Docking
"Don't you think we could of used something bigger?" asked Mikoto as he sat down impatiently in the small tiny rowboat he, Shane, and Bando were in. The rowboat was barely big enough for the three of them and probably as the smallest one in it (Mikoto was around half the size of the other two) he probably felt squished in its small confides. "I mean we are the captains." Mikoto sounded mighty pleased with himself after that statement. It was true that as the captain of a multi-hundred million beli bounty crew, he could afford to sound a little cocky. Maybe...but then again this was Mikoto. He couldn't really rightfully say that he was the captain and deserved the most credit...especially considering that they were using his musician's battle strategy right now and he was the only one not on the front line.
"We need this ship to sneak around the island anything bigger and we would get caught," muttered Shane, grumpily. He never thought that once in his life he would be the most responsible person around. Not like he was irresponsible, he was just always rushing head-first into a battle, which could be seen as very irresponsible by some people (not by him, he only considered it irresponsible if you were going to lose and let's face it. He never did.) "Anyways, I have to ask you, buddy, why didn't you quit like the rest of the scared-y scallywags?" asked Shane, looking over at Bando who seemed to be the only one of three actually focusing on the island, readying himself for battle. Bando breathed out deeply, not paying Shane any mind...that is until Shane abruptly hammered him in the back of the head with his boot heel. "I'M ASKING YOU A QUESTION! WHY ARE YOU STILL HERE!" It was obvious that Shane was not a big fan of being ignored.
Bando was still recoiling from the kick, rubbing the back of his head as he glanced up at Shane, "sorry, bout that...I was just...I was just remembering the last time I was here." Shane piqued up and Mikoto seemed to calm down for bit, halting his rave and turning around plopping into place. The ship shook a little bit causing Shane to nearly kill Mikoto for nearly killing them. Two out of three of them were Devil Fruit users if this small rowboat capsized then indeed they would of died.
"And here I thought it was just because you didn't have your own ship!" laughed Mikoto loudly causing Bando to recoil a bit again. Admittedly he had forgotten his own ship back on the previous island, but he didn't not run away just because of that. As a matter of fact as he stood here looking back at that island he realized there was nothing they could do that could make him run-away now...hell, even if the Infinity Pirates and Dark Knight Pirates had ran away...he still would've charged. "So, go on, you were just about to tell us about the last time you were here."
Bando looked over at the island about to say something, but then he quieted down and shook his head. "Sorry, I consider you guyses my allies, okay...nothing personal, but this is the only reason why I joined our little alliance. I just wanted to take those bastards down. I'm not going to burden you with the weight that's on my back, okay? After this fight I'll be quitting the alliance and you'll probably never hear from me again." Bando stared out over the seas and at the island. "The reason for my fight has nothing to do with you guyses..."
Shane sputtered for a moment, clearly irritated at not being able to know what it was that Bando was so hell-bent on keeping from them...but at least now he knew it was something...probably something stupid, too...Shane shook his head. He shouldn't say that, hell, even if it was something stupid Shane had no right to judge. They all did some stupid things every now and again. "Well, we still have some time before reach shore...even with the Breath Dials I snagged from Skypiea we are going at a fairly slow pace. If either one of you two guys wants to say something, I suggest you do it now."
"I already dun said I'm not saying nuthin'!" apparently Bando's speech was tied into his emotional state as he got angrier...his speech got worse.
"I WASN'T JUST TALKING TO YOU NOW WAS I!?" shouted Shane, butting heads with Bando and knocking him back a few inches.
The two of them stared up the small ship's body and to the stern, where Mikoto was now standing again. His hair was standing on end...his wild instincts once again alerting him to every little sound and vibration that echoed through the water and into the ship. He could hear the sounds of the war already beginning over on the beach. His crew was fighting and soon he would be too. Mikoto brandished his teeth for a brief moment before remembering he was amongst company. He had no idea how to explain it right now, but he seemed to be running on high. Every thunderous assault that was waged on the nearby beach sent shocking vibrations out through the sea that ran up the boat and electrified his spine.
Mikoto's eyes widened for a second, focusing only on the beach and the small fort in the center of it. His barred his teeth once more, tightened his fist until his knuckles turned pure white, his sensitive nose took a whiff of the air...indeed right now the word electrified was the best word to describe Mikoto...no, maybe second best...perhaps the real best word would be simply...'beast'.
"So, he's obviously not going to make for the best conversation partner right now," Shane muttered as he relaxed back and into his spot. Dang, he was stuck on the boat with someone who was more psyched for a fight then him and someone who didn't want to talk about why he was in this at all...Shane was indeed the most-level headed and responsible one in the ship right now. He sulked a bit, admittedly, he kind of wanted to be in Mikoto's spot...awaiting the fight with baited breath. His heart beating so fast one beat became inseparable from the others. His vision focused only one object...his soon-to-be prey. Indeed perhaps Shane was looking at it from an outsider's perspective for the very first time that this was what he was like when he was ready to fight. And it really cemented a single thought into Shane's skull...he REALLY wanted to fight Mikoto.
BUT! But that would have to wait. He knew that Mikoto still wasn't quite prime for the picking. Mikoto still wasn't as good as he could be...and perhaps he wasn't either. He still lacked a completeness as well and where would be the fun in that. He would be the strongest man in the world one day and he would look back at this fight and think 'man, if I had only waited a little bit longer I could've thrashed Mikoto while he was at his best.' That was where the true joy was laying out there for Shane. Hell, compared to that thought of him and Mikoto fighting it out while they were at their best Shane didn't even care for the Shichibukai. His mind and his blood-lust was focused on their final prey way off into the distance. Shane's entire body shook as he leaned back, settling further into his spot. Mikoto may have been described as a 'beast' just mere moments ago, but Shane...Shane could only be described by one word. 'Monster'.
The Fox Brothers seemed to be a laughable comparison. The 'Beast' and the 'Monster'. The duo resting out there on the open sea both of their eyes set to some strange visage of the future, their wild instincts rumbling ready for a fight that would in some way satiate them for the time being. However, only for the time being, as soon as this fight was over, they'd be on their way. Looking for another fight, another way to exercise their might...a way to reclaim this sort of burning passion that was slowly rising up within their bodies. And even though it was only for a moment, even though nobody saw it, Mikoto's tongue flashed out across his lips, covering them in a fresh coat of saliva...he was ready...he was going to enjoy this.
(-With the rest of the Infinity Pirates-)
The pincer attack as it was dubbed seemed to be going off without a hitch. They hadn't seen any of the pirates panicking due to a call from their boss telling them that a third group of three pirates had been seen docking their small, almost unnoticeable rowboat off of the docks just a little to the south. No, as a matter of fact they all seemed to be focusing their concentration here at the impending doom of the Infinity and Dark Knight Pirates. The two pirate crews who even without their captains, who they assumed (wrongly) were still resting inside the ship.
Zesiro, Maria, and Reymundo seemed to have taken the lead with the body count. Zesiro had been here longer, but despite this Reymundo and Maria didn't seem to be letting that get them down. They joined the fight with a rather insane outlook on the world. They charged onto the field brandishing their weapons (or in Maria's case her fist) eager to make up for the lost time with more victories. Her fists flew out like machine gun fire. The first ten or so pirates fell like rocks. They were blown back without a single moment of hesitation between them. One of the pirates turned around, moving to call more of the pirates down, but finally the rest of the Infinity Pirates were on the ground. Aaron moved incredibly fast zipping over and practically on top of the pirate, knocking him to the ground with a swift downwards chop with his arm. "Sonkal." Aaron shifted his weight forward, swinging his arm back up from its now downed position. "Ridge." The twin attacks were like putting the pirate's arm in-between a giant pair of scissors. The man recoiled, sputtering and stumbling before Aaron took another swift step forward. "Hook!" Aaron suddenly shifted, spinning his entire body around, turning the foot he stepped forward with into his pivoting point. He struck out with his leg, curving it at an angle before releasing it with all of his might making contact with his now faltering opponent's chin and his own heel. The man was blown backwards, spinning for a brief moment as his vision blurred before finally blacking out. "Did you see that Rosa-chan?!" shouted Aaron, taking a break from the fight to try and impress the lady.
"Sorry," muttered Rosa as she parried a first pirate's attack before spinning around and jabbing the hilt of her blade into the second's forehead. "I wasn't paying attention, kind of busy at the moment." Rosa ducked beneath the next, slowly swinging her weight forward, intending to put more force behind the next attack then the previous ones. She easily tore the man's sword away from his chest, leaving him wide open for the next attack which was a neat plunge into his upper torso.
"Don't worry, I'll do it again for you!" Aaron said as he returned to the fight, his mind obviously more on the ladies then on the actual fight. However, the crew didn't mind. He was still doing surprisingly well.
All of the Infinity Pirates were out on the battle field...well, all, but one. Ridley, for some reason, was holding back. He had set himself up on the railing and was looking out over the field. He lightly tapped his chin as he was contemplating the current set-up. Something still seemed off about this whole situation. Perhaps it was just his healthy sense of paranoia. However, he had to remind himself they were butting heads with a Shichibukai...could it really, truly be this easy? From the looks of it, it seemed so. Ridley shook his head...it is never as easy as it seemed. Their first strategy was basically ruined because of the Fox Brother's genius move and now they were basically improvising. It was a quick fix to a good plan.
Still, Ridley reclined a little further...the Fox Brothers made no attempt to stop them. Why would he do something like that? Ridley shook his head, it made no sense. There had to be something he was overlooking. That was the only thing that made true sense at this point. Ridley hated to admit it, but he knew for a fact that they didn't stand a chance in strategy. Mikoto understood their position better then anybody. Strategy-wise...they just had to make do. That was their only bet in that department...make do and believe in Mikoto, although that second part was easier said than done.
Oh, well, until then, they just had to continue with the plan. Since they were currently like three-fourths short of the men they were planning to have, they'd just have to make do. A full-scale assault. While it meant leaving their ship unguarded for a period of time, they didn't have much of a choice they needed all of the hands they could get when it came time to level that fort. Hiro-Shu, Zesiro, Rosa, and sadly even Lily were going to be thrust out and into the war, leaving their ship defenseless. Then again Ridley had to admit their ship wasn't exactly the best of ships, it would probably be idea to snatch the Fox Brother's ship and be on their way. Spoil of war and all that.
"You coming, Ridley?" shouted Zesiro as the fighting died down. There were still one or two pirates remaining, but for the most part they had all been taken out (a few of them did manage to sneak away and lose themselves in the forested part of the island). Ridley nodded, leaping off of his small perch and onto the floor. "Now what? We just charge into the enemy territory?" From the way Zesiro had said it, it was obvious that he had somewhat of similar stance on this as Ridley. It seemed too easy for a Shichibukai. However, again like Ridley, he had no idea on what else it could be. Maybe they just didn't consider them a challenge with their forces cut down to such an extent. But would a Shichibukai really be so lax?
Ridley paused for a moment as he noticed Zesiro was still waiting for an answer. He looked around and noticed that a bunch of the other crew mates were as well, even people from Shane's crew. Ridley smirked as he cast a gaze up the island. "Let's cause an uproar!" Ridley shouted flipping his guitar around and holding in front of him, playing a quick rift to signal their attacks. When it came to causing an uproar Ridley was definitely one of the best of them. The group of pirates let out a cheer of approval. They would meet up with their captains at the fort.
The crew headed out, roaring through the island. They were like a hurricane, slicing through anyone in their way, blowing down trees and houses that were in the way with incredible ease. The few pirates that managed to rush forward and take up the challenge again were knocked down almost instantly.
"I feel as if we are being watched," muttered Reymundo as he stopped in his tracks, causing everybody to slow down slightly. They paused and hesitated for just a split second. It seemed as if someone else was around and slowly stalking in the forest. It kind of sucked, the heavy forestation all around them made it difficult to see them, but they all felt the same kind of chill through their body. Definitely...someone else was definitely out there. Then again even then something was off...it was quite possible it wasn't just a someone.
No, this strange disturbing air that seemed to coil around them, choking their necks and forcing them to swallow harshly. The aura that chilled the air in an instant definitely wasn't that of a human.
I have absolutely no idea as to what the next chapter is about so I don't have the next chapter title included here. Its just on a different computer than the one I'm using now.