his left arm, but Itzal didn't seem all that bothered by it. His forge body activated again, re-absorbing the metal he used to create his chains.

Benedict approached Itzal from the side, as the pirate turned toward him. Seeing the doctor, he smiled.

"Looks like it's over." Itzal gave a little salut as the doctor made it to him. "Let's go grab him and get back to your clinic. There's probably loads of people that need to be bandaged up."

Neither member argued as Itzal led the two toward the craters' edge.

The pirate and doctor moved to inspect the crater wordlessly, looking to find the defeated bandit chief. The dust settled slightly, allowing them to see into the deepest part of the hole.

Benedict peered into the crater, finding the source of the islands' problems buried under a pile of dirt with random pieces of his body sticking out from underneath.

His entire chest burned red even covered under the mud smeared across his torso, the fur of his hybrid fur charred black, and it was clear the bandit was bleeding from various parts of his body. Most his head, chest, and arms. And he was pretty sure he'd lost a few teeth too.

"It's over." Benedict thought as his eyes lingered on the bandits broken form, one hand clenched into a fist as the other held his side, "If I finish this, here and now, I can truly believe that Loguetown will be safe."

Did Benedict believe it necessary for Cecil to die to keep Loguetown safe?

He couldn't say.

Did he want to kill him?

Again, he couldn't say.

He wouldn't get the chance to think on it any further as Itzal slid down into the crater, landing beside his defeated foe. Watching the pirate, Benedict was surprised to see Itzal maneuvering his foe's body to pick him up.

Even in his hybrid, Itzal effortlessly lifting the bandit before jumping out of the crater all the same.

"I'm surprised you're helping," Benedict stated flatly, eyes still narrowed in on the bandits' defeated form, "After what he did to your arm too."

Itzal did a quick glance at the aforementioned wound but just shrugged it off as he looked back to the doctor.

"It's a fight. People get hurt in fights." Itzal began slowly, "If I was angry with everyone I ever fought with, that I got hurt by, I'd be angry at far too many people in my life." The pirate smirked at his new friend, "I can handle worse!"

"Still doesn't explain why the fuck you're helping him."

"Something needs to be done about him. Leaving him here to die isn't right, and he could just awaken again and attempt to escape." Itzal explained as he began to carry the bandit in the direction he'd seen Rob go in. The young pirate assumed that was the right direction, and by how Benedict began to follow him, he was probably right.

Both the doctor and pirate began their march back to the clinic. Itzal was in a good mood the whole way, whilst Benedict remained silent, thinking of the events of the day.

He'd have time to think on that some more.

For the day had been won.


AN:

Little Note: A little rushed, yes.

And that's another chapter done. Is Loguetown nearing completion? Yes. Will it still take up an entire chapter (or two) (or three) again to finish it? Likely. Will we get to Reverse Mountain soon? Depends on how fast I write the chapter. Which is dependent on many factors.

The next chapter might be a short one, just flying through the clean-up and recovery with some fun scenes of the crew and co. relaxing. I'll see what I can do.

Don't get used to the rapid-fire chapter updates though, I just happen to have free time (given lockdowns), and am recovering from a neck injury. I felt like taking up the pen again, so to speak, during this time.

Also: Discord. For people who read any of my stories to meet up and talk.

(https) : / / discord . gg / 9dmwvdSD

Remove brackets and spaces.

Disclaimer, I obviously don't own One Piece (For Shame). All OC' go to their respective owners and such.

AlcatrazDGold - Peace!