Chapter 4: The Vampire and a Dream
Unknown
Enzo awoke to find himself in a completely unfamiliar environment. The world around him was pitch black, with no signs of light. All of a sudden, he could hear footsteps coming from behind him. He whipped around, only to be greeted by darkness. The footsteps grew louder and louder, except that it now seemed to come from every direction. Enzo tensed his body, his senses on high alert and ready to fend off an attack.
A figure began to come into view. The figure resembled a human male, but yet it had a distinct aura surrounding it. He had white hair which looked like a patch of snow. His skin was smooth, and he was surprisingly well dressed, donning a dress shirt and long black pants. However, it was starkly contrasted with his expression. The figure's blood red eyes were currently staring at Enzo, with his mouth curled up in a smile. The most distinct feature about him was that his smile revealed two razor sharp fangs at the ends of his mouth, exactly like that of a vampire.
And who might you be?
Enzo's eyes widened in surprise when he realised that the vampire was speaking to him, but it was not being communicated to him through speech. Somehow, the vampire had a way of making his voice heard in Enzo's mind.
"My name is En-"
Oh, that weakling who tried to wield me. Pfft, hardly worth my time.
Enzo gritted his teeth at being called a weakling. Sure, he might not be the best at combat, but he fought in other ways. He was more of a tactician after all. He had no way to describe how annoying it was being insulted by a voice in your mind.
"What do you mean by wielding you?" questioned Enzo.
Wow, not only are you weak, you're an idiot too. Can't you see that I'm the spirit of the Crimson Scythe? Of course, weaklings can't sense the power that's radiating from me.
Enzo contemplated what the vampire just said, trying his best to ignore the flurry of insults which were chucked at him. "If you consider me so much of a weakling that's not worthy to harness your power, why are you here speaking with me?"
Enzo felt a sense of pride as he saw the vampire's mocking smile curl down into a frown.
Not like I have a choice. Since you are the first one who wielded me, the Law dictates that my power only belongs with you and you alone. Doesn't mean that I have to lend it to you, though. I have no interest in using my power to help weaklings.
"How do you want me to improve to be worthy of using your power?" asked Enzo. Now that he knew the power of the scythe belonged to him alone, he was determined to improve himself such that it was enough for this damn vampire to grant him its powers.
I dunno, I'll deem you strong enough when I see fit.
Enzo shook his head in disappointment. How was he supposed to become strong when he had no way of knowing what this vampire considered 'strong'?
All of a sudden, he felt a presence zoom past him.
I'm afraid our time is up, but think about what I've said. Hopefully, you become worthy enough, yeah?"
Before Enzo could even turn around, he was knocked out yet again.
XXX
Moby Dick
Enzo awoke to find himself immersed in blinding lights. Of course, he just had to be in the infirmary. As his eyes adjusted, he found himself alone in the infirmary. He did a routine check on his body and was relieved to find that every part of his body was working fine, albeit a huge throbbing ache at the back of his head.
He looked down and found that the Scythe was strapped to his body by a utility belt. It was a retracted version, and only a shortened red handle remained. Somehow, the whole razor sharp Scythe had been contained into a simple pole.
"Oi, you," Enzo called as he stared at his Scythe.
No reply.
Of course, what was he expecting? The Scythe to suddenly talk back to him?
"Who are you talking to?" a voice asked. Enzo looked up to find Marco walking towards him.
Enzo blushed as he realised that Marco had witnessed him speaking to his Scythe. "In a dream, I met the demon inside this Scythe. I was trying to see if I could speak to it," Enzo explained.
Marco raised one of his eyebrows as he digested what Enzo had said.
"A demon eh? I think there is someone who is able to help you… follow me," beckoned Marco as he left the infirmary.
The person that Marco was leading Enzo to was none other than the 5th Division Commander, Flower Blade Vista. Apparently, Vista had a lot of knowledge about cursed weapons.
"What's the problem with your scythe?" asked Vista.
"The Scythe seems to think that I am not worthy of wielding it, but yet it does not tell me how to improve myself. At this rate, having this Scythe in my possession is useless if it does not allow me to utilise its power," Enzo explained.
Vista burst into roaring laughter as he heard that, leading Enzo to tilt his head in confusion. "This is one hell of a demon, I tell ya. Most cursed weapons are like that, they act like they're the boss and pretends to want you to become some worthy warrior. However, in most cases, the time will come naturally and the weapon will definitely allow you to tap on its power," chuckled Vista.
"So… I don't have to do anything?" asked Enzo suspiciously.
"Nope, not at all. This stubborn demon will eventually realise that you're more worthy to use it than anyone could ever be, so just don't think much about it," encouraged Vista.
Enzo thanked Vista and headed back into his room. His room was a very barren one, as he was a new addition to the crew and they had not landed on an island for him to purchase any decorations for his room yet. The only furniture that was in the room was a comfortable bed and a table, which Enzo never used.
As Enzo plopped down on his bed, he began to contemplate what Vista had told him. Would he really be able to obtain the powers of the Scythe without putting in extra effort to get stronger? Unknowingly, the comfy bed had already lulled Enzo to drift off into a deep sleep.
XXX
Enzo found himself back in the cathedral yet again. He sighed, his dreams were getting way too repetitive for his liking. This time, the torches by the side were not lit up, and the only sign of light was the moonlight which permeated through the tinted windows of the cathedral.
He could see a faint silhouette of a figure standing in the middle of the cathedral, with its back facing him. As he approached the silhouette, he could faintly make out long flowy brown hair, and his heart began to race a little faster.
As the figure spun around, Enzo recognized those familiar blue eyes. The blue eyes stared at him with less hostility, though it was still evident that they were not on good terms.
"Luna…" Enzo breathed out.
"Enzo, you're in trouble," Luna began, "The Guild has found out that they failed to dispose of you properly. They are trying to find out where you escaped to. Although they do not have any information yet, we are the Guild. We are able to find things fast."
Enzo bit his lip. It would not be good if the Guild found out where he was and got into a fight with the Whitebeard Pirates. It was definitely a fight that would result in serious losses from both sides.
"Thanks… but why are you telling me this?" Enzo asked.
A hint of sadness appeared in Luna's eyes. "It doesn't mean that I approve of what you did… but I still care about you. Be careful, Enzo."
Enzo then spotted a familiar vampire hanging upside down from the ceiling of the cathedral.
He remembered the vampire swooping down at them with high speeds, before his world turned black.
XXX
Moby Dick
"-KE U-"
"AK UP"
"WAKE UP!"
Enzo awoke to someone screaming his name and shaking for him to wake up.
As Enzo sat up on his bed and rubbed his bleary eyes, he tried to get his brain to start. Being jolted awake in the middle of a sleep made him unwilling to get out of bed.
As he stood up, he recognized that someone to be one of his brothers from the Fourth Division.
"What's happening?" Enzo asked. Just as he asked that, he heard a resounding BOOM from outside the ship.
"That. Is happening," the man explained, "We're getting attacked by a fleet of rookie pirates."
Enzo was surprised by that information. No one was silly enough to attack a Yonko head on, unless they had a death wish. Enzo checked his body for his Scythe, before rushing to the meeting room.
As he entered, he saw that all of the commanders were there. "Ah, Enzo, good to have you here," welcomed Ace, "Hang around and see our battle plans."
"As I was saying before Enzo arrived," started Thatch, "We have ascertained the enemy to be Mad Bomber Jako, a rookie pirate who is worth 280 million beri. He is a master of demolition and bombs, and it would seem like that's their main source of offense. Our scout ships have detected ten enemy ships."
"Pfft, that's easy. We'll just split the ships among us, I volunteer to take three," Ace said.
"Wait…" Enzo stopped them. "I have heard about Mad Bomber before, and I wouldn't put it past him to sacrifice his own men to take down any one of you. As such, there is a 70% chance that his own ships are rigged with explosives, ready to detonate whenever one of you lands on their ship."
The commanders nodded, finding Enzo's explanation to be reasonable. Of course, they've already accounted for that, but nonetheless, they gave their newest addition a chance to formulate a plan for them.
"What do you suggest we do?" asked Whitebeard. Enzo's heart raced as he realised that Pops was giving him an opportunity to prove his ability.
"Marco and Ace, you guys should flank their ships. Be prepared to turn into your respective forms when you land, as I believe that the ships should explode almost immediately. The rest of us should stay to guard the Moby Dick. Mad Bomber would most likely send his men here somehow to detonate bombs and destroy the flagship. And that's what we have to prevent," said Enzo, taking on an air of authority.
The commanders nodded, before setting off to fulfill their respective tasks. As Enzo went to the deck, he saw Marco dashing and leaping off the Moby Dick, transforming into phoenix form as he soared towards the enemy ships.
He cracked a smile at seeing Marco's power. He always found Marco to be quite a laid back guy, but he was reminded of Marco's immense power in battle whenever Marco turned into phoenix form.
True enough, when Marco landed on one of Mad Bomber's ships, the ship immediately detonated, creating a heatwave so hot that it felt like a volcano on the Moby Dick. Thick smoke billowed into the sky, while what is left of the ship floated in the ocean in the form of crumbled wooden planks. However, Marco rose high above the wreckage, blue and yellow flames shining bright in the midst of the smoke.
Enzo grinned as it had all gone according to plan. Case and Point. Mad Bomber Jako had just been read like a book.
Suddenly, he saw tons of mini boats sailing towards the Moby Dick at high speeds. There was no way their sniper could get them all now that they were so close. "EVERYONE, PREPARE FOR BATTLE!" cried Enzo.
The Whitebeard Pirates gave a loud battle cry as they began to combat the first wave of the Mad Bomber Pirates. However, the Mad Bomber Pirates were equipped with bombs strapped on their bodies, and most of them detonated their bombs upon reaching the ship, dealing a huge amount of damage to the Moby Dick.
The Whitebeard Pirates were unfazed as they dashed towards the Mad Bomber Pirates, desperately preventing them from setting off their arsenal of bombs.
What happened next could be described as a bloodbath. The Whitebeard Pirates clashed with the Mad Bomber Pirates, with both sides suffering many casualties. Occasionally, one of the Mad Bomber Pirates would successfully detonate their bombs, blasting a number of Whitebeard Pirates into the sky.
Enzo dashed into the midst of the battle, kicking and punching any Mad Bomber Pirates which got in his way. Unfortunately, his Scythe still thought of him as a weakling, and lay dormant in his utility belt.
"Blood-Blood Bullet!" cried Enzo as he sent high speed blood droplets towards the Mad Bomber Pirates. Those who were hit cried in pain as they went down. Those blood bullets were as effective as a real gun, after all. Enzo immediately panted heavily, feeling exhausted from his own attack. Damn… I still need to train a lot more to be able to get used to how draining using my powers can be.
Elsewhere, continued massive explosions could be heard as Marco and Ace kept taking down fleets of ships by themselves. As Enzo continued fighting, he realised that Vista was too caught up with fighting ten Mad Bomber Pirates at once, and did not realise another one sneaking up behind him. The sneaky Mad Bomber Pirate raised his sword, ready to impale his sword through Vista's heart from the back.
Without hesitation, Enzo sprinted to put himself between Vista and the sword. He had no weapon to deflect the stab, and the only thing he could think of was to bodyblock the strike. The Mad Bomber Pirate had no intention of stopping his strike just because another Whitebeard Pirate had put himself in between his target.
As Enzo saw the strike coming, he shut his eyes and waited for the stab to come. Only that the stab never came. Clank! Enzo heard the sound of metal striking against metal, instead of getting the feeling of being impaled.
As Enzo opened his eyes, his jaw dropped in shock. His Scythe which was strapped in his utility belt had suddenly extended itself into a full blown Scythe, and its red blade was currently clashing with the stab of the Mad Bomber Pirate. As Enzo pulled out his Scythe, he felt raw power coursing through his body. Screw the fact that he had never used a Scythe before. He suddenly felt as if he was a master of the art of the Scythe.
"Crimson Hurricane!" he roared as he swept his Scythe around in a circle, sending the Mad Bomber Pirates around him flying into the air, blood spurting out of them as they did so. With Enzo dashing through the battle and taking out most of the Mad Bomber Pirates with his Scythe, the battle ended relatively quickly.
As all the Mad Bomber Pirates were taken out, the Whitebeard Pirates began to toss them overboard, before bringing the injured to the infirmary to tend to their injuries. Marco and Ace also arrived back at the ship, patting Enzo on the back, and saying that it had all gone according to his plan.
As everyone headed to rest, Enzo soon found himself alone on the deck of the ship. He leaned on a railing and stared up at the moon, the scenes reminding him of Luna. As images of her brown silky hair and her mesmerizing blue eyes reappeared in his mind, Enzo shook his head to remind himself that she was no longer the close friend he had.
"What's up, Enzo?" he heard a voice ask.
He turned to find Marco by his side, staring at the sky with him.
"It's just… the moon reminds me of someone I miss."
Marco smiled, "I see. I used to have someone I dearly missed too, but now the Whitebeard Pirates are my family, and my everything."
Enzo nodded, "I feel the same, but I can't help but wonder how she's doing."
"Why not go out and see the world?" Marco suggested.
"I can do that?" said Enzo incredulously.
"Of course you can, we'll ensure that you are well enough to survive on your own before we send you off," Marco said.
"I think I might do just that, and visit occasionally," said Enzo.
"What's your dream?" asked Marco.
"A… dream?" Enzo had never thought about dreams before. All of his time was spent in the Guild where his services were constantly needed, and there was basically no time to think about stuff like dreams.
"You know, you're a darn good tactician, so why not aspire to be the best?" Marco questioned.
"The best tactician in the world… that sounds good. A dream, huh…"
As the two brothers stood gazing at the beautiful stars, an unsilent pact was made between them. That they were never going to abandon each other and were going to support each other till the end.
XXX
Unknown
In an unknown location, a red hooded figure sat opposite Luna, holding a wine glass in his hand.
"Unfortunate, ain't it?" the figure said.
"It is… but I wonder where he is now," said Luna.
"Information about him will be revealed in no time, it's a matter of time before we finished the job," the figure said.
"How sad, seeing that he was set to rise through the ranks of the Guild," Luna said sadly.
Enzo...
AN: That's it for this chapter! Whew, I sure had fun writing this. I hope that all of you enjoyed it too. Anyways, this is the last chapter with the Whitebeard Pirates. Next chapter will begin with a timeskip, and Enzo will embark on an adventure by himself! Look forward to that. And, just a spoiler, the last scene of this chapter would bound to have VERY HUGE consequences in the future. So, keep guessing what it is! Anyway, thanks for reading this story, and see you next chapter!