Welcome to Chapter 3.
Well, I kept my update schedule for this week so that's good! I will try to have another chappie by tue-wed next week. There shouldn't be as much exposition going forward as we are moving towards leaving the island.
Once setting sail has been achieved there will be for obvious reasons more action and adventure then introspection and exposition.
Mostly because the characters will be fleshed out enough that you as readers will know enough about their personalities that I can show more than tell as you can deduce what they want or are thinking from previous experience.
Well, that's the general idea anyway, please let me know if I am missing the goal on that. As always I appreciate your comments and any constructive criticism for me to improve on my writing.
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What's that ringing noise? Oh Goda I feel like I'm going to puke... What? Where? I blink dazedly as Yuuma's face appears in my vision, looks like he is shouting something. Huh, I can't hear him,
that's odd. Why is he covered in blood!? His face and hair is literally red... Well redderer! Is that a word? What is goin-
"KAITO!"
"Huh. Oh I can hear." And damn, my head is throbbing. "What ha-" I begin to ask before a wall a dozen feet behind Yuuma explodes outwards rubble crushing several green-clad men wielding swords. Yuuma warily eyes the destruction, when no danger is forthcoming he turns back to me and whips out a whole roll of gauze from his pockets. The gauze is already covered in blood before he unrolls it and simply starts taping large swaths of gauze to my head. That's not sanitary I think bemusedly.
"Oh, I have a head wound." I figure out beaming at Yuuma who's lips turn into a thin line, he seems upset, wonder why? Where am I anyway? I look around, several buildings are either on fire or toppled into the street. Amongst the ruins I can see men and women in Green and Red fighting and dying. The street is more gravel then cobblestone now, and there are body-parts and blood everywhere.
"Huh, that's not good..." I say slowly wincing a bit as Yuuma tightens a bandage on the wound I hadn't noticed. A large jagged cut on my right arm that had been bleeding heavily if all the red I could see was any indication.
Yuuma ducks down next to me as several gunshots ring out, I am apparently leaning against a large metal sheet just lodged into the street somehow. "How did I get here?"
"You were tossed a dozen feet after an explosion and slammed into this metal sheet. You are lucky your head didn't crack open, pay more attention." Yuuma gripes, knuckles white on his short sword as he tries to look around the sheet. He hastily has to throw his head back as several gunshots pepper the air where he had popped up.
I wince, no wonder my head hurts so fucking bad. Wait if Yuuma is here... "Where are Youta and Yuna?"
"Around."
I eye our surroundings, there's a lot of fighting going on nearby, more and more green colors are appearing down the street. I don't feel all there, but we will get pincered if we don't get a move on. "Yuuma we have to move!" I Grunt as I sit up in a crouch, my legs thankfully feel uninjured. My memories returning bit by bit as the fog clears from my mind. "I can move," I promise as Yuuma seems on the verge of snapping at me.
"I do not advise using that skill with a head injury." Yuuma settles for. He still gets ready to sprint around the sheet sword held in an iron grip. Kids got to know me pretty well these past 6 months of fighting.
I take a deep breath and close my eyes, will myself to ignore the injuries, they are just a distraction, don't focus on them. I listen as the gunshots keep pinging the metal sheet, the direction they are coming from. There are three separate shooters. "Follow in 5." I breathe out to Yuuma as I vault over the sheet. "Shave."
In a heartbeat I am at the first shooter, I misjudged the direction slightly, he is two feet to my left, I throw three throwing knives as I pass him. They all hit, he won't be a problem. Another shave as guns start to refocus on me. I had more time to see now, my step takes me directly in front of a green-clad giant of a man with two pistols. With a quick push of my feet I am above him. Ten steps in an instant cracks his spine into dust as I use his neck to take off for my third target. He is still bringing his gun to bear on me arm moving like slow motion to me as I get inside his guard, a twist of the arm makes him drop the weapon, a twist of the neck drops him like a sack of potatoes.
As the large fellow falls to the gravel with a thud Yuuma is vaulting over the sheet sword drawn and rushing my way. I wince as my head starts throbbing twice as bad. I do my best to ignore it, One Piece people are built differently anyway, I know that I will feel better within the hour as long as no bones are broken. Flesh wounds don't count for much for any trained person in this reality apparently, I had come to be very familiar with such over the last couple months.
"We need to regroup," I say sharply to Yuuma, wincing at the sharp pain behind my eyes. He scans the street for enemies, coming to my side, barely throwing a glance at the three fresh corpses. It was our new normal. War made for ugly people. No matter which side you fought for. Maybe especially if you fought for the "good side".
"They know how to get to the rendezvous point, we have enough to deal with here, we have to trust them," Yuuma mutters eyes still flickering across the area, always searching. Hard to believe this kid was just hitting his teens. He eyes my gauze covered head critically. "We lost anyway, this whole neighborhood is going to be green by tonight."
I swear fervently as I start to move down the street, Yuuma close behind, we can't stand and talk or we'd be caught by the aftereffects of the Bigtime gang and the Red whips that were fighting behind us earlier. "That's over fifty percent of the Red whips territory in 6 months...We are losing."
We start jogging ahead, we need to be out of the area before nightfall and the mop-up crews come. "And the target?" Although still concussed my memories have returned to me now, mostly. The bleeding has even stopped, which was bleeding profusely just a couple minutes ago. One Piece physiology was total bullshit.
"Yuna and Youta grabbed him. That's when you went boom. I told them to get out with him, leave us behind." Yuuma answers matter of factly.
"Good choice Yuuma, you did good kid." I praise him, and he really had. In the middle of a warzone he had prioritized getting the target while he had stayed and provided emergency medical aid thereby likely saving both teams. Yuuma doesn't even blush, eyes too focused on our surrounding to do more then surreptitiously nod acceptance of the praise. I sigh as we pass even more bodies, gang members, shop keepers, craftsmen. This war didn't discriminate.
When Daisuke had said war, I had not quite believed him on it, sure people died here all the time, but a full out war? The last 6 months had disabused me of any other word to use for what was going on.
Every day there were new clashes between the gangs, My parents were slowly, day by day taking over the red whip gangs territory. The cost measured in several dozen bodies a day. It was so bad Daisuke had ended up spending most days down with us, training us, getting us ready. Its how we had survived this long. There were no longer any options to just hide out in our little cave. If my parents took over the whole island even Daisuke wouldn't be able to help us with food and training anymore.
My parents were winning. Slowly, and by draining the entire island, they were winning. Hence the training. I had never seen as much progress in my own development as these last 6 months. Having a new world veteran giving pointers really moved me forward over the plateau I was hitting and into actual capability. The fact no one was ever shown actually training in One Piece had not helped me do much but get more muscle before actual instruction.
The kids already had some training, the old man continued with the brother's previous instruction. Finding a short-sword for Yuuma and having constant duels with the 12-year-old prince using his cane only to beat him black and blue every day. Credit to the kid, he never once backed down or gave up. And he improved leaps and bounds, every knockdown just serving as a way for him to claw his way into one more iota of strength. It was becoming very obvious that as far as reality was concerned the shounen protagonists were these kids and I was just well, their weird older sidekick.
Youta's training and fighting style was unsurprisingly to hit his opponent in the face, hard and repeatedly, which he did pretty damn well for a thirteen-year-old brat. He refused weapons and simply used his body as a weapon. This of course meant he was my new sparring partner as the old man simply labeled him a stubborn fool and shuffled him towards me for fighting experience. I can't say I was disappointed in the chance to knock Youta around in the name of training.
It was obvious now that he had previous instruction. If I wasn't as fast as I was the hellion would have knocked me on my ass multiple times. We had separate issues, I had the speed and strength of body but no fighting experience or skill. He had the skill and experience from training with the guardians, but his body was weak. So in the end, he was teaching me how to throw a proper punch, and I helped him train his body.
I can not reiterate how good it felt for the last 6 months to be able to punch that temperamental brat in the face over and over and not have to feel bad for it because it was training.
Yuna... Was exclusively dealt with by Daisuke when it came to training. He tested her speed of comprehension, to see how fast she could see and react to things.
When it turned out pretty damn fast, the rest of us bullied Daisuke into utilizing that for her fighting style. We all knew how lethal she could be if she attacked head-on. Therefore a style was developed where she would speed around and protect everyone else.
Daisuke got her a small bo staff and Yuna would rush around any fighting training we did, deflecting simulated gunfire from Daisuke using the staff. Her ability allowing her to see and react to a gunshot before it even got near the rest of us. It was really small rocks shot out of Daisuke's hand, no one wanted a real gun pointed at them. Still she was scarily good after just a few practice tries.
She would rush and knock the "weapon" out of Daisuke's hand. We had theorized that as long as she targeted weapons instead of the people she wasn't likely to end up killing them. Break their hands? Probably. Daisuke never seemed to even flinch the few times she accidentally hit his hands but I could hardly compare him to a regular person anyway.
Of course Daisuke tested the limits of her fruits abilities as well, more then anyone of us, that 10 year old was a force to be reckoned with. It just showed how dangerous devil fruits really were as a strength multiplier. Yuna who's most serious training before this had been the various dances performed in her country was now with a devil fruit one of the top 5 most dangerous people on this island.
"Why is it so quiet..." I say slowly as we make it onto one of the side streets leading away from the neighborhood that had been attacked. I have a bad feeling. The one thing this shit has brought to the island is the fact it is never quiet. Someone is always screaming due to dying, fucking or fighting. It hasn't been quiet for a long time.
I come to a stop, looking around me carefully as Yuuma immediately stands back to back to me sword held out and ready. Nothing needs to be said, Yuuma can read me like an open book.
"Buahahaha!"
I tense up eyes wide in terror and I would have stumbled without Yuuma standing strong at my back. My father was here. Why was he here!? How did he find me? No! Yuuma is here! I can't let him be taken by my father!
"Ya see boy..." He bellows as he saunters out of a nearby ruin followed by 3 green-clad underlings. He grins at me eyes electric with anticipation and glee. "When ya always scurry like little rats in tha same damn direction no matter where ya fightin' why it stops being hard ta find ya don't ya know! BUAHAHAHA!"
I tremble staring in some sort of sick fascination at my father, somehow the fat he had previously gained was now almost solely muscles. He had returned to old form, the form that had always terrified me as a little kid. I couldn't move, couldn't reply. I was just...Staring. I blink as I see a rush of red. Yuuma is standing in front of me, sword pointing at my father.
"Get out of here and leave him alone! You don't deserve to share blood with Kaito!" He yells angrily and I blink slowly in shock at the 12-year-old defending me against my worst nightmare. I can feel the warmth just spreading to my limbs from my torso. These kids... I will not let them down!
"Ya make sure the red brat is alive when ye done ya hear?" I hear my father order his goons who hoot and cheer as they start to move forwards. Yuuma straightens his shoulders as he eyes the opponents heading his way warily.
I put a hand on his shoulder. I smile as he looks back at me out of the corner of his eye. "Stay safe, stay alive. That's an order!" And then I am gone, shaving straight into the two first goons my fists grabbing their sword arms.
I grin darkly. "You're not touching him!" And I pull them together with a yell forcing them onto each other's swords. I spin and send out a kick towards the face of the last goon who is trying to put some distance between us. My foot is inches away from his neck when I suddenly feel like I have been hit by a truck. I lose all sense of direction as I spin in the air until I am stopped by a concrete wall.
I groan as I flop down from the wall, blood leaking out the corner of my mouth. I can feel my ribs creaking. Looking up I see my grinning dad standing in front of the relieved goon one arm outstretched in a punch. That was one punch!?
"Ya know boy, ye been gone so long, I reckon I have missed out on at least a whole baker's dozen of beatings don't ya know?" My dad says cheekily, before frowning and suddenly growing darker in both mood and appearance. It's like watching all the jolly seep out and be replaced with just pure hatred. His eyes staring at me show nothing but my own immediate death. "You made ya momma suffer boy. All cuz of ye this all happened. You started this here problem, all this dyin', all on ya... I don't care about that don't you know! Ya made yer momma cry!" He roars and stomps on the ground cracking it in place, the cracks spreading down the street ripping it in two down the middle exposing the tunnels below.
Death is the only thing in front of me right now. Luckily death in this case had given me the opening I needed. I look over at Yuuma who is keeping one eye on me and one on the goon approaching him. "Yuuma!" I yell to get his attention fully, as soon as he looks at me I look down. At the opening to the tunnels that so nicely had been provided for us. Yuumas eyes widen and he understands immediately. Both of us at the same time drop down the tunnel my dad's enraged yell following us as I pick up Yuuma and use shave after shave down the tunnels until we are safe.
Buddha's hideout.
After spending another hour going around in the tunnels to ensure no one was following we returned to the hideout. We had missed the rendezvous point, but I had faith Youta would retreat back home without us at any sign of danger, he had Yuna with him after all.
Sure enough as the doorway opens Yuna slams into my midsection holding tight before rushing off to do the same to Yuuma, uncaring of our bloody and dusty appearance. "I was so worried! Don't scare me like that! I almost cried!" Yuna admonishes us severely looking adorable with her new braided hair. Princess indeed!
"Pff, you've been crying this entire time you baby." Youta bites out, standing behind her arms crossed. He gives us both a look over, as soon as he ascertains we are safe he almost bites my head off. "You IDIOT! Why the hell did you jump in front of a grenade!"
"I did not!" I try, "Stupid YOUTA!" Yuna yells as I stand there sheepishly and take my scolding from the younger kid for what I did, even if I don't remember doing it. "We can look after ourselves! Stop that Yuna! You don't need to baby us...Yuna frickin stop you brat! Look Kaito we are strong enough to help without- OW Yuna what the hell don't bite!"
"Ah, he means we appreciate it, but maybe don't try and die protecting us, ok?" Yuuma says as he moves past me into the cavern as I stand there chuckling lightly at the commotion Youta and Yuna are creating, my lecture had turned into a wrestling match.
"Creators of Impel Down got it wrong, hmm. Hell is children." Daisuke grumbles as he hobbles over to greet me. The old man has started to use a cane more often lately. The constant fighting taking a toll on him. I had tried to get him to stay out of it, but honestly I hadn't tried very hard. It was callous but I needed him more then I was worried about his health.
Truth is we need anything we can get and he is too useful to sit on the sidelines. At least I finally knew one of his main weaknesses. His ability works horribly with a large amount of people, like say fighting a war. Ironic to be wanting the old bat to have a weakness for years and then find out just when you could use someone to help with mass numbers. If only we could use it to really find out what was going on up there. The only information we had was that my parents had outside help.
Since Daisuke could force someone to tell the truth it meant whoever was here, was here in secret and was willing to kill anyone that had even one shred of information on him. Daisuke and myself had agreed that this secrecy most likely meant interference from someone way out of the league of south blue. As such our hiding could not go on indefinitely. If a big player was active here on the island, eventually my parents would gain control of the food supply and be able to flush us out.
As such after 3 months of constant training, Daisuke had offered himself and our services to the Stonewall gang, which we had been providing for the last 3 months. They controlled the docks, the supply of food came through them. As long as we were able to safeguard that, we could still soldier on. Ideally we would have simply left, however, the kids weren't leaving without Yoko, their big sister.
And either way the Navy had cottoned on to the issues going on and were sinking every ship trying to leave the island that wasn't a merchant ship. And the merchant ships were boarded and searched. We were stuck, leaving the Stonewall gang as the only option to fight back against my parents and their secret enforcer.
War...These kids shouldn't have to fight like this. Yet for months now its what we had been doing.
"Did you get him to talk?" I ask ignoring his statement, the old fossil liked the kids a hell of a lot more then he would ever admit. More then me for sure... I had to bargain for every scrap from him. The kids got it with fluttering their eyes. Damn unfair really.
"Was waiting for you, hmm. This is your mess to begin with so felt you needed to be here, hmm." I frown as Daisuke eerily matches my dad's assertion that this is all my fault. Is it really? I mean, I choose to do the right thing. I didn't want this to happen. Does that make me responsible for the deaths up there?
In the shower alcove, right over the hole we use as a bathroom sits the piece of scum we have been working 6 months to get a hold of. Komari. The man that paid 100 million beri for a live princess. Yoko's owner...
My first impression... As I don't remember my old first impression due to being blown up. Is that the man really is the most weasel looking man I have ever seen. The only way a guy like this could possibly have gotten as high up as he did was through knowing someone... Or having some amazing blackmail.
"Please don't kill me!" He wails, squirming in the rope tied all around his body. Kids had not been taking chances. Good.
"He has been doing that for like an hour already, can we just dump him in the sewer a couple times. You know, for interrogation purposes." Youta asks from behind me. It seems he survived hurricane Yuna with only a few bite marks. Said hurricane is giving Komari the evil eye, not that he notices. He is more focused on the two people absolutely covered in blood. Yuuma and I.
"Yuuma stab him lightly in the legs a couple of times every time you think he is lying." I bluff, pleased to see Komari blanch and make several assurances that he will be completely truthful, less pleased when I notice Yuuma doesn't appear to think I am bluffing and is looking very ready to do pointy things to the weasel-like man.
"Or we play a game? Hmmm." Daisuke interjects dryly, poking my side with his cane.
I blink, oh yeah, that's why he was here. Man, maybe I really need to rest a bit and let my head recover. It would be way easier to do it that way. "Uh, go ahead Daisuke, I had forgotten about you, to be honest."
Daisuke moves forward stiffly and I don't think I have ever seen him that offended before. What did I say?
The end result was the whole truth and nothing but the truth. And it wasn't good. The only good news was that Yoko had been kidnapped back again by my parents before she could suffer the mercies of his clientele. That's where the good news ended.
Not only was Yoko in the hands of my parents. Some grand line big shot was on the island helping my parents while looking for the kids. For whatever reason the royal family of Centaurea was the whole focus of that big shot being here. The kids got all guilty-looking and quiet whenever I tried to pry what would make them so interesting. Even Yuna kept her mouth shut.
Lastly whatever had been said had completely freaked Daisuke out, enough that he had run out as soon as the interrogation was finished. I wish I knew what it meant. The mastermind behind the descent of the island into hell being some dude named Shiki a former Rocks pirate, who's subordinate was helping my parents take over. I knew Daisuke had sailed with two pirate crews. Could these Rock pirates have been one? Or with this Shiki? I just couldn't remember if I had ever heard either name in One Piece and for the life of me neither rang a bell. I would have to try and get the information from Daisuke...Scratch that I would have to bribe Yuna to pester him for it, he couldn't say no to her either.
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Though Komari had not been able to give us much information after that, he did give us one particular nugget that was useful. The location of a high-value prisoner that was very heavily guarded. There were over 60 gangsters guarding the small mansion that had once belonged to the treasurer of the Bigtime gang, and no one was allowed in to see the prisoner, not even the guards. He assumed it was Yoko but couldn't say anything for sure.
Food and water were delivered via a pulley system through a small hole in the cell door that only opened for the exact meal times of 8:00, 13:00 and 17:00. The only reason Komari even had this information is that he had been a prisoner in the same building for a short while before my parents decided he was more useful working for them. Whoever was the prisoner she was allowed no human contact at all. It seemed a bit over the top to me.
That excessive carefulness hinted pretty strongly at Yoko's presence, though. Although I had no real idea of her capabilities, I could assume she was strong for her age just on the strength of her siblings. Obviously my parents wanted to be extra careful they didn't lose the only royal in their possession. And it was likely also bait for me...
I was currently escorting Komari through the tunnels by myself. The kids were under the impression I was going to lock him up somewhere far enough away he wouldn't be an issue for our little hideout. I had argued very fiercely to keep the kids back, because I wasn't going to do that.
Even not counting the fact that he was a liability that knew too much about us and our hiding place thanks to the kids rookie mistake in not blindfolding or knocking him out on the way there. There was still the fact that the man was as slimy as they came and a premier slave purchaser. And the less said about what he did with them the better...
I didn't want the kids to see the end result, or think worse of me for it. They just kept growing on me like a fungus. I would rather cut off a limb than have them disappointed in me now. Even...Youta.
"Here, its here, just up that ladder and your two streets away." Komari wheezes, pitifully grasping at his chest with his bound hands.
I frown at him, I hadn't even been walking that fast. "You're sure you've taken me to the right place? If you are lying to me..." I trail off menacingly.
"Why would I lie at a time like this!" He cries, "My only chance of survival is being your captive! Anyone up there would kill me now knowing I was taken by you."
"Thank you for the information," I say solemnly, it was never easy to do what had to be done. I always comforted myself with the fact I took no pleasure out of it. It was just survival. "However, I will not be holding you captive. Your a snake, bottom feeders like you always find a way to slither out of a pinch."
"That wasn't the deal! You said I would be under your protection!" Komari blubbers fearfully as he tries to scoot backward, tears, and snot falling down his face.
"I am altering the deal, pray I don't alter it any further!" I say ominously looming over him.
Komari stares at me in fearful confusion. "What? What does that even mean? You aren't going to kill me? How would you change it more?" He blanches suddenly. "AH! No, not torture please, I beg you!"
With a hand to my forehead in aggravation I send a throwing knife into his throat ending the blubbering and watching the new corpse slowly fall into the sewer. "I've always wanted to say that and now, ugh, its ruined, I looked like such an idiot." I admonish myself walking back and forth in annoyance. I sigh, "At least the kids didn't see that...I would have never lived it down."
I frown as I watch Komari the corpse sink into the sludge. "Damn, I just wasted a perfectly good throwing knife too..."
I put that embarrassing ordeal behind me as I ponder my next action. If Komari hadn't screwed me on the direction, I am very close to the building that held the "Special prisoner." Such a well-defended place, I did not want the kids involved in this. A sneakier approach was more suitable. I made my way to the ladder leading up, I would need a good vantage point to watch and scout the place out while I was waiting for night to arrive. Luckily I told the kids I would need to stay with Komari for a bit for a secondary interrogation, just in case. So they would not panic when I did not return before nightfall.
Hours later...
Komari had not been exaggerating. It was a three-story building of the same style as the rest of the city except fancier. The tiled roof had dragons and other mythical creatures carved into them and there were inlays of marble and other more fine stones in pretty patterns all around the outer walls. It was also surrounded by a 10 feet wall with a wrought iron gate. Oh and so thick with gang members you could spit in that general direction and get more than one.
I had been spending the last few hours just looking for a shift change or a pattern in patrols to find a good place to slip in unnoticed. Special prisoner indeed, such heavy security. The different gang leaders never had this kind of set up. Not that I had ever been bold enough to try and steal from them.
The gate was a no go, not like my plan had been to crash through the front anyway. The dozen guards hanging around nearby and the floodlights keeping it illuminated all night ensured no one would approach the gate or the front of the mansion without instantly being seen.
More floodlights covered the back of the mansion and twice as many guards were hanging around or patrolling back and forth to cover the entire area. The sides were the least guarded but also had no entrance points. And least guarded still meant they had a couple of guards. There were no convenient trees, bushes, or outhouses to hide behind either.
I had already checked if they had access to the tunnels. They did, but by sound alone there were more men down there watching the tunnel entrance then there was up top. No way I could sneak through there.
The only possible avenue I could see was the roof... There was a chimney, one large enough for me to fit through. The question was, how to get there without being spotted. There was also the risk that it was booby-trapped but I had a feeling it wasn't. This wasn't the grandline, regular thugs wouldn't be counting on people sneaking by the small army, getting up on the roof and going down the chimney.
I would need a distraction, something that would just occupy the thugs for a minute. With all the floodlights their night vision would suck ass, and looking up would not be their first thought in looking for an intruder.
I was not that good at skywalk yet but enough to get up on the wall and then up to the roof, that much I could manage.
It was the work of a few break-ins to get together an improvised firebomb, of course not aimed at the actual target. No reason to make it look like someone is targeting them and making things harder for myself. No, the target was a building a street away. Close enough that the big flames would be very visible and attention-grabbing. Far enough away that it's unlikely to draw suspicion immediately that its meant for them.
I use a length of rope to give myself the time needed to get back in position, slow-burning enough I would be ready well in time.
I am soon in position legs tense in a crouch as I wait, eyes averted away from the direction of the soon to be explosion and its distracting flames. There! The sound of the explosion, flames no doubt rising high in the sky. I don't focus on that. I see the commotion guards turning to look in that direction.
I use shave to get to the wall quickly and skywalk to launch myself up and over and stepping on air another time to launch me to the roof.
Within seconds I was inside the chimney, I breathe a quiet sigh of relief as I stay put listening for any sign that I had been spotted. Hearing no shouting about an intruder I slowly start to lower myself down inch by inch getting covered in soot as I go. There are no traps and from what I can see down below its an open fireplace. No covering preventing my entrance, and thankfully no one starting a fire either. There is now wood, so most likely not used since occupied by the Bigtime gang.
The only snag is the low sounds of conversation drifting up, getting more audible the further down I get. I stop just before I hit the fireplace itself and hang tight, listening to try and figure out how many people are in there and if they are saying anything pertinent to my mission.
"That girl is such a handful, I don't even go near her cell and my ears are still ringing from all the yelling the bitch is doing." A female voice complains with a lazy drawl.
I can hear the klink of a decanter on glass, liquid pouring, and the voice lets out a pleased hum. I can feel my heart beating, its so fast and loud I am surprised I am not heard. Komari was right! They are keeping Yoko here!
"You know you're not supposed to touch that while on duty." A gruff male voice speaks up, as he shifts I can hear the clanking of steel. Weapon user I note, he needs to go down first.
"~Oh honey~, what makes you think someone like you can tell me what to do?" The female answers teasingly, there was a challenging tint, she was riling him up!
"I can tell the bosses bitch, remember your place..." I can hear the sound of a sword being drawn as well as the steps as the male moves forward. Time to move!
I grab the lip of the fireplace and shoot out, leg already sweeping towards the male voice. He is turning towards me but he is too late. One sweep of the legs and he crashes backwards into the floor hard, sword clattering from his hand. I switch into a handstand before slamming down with one leg right on his forehead. He is out, knocked out or dead, doesn't matter. "Ho ho ho bastard!" I say with a smirk. How many times am I ever going to go down a chimney? It needed to be said.
I turn towards the female, hand already reaching for a throwing knife when I stop upon seeing her for the first time. Perfect figure, ruby red lips, long silky black hair. Striking red eyes. Damn it, of all things...
She smiles at me with a quirked perfectly plucked eyebrow. I know who this is...Just not why she is still just laying there, she has made no move to attack... Still, this is bad. Very very bad.
"It's rude to interrupt a lady." She tuts at me with a sharp smile. She is splayed across an armchair, wine glass in hand. She is wearing her infamous deep red kimono with the slits that let everything be just barely decent, can barely call it a kimono anymore. One bare leg hangs over the side of the chair opening up the kimono enough that I can see what she is wearing underneath. Indecent woman...
I gulp nervously,. "Didn't sound like you were having a good time." I quip keeping my eyes on her, waiting for any sign she is about to be confrontational.
She laughs softly, running a hand down her leg, eyes glinting as I unconsciously follow her every move with my eyes. "Oh baby, that was just foreplay... He always gets so gruff and rough, but you know." She gasps softly, her hand moving from her leg to shield her mouth like she was scandalized. "Sometimes a girl just needs to be, ~mmm~ violated!"
Sweat drips down my face, I can feel the tension in the air. This was no grunt. Red Sonya, the second in command of the Red whip gang. And known for her sadistic and cruel ways. You would think a woman wouldn't ply the sex slave trade. It just shows you that dicks come in all shapes and sizes. And she was was the worst dick of them all. Only in her early twenties and she already had years of experience in death.
"See anything you like? I am totally defenseless!" She laughs again as she arches her back, which draws my attention again even as I try not to look. She smirks and takes a delicate sip of her glass of wine. Her eyes are calculating, assessing me.
She seems totally at ease, amused. And not in any way threatened at all. She was one of the few on the island with a dangerous ability, I knew of 4 in total. Yuna and Daisuke were two. The most dangerous I knew of...Was here, right in front of me.
Hang on... This is not Red whip territory. "Why are you here? This doesn't fit with your, Umm, let's say skill set." I inquire delicately.
She makes a great effort of sighing loudly, her chest heaving. "So boring honey, could you not have played a little longer. Its so dreadfully dull here just guarding that bitch!"
I gulp as she flows up and out of the armchair still making it look effortlessly sensual. "I could see the writing on the wall darling, Red whips were done. So I killed my father and dropped his head off with Himeko swearing undying loyalty, blahblahblah." She pouts swirling the liquid in her wine glass idly as she continues. "Had I known they were just going to stick me with guard duty instead of out there, slaughtering, torturing and fucking." She crushes the wineglass in her hand, red liquid trailing down her arm. "I would have killed them instead!"
I stare at her having no idea why I am being told this, or why I am not dead. It's possible I could defeat her, maybe. The noise would ensure my death anyway even if I won. Which again was a very big maybe.
She lifts her arm and starts to slowly lick the red liquid off her arm, eyes on mine and I shudder and look away, I know the things she has done. I can't let her play me. "I know who you are Kitanai Kaito, and you could only be here for the bitch in that cell. So since I am so underappreciated here, you darling, are going to offer me sanctuary for my assistance, I know you have someone strong backing you, there's no other way you could have survived until now."
"No way!" I say firmly, this was one crazy bitch I was not willing to deal with. Nor let anywhere near the hideout. She would not be a good influence, and was likely to betray us to boot... As she betrayed her father, the leader of the Red whip gang. Hell, she was offering to betray the Bigtime gang right now to join me! There was no way to trust her.
"~Oh, your cute~! You think I was offering, no dear. I was telling you." She saunters forward and I back up a step. I feel like a gazelle beset by lions. Animal planet was right women are the worst predators!
"And I said no." I reiterate firmly. There was no squeaking. None. Who's telling lies!?
She steps into my space, a hand reaching out to trail down my chest as she smiles seductively at me. "You have no choice, just one scream from me and you die today. That's if I don't kill you myself. Also I am the only one that can get you down to the basement and your prize." The hand trails lower and I grip it with a yelp, stopping its trajectory before she gets there. She now has soot all over her kimono sleeve yet she still looks like the cat that got the canary.
"Come now darling, I promise I'll go easy on you..." She purrs with a devilish grin.
"I have heard of you, you know...I know you wouldn't!" I say deadpan, I have the feeling I am stuck for now with this horrible woman. She isn't wrong about how screwed I am. And if she is telling the truth about helping...
She steps back tossing her long raven hair back with her released hand. "No I wouldn't." She agrees easily enough. "So, how about it? Partners?" She holds her hand out to shake. I am forced to agree with her as much as I hate the idea, so I reach out and grab her hand and we shake on it. Suddenly I feel my hand getting pierced by something.
I tear my hand out of her grasp and jump back swearing quietly. I didn't have a choice but I still should have known better then to get too comfortable. There was a nail sized cut in my hand. I glower at her as she covers her mouth with her bloody hand and giggles.
"~Oh honey~, your innocence is so cute. Of course I can't take your word for it!" She holds her hand up and inspects her nails. "Poisoned nails darling, must-have for the modern woman, slow-acting of course... Need you to bring me somewhere safe so I can't use the lethal nails." She explains like its every day you get poisoned.
"How slow acting." I grit out, this situation just kept getting worse and worse.
She taps her lips with a finger thinking hard as she eyes me over. "Honey for a man of your, ~mmm~, considerable size... You have about 6 hours before you start feeling really unwell."
"And after I feel unwell?" I ask.
"Oh that doesn't matter honey, by then you'll have me wherever your hiding and I can give you the antidote." She retorts winking at me.
I take a deep breath and somehow manage to not yell or curse. Priority one is Yoko, can't worry about this right now. "Then I guess we better move, since we are now on a time limit. What's the fastest way to get to her?"
"Laundry shoot darling, it will get us on the same floor as her cell, in fact it's just a corridor down, there will be about a dozen guards of course." She is all business now that she has me under control with her damn poison. And I still don't even know what her ability is, just that she has one.
It doesn't take us long to get to the laundry shoot as its just a few rooms over. We only run into a guard once and I simply hide in a room while Sonya gets to work convincing him to leave his post. I send her a disgusted look as we make it to the laundry shoot, she is licking her lips clean with a smirk, I notice the blood on her nails. One guard just got a happy ending that would be his last. He'd probably treat the scratch marks as a badge of pride, until he suddenly fell ill for no reason...
She lives up to her reputation, we could have just knocked him out, or killed him. We were strong enough, no she wanted her damn playtime, and she wanted him to die suffering. Monsters, that's all this island has is fucking monsters. I try to ignore the tiny voice mocking me inside of my head, I am not the same kind of monster, like her. I am not!
"Ladies first," I say coldly arms crossed.
She pouts but doesn't seem to think it a matter worth arguing over. She calmly climbs in and a second later she is sliding down the shoot. I wait a minute, no noises of horrible death, so probably not a trap. I climb in as well. It only takes me a few seconds to shoot down into a large bin of dirty laundry. Sonya is already waiting by the door, somehow not a hair out of place.
I climb out of the bin and make my way to the door. Sonya gives me a challenging look, apparently, I am not going to win an argument for sending her in first here. Whatever, I will deal. From her description its a long hallway leading to the large room that holds the prisoner's cell. All the guards should be close by within the corridor as no one is allowed within 20 feet of the cell at all times.
I take a deep breath and open the door, and walk straight into a giant of a man that had been guarding it from the other side, a man turning around in surprise at my entrance. "Just my luck, why do they always have to be so big," I mutter as I kick the back of his knee bringing him down into a kneeling position, I then strike him hard in the neck with both hands. It seems like everyone I end up fighting is twice my size.
Sonya flows out beside me bypassing myself and the thug completely. I would follow her... However it seems my actions had only succeeded in really pissing off my adversary. He roars, turns around and grabs me by the midsection from his kneeling position, lifting me into the air and then slamming me down headfirst into the stone floor...
Or that would have been the end result at least, luckily as my life flashed before my eyes due to imminent floor-based death I utilized skywalk midair sending us both careening into the wall as the brute lost his grip on me.
I swear quietly as I quickly jump away testing my left leg gingerly. Having to do a skywalk by placing my leg at a different angle then the rest of my body and toss both myself and a heavy as shit thug to the side had ripped some muscles for sure. I wouldn't be able to do that again safely.
The thug slowly stands up, I rush as fast as I can with my strained leg. I manage to get under the punch he throws, he really is slow. I give him several fast jabs at the kidneys before finishing with a punch as hard as I can to his chest. I can hear the creaking right before I am again grabbed this time in a bear-hug as the guy tries to squeeze the life out of me. Blood is dribbling out of his lips and I can hear how labored his breathing is. I can also hear my own bones protest. With a yell I start headbutting him willing him to just give up already. With all the vital areas I've hit at full power a normal guy should have been dead already dammit!
I am a speed fighter not a close-quarters one! Finally I can feel his grip lightening as he groans, falling back heavily with lidded eyes. His arms fall to his side as he gives in and goes unconscious.
My breath is ragged as I step away from the giant thug. I turn around wearily to help Sonya just to blink dumbly at the sight before me. The corridor is filled with crumpled bodies, she had put them all down with apparent ease, and she is standing at the end, high heel on the chest of one of her defeated foes striking a pose hand in her hair chest proudly stuck out. You have got to be kidding me woman!
I sigh, "How long have you been posing?"
She pouts, "Way too long honey, you really need to up your game, ladies don't like men that can't keep up..."
"Let's just... Let's just open the damn cell." I don't even want to get into it again. Ridiculous woman.
"As soon as it opens an alarm will go off, there's no stopping that." She warns as I come up beside her.
"Just open it, I've waited over 6 months to get here." I snap at her, every second we wait is another where something can get fucked up.
She purses her lips and tuts at me disapprovingly as we walk towards the cell. She thankfully keeps anymore comments to herself.
As we walk into the room where Yoko's cell is located, standing atop the stairs looking down at the sunken room I frown at the elaborate setup. A small room inside the room made entirely out of several layers of different stone. Just from eyeing it from 20 feet distance there appears to be three layers of different stones. And all of that with just a small hole just big enough for maybe a bowl of food to enter. To boot they had buried it far enough down that half the cell was underground as well. I eye the pulley system and the whole set up of ropes and wires. This is insane, why would they even have all this. And the expenditure just to set it up...
"Huh, figures now that she is going to be saved is the only time the little bitch is actually quiet." Sonya scoffs as she walks towards the cell, the sound of her heels almost echoing in the large quiet room.
"Tell me when darling, there's only one way to open this, meant for when she needs to be moved out of here, your lucky we're partners, you would have had to try and break down all three layers."
"Just do it, and try to be nice."
"I am very nice honey... Just let me show you sometime." She coos as she steps right in front of the strange three-pronged cell. She taps several different places on the stone in front of her and suddenly the stone walls are separating, drawing aside enough that a hole wide enough to walk through is available.
I step forward as the shocked prisoner can be seen. And then stop dead in my tracks. No...Goda no! All this work, all this shit I've dealt with, the deal with Sonya...All for...
YOUR PRINCESS IS IN ANOTHER CASTLE!
Its all I can hear in that moment inside my head. It's ringing like a gong telling me all that effort and, wrong place, wrong girl. Fucking fantastic.
That's not Yoko, even though I only had her description from the kids, I immediately know that is not Yoko, dressed in those filthy rags and eyeing us warily. How do I know that?
Because I recognize this prisoner. Jewelry Bonney! She looks younger, around my age. Although that is relative when it comes to her. Doubt however she was wasting time in her cell playing with her age, so probably her actual current age. This finally gives me an idea of how far away from canon I am...
Jewelry Bonney, devil fruit user able to manipulate the age of herself and people and objects. No wonder there were three separate walls. Even if she managed to age stone to such a point it was crumbling enough for an escape she still had two walls. Enough time for anyone to come and put a stop to an escape attempt. No doubt she wouldn't be much of a fight weakened from using her powers so much on mere walls. Easy picking for the guards.
SLAP!
"What the hell woman!" I yell at an annoyed-looking Sonya. Bonney has now stepped out of the cell completely but she is still eyeing us both warily.
"I told you! As soon as we open the cell an alarm goes off, we don't have time to sit around darling! You got the girl you wanted so let's go!"
"You came here for me?" Bonney asks roughly, and yeah I can hear that she has been screaming a lot her voice is really beat up. Poor girl.
"I came here to save a girl that needed to be saved," I say after a pause. No need to tell her I had no clue why or how she was here. Especially with how emotional she suddenly looks. Damn it, don't look at me like that, I didn't even know you were here.
"Just grab the bitch and let's go, we don't have time, seriously honey I wasn't kidding on the alarm." Sonya is growing more annoyed and is now walking away, apparently she figures I will simply follow... Damn it, I kind of have to.
"Don't call her that," I say as an afterthought as I wave Bonney on to go in front of me while I protect the rear. If everyone was scrambling to get down here, I couldn't leave Bonney at the rear where she would be most likely to be snatched up again. As she steps in front of me I blanch at the tattoo I see on her back. So she had been a slave of the world nobles... I never knew for sure. How did she end up here?
"The best way to get out of here is the underground tunnel," Sonya says as we quickly march through another corridor sloping downwards.
"I checked that entrance out when I was trying to find a way inside the building, it's teeming with thugs, you sure that's really a good escape route?" I ask skeptically.
"Oh, honey, I would have loved to have seen your face if you tried to get in through there." She looks back at me and smirks, "That tunnel is an exit only, the door is only opened from a mechanism on the inside."
"Doesn't explain why you think its a good escape point? Lots of thugs in close quarters and the reinforcements will be able to open the door and hit us from behind." I point out, keeping a wary eye behind us, still no one, but we no doubt would see them soon enough.
She leers back at me. "~Scared~ darling? The three of us can easily take out some dozen thugs and be gone. Or if you'd rather we can turn around and fight the several dozen rushing down to meet us?"
"Don't count me as one of you!" Bonney sneers at Sonya holding her arms around her midsection eyes searching around, probably looking for easy escape routes. I put a hand on the teen's shoulder ignoring her glower and pretending I didn't notice the heavy flinch. "Hey, don't worry about her, I don't much like having her help either, right now we need to worry about escape first and nothing else, understand?"
She scoffs but keeps quiet, Sonya sending me a dazzling smile like I had just defender her honor. I just shake my head and keep my ears and eyes peeled as we hurry down towards Sonya's escape route. Soon enough we arrive at a large metal door with heavy clamps attached to what looks like some sort of steam engine.
"How does it work?" I ask fascinated at something so advanced for an island like this, it made this whole Bonney situation smell even funkier. Something on this island was really off.
"I just pull this lever here," She indicates a large lever attached to the steam machine. "And the door is opened. We will have to destroy the lever of course, prevent those darling reinforcements you worried about."
"How much time do we have to get through the door once the lever is broken?" I ask slowly a thought briefly flitting through my mind.
Sonya shrugs, "Never done it myself darling, can't imagine more then a second or two."
"Alright, so pull the lever, you go through first Sonya while we, "I indicate me and Bonney," hide behind the machine. The thugs have no reason to believe you have betrayed them. You can claim you have come to ensure no one escapes. Then I destroy the lever and jump through with Bonney while the thugs are distracted and easy pickings."
Sonya narrows her eyes at me in suspicion. "You're not planning on backstabbing me are you now sweetie? Remember you promised me a safe place to stay..."
I chuckle nervously, "Sonya, you have my antidote, remember? Also since they see you as one of them there really is no danger to you, only to us."
Sonya is still looking at me suspiciously. "Right... Remember you will die in agony without the antidote." She reminds me before pulling the lever. The steam machine starts to work and the clamps are slowly released with much venting steam and hissing. Everyone in the building would know where we were now...
Sonya confidently strides into the tunnel smiling at the hostile guard force who are all watching her with suspicion. "Darlings! I have been sent to ensure none of those dastardly infiltrators can come through here. "She blushes and puts a hand daintily to her lips. "~Please take good care of me~"
Bonney looks up at me with hard eyes. It seems someone did see through me after all. She doesn't say anything though, just stares at me. I can work with that. With a hard kick I sever the lever while yelling loudly, "She helped the prisoner escape! Traitor!" No matter how much of a devil this makes me... My soul for the safety of the kids. Everyday. No questions. Just before the steel door slams shut and is locked in with clamps I catch a look at the naked animal hatred on Sonya's face. I guess its good I am dying today, because I have no doubt she will want to kill me now...
"How will we escape now? I didn't say anything because I know a monster when I see one, but I ain't getting captured again!" Bonney growls staring at me defiantly.
"I have some plans... Sonya told me you can change your age at a whim?" I ask pretending Sonya had briefed me on her capabilities.
Bonney swears and gives me a nasty look, "I ain't being used by anyone ever again for this damn ability!" She raises her hands in a stance looking ready to fight.
I place my hands in front of me palms out, "Hey, I don't need anything like that, would never take advantage of you, you probably already had a rough go of it if that cell is any indication."
"Then what do you want me to change my age for!?" She snarls eyes narrow and distrusting.
"I have an ability that lets me move very fast, It can even launch me into the air once we get above ground, to let us get out of here. It would be a lot easier if you were a small child hanging onto me then if I had to carry you around at your current weight and age." I explain quickly, I can hear shouting now, sounds like they've reached the cell area.
"Are you calling me fat!" Bonney bites out with grit teeth. A demonic aura seems to envelop her.
"We need to go." I state bluntly, "You can beat me up once we're out of here." Or forget about it, that would be wayyy better please!
She looks ready to argue but she bites her lip looking back down the corridor where the noises are getting louder. "Fucking fine!" A pink glow surrounds her and she is suddenly a child 4 or 5 years old her rags now looking more like a large dress on her tiny form.
I quickly scoop her up and with her arms around my neck I slip into shave biting my lip as the pain intensifies in my still sore and messed up leg.
I can see the river of green running down the corridor all armed to the teeth and with some concentration shift around and shave so that I am running on the ceiling.
"What the- HEY! Stop him!" One of the thugs yells as he notices me getting behind them.
I am sweating profusely, the pain is intense and I can feel my leg protesting. Even at my best this is more usage of shave in a short period then I am used to. It only takes me a minute to get out of the basement level and once on the ground floor, I rush outside taking to the air with skywalk and leave the mansion grounds.
Unfortunately, I am at my limit, one last skywalk and my leg feels like its being ripped apart and I tumble out of the air with a choked scream landing in an alley a few blocks away Bonney tumbling off my back as I crumple to the ground biting back another scream as my leg is twisted in the wrong direction.
I pant and look up to see Bonney at the end of the alleyway, she is looking back at me conflicted. She stares out in the city for a minute. I can see her contemplating just leaving me here. She is already back in her what I assume normal age. I know in canon she grows up to be a pirate, I really couldn't blame her if she just walks out right now. She was probably constantly running.
Suddenly she starts swearing to herself before stomping back and crouching next to me a disgruntled look on her face. "What was that lady talking about a safe place to stay?"
"Ah, I saved a couple of kids, keeping them safe. No way I was letting her get near them." I mumble in reply a little pre-occupied with the immense pain. A peg leg wouldn't look too bad would it? I mean if I cut off my leg surely the pain would be less!
She sighs and mumbles something to herself before laying a hand on my leg. "And your poisoned?" She asks suddenly clinical.
I blink, "Oh, yeah, huh. Kind of forgot I am going to die from poisoning today. I was a bit busy."
Suddenly I am enveloped in a pink glow and I can feel my pain lessening. I gape as my leg rights itself and my fatigue fades away. "The poison?" I ask amazed at how good I'm feeling.
Bonney shrugs her shoulders, "Don't know for sure, I de-aged you a few days so shouldn't be around anymore." She looks away from me, seemingly worried about the reaction. Why would she be worried about how I react to her saving my life?
"This is amazing!" I gush making her stare at me with wide eyes at the sudden shout. "You could be an amazing doctor if you wanted! You can already do this much, imagine what you could do with actual medical knowledge!" Seriously I was completely healed and it took seconds. Imagine someone with a deadly disease being completely healed when the disease is de-aged into non-existance!
Bonney is blushing and turns away completely biting her lip. Her shoulders are shaking. "Idiot! Don't say stupid shit like that!" She bites out roughly.
Her back is to me so I again can see clearly the mark of the world nobles, those horrible excuses for human beings. When was the last time she was told she could do anything that wasn't for someone else's gain only?
"Hey, you can be whatever you want to be... Don't let anyone mess with your choice, if you want to study medicine do it. If you want to be something else, then do that. Just be yourself eh, it's what's important right? Freedom?"
I hear a sob, then another. I reach out an arm and pull her to me in a hug as she sobs out a quiet "Yeah..." The escape can wait for a few minutes now that I am at full capacity.
"You will be ok, you are safe now," I promise and the teen girl lets herself break from the tough facade just a little and start crying. No doubt a few minutes from now she would put up the barriers again, but I would allow her to let go for as long as she needed.
I will still have to find Yoko... I can't regret what I found. Obviously she has been on the run, and somehow got caught up in the mess here. Probably my fault, the whole island has been in an uproar which might have gotten her caught in the confusion. Now is not the time to ask.
I just hope I can protect her from them...
The world government... They need to pay. Someone needs to go after them for a change...
-LINEBREAK-
End of chapter 3
One more chapter for the island and there will be another time skip as realistically a bunch of low teen – pre-teens aren't going to make the most interesting pirate story. Leaving the island for sure next chapter.
I apologize to anyone that thinks this beginning is a little long, I really wanted to flesh out some of the characters especially the SI.
Too many SI I have read...They adapt very easily. They are strong, full of willpower and etc etc. I am trying for a more realistic SI. One that is a bit goofy and cheesy still just like myself. One that realizes how much he has changed, how much blood he has on his hands. How fucked up the world really is and how small he is in comparison.
One that doesn't just accept that as part of his new reality and still struggles with it as something that is wrong. Without going the way of super angst as those stories are THE worst. I don't know about other SI but myself... If I killed someone, criminal or not. It would fuck me up, I would think of it a lot. Therefore my SI has issues, although he does try and justify it. He just doesn't really believe himself or in himself.
So do comment if at any point the introspection gets too angsty, I don't think I have so far.
Also I am taking some liberties with Bonney's backstory and how her powers will work simply because not a lot is known. I agree with Akainu though that she could be a very scary person running loose. Imagine, all those powerful pirates never getting old, Whitebeard brought back to his prime, etc. That has to be Akainu's nightmare.
Well that and Garp meeting Maito Gai somehow and thinking him a splendid fella, One Piece with green spandex Garp... Someone has to write that. Not me. I like my sanity.