You Touch Her and I'll Kill You!
"YOU TOUCH HER AND I'LL KILL YOU!" those words seemed to echo throughout the entire second floor of the base for an entire thirty minutes. The entire prison seemed to feel the weight of those words, several of them backed away hiding into the corners of their cell, trying to keep themselves out of harm's way. They knew what was going on, but none of them wanted to attract attention to themselves, knowing full well that they would be in her place if they did. They shied away into the corners, covered their ears, and started telling themselves of fantastical places where dangers like this didn't exist.
"YOU TOUCH HER AND I'LL KILL YOU!" Ridley, Zesiro, Maria (who had recently woke up from her slumber), Enma and Hiro-Shu were all gathered at their cell doors, they were all far away from the each other, nowhere close enough to hear each other's voice, but they all could hear Rosa's desperate screeching. Recognizing the torn voice of their ally screech across the floor. They all wore the same look on their face, a face that showed that they were clearly done with this place. It was no longer a matter of getting in and freeing their friend's sister, no, now it was a war. A war that would end only when their enemies' heads were on a silver platter.
"YOU TOUCH HER AND I'LL KILL YOU!" The voice continued to ring out through the prison, only being cut off by the occasional blood-curdling scream one could only assume was coming from Lily. This was not a pleasant place all of the prisoners knew that and this only proved it further. Just moments ago the person screaming that same mantra over and over again was a vicious invader, working her way through the prison to free her sister, a noble act that even the most cold-blooded pirate couldn't mock and now here she was, screaming her head off in a fruitless act. The prison guards had no reason to listen to her and they wouldn't for any reason she could give them.
"YOU TOUCH HER AND I'LL KILL YOU! I'LL KILL YOU OVER AND OVER AND OVER AGAIN! I'LL STRAP YOUR HEAD INTO THAT MACHINE OF YOURS! I'LL USE THOSE HEDGE CLIPPERS OF YOURS AND I'LL KEEP YOU ALIVE FOR AS LONG AS POSSIBLE TOYING WITH YOUR HEAD JUST AS YOU ARE DOING! I'LL KILL YOU! I'LL KILL YOU!" Rosa screamed at the top of her voice, surging forward again and again, trying her best to break her unbreakable bonds. She surged forward, tears rolling down her face as he shot him the evilest of looks. If looks could kill this look would've fulfilled Rosa's promise many times over. The man simply shot her his own evil look as he went back about his business. He moved the hedge clippers away from Lily's hair which was now cut and a little bit too closer to the scalp, obviously he had 'missed' a few times and had got the skin, causing small wounds to open up. He brought the hedge clippers back down moving them to Lily's fingers he placed the pinky finger right in between the two sharp blades. He smiled sending another fit of rage coursing out of Rosa's body as she leapt forward for him. "I'LL KILL YOU!"
(-With Sage-)
They had made it to the second floor and luckily for them due to all the damages the guard detail had lightened up and Sage and Aaron managed to take out the few guards that were still standing around and make a small bunker for themselves in one of the side rest rooms. Since most of the guards were down below fixing their damage, they didn't have to worry about being discovered just yet. They laid Mikoto out on one of the benches and tried to relax, however, only Aaron seemed successful. Sage was pacing about as a nervous wreck, she would crinkle her hands together trying to figure out the best way to handle this. The giant steel doors around them seemed to freak out and she couldn't quite calm down while in them. She turned around, nervously checking on her captain, the sooner he woke up the sooner they'd get out of here.
Aaron was hunched over Mikoto's face with a black marker in his hand. He was sitting around, endlessly doodling a large mustache and beard on his face. Sage delivered a quick and deft slap to Aaron's face, sending him sprawling back into one of the lockers. Sage shook her head with disbelief, she would never understand this guy. She returned to the window and looked out, trying to keep a careful watch on things to make sure nobody sneaked up on them.
Unbeknownst to Sage, but the little room was soundproof that meant that they couldn't hear anything that was going on outside. Very few of the prison guards liked hearing the tortured wails of the prisoners, so people would come in here to relax and get away from it during the sessions. This meant that Sage didn't hear the painful shouting of Rosa as she watched her sister. Whether or not it was a good thing was something else entirely. She wouldn't be tormented by her ally's screams, but it also meant she wasn't there to support her. Rosa was doing this alone and Sage didn't even know about it.
Sage wandered a little while longer, moving back and forth, trying to clear her head. Aaron was no sulking in the corner of the room, obviously bored and trying to think of something to do to keep himself occupied. He was currently fingering some of the keys he stole from the prison guards they had knocked unconscious. It was a fun thought about unlocking some of the cells, surely there'd be no real harm in that. He paused for another few seconds as he further thought of it, letting the key dangle down and into his fist. He quickly clenched and unclenched it.
Suddenly Mikoto stirred. Mikoto rolled over, trying to get into a more comfortable sleeping position, unbeknownst to him he was moved from the fluffy and large tapir net onto a small bench. Rolling over was not a smart idea, he shifted his weight to the left, rolling over just once…and crashed to the floor. Luckily, this crash seemed just what was necessary to wake him up. His had shot up above the bench and looked left and right, unsure of how he got here…or even where here was…it seemed like that was starting to become a bad habit for him. "Mikoto!" shouted Sage as she rushed up to him and embraced him in a hug, thankful her captain was still alive and not doomed to an eternal sleep. Better than that though now they could work on leaving.
"Hey, Sage," said Mikoto sleepily, still not one-hundred percent awake and almost about to doze off again. He lightly patted her on the back as he managed to climb onto his own two feet by himself. He looked over and saw Aaron Steele still sitting in the corner, twirling a set of keys around. "Who are you?" questioned Mikoto, finding it odd to wake up with a complete stranger sitting by his bedside. Aaron chuckled for a moment, before patting off his pants and standing up, figuring decent introductions were in order.
"I'm Aaron Steele," he said with a half-cocky, half-coy smile on his face, although not nearly as friendly as the one he shot Sage. "I'm the guy who saved your butt." Mikoto lifted an eyebrow unsure of how to take such an introduction, but in the end Mikoto thought nothing of it. The rest of his crew was obviously still missing and besides something more pressing was going. Mikoto's ear perked up as he heard the faintest of sounds, not even the soundproof room was completely soundproof from his heightened sense of hearing. He walked over to the door and opened, officially undoing the seal the room had if only for a brief second cause after hearing the first few words and the person who was screaming it all became evident.
"I'LL KILL YOU!" Mikoto closed the door behind, a slightly innocent look on his face. He was out of it for awhile and he had heard those words directed at him enough to know that hiding was the safest course of action until he was sure it wasn't directed at him. Sage looked shock and Aaron was a little disappointed, he didn't know who it was, but he knew it was a girl and treating a girl like that…well, some things just didn't fly in his book.
"Ro-Rosa," muttered Sage as she looked out the window, trying to get a good look at what was going on, but sadly they were too far away to handle it. "I had no idea! Mikoto, we've got to go help her!" Mikoto nodded, although he may have just been nodding off, soon after that he stumbled unsteadily on his feet. The Sleeping Nightlocke's effect clearly hasn't been completely washed out of his system yet.
However, Aaron seemed to have perked up. Apparently he wasn't in the mood to wait around any longer. He swung the keys around his fingers once more and then immediately locked his fist around it, a confident smile on his face. "We're wasting time," he said as he strode openly for the door. Mikoto hesitated for a moment more, he looked over to the door and paused waiting a few seconds before he shook his head free of his drowsiness and moved forward, letting loose a little yawn. Sage grimaced at the thought no matter how she looked at it, it didn't seem to wise to suddenly charge out there, but then again she had a feeling that when Mikoto woke up he would act like this. And apparently Aaron wasn't a very good influence on him they both had 'leap before you look' personalities and having them together apparently amplified it.
"Let's make it a race, huh?" joked Aaron as he took up a classic sprinting position. "Last one there is a rotten egg?" Aaron laughed at his own private joke, still able to derive some pleasure despite the insidious screams that were still going on. He looked over his shoulder to see his 'worthy' competitor only to see the punk had already bolted. Aaron looked a little deflated at that proposition. He had apparently been left behind in the dust before the rules were set. Nonetheless Aaron supposed it just gave him time to take things at a slower pace, and with a quick look at the palm of his hand and the key that it held, make some new friends. With that thought in his head, he too, took off although he'd probably take the more scenic route.
However, in the two of theirs rush it was apparently that they had forgotten something. Something that was actually rather important, Sage. The young woman who was admittedly the one who had fought to save Mikoto and ad attracted Steele's eye for the time being was left behind by herself at the small guard shack. She felt like shouting at Mikoto to come back, but quickly remembered exactly where they were and decided that it would be best for her just to catch up to him at Rosa. She sighed slightly as she lifted her feet up, muttering quietly to herself as she walked forward. So much for good ol' fashion crewmates, huh?
Aaron had actually already arrived at his first destination, a row of cellblocks extended before him and many of the prisoners had their heads dejected and their ears covered trying to block out the rampant screaming. Aaron smiled as he twirled the key around in his hands. Some of the prisoners, mistook him for a prison guard and shied away further into their cells, believing it was their turn to test out this newfound kind of torture. However, a few of them stayed near their cell doors, whether or not that had put together that Aaron was here to liberate them or if they were just frozen in fear was still undecided, but nonetheless when Aaron strode up to the cell doors and fitted the small key into the doors, their faces lit up. The key turned and the lock popped open. It was no longer a sealed iron door, the pirate pushed forward, knocking the door open and taking in a breath of fresh air.
"Ahhh! It doesn't compare to fresh sea air, but it does a man's heart good to be out in the open!" The first one shouted as he pounded his fist against the bars. "I was a goner there, I could feel it! My entire body was starting to cave in on me. I was doomed to head down to the next floor soon. BUT NOW! I'm free!"
"You're not free yet," pointed out Aaron. They were still in the prison, the biggest obstacles were still laid out before them. If it came down to it, escape may not be possible for everyone. The guard detail had indeed lightened due to the repairs going down below them, but at the slightest signal everything could go downhill. "Let's not waste any time! We free people and then we get out!" Aaron said with a confident smirk as the rest of the prisoners, whooped and hollered at their hero. This didn't serve Aaron at all, he knew already that all of these people were probably second-class pirates, but nonetheless this would make things a little more fun around here. Aaron quickly pivoted in place and moved onto the next cell, unlocking them all as he went along.
(-Two Floors Higher-)
Taisho was sitting in his large chair, he had just finished the damage report for the day and was hoping that this would mean increased funds for the prison. If anything it proved that the guards here are capable of handling any outbreak in a quick and efficient fashion. They didn't get paid much, not that it mattered much to Taisho. He wasn't in it for the money or the glory, he just wanted to punish the living daylights out of the horrible pirates. He wasn't a sadist or anything, he just believed that pirates were the scum of the earth and he was out to purify it. 'All Pirates Belong in Prison' was a sign he had posted outside his door. It was his personal belief and his dream.
He moved his hand away from his Den-Den Mushi and checked on the all important 'soon-to-be' prisoners posters aka Wanted Posters. He picked them up and flipped through the stack quickly. He didn't necessarily have the time to be wasting here, but nonetheless he wasn't quite in the mood to go help with the reparations. Besides too many people working on too small of a thing would only result in confusion. Still basic surveillance was something that he decided to keep up. "Plant," he murmured as he gazed over the wanted posters for a few more seconds.
Taisho was a Devil Fruit user. The secret to his superior surveillance lied in that. He was the man who ate the infamous Ruto-Ruto no mi. He was a 'Root Man'. With it his body is capable of spreading out root-lie appendages. This roots of his act very much like real roots, they bury themselves into the earth and spread out from there. Of course, he could extend them into the air as well given the proper supervision. With these roots, he can tell the going-ons of all the floors beneath him. They act like an extra set of eyes, ear, and hands. With these he was not only the Warden and executioner of this infamous prison, but the surveillance system as well. However, at this moment his heart was into it as he scoured the Wanted Posters, sure, he was keeping an eye out, but most of his attention was focused on the stack of papers.
He passed over several sheets of paper, ignoring several of the pirates as they didn't quite pique his interest. Certain ones of note included the infamous 'Ex-Marine' Kenage, whose mere existence was a thorn in Taisho's side. A Marine who had turned over to the side of pirates, too many of them were doing so lately. What did they see in those scoundrels? Other than him there were a few of the lower bounties like 'Blood Monster' Nathan, 'Dragon Fang' Van Niko, and the woman still lacking a correct bounty poster, Satomi.
He mumbled something beneath his breath as he moved the stack of papers to the side. The pirate business was booming if nothing else. He felt disgusted with how things were going lately in the world. His prison was almost the last threshold of true humanity in the world now. The Marines were crumbling and everything was going down the drain now. The fall of Trevor only proved his point, he sighed, hefting the pile of papers to the side and dropping them into the wastebasket. It didn't matter, he supposed. As long as he lived no pirate would ever escape from this prison. THAT was his solemn promise to the good people of this world. The people who still believe in a simple thing called 'Justice'.
Little did Taisho not only was his own will and prison were going to be put to the ultimate test, but 'Justice' was as well.
Approaching the New Era
I decided to do a shout-out to fellow fanfiction authors (all One Piece in this chapter about the second full paragraph from the bottom. Here's my opinion on those stories.
'Ex-Marine' Kenage is from Will of Dragons by Sasaui7: She's a reader and reviewer of this story, she has made several shout-outs to Saga in her writing, but don't think that's what got her in here. She has good writing, good suspense and overall is a fascinating read (oh, plus I like dragons).
'Blood Monster' Nathan is from The Blood Pirates by Death's General: Good writing, good update speed, he's got another story going up which is going good as well (I think the new one might be better, but its too early to tell.
'Dragon Fang' Van Niko is from (the now canceled) Romance Dusk by Shambles X: This is what got me inspired to start writing Saga. It is fantastic all the way through.
Satomi (who currently lacks a Wanted Poster at this date) is from The Freedom of Being a Pirate by Rirry-Chan88: I think her writing trumps Saga's. Its only 12 chapters in, but good god! The characters are all so enticing I love them all! If you don't read any other of these fanfics I still say read this one.
Anyways, yes, I get the first half of this chapter was a little...eh, repetitive, but I think it got the point across. Anyways, since I used this space up as advertising I think I'll cut it short today and just leave you with this...a big reveal and an even bigger return occurs next chapter!