A.N. Worked all of three weeks befor I had to pay for my classes. One more semester of junior college before state.
Ironically I'll have more time to write so expect longer chapters.
Warnings: Some real personal and real world darkness in this chapter.
But, because it's One Piece it gets pointed out and handled by a neutral moral-and-freedom loving guy on his journey to be King of The Pirates.
(Fuck, I love this anime.)
...
Standerd of a Swordsman
Talk to Zoro
(Optional) give bombs to Coby
I've watched people die before and watched people live expecting death; both before and after I possessed the memories and experiences of Geralt of undergrad study of philosophy, psychology, and religion as well as new found perspective found from those teachings and the learnings of the Witcher trade I'd been given now allowes for a wider definition of 'alive' and 'dead'.
The young man on the post was somewhere in the middle of almost every extreme.
Roronoa Zoro was starved, dehydrated, and injured atop the standing crucifix he'd been tied to. I could smell the stench of blood, sweat and waste long before I saw him; the result of having been left to die.
But damn if the look in his eyes didn't make me respect him when he saw me walking into the courtyard.
Luffy ran up ahead, ordering me to 'Tell Zoro he's gonna be in my crew! I'm gonna grab his swords to blackmail him.'
I walked up to the Pirate Hunter, once again coverd in my Legendary Viper gear, and ready to do my job.
"Hey, wanna see a magic trick?" I asked.
Inventory
Water (consume/equip/drop)
Drop
Out of seemingly nowhere a cloth bag holding a glass bottle of water materialized into my hand.
The guy looked straight ahead but I got the feeling he was keenly aware of what I was holding. "Neat trick. Do you also do rabbits?"
In answer I held up my other hand.
Roasted Rabbit leg
Drop
Looking at it he scoffed. "Shitty magician. It's supposed to be alive."
I shrugged taking a bite out of it. "I like my rabbits roasted with garlic."
I swigged a drink of water and looked him dead I the eye. "I apologize for the wizard act; talking nonsense while making wise and meaningful faces, but times coming when you'll have to make a choice."
"I refuse."
I couldn't keep all the smile of my face.
"Oh? What's that?" The man mocked in faux seriousness. "I say something funny?"
I like this guy. The Voice said.
I didn't like playing the bullshit-backstroy telling guy but he needed to be told the context of the situation; Axe-hand Morgan's son was going to kill him tomorrow, Luffy went inside the base to steal his swords and press-gang him into the crew.
He responded as eloquently as any Witcher. "Fuck."
I nodded. "So when Luffy gets back you will have three choices on how you go."
He started growling but I held up a finger.
"Option one: Fuck this place. You try to do the right thing and end up with some bowlcut blond of a bitch crying to his Daddy about you killing the wolf he set loose in town and chose to surrender so innocents wouldn't be caught in the crossfire. You did your part. You upheld your honor, personal code, and pride by facing the consequences of your actions. Thats all. You can leave and keep being a bounty hunter until the Captin puts up your own bounty for 'escaping justice'."
I held up a second finger.
"Option two: You decide to side with the guy whose been torturing you for weeks; fucking stupid yes, but you can work out a deal so that you can leave free and clear. You'll try to kill us but you're tired, injured, starving, and have no experience dealing with the kind of things Luffy and I can do outside of stories and legends. We will win and the Captain will kill you for losing. Or a miracle happens, you win and the Captin kills you anyway; they've already proven willing to go back on their word."
A third finger.
"Option three: : you agree to become part of Luffy's crew. You've proven yourself to be strong and the kind of man who keeps his word. You make a vow and we free you. You get your swords back, help us take down the Captain of the fort, and then we head off to complete our dreams."
Zoro looked at me with disgust. "You want me to be a Pirate?" He spat to the side.
"Whays wrong that?" I asked.
"Pirates are evil scum." He retorted trying to get a rise out of me.
"And your known as the evil Pirate Hunter." I shot back.
"I don't care what people say about me." Zoro proclaimed. He looked me dead in the eyes. "I will survive this."
I stood up and looked back, eyes just as steely.
"I believe you."
He looked ag me with suspicion. "Just who the hell are you."
"Bran of Beulclair; Witcher."
Sort of. The voice reminded me.
Quest update.
Standerd of a Swordsman
Prepare for fight.
I turned back and limbered up for the fight ahead purposely looking away from Zoro and drawing the steel sword, tune word for Severance glowing.
One of the keys to success at something is preparation. I opened the menu and quickly summons bottles of Superior Thunderbolt, Superior Tawny Owl, and Superior Maribor forest.
Even with the abilities Metabolic Control and Heightend Tollerance I could feel my blood heat along with my skin.
The small gasp let loose by Zoro conformed what I could tell without a mirror. Black veins and glowing yellow eyes showed the truth of what I now was.
The smell of smoke and the distant scream of sailors spoke of Coby completing his job.
On the way over I convinced Luffy to use a strategy that would limit casualties on both sides. The idea being that Coby would distract the guards with the bombs I'd given him before he ran away to this court yard.
I checked the armor, sword and bombs I still had wondering if I should give the steel blade a coating of Hanged-man's venom.
Not a good idea if you're trying to show mercy. The Witcher voice said. Just try to finish with the captain and the rest will give up.
"They're coming !" Coby yelled running behind the post and starting to tug at the ropes binding Zoro.
"I see them." 'All twenty of them and all in the 20's."
A dozen men wielding rifles pointed at my direction while the rest circled outside of their line-of-fire. Professional's ready to do what was nessecary.
I could see on their faces the real feelings of self-loathing and fear.
And not of me.
Axe-hand Morgan is a big, seven foot tall dude decked out in a nicer uniform than everyone else, whose lower jaw is coverd in metal and whose hand was replaced with an axe.He was hideous and I could smell the stench of old blood and stale booze from his uniform.
Over his head was the largest number I'd seen since coming here.
44
Axe-handHe's a monster. The Witcher's voice in my head stated calmly with its gravely voice. He's got you surrounded with two boys at your back needing protection; stay close and let him come to you.
'You're more than a figment of my imagination aren't you?' I realized.
Focus. The voice responded.
Standerd of a Swordsman
Beat Axe-hand Morgan.
(Optional) kill Axe-hand Morgan
"WHAT IS THIS?! Men open fire!" The tall man commanded.
I took a step back keeping the two boys behind me and threw out my left hand. "Quen Shield."
A golden done of energy surrounded us. Of all the bullets that went our way, only a handful went though and were stopped by my armors Deflection.
"A Devil Fruit user in the East Blue? STOP FIRING!" The Axe Amputee cried out. "I think I've seen something like this before in a fairy tale book my Grandfather had. White hair! You look like a Witcher right out of the tales;you playing dress-up or something?"
The men around him laughed at their commanders joke even if none of them looked amused.
'He knows what Witcher's are?'
Portal malfunction, Elder blood, ambitious sorcerer types; don't be so surprised. There have always been questions of where humans came from before the Conjunction.The Voice said. Focus. Decide what to do with that asshole.
Helpful words appeared before me as the world slowed to a halt.
I hate you.
You've lost, Surrender.We don't need to fight.
I decided that I hated the man. "No jokes. I am a Witcher and your a monster; one who abuses others and uses strength and violence to justify himself in making everyone suffer." I drew my sword up into a stance. "I hate you. Your men hate you. The people of this island hate you, and brother? With a face like that even your mother would hate you."
I think I drew aggro with my taunt because I swear steam started coming out of his ears. His men looked at me like they were watching a horror movie.
And then Luffy showed up with three katana and the Captians son over his shoulder like a sack of potatos, walking like he was going on picnic.
He turned to look at the Man I was talking to and tilted his head. "Hey old guy! If your axe is fused with your arm, how did you put on your shirt?"
I looked at papa Morgan again. How the fuck did he put it on; his shirt isn't ripped at all.?
We would never find out apparently. "HHHAAAAA!!! KILL THESE LITTLE PRICKS."
His son, woken from his nap, started crying to his father. "WAIT, THEY HAVE ME PRISONER!! DON'T YOU CARE IF I DIE?!"
Morgan grabed a pistol from one of his men and pointed it at Luffy. "No."
BANG
Taking the incentive, the other soldiers readied reloaded muskets and fired again.
Between shooting Luffy and my reapplies Quen, the bullets did less than nothing.
Hell, bouncing on the shield they healed me a bit.
"Bullets don't work on us!" Luffy proudly cried in front of the Captain. "I'm made of rubber and Bran has mystery armor that stops bullets!"
"That's right." I walked as casually as I could with a sword in a defensive position. "Nothing can hurt us." I bluffed.
"WHAT?" Luffy questioned. "But swords work just fine on us!"
He's a moron.
'Yup.' I responded.
"MEN! DRAW YOUR SWORDS!"
"Hey straw hat." A voice behind me said.
I looked to find Coby still pulling at the ropes with terrified tears behind the post and Zoro looking at Luffy.
"What is it?" Luffy asked.
The bound man smirked. "The shitty magician over there says that the only way I get my swords back is if I join your crew; that right."
"Ah!" Luffy jumped shocked. "That's right!"
Did he just forget the whole reason for being here? The voice of Gerat of Rivia asked.
"Luffy; did you forget the reason for us being here?"
"No?"
'Yup, totally forgot.' I told the voice.
My life belongs to an idiot with ADHD and the attention span of a goldfish.
Fuck. He's pretty cool though.
I walked to the post and pulled Coby back, cuting the ropes and watching as men started surrounding us with my sword held up.
"He freed the Pirate Hunter! Kill him!" Helmeppo ran to the side with no interference.
The men in uniform charged forward, cirling around to the guy just kneeling on the floor.
"Zoro, you in or out?" Luffy asked tossing the swords to the newly freed man. I could hear the grin in his question.
In answer three sheathes hit the floor and I barred my teeth at Morgan.
Moving forward I crossed the distance in a second, steel flashing towards the monsters belly.
To the mans credit he reacted immediately, axe coming forward in a block and going for a quick swipe.
I side stepped, sword in a high right guard, and swung scoring what my kendo-enthusiast friend would say was a "monks robe cut" or kesagiri.
It took half of his vitality but he didn't even stagger, forcing me to roll from his follow up attack.
That clipped my side. My vitality dropped a chunk and the axe took a pice of the gambison Dundee the armor.
Superior Swallow.
'Guess not all damage is to vitality.' I realized.
Stop just swinging the sword like an idiot! Aim and follow through. The voice commanded.
I held a ox guard, blade in both hands by my head, ready to swing in the next exchange.
'Fine.' I swung the blade down, Morgan blocking with the arm fixed with the axe.
And blood flew.
Morgan backed up a coupe of steps starring at me.
"Holy shit, I can actually hit him!" I shouted like an idiot.
As psycho as I sound, the fact actually comforted me. It meant that a fight could end beyond a set limit of the vitality bar.
I pulled the crossbow of my back.
"Ha! Getting scarf of my axe are you witcher!" The monster taunted, bringing the axe in front of himself.
I shoot a bolt.
BOOM
And it exploded. Setting him on fire.
Morgan abandoned all composer and started flailing about. I decided that he suffered enough even if the fire was only causing damage to his vitality.
"Aard." I knocked the man onto his ass , putting out the flames. i walked up to the man, sheathing my blade.
He was still conscious, of only barely.
So I punched him in the face breaking his nose.
"Hey Witcher!"
I kept punching him.
"Stop! I have a hostage!" Helmeppo yelled.
'What?' I took a look.
Coby was held at the end of a pistol by the blond idiot.
I started walking towards him hands held to show I was unarmed. I saw Luffy circle around
He pulled the hammer back. "Don't you dare!"
"Keep going! Don't let me stop you on your journey; I'm not afraid to die!" Coby yelled, tears streaming down his face.
I froze.
The world froze too.
[Axii] Let him go.
Pull the trigger, pussy.
Have you really thought this through?
...
'What do you think?' I asked.
Make the choice you think is right. The voice said.
I made my choice.
My hand made the signs. "Axii. Put the gun down before you hurt yourself."
Like I was pulling his strings, he lowered the gun.
And Luffy knocked him out.
"Gumo gumo pistol!"
A.N. Back in school and everything's expensive; ah well, I'm the one who didn't want swing a hammer the rest of my life.
