I don't like you! by BloodyMarryMe
Waaah, finally! *angels singing hallelujah in the background* So yeah, it's been chaos for some time and I needed some BloodyMarryMe time to sort it all out. :P But with the new school year starts the continuation of my story as well! Yay! ^^ Well I won't waste any more time/space for talking here. Instead, enjoy the new chapter and I hope you like it! :D Also sorry for the long wait!
As always, I'll answer some questions/comments and I'll try to keep it short. :) And everyone, thank you all for the wonderful reviews and especially for your patience!
.Blaze: The marines cut off the broadcast, but then Buggy finds a den den mushi determined to show the world what a great pirate he is (I think he wants to beat Whitebeard in front of the world or something impossible like that :P) and nobody is really paying attention to him but instead continue to watch the execution. That's how Law knew Luffy was in need of rescue anyway. :)
PsychomaticaX: First I want to say; Thank you! ^^ And secondly; I try to catch all the grammar errors when I proof read the chapter but I still miss some sometimes. And since English isn't my first language I guess it's sometimes hard for me to find the right words. ^^' But whenever you find an error or something, you can just tell me and I'll correct it.
animelover56348: Heh, I know what you mean. Even though One Piece has a lighter note most of the time, I want to get some darker and scarier elements like real pirates have. (And it's not hard to do, especially with Law's freaky power. ;P)
fritillary252: Meh, I know but I keep them only because sometimes there are italic words in the story (like for emphasizing) that aren't thinking, so it's to avoid any misunderstandings.
Eviline: Yep, I've decided to do it as if she's thinking the name of the technique when she does it. That way they'll have names, but she won't shout them. (I mean, if I was fighting someone and they started shouting names of each of their techniques I'd just be 'wtf dude?!' XD)
Izzie: hehe. Yeah, Sentomaru is kinda irritating me too...though I'm not sure why. He's just...not likable (at least to me). ^^' But yeah, sorry for the long wait. And I want Miyako/Law fluff too! Oh wait...I gotta write it. ^^' XD But there's gonna be some in the next few chapters cause I've been neglecting it lately.
Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece or any of its characters, but I own the OC Suzune Miyako. Rated T for blood and language.
CHAPTER 37
Law gripped his nodachi as he glared at Sentomaru. "Don't underestimate us...we're stronger than 9 months ago." The pirate captain stared at the big marine officer with threat in his eyes. True, the Heart pirates had gotten much stronger than when they were on Saobody, but still, this situation worried Law even if he didn't want to let it show. Even if they were stronger, the Heart pirates were facing a marine officer capable of using haki named Sentomaru commending one of the pacifista, a logia type Abaddon who was still as mysterious as ever and some small fry marine who were annoying nevertheless. Combining all that Law knew they were in quite a predicament. The only thing he could be grateful for was the fact that a vice admiral wasn't here as well. Obviously Akainu didn't consider them such a treat to send a vice admiral after them already but this situation wasn't much better anyway.
As Law looked around he could see some of his men were already fighting off the first wave of marines. The crew's shooters made two lines, one standing and one kneeling in front and shooting at the incoming marines, but the marines had their own artillery. *I need to do something about that.* There was one thing Law had been practicing with his powers but he didn't have a chance to try it in combat yet. *I hope it works…if not, we'll be in even bigger trouble.* Law's devil fruit power, the Ope Ope fruit, allowed him to treat everything in his sphere as his operating table…which meant he could use the things in the sphere pretty much as he pleased. When you understand that much and your imagination is big enough, you can do all kinds of things. So understanding that, Law had many ideas of all the possible ways how to use his devil fruit power. This was just one of them.
The pirate captain created his sphere which was big enough to encircle most of the marines. Unfortunately, Abaddon who was still on his submarine, Sentomaru and the pacifista were still out of reach. Law took out his nodachi and put it in a vertical position. He put the palm of his other hand on the blunt side of the sword. "Scan" He simply said and then moved the palm of his hand towards himself. But nothing happened. Law cursed silently and frowned at the same time. The captain sighed before taking a deep breath and concentrating even more on the targets in front of him. *Maybe I should try with less of them first.* He focused on the handful of marines who were shooting at his men. He once again reached towards them. "Scan!" Suddenly the guns in their hands moved and started rattling. The marines only started at their moving weapons dumbfounded not knowing what was going on. Before they could react, the guns flew from their hands and towards Law, then landed on the beach behind him.
"Oh, cool, more weapons for us!" Josh grinned and took a rifle. He wasn't one of the gunmen in the crew but it's always good to have a backup weapon. He knelt down and shot one of the marines who was behind Cody, trying to strike at him with a sword while the medic was fighting off two more marines in front of him. The blue-haired man looked behind him at the falling marine in shock and then turned to Josh with a same surprised look. The redhead just grinned at the other medic and gave him a thumbs-up. Cody smirked back, then turned around and continued fighting marines.
Law sighed in relief when his power worked and then turned to another group of marines to do the same. Just as he was done, Bepo's voice echoed through the beach. "Incoming!" Only a bright light was seen before the raw destructive power of the pacifista's laser beam hit the ground. The crew jumped aside and dodged the blow but the power of the blow still sent them flying into the sand.
~…~
Miyako jumped into the air to dodge another laser beam and landed with the katana in her hand, a few meter away from the line of the left-over marine gunmen. The girl didn't even stop as she ran towards them. The marines aimed and fired their shots but the samurai was already in the air. Miyako landed among them and slashed mercilessly at the marines, cutting both the rifles and the bodies in her way. She felt another back next to hers and turned to see Sam fighting with his short sword in one hand and a gun in the other. He sliced one marine and turned right in time to shoot another in the face. Meanwhile Miyako cleaned up on her side. Just then a loud grunt was heard and Miyako's eyes widened as she saw one of the crewmembers flying all the way into the water. There, she could see Abaddon slithering his limbs towards the beach while he was still on the sub and then grabbing two of the crewmembers and dragging them into the water. Surely, he was guarding the ship so the pirates couldn't retreat and escape. Miyako's eyes traveled back to where Sam was standing to see Sentomaru who jumped from the tree and used his haki to blast Sam away.
The big man looked down at the girl. "You should just surrender and make less trouble for me…that is if you don't want to die." His voice was serious and cold as he stared down at her.
Miyako glared up at him and prepared her katana without saying anything. Her sword will do the talking instead.
Sentomaru raised his giant axe and sent it down towards Miyako. The girl prepared herself for the blow and blocked the axe. Both warriors used haki through their weapons and Miyako could feel his haki's blow against her own. The two haki powers crashed just as their weapons did and a clash of power created a large blast from the weapons. A gust of wind swirled around rising sand and a curtain of dust appeared around them.
"heeh? So you can use haki too. Still, I am stronger!" Sentomaru suddenly put all his strength in his arms and pushed Miyako away. She quickly jumped backward so not to be trampled by his big body. Just as she landed, Sentomaru was already swinging down his axe at her. But before it could make contact, Bepo appeared out of nowhere, delivering a kick at the big axe that brought it off its course and away from Miyako. The bear landed next to Miyako and made a fighting pose.
"Are you ok, Miya-chan?!" The polar bear was still staring at Sentomaru with serious black eyes as he asked his friend with a concerned voice. But even though Bepo was usually the first one to panic in dangerous situation, she could feel the fighting spirit rising from him. He was always like that; panicking, but when it was time to fight, he never ran or hesitated.
Miyako nodded her head. "Yeah, thanks Bepo." Bepo also got stronger in these past 9 months, just like everyone else. He had good instincts since he was an animal, almost as if he possessed Kenbunshoku Haki himself. And Miyako noticed the last time they fought the marines, Bepo was definitively using Busoshoku haki to enhance his fighting. Not to mention since he was a bear, he was stronger than an average human from the beginning. And with his kung-fu skills he was definitively a fine warrior. *He also got a lot stronger in these past nine months…* But at that moment something crossed Miyako's mind. "Bepo! Shouldn't you be helping Law, though?" Usually Bepo was always near Law's side, especially in a fight, always ready to jump in and save his captain. But the polar bear shook his head, still glaring at Sentomaru who watched the talking bear with both surprise and interest.
"Captain told me to go and help you fight Sentomaru. Meanwhile, they'll take care of the pacifista and Abaddon." Even though Bepo had a determined voice, Miyako could clearly detect worry. She noticed Bepo was especially anxious when Abaddon was in question. The strange man left a bad feeling in the first mate's gut and the hairs on his fuzzy fur would stand up at the sight of the strange slender man. Miyako moved her gaze and glanced at Law who was with Shachi and Jean Bart, fighting the pacifista at the moment. Josh, Cody and the others were finishing the last of the marines. A group of pirates went and tried to attack Abaddon but with no luck. He seemed to fight them off effortlessly. Most of the crew had injuries and a few were unconscious due to the pacifista's laser beam.
Sentomaru sighed, which brought back Miyako's attention to him. "I knew they wouldn't be enough to defeat the Heart pirates but I thought they'd at least be of more use and handicap more of them." Sentomaru had a disappointed look as he watched the fallen marines. "Oh well, guess that weirdo Abaddon, Px-5 and me will have to do…we'll finish this job in no time."
His words and confidence irritated Miyako and she gritted her teeth. She could see Bepo's snarl from the corner of her eyes. He was obviously as angry as she was. "We'll see about that." She murmured and suddenly both Bepo and Miyako charged towards Sentomaru.
~…~
Law jumped and evaded yet another laser beam coming from px-5. He was the diversion while Bart and Shachi appeared behind the pacifista. Shachi kicked the inner part of the cyborg's knee, ruining its balance and making the big body stumble. Jean Bart was already in the air, taking advantage of px-5's misbalance and delivered a punch into the side of its head. The cyborgs swayed sideway and then fell to the ground from the strong punch. Shachi grinned and cheered as they stood on each side.
"Whoot! We did it!" Shachi raised his fist in the air.
But something felt off to Law. *That was almost too easy…* Suddenly his eyes widened in surprise as he saw the pacifista twitch. Shachi didn't notice as he was still grinning with victory and even Bart seemed to relax. "Fools, get away!" Law shouted at his two subordinates as the cyborg suddenly raised both arms, palms aimed at both pirates. The brightening light of two laser beams coming from px-5's palms made impossible to see what happened, as the blast shot out. Only when both the blast and the light disappeared did the shadows of two bodies become visible. It was hard to see precisely but both bodies looked damaged, almost burned and ripped apart.
A blue hat with a red brim appeared in Law's field of vision, a few meters away from him. "T-That was close…" A hoarse voice said.
"Yes…too close for my liking." Another voice responded, near the first.
Bart and Shachi were standing a few meters away from Law, both still wearing surprised looks on their faces.
Around them, Law and the pacifista was Law's blue sphere. Both his hands were outstretched towards the big cyborg, his nodachi shoved into the sand beside him. As the sand and smoke cleared, they saw two unmoving bodies lying on the ground and px-5, slowly standing up. Even though the bodies were charred, there were still remains of marine uniforms on them. Law managed to act fast enough to create the sphere and switch his two crewmembers with the closest marines. Luckily, his speed for creating the sphere improved over time as well.
"Be more on your guard! You already saw what these things can do on Saobody, don't underestimate them. We might have gotten stronger but don't let your guard down." Law reprimanded the two in a serious voice, never taking his eyes over the once-again moving pacifista.
"Sorry captain..." Both Shachi and Jean Bart said at the same time looking at their feet apologetically.
~…..~
"Geeez…Be more careful px-5, don't kill our own men!" Sentomaru saw the scene behind them and reprimanded the pacifista, though his voice sounded bored as though he didn't really care whether the marines got killed or not. He obviously cared more about these machines than the fallen men around him. Suddenly, Bepo's fist appeared out of nowhere, almost hitting him in the jaw, but Sentomaru dodged with matching speed then blocked a sudden attack coming from Miyako.
"Tch…he's fast for someone so big." Miyako mumbled and took another stance.
"Even so, captain left him to us so we have to defeat him! Captain and everyone are doing their best too! So we can't lose!" Bepo landed on Sentomaru's other side, his stance and words showing confidence, which left Miyako a bit taken back. Bepo didn't sound like his usual self but Miyako was sure it was because he too understood the severity of the situation they were in.
*Bepo isn't loosing heart, so neither should I!* Miyako nodded with a determined look at Bepo and crouched a little. She moved her katana in horizontal with the blade turned up and the sharp point pointed at Sentomaru. Her golden eyes seemed sharper and colder than before as they fixed on the target ahead. *Ittouryu Technique; Needle Rain* Suddenly, Miyako started making, fast consecutive thrusts at the air, towards Sentomaru while using haki at the same time. The haki from the thrusts traveled at lightning speed towards Sentomaru, creating a number of piercing attacks.
Sentomaru's eye twitched as he saw what was coming and moved to the side, seeing holes in the trees behind him where he stood only seconds ago. „heeh...that's quite a powerful attack...But too slow!" Suddenly he charged at Miyako with his giant axe and was just about to bring it down on her when Bepo appeared next to him and delivered a high kick towards the marine's face. Sentomaru quickly moved to the side and put his weapon in front of him, blocking Bepo's strong kick. Still, the force of the blow made Sentomaru slide backwards.
Bepo landed next to Miyako with his leg still in the air. „Don't forget about me!"
„Tch...this talking bear is seriously annoying!" Sentomaru commented, more to himself than anyone else.
For a while Bepo stood silent, before standing back straight with his head lowered and his arms at his sides. He didn't say anything but Miyako could almost see the dark cloud of depression above him.
„Oy! This is no time for that!" She raised her voice at the polar bear, irritated. He was strong physically and had a good heart, but when it came to self-confidence he was pathetic.
Bepo didn't have time to say the „sorry" Miyako was sure that was coming because Sentomaru already charged forward surprising both Bepo and Miyako. He swung with his broad axe right at the polar bear's head. Bepo jumped in the air and tried punching Sentomaru, but the marine officer put his other hand up, blocking the punch.
„I have a perfect guard! You can't beat me!" With that, Sentomaru grabbed Bepo's extended fist and swung him, smashing him to the ground. The ground shook and a little whole appeared where Bepo smashed in the ground. Without releasing his hold on the bear, Sentomaru swung his axe downwards at the Heart pirate's first mate.
Bepo's black eyes widened in shock as he tried to move out of the way, but Sentomaru's grip was bone crushing, not letting him escape. Before the axe sliced the bear, a katana blocked its path only inches from Bepo's snout. Sentomaru's eyes narrowed as he looked sideway at the young girl blocking the axe's path. Her teeth were gritted and her arms slightly trembling but she wouldn't let the axe budge any further. Suddenly Sentomaru's weapon changed its course and he swung right at Miyako's chest. She was open due to the fact that her katana was stopping his weapon just seconds ago and she couldn't move it backwards fast enough to block the incoming weapon again. Miyako's eyes widened and she jumped backwards just in time. Still, she felt a sting across her right shoulder and upper chest where the axe caught her a little. Luckily, the wound wasn't very deep or deadly. Sentomaru's change in target gave Bepo time to raise and move away from the enemy. The polar bear tried to use the distraction and tried kicking Sentomaru in the head, but without even turning around, the marine officer blocked with his forearm. He turned to glare at the bear pirate before outstretching his arm and opening his palm to let the haki flow out and hit Bepo with a blast right into the chest. The force sent Bepo flying a few meters away but the bear did a somersault backwards in the air and landed on his feet on the sand.
*Damn...this isn't getting us anywhere...* Miyako thought, her annoyance masked behind the usual cold, calm face she had while fighting. *If only there's time to think of a strategy and tell it to Bepo…* She saw the polar bear a few meters away. *But there's no way Sentomaru would let us go over a strategy and cooperate. He's deliberately trying to keep us apart.* True enough, every time Bepo or Miyako would try to come closer to each other, Sentomaru would attack, giving them no time to do anything but dodge or block and attack separately.
*Then, there's no other way but to trust Bepo and wing it. We'll just have to try and cooperate based on seeing the other's moves.* Miyako sighed and gripped her katana tighter before giving Bepo a look. He nodded and so did she.
"Hnn? What are you planning to do now? It's all useless, just give up already." Sentomaru commented seeing the two exchange looks. He still had the same calm expression as if he wasn't the least bit worried.
Miyako ignored the officer's comments and instead charged at him. Sentomaru put his guard up, ready to block. But before she got to him, Miyako suddenly slashed the air with Yawarakai-Te, delivering a gust of haki at Sentomaru. The big man blocked it with his own slash of haki with the axe, but the clash of two blows raised the sand and dust, creating a thick cloud all around them. Miyako smirked. *Now all three of us can't see…but at least Bepo has his nose and I have Observation haki.* The polar bear had sharper senses than any human and together with his instincts it was as if he really had Observation Haki too. Miyako didn't know If Sentomaru could use Observation Haki but she prayed he couldn't. Right now she only saw him enhance his attacks and guard, using the force of haki to repel any attacks coming his way. That can only be Busoshoku Haki and Miyako didn't notice anything that could suggest he possessed any other haki than that. Still, you can never be too careful and Sentomaru was no small fry. Even with one haki, who knows what other abilities he possessed.
Bepo appeared near Sentomaru and started delivering bone crushing attacks, both punches and kicks, at the marine officer. As he advanced, he became faster and faster. He was able to get a few of them hit the marine, before Sentomaru realized what was happening. Once he realized where Bepo was, Sentomaru used his axe to block the attacks. Even though the cloud of sand was still up, Bepo was close enough when attacking to have his silhouette seen thought the dust, which made it easier for Sentomaru to block. However, Miyako took that opportunity while Bepo was distracting him to come behind the marine and attack. She decided to use the attack she used on the strange creature when Law and she were in what looked like a torture chamber underneath the mansion on Maple Island. *Ittouryu Technique; 8 gates of the Dragon* (1)
The samurai girl rushed at Sentomaru, lifting her katana to start the technique. She could see Sentomaru turning when she was already right behind him, but it was too late. He managed to block and push Bepo back with his haki but Miyako was already coming at him with her attack. However, Sentomaru wasn't a marine officer and Vegapunk's bodyguard for nothing. He was faster than expected as he swung his axe just as Miyako's katana cut into his shoulder and went down towards his chest. However the sword stopped when his axe blocked the way. With his other hand, Sentomaru punched Miyako hard in the gut enhancing the blow with haki, making her lose her breath and fly into a nearby tree. She could hear the ribs inside break when his fist made contact, and a burning pain only intensified when she hit the tree behind her. Her head bumped into the hard surface, making another form of pain appear as her vision blurred for a second. Just then, Bepo punched the marine officer hard into the back of his head, making the giant body stumble forward. But Sentomaru quickly turned and caught Bepo with his axe, slicing the bear across the stomach. Luckily, Bepo was already on the retreat when Sentomaru moved, so the wound wasn't deadly but it still looked deep and wouldn't stop bleeding. If the slice itself wasn't enough, the force of haki coming from the axe blasted Bepo away, and the polar bear flew a few meters and rolled on the ground. He tried to get up but as soon as he moved, a seething pain traveled through his body, pooling to his wound and he immediately fell back down.
Miyako was trying to get up as well, but almost instantly she felt the presence above her and a shadow clouded over her. The girl looked up with eyes bigger than usual and saw Sentomaru standing beside her and leaning down. She grabbed for her katana but the marine stepped on her hand. She could feel the pressure of his weight on her bones and made a sharp yelp. There was no way she could move her hand under all that weight. Miyako gritted her teeth and coughed a few time, blood coming out.
"Your little plan failed…" Sentomaru looked down at the girl. The dust cloud had gone down and the girl could see Bepo also on the ground in no better condition than she was. The marine officer leaned his broad axe on one big shoulder. "…and there won't be anyone to save you." Sentomaru raised his axe high in the air, ready to swing it down on Miyako and all she could do was watch helplessly. Ironically enough there wasn't any particular flashback in her mind, nor her whole life flashing before her eyes; only the bitter taste of failure mixed with the blood in her mouth.
~….~
Law, Shachi and Jean Bart were panting hard as they saw the giant body of the pacifista fall down on the sand. Its neck was bent in a strange way, a big gash in it. From it, electricity still sent small sparks through the cut wires. The pacifista had a few dents in its big body, but the finishing blow was dealt by Law's nodachi that the pirate captain managed to dive into the crevice of px-5's neck. However, the three pirates didn't look much better than the defeated pacifista. Their clothes were torn and burnt in places, and they had several burns on their skin as well. Shachi had a big gash on the upper part of his leg and he had to lean on Bart to even stand. There was also a deep wound of the laser that cut into his shoulder. Bart had a dislocated shoulder and a big cut across his right cheek. Law was in a bit better condition but not much. Luckily he didn't have any broken bones but he had a big burnt cut from the laser beam at his side and a deep wound in his forearm where a piece of wood from a laser-blasted tree flew and dug into it.
The three pirates stood there completely tense and still, holding their breaths unconsciously, as they watched the pacifista, ready to jump and attack or dodge in case it was still running. However the pacifista didn't move except for a few final twitches and the pirates finally relaxed.
"T-this…time….we really…did it." Shachi noted still panting hard. Bart couldn't even respond as he tried to catch his breath so instead he just nodded.
Law closed his eyes for a second to calm his own breathing but unfortunately it didn't help him regain any of his energy. He knew nothing would, except a long rest in his submarine…but there was a long way to get to that.
He was soon brought out of his musings when he heard a yelp come from a familiar voice. Law quickly turned his head towards the noise to see a gut wrenching sight. He saw Bepo on the floor, blood slowly flowing from somewhere under him and soaking the sand. Not far away he saw Miyako in no better condition, lying on the floor and Sentomaru leaning over her with his axe high in the air. Law's grey eyes widened at the sight, his mind already telling him what will come next. At that moment Law didn't even have time to think about the consequences if he didn't make it in time nor analyze the suffocating feeling he was experiencing from just the thought of Miyako dying. He acted more on instinct as he outstretched his arm to create his blue sphere.
*I—I won't make it in time!* The realization only made that suffocating feeling inside of him worse.
The axe came down. "Miyako!" Law called out to the girl unconsciously. If he was his usual self; he would probably be the first one to comment how utterly useless calling out to her was. But right now his mind wasn't processing information as usual. Instead the only thing running through his head was that his blue sphere won't reach Miyako in time.
Right now he couldn't even see or hear anything else. Suddenly through that silence, a loud sound echoed, as if cutting through a dream and bringing back everyone to reality. It took a few seconds for Law to realize what it was; a gunshot. It hit near Sentomaru's hand that was holding the axe, making him release the weapon. The giant axe fell down and dug next to Miyako's head in the sand. The girl didn't even know she was holding her breath until she let it out loudly. Sentomaru looked at the direction of the gunshot but another was already fired at him and the marine officer jumped back to dodge it, taking his axe in the process.
"Who…?" Sentomaru looked up to see a tall middle-aged man at the edge of the jungle. He was pointing a long rifle right at Sentomaru, his eyes piercing the marine officer.
"Unak!" Shachi yelled surprised and everyone looked at the newcomer. Even Abaddon tilted his head as if interested. But perhaps the real focus of their interest stood behind Unak. A few dozen of Unk'Ur warriors on their dinosaurs pointing their guns and other weapons at the marines and just waiting for Unak's orders.
The leader of the town looked at Law and grinned at the pirate captain. No doubt he was amused by the pirate captain's surprised expression. "Did you forget whose island you are on?! Don't make a mess on my territory!" His voice was stern as usual but he still had a grin on his face. "It seems I'll be able to repay my debt sooner than I thought…good, I don't like owing pirates anyway."
Sentomaru narrowed his eyes at the new group before turning to what was left of his men. "Men, take down anyone who's in your way! They're obviously with the pirates!"
Miyako watched Unak and his men with wide eyes as well. It took a while for her to get herself to speak, since it was hard to even breathe with two broken ribs. But still she shouted at the warriors; "Unak-san! If you get involved you will become the marine's enemy as well!" Shouting a warning was all she could do to stop them in her condition but a part of her was glad they were here. She knew they were the pirates' last chance now.
Unak gave the wounded girl a sharp look. "You should worry about yourself more than me, Burning-Eyed Miyako! Shut up and let us help you!"
Miyako couldn't help but think how Unak-like his answer was. If she wasn't in such pain, she would have probably chuckled. But right now it was hard to even keep her eyes open.
"Tch…I don't like being saved by you mister Unak…but I can't say we don't need it this time." Law leaned his nodachi on his shoulder and glared at Sentomaru. His blue sphere was around all of them now and Law didn't want to waste any more time. He switched Miyako and Bepo with the closest marines. "Mister Bart, take care of Bepo! Mister Cody, you help Shachi, he can hardly stand with that wound. And Mister Joshua, you help Miyako. Everyone else, help the wounded around you. We'll need to hurry to the submarine!" Law started yelling orders and soon everyone was helping carry the heavily wounded or the ones who had trouble walking.
"But Captain, what about him!" Cody pointed at Abaddon who was holding one of the Heart pirates in his tight grip, slowly suffocating the poor man.
Law's eyes narrowed dangerously and the medic could almost see real lightning in those stormy eyes. "I'll take care of him. We have some unfinished business anyway."
Just as the pirates started walking towards the ship, Sentomaru gripped his axe tighter. "I won't let you just walk away! Don't make a fool out of marines!" He was just about to throw his axe at Law when a beast suddenly charged at him. It was Unak himself, riding one of the dinosaurs. The animal collided with Sentomaru and any normal human would be trampled under it, but Sentomaru stopped its full charge with his big body. As he was about to use his haki to send it flying backwards, Unak jumped high in the air from the animal, flying over Sentomaru and aimed his rifle at the marine, shooting at him. Sentomaru gripped the dinosaur and turned it, using it as a shield from the bullets. The animal screeched as it was shot and then thrown by Sentomaru in the air and towards Unak. But before it could hit, another dinosaur blocked it and the rider helped Unak get on.
"We are your enemy now!" Unak called at Sentomaru and then signaled for the warriors to attack Sentomaru and the rest of the marines. To the big marine those warriors didn't present any problem but there were a lot of them and there were a good distraction for Law and the others to flee. No matter how much the marine officer fought and beat them, the Unk'Ur warriors didn't give up and kept getting in his way.
Meanwhile, Law created a blue sphere around the submarine and the beach and switched Abaddon with a random marine. Cody took the marine out as soon as he got to the sub and the other Heart pirates soon followed.
"Penguin!" Shachi called as he saw the unconscious and heavily wounded mechanic lying on the deck.
Josh ran up to him and checked his pulse and then his wounds. "His alive and breathing but we need to take care of these injuries! Garry, help me get him inside to the infirmary!" Garry, one of the other medics nodded and helped Josh carry Penguin.
Meanwhile, Cody took care of Miyako. He looked for a few medics who weren't too injured and as soon as he spotted some, he ordered; "You go look for Sai and Munk. They should be inside the sub. Treat them and get them to the infirmary!" He looked back to the beach to see some Heart pirates still there, and Jean Bart helping Bepo out and staying close to Law just in case.
Abaddon was not far away. The strange man looked around as he was suddenly teleported to the beach and away from the submarine, but he didn't look surprised or confused at all. Instead he simply sighed. "Oh my…I was told to guard the submarine…this is quite troubling." His gaze hidden behind the mask returned from the sub to Law. "I suppose I'll just have to kill you first then." His voice was as monotone as ever as he said that, as if stating some completely normal fact.
Law didn't seem amused in the least and he gave Abaddon a dark look. "Why don't you try it then?" He unsheathed his nodachi and instantly swung a horizontal cut aimed at Abaddon. The other didn't even bother to dodge as his body split in two, but then started connecting itself again. But before it could regenerate completely, Law made fast cuts one after the other, making little pieces of Abaddon fly everywhere in his sphere. *This won't do much good…but at least it'll give us some time.* He outstretched his arms and started playing with the pieces, shuffling them and connecting them with marine parts that were scattered around the sphere from his previous dealings.
But it didn't take long before Abaddon's body started slipping from the other body parts and the slivers crawled to reattach themselves.
"I'm not done yet." Law slashed with his nodachi and outstretched his arm one more time. "Tact" Suddenly the ground on the beach started to rise, sand falling everywhere making a sand cloud in the process. *This will be a good distraction and give us some more time.* With that he moved his fingers and the ground started falling on Abaddon's body, creating a sand pit to bury the strange man under it. "Mister Bart, we need to move quickly!"
"Yes Captain!" Jean Bart took Bepo over his arm and they moved to the submarine.
"Quickly, everyone inside! Mister Bart, prepare the sub for diving!" Law was helping some of his last men on board. Most of them were injured; be it heavily or minor. He's going to have a lot of work in the infirmary and he still needed Cody to patch him up too.
Almost everyone was inside except Law and Cody who made sure the last of the crew enter the sub. Sam came to the entrance soon after. "Captain, we're ready to dive!"
"Alright. Let's go-" Law's eyes widened as a strange feeling surged through his body. It felt hot...burning hot. He could see Cody's surprised and mortified look but couldn't understand what it meant.
"Captain!" Cody yelled, his light blue eyes widening.
Law looked down to see a strange object piercing through his stomach. It looked like an organic object, but in a form of a small spear. The texture looked and felt oddly familiar when Law pulled it out and a second later he realized it belonged to Abaddon. As soon as the object came out of his stomach, it flew back to the beach and towards Abaddon to recombine with his body. Law followed it to see Abaddon who had his upper body freed from the sand while he was still dug into the sand from the waist down. However the temporal inconvenience didn't stop him from trying to give the Heart pirates one last blow. Law didn't even feel the pain at first; only scorching hotness that burned his stomach. Then he coughed, blood spilling from his mouth, before he stumbled. He almost fell overboard but Cody caught him. However his spotted hat wasn't that lucky as it fell from his head and into the sea, disappearing somewhere below. Cody didn't have time to worry about the captain's hat no matter how important it may have been. Last thing Law saw was the medic calling for him before everything went black.
~…..~
Unak watched with a surprised look as he saw the pirate captain fall down. His gaze soon turned towards Abaddon and he growled a war cry. "Men! Get them!" Some of his warriors charged at Abaddon though they weren't very successful. Unfortunately he was in no position to help them. Unak moved sideways and dodged a big axe that flew towards him, then dodged it again when it made an arc in the air and flew back to its master's hand like a boomerang.
"You shouldn't have gotten in our way, foolish little man." Sentomaru didn't look happy at all. "Now I'm gonna hear it from Akainu because I let them escape…" He looked annoyed as he glared at Unak.
Unak only smirked at the marine officer. "Don't underestimate us. I hate pirates…but I hate owing people even more. "
"Tch…I'll finish this quickly and go after the Heart pirates."
"Don't be so sure. We might be more than you can chew! We're tough bastards, you know." Unak grinned and aimed his rifle at Sentomaru. A shot ripped through the air as the battle continued.
~….~
'Beep….beep…beep'
That's all Miyako could hear; she didn't even know for how long anymore. How long has it been since they set sail and dove in the ocean? How long were they already sailing underwater away from the island and the marines? How long has it been since Garry patched her up? How long was she sitting here…next to his bed?
Miyako was out for some time under anesthesia. When she woke up she was faced with the catastrophic consequences of their battle. The infirmary was almost full, medics having to take care of their injuries and of the rest of the crew. Sai, Munk and Penguin had some broken bones due to Abaddon's attack and were resting in their quarters. Bepo was in the infirmary, sleeping soundly with a freshly sewed up scar on his belly. But one fact in particular left Miyako completely stunned; Law was in surgery. It seemed he got pierced by Abaddon in the stomach and was losing blood fast. Josh and Cody were operating on him for hours before they both came out in the middle of the night exhausted but much calmer than before. It was a good thing Bepo was asleep or the situation would be even worse with him panicking over Law the whole time. Instead, all the crew could do was quietly wait for their captain's recovery, cursing their own helplessness in the process. At least that's what Miyako found herself doing while waiting. Josh informed them Law's internal organs weren't damaged which was at least one good thing. However he lost a lot of blood and was recovering slowly.
When the situation on the sub calmed down a little, the medic team split into a night and day shift to watch over the injured in the infirmary. Right now Cody was watching over Law, while Josh got some rest. The taller medic had to practically force the redhead to leave their captain and get some sleep for his own good. It was understandable after all; nobody wanted to leave the captain in that state but right now all they could do was sit and wait. And that's what Miyako was doing now too. Cody tried to make her rest some more too but she refused…she didn't know why, but she couldn't. She wanted to stay beside Law even though she felt utterly useless.
A hand on her shoulder brought her back from her miserable thoughts and she looked up to see Cody standing beside her chair. He tried to put a professional look of a doctor on his face but she could see the pain in his eyes. "He'll be alright. Just give him some time."
Miyako didn't answer anything, just looked back at the sleeping face of her captain. He actually looked peaceful like this…too peaceful. He was deadly pale and completely still. If it wasn't for the constant beeping sign on the machine to measure his vital signs, Miyako would wonder if he was still alive. She never thought she would see the day when she hoped to hear some sassy comment come out of his mouth and she never knew she would miss that heart-piercing look of his he always gave her.
Suddenly a dark look came across her usually gentle features. "I can't believe I actually thought I was getting stronger these past 9 months…In the end I couldn't protect anyone. I'm pathetic…." Miyako didn't even have time to be surprised that she cared so much about the current situation and the wellbeing of the man lying here on the bed. All she knew right now was that the bitter taste in her mouth still wasn't going away and the thought of Law dying was unbearable. She didn't even want to think about it but her annoying mind kept telling 'what-ifs' inside her head.
"We did get stronger...just…not strong enough." Cody whispered, the grip on her shoulder tightening though he probably did it unconsciously. Miyako knew how much Law meant to Cody…to everyone on this submarine. And she couldn't deny this feeling of pain inside her chest either.
"No crew should see their captain in this state." Cody whispered closing his tired eyes for a second.
~…~
Miyako looked at Cody who was silently snoring, leaning uncomfortably on a chair. It's been a few more hours but not many changes in Law's condition; however, Cody was happy to notice his state was slowly improving.
Miyako looked at Law's form again before lowering her gaze. She couldn't even look at her captain right now. She was too ashamed. They faced utter defeat on the island, all of them. *My whole journey…everything sensei taught me…It was all to help me understand…to make me stronger. But I still feel so weak…No! I still AM so weak! I…I couldn't protect anyone.* She bit her lip hard enough to draw blood. She was so frustrated, so angry…but she could only direct all that towards herself. She had been edgy all night, even Cody noticed it so he didn't want to feed fuel to the fire, but she knew it was being unfair…none of them were guilty. She was at fault here for her own weakness. *Tch…I'm really pathetic. I failed everyone…* "I'm sorry…" She whispered though nobody could hear her.
"Why are you crying?"
The soft, hoarse voice brought her back to reality like a splash of cold water. Miyako raised her head quickly with golden eyes wide open. Her stare was directed at the form in the bed. Law's eyes were slightly opened, his gaze on her. But his usual piercing grey eyes didn't have the same sharp edge as usual and that only made the pain in Miyako's chest worse. "Law!" She breathed out, almost jumping from her seat. "How are you feeling?! Do you need anything?"
But Law's stare was piercing her without a word. Only then in that silence did her mind register his question. "huh?" She blinked a few times before raising her hand to her cheek. On her surprise it was warm and wet. She didn't even notice she was crying nor did she know how long was she at it, which bothered her even more. But she didn't have the strength to think about that or anything else right now. Miyako slumped back to her chair and gripped the fabric of her skirt in her fists. Her head was down and she couldn't bear to look at her captain. But what frustrated her the most was the fact that those tears still weren't stopping nor matter how much she willed it. So all she could do was bite her lower lip even harder.
"Miyako…" His hoarse voice started, breaking the silence, but the last thing she wanted to hear right now was his concern for her, while he was the one nearly falling in coma a few hours ago.
"I don't know!" She cut him off before he could continue. "I..I just don't know…I'm sorry…" She wasn't even sure what she was talking about or was she answering his question or one of her own. Right now she didn't even know herself. But Law didn't pressure her or say anything. Instead he silently moved his hand and put it on top of the girl's head, without a word. No words were necessary; both of them understood that much. Words would only make it worse right now. The least Miyako wanted was for someone to try and make her feel better.
*No! What I need right now isn't pity, it's strength. I'll never let any of my friends get hurt like this again. Both Sentomaru and Abaddon will pay!* Miyako could feel her self-pity being replaced by much stronger of an emotion…anger.
(1) A technique that requires great speed, where one targets 8 weak points of the opponent's body; both sides of the torso, both shoulders, both sides of the target's legs , the top of the head and finally the chest in one fluid rush, before passing the opponent and ending behind him.
Yep, and thus ends the dinosaur island arc along with the marine fight. A total defeat of the heart pirates I'd say…but hey, nobody died at least! :) I thought it was time for a change, and this battle was the beginning of it. But of course it's only been 9 months so they're not ready to kick strong marine ass such as Sentomru and Abaddon. Still, they're strength and skills improve and from now we gotta get them even stronger so they can set sail to the New World soon! But there's still more to come before that. And Miyako and Law are getting closer all the time so yay for them. :) Nothing brings you closer than a near death experience of your important person...who you have yet to realize is important. ;)
So yeah, I'll definitively post the next chapter must sooner since the story isn't on pause anymore. Now comes the Heart pirates' healing time but I won't waste too much time on that. (Maybe just for some Miyako- Law moments. ;P)
Hope you enjoyed the chapter! See ya' soon…hopefully. ^^'