So Begins the Hunt!
"We missed them," grunted 'The Reaper' Trevor as he walked across the rocky terrain of the Marine Base, "the Infinity Pirates have successfully attacked another Marine Base…they are quite the thorns in the World Government's side. AND I WANTED TO SPILL THEIR BLOOD SO BADLY! TO KILL MORE OF HIS PRECIOUS LAMBS!"
"Shut it, Trevor," said 'The Siren' Melanie as examined the gates to the Marine Base, "there's still one ship left. Meaning that they had help…or they were the help. Either way I'm going to have a look around?" She had other thoughts on her mind, more pressing matters to consider. Maybe the answer could be here?
"I'll drink to that!" shouted 'Lucky Lin' loudly as she downed another glass of alcohol. She let out a loud belch that both Trevor and Melanie turned their noses up at. "Whoo-hoo! Better from the attic then from the basement! Am I right?" She nudged Trevor, who didn't respond. "Am I right?" Another nudge. "I'm right, aren't I?" She nudged him a third time.
"Stop pestering me before I kill you, too," said Trevor calmly as he walked up to the mountain's base and stared up it, "I should follow them…and kill them…"
"Nnnnoooo," slurred Lucky Lin with a wink, "you should let them be. Its obvious that we shouldn't mess with them. Someone else helped them out and that someone is probably still on this island, right?"
"What makes you say that?" asked Trevor as he looked around the base.
"You didn't see it?" asked Lin as she laid back on the ground (or more likely as she collapsed onto the ground). "That dog shouldn't have made that jump…but somehow something or someone boosted him and propelled him into the air. He was going to fall and be left behind by his crew, but at the last second a small explosion occurred and sent Mikoto flying back up into the air and onto the ship."
Trevor smiled, "SO THERE IS STILL SOMEONE ON THIS ISLAND FOR ME TO KILL! Kekekeke! Where is he?" Trevor approached the area that Mikoto had leapt from to examine it, "there's got to be something lying around for me. Some clue as to who I should kill…something …something…" He didn't even think twice about how he could miss it and how someone as drunk as Lucky Lin could've spotted it. In all reality Lucky Lin was just that good as spotting it.
Lin hiccupped as she watched the demented man examine every nook and cranny of the location in some desperate search to find the hint. Melanie came back out with a group of Marines trailing out behind her. "There was no one left inside besides Marine workers…" said Melanie disappointed, "another dead end," she thought to herself.
Trevor dashed over to the group of Marines. He whipped his hand out with surprising force and speed, beheading the entire group almost immediately. Only Melanie, who quickly whipped out her sword to protect herself and block Trevor's ferocious attack, and Lin, who was just out of Trevor's distance survived the attack.
Trevor straightened himself back out. "More lambs have come to the slaughter…more people have come to their graves…and even more idiots have drowned underwater…" sung Trevor quietly to himself as he came back to the spot he was examining.
"Why the hell did you do that?" asked Melanie as she watched Trevor quietly come over the ground in search of some useless object. "They were going to help us! Find out about the intruders."
"Bloody bodies scattered on the ground…bloody souls sink down, down, down…soon blood will cover this whole dang town…" continued Trevor as he ignored Melanie's outburst. Finally he stopped singing to himself as he stopped on a circle of burnt grass. It appeared that the entire area was burnt to a crisp. "I found it!" He quickly felt the ground beneath him. A fire wouldn't have only affected this small circle…it was something more controlled. Trevor thought for a second, before giving up. "Let's go…I'm going to go kill them."
"Like hell you are!" shouted Melanie as she pushed Trevor backwards, "we are not going to go back to the Marine Base and tell them that ten Marines got murdered by you! You are going to go back and tell them yourself…I'll chase after them by myself. You and Lucky Lin can go back." Melanie turned her back to them and headed back to her ship.
"Let me guess…" began 'Lucky' Lin, "you wanna kill her." Trevor glared over at her, indicating a 'yes'. She smiled as she watched Melanie walk onto the ship and set sail, "And let me guess. I'm going back to the Marine Base alone because you are going to go kill her and the Infinity Pirates." Trevor left without another word as he got onto his ship. Lin had a calm and drunken smile on her face, "I'm on fire today!"
(-meanwhile up on the top of the roof-)
Slash laid across the top of the building watching the three Shichibukais converse. He sighed. From where he was laying he could still feel their indestructible and overwhelming power, it was like when he first met Jugo. His power overwhelmed, it was suffocating. Meeting someone who was ages beyond your power level and would probably always be ages beyond your power level. This is the same feeling he had as he watched the three Shichibukais get ready for departure.
Slash laid back down. He used his weakest golden acid to form another Acid Snake on the ground beneath Mikoto. He then sent the snake upwards and into Mikoto giving him a push onto the ship. He had saved Mikoto from those monster, at least for now. He had lost the fight with him and as such he shouldn't leave Mikoto here to die. It was the only honorable thing he could do. Slash let out a deep breath as he relaxed, only thing to do now was wait for the Marines or the Revolutionaries to come pick him up.
"It's a beeaauuut-eee-ful day today, ain't it?" asked a voice. Slash's eyes sprang open. Lucky Lin had appeared next to him, sitting right besides him. Slash jumped backwards, his crimson acid already forming over his hands. He wouldn't be able to waste time with her, it was go all out or be killed within the first three minutes.
Slash considered himself lucky. Compared to the other one down there, the male, her killing intent was small, unnoticeable even. But she radiated a different kind of power, she wasn't a Shichibukai for nothing. Her strength was huge and intimidating. Vast trenches separated the two and they both knew it. A lucky hit and kill was the best Slash could he hope for.
"Looks like this wee lad still has some fight in 'im!" shouted Lucky Lin. Her crew beneath her that had gathered on the ground immediately let out a loud cheer for her. "This might jus' be sum fun!"
(-With the Revolutionaries-)
"It appears that not many of our men returned," informed Jugo as he walked a large table that could seat 12, but currently they were only 6 people sitting at the table, "The sacrifices of Zenmaru, Henry, and Slash will not go down in vain. We will honor them and carry out their plan. With our recent assault on the Marine Base we have come one stop closer to destroying the World Government."
"Again," said a mysterious voice as he leaned forward, "I apologize about Zenmaru." As the face came into the light, it was revealed that it was none other then Daimyo. "Nobody informed me that you guys wanted to get me back into the action. I thought my departure left many of you guys upset with me."
Jugo smiled. "Daimyo," his voice boomed with pride, "you left because when Dragon, the conflict within grew tremendous. We started to have petty debates between us and we ended up dividing our power and our assets, but that's no longer the case. I have dominated the Revolutionaries…I am the new head. And as the new head I say we bring the Government down one leg at a time."
The table let up an uproar at Jugo's speech. Another familiar face at the table was Renvont, who was ignoring Jugo and was busily playing with his own gun. The idea of taking over the Government didn't interest him in the slightest, he was just interested in killing people. He had only recently joined the Revolutionaries and he was already starting to lose interest in them. As it currently stood he could probably kill…half the people in this room. But that would still leave three other left to fight him. He knew that both Jugo and Daimyo would be among those, they were the real trouble.
As far as Renvont was concerned, he and Daimyo were at about the same level. Maybe Daimyo was ahead by a little, due to his Devil Fruit power…but Jugo…Renvont eye's spared just a quick glance at him. This one man commanded total and absolute respect in this group of killers and rebels…and they gave it to him. Not to mention Renvont could feel a killing aura that could possibly surpass even his own, despite Jugo's best efforts to keep suppressed.
"Renvont!" shouted one of the men. Renvont snapped out of his daze and looked across the table. There was short old man sitting across from him. He held a bejeweled cane in one hand, which he was currently pointing straight at Renvont.
"Don't you know its rude to point things at people," remarked Renvont as pushed the cane away with his fingertip. "Its rather rude, don't you think?" This was the one of the ones that Renvont would probably kill if he got the chance. Just one dark alley would be all it would take.
The old man settled back down into his chair, "we want a full debriefing of your time at the Marine Base." Something was different about the old man. Where just a minute ago he had shouted and roared at Renvont, he immediately calmed down. He actually sounded pleasant.
"Maybe I should omit the part where I kill Harry," thought Renvont to himself, "I would like to stay around with these guys a little bit longer…" Renvont cleared his throat and his head at the same time, "well, it started when I heard Harry's voice. I rushed to his aid, I didn't make it there in time…" suddenly, a brilliant idea struck Renvont, "a pirate…named Mikoto Azgard had stabbed him brutally."
" 'The Kid Coyote'?" asked one of the other men gathered around the table, "I heard he been causin' trouble wit' Karasu and even messin' up Pimp's plans. I like dat kid." The man casually brought his feet up and onto the table, like this was his table and his room." Renvont estimated this guy to be around the fifth strongest in this room (of course, with himself at #3), but as far as egos went his had to be the first.
Jugo frowned. "I hate to mow down another troublemaker…but we are going to have to teach him not to interrupt with our team members. Killing him is a priority. What's the Marine's Bounty on him?"
The old man stepped forth, "he was at about 25 million, but according to the scene…it seems like he's taking the blame for the attack…it could go up exponentially. I say we part a bounty for him up on the Black Market as well…of at least 30 million if we really want him dead."
"That's not necessary," introduced another figure that was staying in the background. His entire body was hidden within a large shapeless cloak, only his yellowish eyes glinted through it. "Two Shichibukais are on his tail. He'll be dead within a week…provided he gets out of the Calm Belt safely."
Renvont stared at this man. He had been quiet throughout the entire meeting so far, not once offering up a word of wisdom nor trying to assert himself as a powerful person. In Renvont's calculations this man would be one of the ones he'd kill, but Renvont was second guessing himself now.
"You still have a 'Watch' on the Marine Base?" asked Jugo. Renvont's eyes rose at this phrase. A 'Watch'? What was a 'Watch'?
"I tink you are goin' ta have ta explain yer Devil Fruit 'bility ta dis poor fellow," mentioned the man with a big ego.
The man in the large cloak shifted uncomfortably. "I ate the Tokei-Tokei no mi*…as far as offensive power goes this is probably one of the weakest. But I can place a 'Watch' on any solid object, like a wall. Through this 'Watch' I can see, hear, and even smell everything that goes on there. I place one on the outside door, one in the dining hall, and another one in the training room."
"Phew…" thought Renvont, "He didn't place a 'Watch' in the third congregation hall where I killed Harry. If he had I'd be in trouble." Renvont relaxed as the man explained his Devil Fruit ability in-depth, but he didn't care about it anymore.
"With Harry, Zenmaru, and Slash all out of operation, I believe we are going to have to have to insist that Hellmire Gan put a 'Watch' on everyone, this way if anything happens to you we'll instantly know about it and we'll be able to launch a productive counter attack," demanded Jugo. Renvont cringed, the last thing he wanted was to have these guys keeping an eye on him, but he didn't have a choice. He doubted he'd be allowed to back out now.
The men all got into a single-filed line, Daimyo first, followed by Mr. Big Ego, then the old guy with the cane. Renvont was at the end of the line right behind Jugo. Gan (the man in the cloak) lightly touched each of them as soon as he did a light yellow pulse spread out where he touched. He did this to everyone, when Renvont came up to have his check everyone had left, even Jugo and Daimyo.
Renvont sighed and resigned himself to his fate, without a doubt Jugo was waiting outside to get approval from Gan that Renvont accepted the 'Watch'. But Gan didn't make a move. "I know you lied about how Harry died."
Renvont jumped backwards, separating himself from Gan immediately. He also produced both of his guns in the same instant and aimed them at Gan. "Don't worry," reassured Gan, "I don't care if you killed him…I was one of the few men who defected from one of the other two groups when Dragon left us…rather then fight or negotiate with the Government…I wanted to subtly infiltrate them and take them over from the inside…so lies are perfectly acceptable in my book. I won't tell Jugo or Daimyo about it."
"Like I care what they think about me," scoffed Renvont.
"You're right," said Gan, "but I mean with your strength you probably could take everyone else in this group out in a second." Gan didn't say anything more as he walked away.
A Day of Peace, Pleasure, and…SEA KING!
Tokei-Tokei no mi = Watch-Watch Fruit.
Okay! Clarifications! Slash saved Mikoto, simply because he lost the fight and thought it would be honorable. Gan DID NOT put his little 'Watch' on Renvont…why? Because Gan wants this Revolutionary group to fall and has a feeling Renvont will help him do it. Gan ALSO was not lying when he said he didn't place a 'Watch' in Renvont's fighting room (he can just simply tell when someone is lying).
I've decided to post translations at the end of the chapter as people found the break in the middle of reading to be irritating. If you disagree send me a message.
The first filler chapter has been completed, although in all reality you could consider this to be last chapter of the previous arc.