I don't like you! by BloodyMarryMe
Finally, a new chapter! Sorry for the wait but it's finally here! Yay! ^^ And I have a feeling some of you will kill me after reading this…XD
Anyways, fearlessX1025; yep, Farquash's name just popped into my mind out of nowhere and I thought; well what the heck, why not! :P
The same thing happened with Zuko's name…As I tried to think of a name that one kept popping out so I finally gave in. XP
Also Izzie; I think your right, that was the first time Law connected Miyako to the word nakama :) But she is a part of his crew after all and they all did get a lot closer during the trip.
Also, Miyako's hair is a very dark color with a blue hue…So it's dark blue I guess. ^^
Oh and I'll think about your suggestion about the whole guy/girl pursuers of our characters. It's not a bad idea, but it'll have to wait a bit longer though. But for now there is that whole Miyako/Cody mix up that they still have to settle. (I think I made it look different but Law still thinks Miyako likes Cody cause he didn't actually hear what Josh and Miyako were talking about. So I have to work on that too.)
Well then let's finally start!
Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece or any of its characters but I do own the OC Suzune Miyako.
This is a story rated T for language and blood.
CHAPTER 27
Law analyzed the map of the Baron's castle one more time. He made sure he remembered every path and corridor, especially the one leading to the dungeons where Miyako was most likely imprisoned. Zuko was right about one thing; his sources were quick and thorough and it didn't take long before they found out there was indeed a pirate recently captured and taken to Farquashe's castle. And who else could it be than the troublemaker samurai.
It was one day before they were supposed to storm the castle. Just one more day and then he'll find Miyako, and oh, will he make her regret going off on her own. Right now he didn't know if he was more angry or worried, but he decided he'd rather be angry….for his reputation's sake.
Yet he had a bad feeling about all this. He couldn't explain it well, but it was as if something sinister was going to happen and he had to hurry…yet it was impossible to do so. He made a deal with Zuko and he had to wait one more infuriatingly long day for everything to be ready.
As if right on cue, Zuko stormed into the tent while panting slightly. Law lifted his head and gazed at the young leader with a questioningly raised eyebrow.
"There has been a leak and my sources tell me Farquash somehow found out we were planing to attack soon!" Zuko announced, still trying to catch his breath.
"So you have a mole in your army," the pirate captain simply concluded in a calm voice.
Zuko's lips formed a thin line of displeasure. He certainly didn't like the idea of having a spy among his men, though that seemed like the most probable explanation. "Perhaps…but this changes everything. We can't wait for another day or Farquash will prepare for us and we'll face utter defeat. We have to move immediately and strike now while we still have a chance of surprise."
Agreeing with the man, Trafalgar nodded. Zuko was right and honestly, Law couldn't have been more pleased by this change of events. Yes, perhaps the Baron's castle will be more guarded now, but he won't let that stand in his way. Nothing will, not when the life of one of his crewmembers was on the line. A quick flash of Miyako's face crossed his mind, but he decided to ignore it. He didn't have to remind himself of why it was important to succeed…he already knew. And he was glad he would be able to get this over with and save his nakama. Besides, that bad feeling in his gut was really starting to irritate him and he didn't want one more day of that annoying inconvenience.
He took his nodachi that rested on the back of a chair and smirked at Zuko. "Then let's go."
The rebellion's leader seemed a bit surprised at Law's pleased expression, but didn't comment on it as he turned to leave the tent and get everything ready. "We leave in two hours," he announced.
"You think Miyako will be alright?" Bepo asked a bit uncertain as Law walked out of the tent.
"Of course she will…she has to. Or I'll kick her ass personally." Josh added, crossing his arms on his chest.
"Hehe…so you care after all, hm? You big softy, you!" Penguin exclaimed with a grin and grabbed Josh's head under his arm, making the medic's hat fall off, as he rubbed the top of the redhead's scalp with his knuckles. The medic protested and tried to break free, yelling insults at the mechanic who just laughed along with Shachi.
Even Trafalgar smirked to himself. *Well they don't appear too bothered.* He knew that wasn't entirely true, though. They were worried too, but just like him, knew there was nothing to be done about it…yet. He was sure they'll show their determination when the time comes. He knew his men always pulled through in a fight and they would never let their nakama down. The boys started trusting Miyako as both their crewmate and friend. Personally, he also trusted her more each day…but he still wanted to keep a close eye on her just in case. It was better to be careful than sorry later, after all. He still recalled how they didn't quite meet under the best circumstances and her joining the crew wasn't all that willing.
A part of him started wondering if that was the only reason why he wanted to keep a close eye on her…or was there something else. As soon as the thought crossed his mind, he dismissed it. He was not going there. There was just some parts of his mind that needed to stay shut and he made sure that they did. Yet sometimes, in mare seconds, those thoughts would escape the dark corners of his mind and run through his head, making him regret them immediately.
He turned to his crew again, seeing Bepo was now holding Josh in the air and trying to calm him down as the raging redhead tried charging at Shachi and Penguin who simply continued laughing at him. And it appeared the redhead was trying to take a bite out of Penguin's head now, his hands still restrained by the polar bear.
~….~
Miyako opened her eyes slowly, taking large gulps of air as she breathed heavily. She tried to gather some of her strength, but her body kept failing her. In the last hour she was held underwater until her lungs felt like they were going to burst. She would be yanked back out of the water by her hair, taking a much needed breath, only to be pushed downwards again. After that came a strange mechanism that would stretch her limbs until she thought something would get dislocated or worse. Other than that, there was the beating from the guards she got. But Miyako was able to endure all of it with gritted teeth and strong determination to protect her crew.
Her body was so exhausted and sore, she could hardly move. The only thing that kept her up were the chains that held her arms in the air, making her hang rather than actually stand in the cold dark cell. Her shirt had been tossed somewhere in the corner so the guards would have more bare skin to work on, but luckily they left the bra on, leaving her with some dignity intact at least.
She was able to get out of her fatigued daze for a moment when she heard heavy footsteps of about three people coming closer to her cell. She clenched her jaw, hoping it wasn't another round of torture - she barely handled the first one. Nevertheless, she had no intention of telling the Baron anything. She promised that to herself. It was a matter of pride and principle that she would never betray her friends, no matter what. She still had her doubts and dilemmas about the Heart Pirates, but they had been through too much together for her to simply betray them now.
The old cell door screeched loudly when lord Farquash and two of his guards stepped into the cell. He had his arms behind his back, holding something, though she couldn't see what.
"My men say you haven't said anything yet… You did well to stay silent through all this, but I can see you are at your limit. Give up now, tell me what I want to know and I'll leave you in peace. Hell, I may even let you go afterwards, it's your captain I want. I feel very generous." Vladimir spoke with a sadistic grin that reminded her of a certain pirate captain. "Where is your captain?" Farquash asked in a more serious tone.
"I….Don't. Know." Miyako was able to pant out, barely hearable.
Farquash's face remained calm and unchanged, but Miyako knew it was only a calm before the storm and a chill ran down her spine. He walked closer to her and revealed what he had in his hand; a carefully folded whip just waiting to be used on someone. He lifted her fallen head with its hilt, making her look at him with her half-lidded golden eyes. "Then where is your ship and your crew? Where did you anchor?"
"In the docks….if…they're not there…then they already…left…" She managed to breathe it out in a soft whisper.
The Baron's eyes narrowed. That whip was still threateningly close to her face. "I got an interesting piece of information from my spies today…" He circled around her hanging body again. "Did you know there was a rebellion forming against me? It has been for a couple of years now. And it seems they are about to attack soon."
"And that concerns me how?" Miyako asked, finally gaining some of her breath back. However, it was soon forced out of her when she received a hard slap with the back of his hand across the face. A small trickle of blood trailed down from the corner of her mouth.
"Don't interrupt me or be arrogant with me, girl! You should know your place!"
She glared daggers at him, but didn't comment on his outburst. Instead, she kept silent so he could continue with his ramblings. At least that was better than being tortured again. But she kept a close eye on the whip in his hand. Somehow, she felt the inevitability of it.
"And my sources tell me a strong pirate decided to join the rebellion. I have a feeling who it might be," Farquash continued with a grin on his face. "So where is he, hm? Where is the rebellion army hiding along with your captain?"
"That doesn't sound like something my captain would do. Why would he help a rebellion he has nothing to do with?" The samurai countered.
The Baron sighed and tapped a finger on his bearded chin. "Now that's a good question…To save a certain crewmember perhaps?" He grinned and held her chin with his hand, lifting her head again.
The girl smirked. "Perhaps. How nice of him," her voice sounded mocking. Something she knew the Baron wouldn't like, but the hell with it, she was being too polite towards him as it is.
Smirking back at her, he gripped her chin tighter. "Where are your captain and your crew? And where is your ship? I'm sure you know something…I can tell you know something and you're not saying it. Whatever it is, I will get it out of you."
The scoffing smile remained on Miyako lips, but they were pursed in a tight line, indicating she had no intention to talk. A part of her screamed at how foolish she was being since she knew exactly what was to come next, but she held her ground and kept silent.
Sighing and shaking his head in disappointment, the Baron walked behind her. Her body stiffened in expectancy of something grim to come. She felt rough hands on her neck as Farquash trailed his sharp fingernail along her neckline and all the way down her back, digging into pale flesh. She squirmed uncomfortably, trying to get away from his hands as best as she could, but that was impossible in her shackled state. This guy was touching her waaay too much.
"Is that really necessary?" She asked firmly when his hand continued to trail down her body, finally resting on her hips. Miyako tried to look behind her at the man, but she could only see a glimpse of his right side. Nothing that would indicate what the man was thinking. One thing was for certain, though; he was creeping her out.
"Such beautiful skin…too bad it has to be ruined." He muttered, completely ignoring her nervous fidgeting.
After a while, she felt his hands leave her and sighed in relief. Her relief didn't last long, however, since only a few seconds later she felt sharp pain on her back. It was stinging and numb at the same time, and she felt as if her flesh was burning there. Miyako's eyes opened wide in surprise and she took a sharp intake of breath both in shock and pain.
"Tell me what you know!"
She gritted her teeth, before biting her lip to try and endure the pain. A small trickle of blood flowed from her bruised lip and Miyako tried to focus on that pain instead of the burning one on her back. But that was impossible. "Bite me!" She growled at Farquash.
The Baron only laughed at the statement, far from him being angry. It was a loud throaty laugh that sent chills down her spine. It sounded sadistic and promising of the things she definitively didn't want. "All in due time, my dear."
Another whiplash cut through the air and collided with her skin, making Miyako groan and bite her lip harder. She shut her eyes tightly in pain. The baron stopped asking questions and soon everything went silent except for the sounds of whiplashes cutting into the girl's flesh, along with Miyako's small yelps and sounds of suffering that she tried to stifle as best as she could. She didn't want to give the bastard the pleasure of hearing her scream. Nonetheless, as much as she tried to endure, the pain got worse with each hit until it became unbearable. A particular lash hit her in the place where she already had one and Miyako yelled out loud and clear in pain, "Ah!" The sound came out of her unwillingly, but it was too late to do anything about it, and she simply knew Farquash was grinning behind her. He started aiming his hits over the existing wounds, which wasn't that hard since her whole back was a bloody mess with burning broken skin. The girl tried as best as she could to keep her voice in by gritting her teeth, but every so often, a scream would escape her lips.
She didn't know for how long the Baron kept whipping her, but at the end Miyako's throat was dry and sore as she didn't even have the voice to scream anymore. All that came out of her were little whimpers when the whip hit made contact with her skin. She wasn't standing on the ground anymore, but hanging, only the shackles holding her so she wouldn't fall on the floor completely as the steel cut into her wrists painfully. But she didn't even feel it. All she could feel was the ache on her back. A strong smell of blood was in the air and she could feel her flesh was completely wet and sticky from the red liquid and sweat. Her body was completely limp, her head bowed down as she didn't even have the strength to keep it up. Her long hair fell forward, hiding her face and she was grateful for it since she could feel treacherous tears of pain stinging her eyes and threatening to fall, no matter how much she tried to keep them in her half-lidded, heavy eyes.
Miyako had been cut, broken-boned, kicked, punched and a lot more….But she had never felt a pain as intense as this one. Not even her torture from earlier could compare to this - although her body was black and blue, bruised and cut up from the previous torture she endured.
Through her suffering haze, she could hear footsteps and soon saw familiar black boots in front of her. That's the only thing she could see as she kept her head down in a defeated manner. Her breath was shallow as she tried to regain her breath to get rid of the pain. A cold, clammy hand cupped her cheek and lifted her head. Miyako saw Vladimir Farquash in front of her, with his serious blue eyes piercing into hers.
"Well now…will you tell me what you know?" He asked softly as if showing her some sympathy. Yet Miyako knew even through her daze that it was only a farce. A stupid trick so that she would soften up from his sudden kindness and tell him what he wanted.
Well she knew better than that. She promised to herself that she wouldn't tell this man anything. And this wasn't just the matter of her crew anymore…it was a matter of principle. "I…will not…tell you anything…," she hisses venomously.
Farquash sighed as if suddenly bored with the whole situation. The samurai hoped he would simply leave, but she wasn't that naïve. He tilted his head and lifted the folded whip in front of her eyes. She could both see and smell her blood on it. "You are a stubborn girl…too stubborn for my taste. Then how about we continue? But perhaps this time we should play with your face a little, hm? Or maybe cut off your fingers? You are a kenshi after all, so that would be worse than death to you, wouldn't it?" He smiled a little, showing his pearly white teeth.
The girl's eyes widened in true terror. *No! Not that! Anything but that!* Her mind was racing now and she couldn't stop the fright that kept bubbling inside her. Farquash was right, cutting off her fingers and disabling her to use a sword ever again was worse than death to a samurai. She would rather he blinded her, she could even survive that and get used to it…but not her hands. She knew her terrified look would be a hint that he was on the right track and she was doomed, but she couldn't calm herself after hearing his threat. She parted her trembling lips, not knowing what to say, her golden eyes still wide.
At that moment, rushed footsteps echoed thought the dungeon hall and a soldier appeared, trying to regain his breath. Before Farquash could even ask what was wrong, the soldier blurted out suddenly; "We're under attack! It's the rebel army!"
Robber Baron gritted his teeth in annoyance and narrowed his eyes as he turned back to the barely conscious girl. "I am not done with you yet…just you wait. Even when I catch your captain, I won't release you. You blew your chance." His frown turned into a sadistic smile as he continued, "Maybe I'll keep you as my personal slave."
Just the thought of it made Miyako sick, but she closed her mouth and stayed quiet. She was glad when he turned and finally left, closing and locking the cell doors, while leaving her to hang there. Not like she could escape anyway, not in her state; she could hardly move. She let her body slump down as best as it could, even as her arms stretched painfully by the action.
~…..~
A man was standing on the old table of the wooden tavern, a big number of people around him, all trying to hear and participate in the conversation…or should it be called a speech?
"I'm sick of this way of life! We don't have anything! The marines won't help us, so if we want to do something, we need to do it ourselves! As we speak, Zuko and his army are fighting for us and our freedom! What kind of people would we be if we don't help them!" The man shouted loud enough for everyone to hear, and agreeing sounds of other men traveled throughout the tavern.
"But the Baron has his army! How can we beat that? And with what? Torches and a few guns?" Another man countered, obviously not liking the idea of joining the rebellion and storming Farquash's castle. He didn't have a death wish.
"And we have our army! The rebel army that is fighting for us! For you too, Tommy! It's time to act NOW!" The man on the table pointed at the dubious man who still didn't look pleased by the idea. However, more encouraging noises spread through the crowd.
"It's time we show that Robber Baron we ain't as weak as he thinks!" An old lady agreed. Her resolve was stronger than the burden of age she carried.
"Yeah! We can fight too!" A young boy called out, but his mother quickly shushed him with a slap on the back of his head.
The tall man raised his glass of ale in the air and yelled, "Grab anything you can find! Anything that can be a weapon! And let's show that Robber Baron what Point Blank is really made of!"
The big crowd cheered, though there were still a few of those who opposed the idea. The townsfolk started gathering their pitchforks and picks, guns and knives…anything they could find. Soon, the angry mob was walking up the steep hill with their weapons high in the air, where Robber Baron's castle stood ominous and dark.
"What do we want!?" The tall man who had riled the townspeople shouted as he led the mob up the hill.
"FREEDOM!" The people responded with equal enthusiasm in their voices.
"When do we want it?" The man shouted yet again.
"NOW!" The group answered equally enraged.
~….~
Law walked down the hall, resting his sheathed nodachi on his shoulder. Behind him was a trail of deformed, bloodied, unconscious or dead bodies. Groans and yells of pain echoed through the corridors as his crew and the rebel army fought against the baron's soldiers. But the captain had more important things to handle at the moment, and that was to find the doors that led to the dungeon and rescue his crewmember. *It should be here somewhere. Just around this corridor.* His pace quickened for a heartbeat as he got closer to his goal. He saw Jean Bart lifting a soldier in the air and throwing him into four others with ease. Trafalgar requested the giant man for this mission so he met up with him before leaving for the castle. He knew he would need the former captain's strength and as usual he was right.
He had to stop in his tracks, however, when more soldiers cut the path in front of him. He was neither surprised nor worried, but he didn't have time to deal with this small fry. He didn't even have to say anything; his first mate was already in front of him and attacked the soldiers with a battle cry. Bepo kicked and punched at the soldiers, knocking them all down before they even had time to fire a shot.
Law's instincts tingled instantly as he felt something approach. He immediately created his Room and it was right in time as something crashed through the wall, aiming right at his first mate. It was a large and heavy steel ball the size of Bepo's head that had metal spikes on its surface. Surely a hit from that could crush a normal human body in an instant. The ball was linked to a chain, but the debris from the destroyed wall made it impossible to see what was on the other end of it. Bepo's eyes widened as he saw the strange weapon right in front of him, but in a second he was switched with an unconscious soldier who got blown away and crushed under the heavy impact instead.
Bepo, who was now standing near Law, sighed in relief as little beads of sweat appeared on his white fur. He was saved by Law's devil fruit power. And the doctor was just glad he managed to improve his Kenbunshoku Haki enough to be able to feel such a presence approaching. After all, it wasn't as if he did nothing on this journey. The whole point of not going to the New World yet was for him and his crew to get stronger first.
A loud crunch was heard and he saw a man as big muscular as Jean Bart step through the hole in the wall in front of them. Law's eyes pierced the big man before him, his look remaining calm, but serious. This new guy didn't look like the rest of these weaklings lying on the floor. He was stronger, Law could sense it.
Bepo took a defensive kung-fu pose as he prepared himself for battle. His captain also prepared himself, unsheathing his nodachi. At that moment, Jean Bart ran to them and stepped in front of the two pirates.
"Wait, captain!" The former captain Jean Bart called. "Let me take care of him. Miyako could be in danger…" The navigator of the Heart pirates didn't say anything else, but the words left hanging in the air were clear as day; Law shouldn't be wasting time here, he had a crewmember to save.
The captain was a bit surprised at Jean Bart's words. He knew the usually silent man only talked a few times with Miss Miyako and they never really appear that close. So the captain didn't expect Jean to care about the girl's life so much, but it seems the samurai girl got under everyone's skin. Even under the captain's, though he would never admit such weakness as the whole subject seemed too sentimental for his taste.
"Hey, Jean Bart, I can take care of him! Don't step in front of me!" Bepo complained, but stopped when he saw Trafalgar nod at the navigator.
"Bepo, you come with me." Law turned to his first mate and Bepo complied immediately without any complains. All of a sudden, the bear was no longer bothered that he had to give up a fight he wanted to be in - not when there was something his captain asked of him. Law couldn't help but smirk at his perpetually protective and loyal first mate. Law knew the bear would give his life to save Law's without a second thought, and that smirk only widened at the thought. One could dare say it was as closest to a smile that you would see from the Surgeon of Death, and it was a privilege only Bepo would get. Law's trust in his first mate was as strong as Bepo's loyalty to him.
~…..~
Jean Bart watched as his captain and the strange bear left, keeping a close eye on the big man standing near them. To Bart's surprise, the man let them pass peacefully and they soon disappeared around the corner. Everything went silent between the two burly men staring at each other while the battle noises raged around them.
The mysterious man smirked and lifted the ball with one hand, while holding the chain with the other. He was careful to lift it only with the tips of his fingers so he would avoid the sharp spikes.
"Well, you look strong. This should be fun. I didn't have a challenge in a long time, but don't expect to defeat me…I am Zashi, one of the Defenders of this castle and I am undefeated."
Jean Bart cracked his knuckles and got ready. "Say that after you win." The pirate was never one to brag. He let his strength do the talking for him, which is why he never had to say much. Still, a pang of interest arose inside of him when Zashi said something about the Defenders. *I'll have to ask him later if he's still alive,* Jean concluded. It was too late now, Zashi already started preparing his attack.
Zashi's smirk turned into a smug grin. "I like your attitude, but that won't be enough to defeat me!" With nothing more to say, he started swinging the strong chain, sending the ball in circles above his head, getting more speed and force from the movement. Suddenly, he lashed with his arm, sending the ball on the chain flying towards Bart. The navigator dodged, surprisingly fast for such a bulky man, and the heavy weapon created a hole in the wall behind him. If it hit, that would probably be his head. Zashi didn't stop his attack as he pulled at the chain and flicked his wrist, sending the ball at the pirate again, this time coming from behind. The navigator noticed and moved, once again avoiding a strong blow. But he couldn't keep dodging forever. *I'll have to switch into the offensive soon…but he's not giving me many openings to do so.*
Jean Bart prepared himself as Zashi swung the steel ball once more and sent it flying right at him. With a loud war cry, he put all his power and determination in his fist that was aimed right at the strange weapon coming at him. Punching the steel ball without faltering, he ignored the pain spreading in his fist as the spikes pierced his knuckles. The two powers collided, and after a short battle of forces, the ball broke in half and fell on the ground with a loud thud.
Zashi watched in surprise and disbelief as his weapon ended smashed on the ground. Crimson blood fell from Bart's wounded knuckles and onto the floor, as his labored breaths filled the stunned silence. "Now, forget about your toys and fight like a real man," the navigator of the Heart Pirates growled. With a pleased smirk, his opponent nodded. The two rushed at each other and their large bodies collided; each gripped the other's hands as they started wrestling to see whose strength will prevail. Both of them appeared to be matched.
The Defender grinned and pulled his head back, delivering a strong blow with his head against Bart's. Bart had to admit; for just a second everything was a blur as a loud cracking thud rang as bone hit bone. Zashi took the advantage of the situation and threw Jean Bart back into the wall.
"I'm impressed your skull didn't split open just now. I'll acknowledge your strength," Zashi commented while showing a big grin on his heavily scarred face. "But every part of my body is as hard as steel and can be used as a weapon. You can't beat me, not even with your strength!"
"You are quite strong, I can tell that much…but I will not waver," the navigator grunted as he endured. He stood up straight and rushed at the scarred man again. He threw the first punch, but Zashi caught it, still grinning as if he was enjoying this battle. Yet he didn't expect Bart's other hand that flew from bellow and delivered an uppercut, which hit him right in the jaw, surprising him as his head flew backwards.
Zashi stumbled slightly, but Bart didn't want to give him time to regain his composure as he rushed at the Defender again. The other was able to dodge and move to the side, before throwing a punch at Bart, but on his surprise the navigator dodged and then caught that fist, sporting a fierce look in his eyes.
Before he could respond, Jean Bart punched the man square in the face with as much force as he could. He put all in that one punch even though it was the same fist he had injured before. But it was worth it. For a while no one moved. Zashi only stood there with his eyes wide open, Bart's blood flowing down his face from the open wound. But then the man's eyes fluttered closed and the large Defender fell down with a noisy crash.
Jean Bart looked at the unconscious man before stumbling and leaning against the wall. That headbutt was stronger than he had thought, and now that the adrenaline was slowly leaving his body, the pirate found himself with a growing headache and a blurry vision. He closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose to relax, before sighing. *Oh….I forgot to ask him about those Defenders.*
~….~
Josh jumped in the air and landed next to Penguin and Shachi who seemed a out of breath as much as their redheaded friend.
"How about you stop dodging and start fighting, little worms!" A loud voice of a woman called out as she stood before them. She was dressed in tight leather; blood red clothing with a reveling cleavage. The clothes showed off her perfect curves and much more. Long, curly blond hair fell down and framed her pretty pale face with bright red lipstick and black mascara that accented her large green eyes. All in all, a real beauty…now if only she didn't have a large 5-meter long, dangerous whip in her hand with electricity coursing through it. Every time she would bring it down, the ground would slightly split open in that spot and the pirates could only hope that won't be their bodies next.
"Dammit! We can't even get close to this chick!" To say the least, Josh was irritated by the lack of options he had in this fight. Every time they tried to attack her, she would simply swing her weapon at them and they had no option but to dodge and move the way she wanted them to.
"Yeah…." Penguin muttered though he didn't seem like he really heard the medic. Right now he and Shachi were too busy drooling over the dangerous beauty and their train of thoughts was quite limited.
He glared at the two mechanics. "Snap out of it, you two! Don't get enticed by the enemy, idiots! We gotta think of something!"
"Aha…enticed…do something...right," Shachi answered absentmindedly as he gazed at the woman with a light blush on his face.
Josh sighed and shook his head. *Those idiots are hopeless…they're gonna get themselves killed.* He glanced back at the woman and eyed her whip as high-voltage electricity ran through the weapon. He didn't understand how that was possible, but he had no time to think about it. *And what was that about some castle Defender and that she was one of them…? What's a castle defender anyway?* He pondered, frustrated by the whole situation and especially the two drooling mechanics by his side.
He didn't have much time to think about it as the woman swung her whip again, making a cracking noise as the weapon cut through the air, and she brought it down near Shachi and Penguin who barely had time to move. The two mechanics jumped to the side as the ground split open with a loud slash, where they once stood. The medic took that time to charged at her, jumping in the air and taking out scalpels that he would sometimes use as weapons. He threw the scalpels at the woman, but she flicked the whip and blocked the weapons with one movement, stopping the flying scalpels mid-air. They fell to the ground with a clattering sound of metal. Josh, who was still in the air, took out some poisonous senbon in each hand and threw it at her. Once again, she flicked her wrist and sent a part of the whip in front of her face to block all the senbon. Her whip was like a snake; with just a snap of her hand she could make it bend, pull back, attack…anything she wanted.
Joshua cursed under his breath as he landed on the ground and quickly jumped aside to avoid another blow. Meanwhile, he glanced at his two useless fighting partners and gritted his teeth. "Hey, snap out of it! We are here to save Miyako, aren't we? You really want to let her die just because of this big-breasted broad!?"
Surprisingly, his words had an effect on the two mechanics and they flinched, stiffened, then exchanged looks before nodding with determined expressions hidden under their hats.
"He's right! We're here to save Miya-chan, we can't let he down!" Penguin exclaimed and took a stance.
"Yeah, let's get this babe!" Shachi replied and prepared for a fight, as well.
The blonde woman, one of the Defenders of the Baron's castle, smirked and licked her blood-red lips. "I'm glad you finally decided to get serious, boys. Now the real fun can start."
~…..~
Holding his nodachi loosely, Law walked with Bepo right on his heels, down the dark corridor of the castle's underground. His other hand was carelessly in his pocket, as he looked seemingly uninterested with the whole situation. But then again, a calm but serious facade was normal for the Surgeon of Death. The situations where he showed his shock or worry were unbelievably rare.
"Captain." Bepo called and stopped suddenly, making Trafalgar pause in his walk and look at his first mate questioningly. The bear was sniffing the air, facing behind them, while his ears twitched ever so often as if he picked up on an unusual sound. "Someone's coming," he finally stated, though by now Law could have guessed it as well.
It didn't take long before a tall man stood behind them. The captain turned around fully and observed the newcomer. He was at least 2 meters tall and unnaturally slender with long limbs. He had a simple suit as if he was the butler, but his face was hidden by a simple white mask that had hollow eyes. One part of the mask smiled while the other had a sad expression, like some character in a tragic comedy play.
"Hello." The tall man bowed a little as he spoke. "I finally caught up with you. My name is Abaddon and I am one of the four Defenders of this castle." His voice sounded muffled underneath the mask, but also calm and quiet, almost submissive as if the man was truly a servant. Yet there was something chilling in that tone…something Law didn't like. "Unfortunately, I cannot let you proceed any further." The slender man took a step forward and as he moved, it seemed as if his limbs got even longer with each step. They moved strangely, in Law's opinion.
Bepo stepped in front of his captain protectively. "Captain, you move on! I will deal with this guy."
Law mulled over his first mate's suggestion. He knew Bepo was strong, but he had a bad feeling about this man. Something just didn't feel right about him and Law didn't want to risk Bepo's life leaving him alone with this opponent. Just as he was about to say 'No' to his subordinate, the bear turned with a resolute look in his small black eyes. "Captain, go save Miya-chan." In the next instant, the pirate bear realized he had just given his captain an order, two actually, and he gasped with a panicked expression. "S-Sorry!" He bowed his head quickly with a depressed demeanor.
Law smirked at the polar bear's reaction, then nodded. "Alright, Bepo. But be careful, there's something wrong with this guy," he warned before turning around and going deeper down, towards the dungeons.
~…~
It didn't take long before Law found the cells of the dungeon and headed down the main hall, carefully looking at each cell and searching for his lost samurai. Absentmindedly he reprimanded himself for thinking of Miyako as his samurai and wondered when he started to address her like that, but soon pushed the thought away as he had more important matters on his mind. He looked into one cell and saw an old man shackled, sitting on the cold cell floor. He was a bit startled when the man lifted his wrinkled head since he assumed it was only a corpse, but he managed to mask his surprise.
The old man looked at him with hollow eyes and grinned, showing yellow, decayed teeth with a few of them missing. "hihihihi, why what do we have here? A visitor! This place is full of visitors lately! Hihihi" The man had a high pitched voice that annoyed the pirate, but there was something that caught his attention.
"What do you mean by that?" The doctor asked calmly.
"Oh, why just a while ago, that little girl came in. Hihihi. Too bad she didn't stay long." The old man, who introduced himself as Hirane to Miyako earlier, answered.
"Where is she?" Law's voice was still calm, but a hint of a deadly edge in his tone suggested he didn't want to waste any more time.
The old man grinned. "Well why don't you free me and I'll show you. I'm Hirane, by the way."
The pirate doctor's eyes narrowed. He didn't like to bargain and he was sure he could find Miyako on his own. She was here somewhere for sure, so he didn't really need this man's help. Nevertheless, he didn't want to waste more time peering into each cell to find her, and this geezer leading the way could be a quicker way to find her. If he could even walk, that is. The old man certainly didn't look like he was in his prime and that was a huge understatement.
Reaching a decision, Trafalgar approached the old man and lifted one hand, creating his Room. Hirane watched the blue sphere in interest, awe written on his aged features. He was so entranced by the devil fruit power, he barely noticed when Law used his nodachi and removed the shackles with ease.
"Free! Finally! It's been a long time…too bad I probably have nowhere to go. HIhihihi!" Hirane laughed in his high-pitched voice, but Law gave him a warning look, silently telling the old man to hurry. And so the old man did, showing Trafalgar the way. The pirate was just glad Hirane could still walk on his own.
It wasn't long before they reached a certain cell, noticing a guard sleeping in front of the door on a small wooden stool. He quickly awoke when he felt the cold steel of Law's nodachi poking his face. Before the man could ask what was going on, Law ordered curtly, "Open the doors." The guard gulped and did as he was told, hurriedly fumbling with his keys dangling on his belt until he found the right one. He didn't have time to turn around as he got hit with the hilt on the head and was knocked out cold.
The captain opened the doors wide open, sheathing his nodachi in the process,s and his eyes widened at the sight. This time, he couldn't mask the surprise on his face. The smell of blood was strong and he soon found out why. He leaned Kikoku against the wall and came towards the bloodied mess that was his samurai. The woman in front of him seemed barely conscious as she hung in the middle of the room, bound by the shackles that were connected to the ceiling with chains. She had numerous cuts and dark bruises all over her body and exposed skin. Law glanced in search and saw her white shirt discarded in the filthy corner of the cell. He examined her body and his eyes narrowed when he saw the still fresh lash marks obviously done by a whip. He could feel fury rising inside of him. A fury at seeing what they did to one of his nakama, to one of his crewmembers...to his samurai! His blood boiled with cold rage. He took a mental note to find this Baron and make him experience pain that would make him beg to be killed.
He walked towards the girl and peered at her bruised face. He was already examining her wounds and planning which treatments he'll have to use when they get back. With his fruit powers he opened the shackles and caught Miyako as she started falling forward. The girl had no strength to even stand on her own. But even though Trafalgar was furious at the sight, he felt somewhat relieved by the fact the girl was finally by his side and safe again. He gently held her up by her hips, thinking of the best way to get her out of here without much trouble.
"Hirane!" He called the old guy who was still standing next to him and examining the girl with a worried stare. "Take those." Law ordered and gestured at Miyako's shirt and his nodachi with his head. He didn't feel reassured by leaving Kikoku in the hands of this crazy old geezer, but he didn't have much choice since his hands were full.
Meanwhile, Miyako was clutching his hoodie both in support and comfort, burying her face in it. And Law found it didn't bother him at all. Somehow it felt…right.
~…~
Miyako's cloudy mind could barely register what was happening. She knew there were people here…someone was in front of her, but she was too tired to even try and look up. She just wanted to sleep. At this point she didn't even care if it was Farquash who returned to keep his promise to her, or rather a threat.
She stiffened in surprise when her wrists were released from their painful bindings and she found herself wrapped in a strange warmth. It was soft and cozy and had a familiar scent. A fresh and salty smell of the ocean. Yet she couldn't remember why it was so familiar. Who was it in front of her? It frustrated her as it was just right there in the back of her mind - so close yet impossible to remember.
She willed her eyes to open a little more so she could focus on her surroundings and noticed something black and yellow in front of her. Once again, so strangely familiar. Furrowing her eyebrows, her focus started returning to her. With her best effort she tried to glance around her, and the first thing her gaze fell on was a long nodachi leaning on the wall in front of her. Miyako blinked and opened her dry mouth to speak.
"Law?" It was barely an audible whisper, but he evidently heard her as he pulled her closer into him.
"Mhm," was all he said in a low hum, before he added, "Mister Josh is right; you really are a troublesome woman."
The girl started to become more aware of her position and surroundings. She could now feel strong but gentle arms wrapped around her, careful not to irritate her wounds, yet still held her firm so she wouldn't fall to the ground. She could feel the warm fabric of Law's hoodie she was clutching so desperately and sense his oceanic smell…Yes, now she remembered. It was Law's scent. Perhaps in any other situation Miyako would move away, embarrassed and flustered, but her body was limp and without strength. She was too tired and too much in pain to even think about embarrassment. Instead, she felt warm and safe and didn't want to leave the only support for both her body and mind she had right now.
She smiled slightly at her captain's comment and nuzzled into the warm heat of Law's chest. "Sorry," she muttered, muffled by the fabric in her face. It was more of a subconscious movement and she didn't even realize she made it. But Law's body stiffened only slightly with surprise at first, before he relaxed and wrapped his arms around her waist, where she luckily didn't have lash marks, more firmly and securely so she wouldn't slide from his grip.
Their moment was interrupted by a clearing of throat behind him and he turned around to see Hirane still standing there. "So can we leave or….?" The old man said with a questioning look and pointed with his thumb at the exit behind them. Law glared at him in irate, but knew they should go. They still had to meet up with the rest of the group who were probably fighting the Baron's men. He didn't worry about them though, he knew they were strong enough to handle themselves. However, a flash of worry came over him when he remembered Bepo and his mysterious opponent, and hoped his first mate was ok.
"Miss Miyako, I'm going to lift you up now. If something hurts, you'll have to endure it." He didn't get a response and Law realized the girl had fallen unconscious. With a sigh he lifted her bridal style and carefully held her, avoiding the lash wounds. "Let's go," he said to Hirane, who was still holding their things, but didn't seem to mind, although he appeared to have a problem carrying Law's heavy nodachi with his fragile skeleton-like hands.
~…~
After what seemed like an excruciatingly long walk, Law and Hirane stopped in their tracks at the sight before them, and the second time that day, Law's eyes widened. He saw Bepo lying on the floor, badly injured, with the masked man not far away, his limbs appearing even longer than before.
The bear managed to turn his head as he heard his captain approach, sitting up slowly and leaning against the wall. "C-Captain…be careful…He's-"
"So you were still alive. Ah, and I thought I had killed you." Abaddon cut Bepo off, his head turning towards the polar bear though it was hard to say where he was looking due to the mask. His voice sounded uninterested and emotionless, but also a bit of disappointment sneaked into his tone as he realized the bear wasn't dead. Then his head moved slowly towards Trafalgar and he tilted it a little. "Oh, so you found the girl...so master Farquash was right, you came here for her. Ah, but too bad you won't be going any further." He moved towards Law a little, his limbs seemingly shortening as he walked closer. Or if that could even be called a walk; it looked as if Abaddon was sliding and moving in a fluid motion, and there were no sound of footsteps as he moved.
The captain set Miyako down near Bepo and took his nodachi from Hirane, who hid somewhere immediately. The pirate captain was not in the mood for this. He had enough of this place, this people, and this whole cursed island. He couldn't wait until he was back in his submarine and sailing again. This was all starting to irritate him and he hated how they managed to piss him off. Law didn't get pissed off easily, but he was now.
Senbon is a weapon that looks like a long needle. Often used by ninjas.
Abaddon – It means "destruction" in Hebrew and is one of the names for the Devil.
Kenshi – a swordsman (or in this case, swordswoman. hehe)
I hope you liked it and sorry it took me so long to post this chapter. Also I hope there won't be any angry readers trying to kill me after I tortured Miyako. XD But it wasn't that bad…right? ^^'
Also, there was a Jean Bart part! Yay! I felt like I haven't involved him enough in this whole story so I thought; Why not put a Bart scene! :P
Anyways, reviews and comments are always welcome so please tell me what you think and stay tuned for the next chapter. (which I'll try to write and post as soon as I can.)