Charging Forward
"The gate!" shouted Hiro-Shu as the large iron cross-hatched wall was in sight. Enma and Aaron looked over at their partner as the large iron gate came into view. They smiled. The first break-in would be soon. Hiro-Shu tightened his grip and charged forward, in terms of raw and purely natural strength they doubted even Maria could give Hiro-Shu a run for his money. The gate was right there and in their view. Hiro-Shu leaned back, sending his massive weight behind him, preparing to launch it all at the gate with a tremendous right leading it. His entire body snapped forward, Hiro-Shu shifted his weight perfectly, sending all of his strength from his legs and into his abdomen increasing its strength ten-fold at the waist, and then out through his arm and smashing with the force unlike ever before into the gate. The entire body of the wall shook as the punch thundered through it.
However, the gate didn't break.
Indeed probably the indomitable dream, the most aspired to thing of any wall, gate, or door is the ability to keep intruders out and this one did just that. Hiro-Shu shuddered back, shaking his fist, feeling a little bit of the reverb shake through his body. "What the hell?" stated Aaron as his entire body could still feel the reverb from Hiro-Shu's fist as well. The ground was shaking with the momentum, almost an earthquake was blasting back and through each of them. "It should've broke!" Aaron shouted loudly. "You hit it with everything you had, right? Everything, right?"
Hiro-Shu paused for a second looking down at his fist...everything...damn well near everything was put behind that punch. He could feel the transition throughout his entire body, the power pulsing, his muscles roaring as the came alive...and yet, Hiro-Shu was one more forced to look up at the gate, still standing, not the least bit broken. Still a shining example for walls everywhere. His two partners looked back over at him, expecting him to say something, but just stood quiet. While it is true that Hiro-Shu is ordinarily a very quiet man...there was something different about this quiet, something unsettling.
"Ku ku!" laughed a voice as a large man, bolstering a turtle shell on his back came out from around the corner of the gate. "I am the gatekeeper of this gate. I am here to stop any and all intruders." Enma and Aaron both took up an offensive stance, readying for the battle. "Ku ku! My ony job is to stop intruders who break through the gate and it is fairly obvious that you can't do that. Ku ku!" Enma and Aaron turned around and faced Hiro-Shu, if the Iron Golem couldn't break it down what chance did that have? "Of course, don't feel bad. It is a very special wall designed by Master Alistair. It had seastone built into so not even Devil Fruit users can break through. Heavy duty rubber built into the connecting joints make it an invincible wall that can absorb even the strongest of shock waves. Try all you want, but the bottom line is this wall is indestructible."
"Then why are you guarding it?" asked Enma, seeing a prime opportunity to get under an opponent's skin. "If its so indestructible then why do they have someone guarding it? Or is it that they don't trust you to be able to pull a real job, so they gave you the easiest job of them all? Protector of a gate that doesn't need protecting?" The turtle man looked a little taken back, but he shook his head apparently trying to ignore Enma's taunts, which turned out to be right on the money. After all the time he spent playing poker he got a knack for seeing through people's poker faces and right to the point, the turtle was definitely starting to feel bugged. "There's even another gate on the inside, right? So what are you even protecting if somebody did get past these gates? Another indestructible gate?"
"Ku ku! That gate inside, hah, don't make me laugh?" muttered the turtle man, "its an old gate from the village that was here before the Fox Brothers took over the island. Its a crummy old stone gate. The fort is from a bygone era as well. This entire island was lost in history until Master Alistair found it and decided to make it move forward! He built the outer walls, installed high-tech technology that even the next century will never see. He's a genius! A man without peer! He may have had to wipe all of this island's citizen's straight from the map, but it was worth it! Look at me!" The turtle stepped back and revealed his shell, which was actually a detachable shield. "This shield works like a boomerang, giving me the ability to mow down opponent's even from afar. Not only that, but it is every bit as indestructible as that wall! How does that make you feel, huh? That wall even your buddy couldn't break down is reproduced in my shield! I'm invincible!"
"So, if we break down the gate, you'll be just as easy then, right?" asked Hiro-Shu as he stepped forward and moved closer to the gate causing the turtle to look up at him. "You just said that this gate and your shield are made of the same stuff, right? So, if I blow this gate down, doesn't that mean you'll be blown down just as easily?" The turtle took a step back, for the first time since he had taken up this position he had met someone who seemed to reek of pure power. A man of solemnness and yet as the turtle man stood there, watching him approached the door with a steady gait, he could swear he could hear the rumbling of thunder. "I'll break the gate down and then move on to you."
"Hiro-Shu," Enma muttered, knowing full-well that their navigator was still holding something back. Ever since the URA Enma knew Hiro-Shu was holding something back. That speed boosting technique that required Hiro-Shu to rapidly shift his weight using his momentum and spinning in a circle. A move that turned Hiro-Shu's hefty weight into a lightning fast movement. "I've warned you before that using such a move is dangerous to your health, the sudden shift is too much for your hip and waist to bear. Speaking specifically its a technique that only you can do, but it is a technique that no human in the entire world should ever do."
"I've got two tricks left up my sleeve and a promise that I'd break in to the inner gates, if you won't let me use this one, then I'll just have to use the other one," Hiro-Shu muttered as he got into place. Enma paused for a few seconds as he tried to think about it. Another trick? As far as Enma was concerned he never recalled another attack of Hiro-Shu's. Fire, iron fists, and that weight-shifting move was about as far back as Enma could trace it. Still there was an uneasy feeling welling up in Enma's chest...something else from far ago that made Enma feel like taking a step back. That was when it hit him, it was TOO far back then, but it was there.
"Hiro-SHU!"
Hiro-Shu wound up, taking his distance and did exactly what Enma told him not to do. He began to swerve, picking up speed as he rotated his body to the left and then cranked to the right, his massive weight picked suddenly shifted the trajectory and made him pick up speed. However, he knew that even then that wouldn't be enough. AGAIN! Hiro-Shu swerved back, picking up speed and accumulating more damage on his waist and hips. And then again! Each and every wound brought Hiro-Shu's speed up another notch. "Fists of Iron!" Hiro-Shu slammed his foot forward, feeling the speed turn into pure power all the way up and through his arm. "Iguko's WILL!" Hiro-Shu's fist slammed into the heavy iron gate as he reached forward and knocked it completely free from its hinges and sent it flying past the turtle man, who could just barely stand there and watch. "Relax, Enma...I know better then to use the other technique on something as stupid as this." Enma sighed with relief, while he was angry with Hiro-Shu for using that momentum trick, it was definitely worth it for this moment.
"You fools!" shouted the turtle man as he leapt back and opened his arms wide, "you do not know who you are dealing with now! I am level three predator! That's right as you get in deeper you will find foes twice as strong as me and then foes nearly twice as strong as them! In other words, even if you get past me, you will still have to put up with them."
"Why do all the bad guys keep saying that?" asked Aaron as he walked forward, basically teleporting right next to the turtle with his inhuman speed. "They keep saying that they are so weak compared to the next guy. Is that supposed to frighten us? I think if our big buddy has proven anything to you, its simple." Aaron twisted around, lifting one leg directly into the air and back down, clashing with the turtle's shield, which he held up above his head to block the kick with. There were sharp spikes on the shield, which dug into Aaron's leg, but he just laughed it off and grinned. He jumped into the air and brought his second leg around, smashing it into the side of the turtle's abdomen, crushing it through and through before landing safely again. "I think he proved that we aren't going to back down."
"Man, even level three opponent's seem to be weak, what the hell is up with that?" asked Aaron as he moved forward, before flinching as he stepped lightly with his now injured leg. "Crap." Aaron lifted his leg up and stretched it out as he grimaced at the thought.
Enma nodded, but he knew the truth. There was definitely something wrong. Aaron had completely intended to kill the turtle with the first kick. However, the shield and the turtle's own quick reaction managed to stop it. In the end, Aaron probably would've won anyways, but the fact was plain and simple even for Aaron. Things weren't easy. The turtle's shield had lived up to his boast, crushing Aaron's one ultimate weapon, his legs. If it had happened to Mikoto they would have to turn back and call this entire mission a bust. Come to think of it...Enma spun his shoulder. The hawk from before had landed a good blow on him too...if that attack had been aimed at Mikoto he probably would've been significantly weakened. Any one of these foes was enough to permanently disable a fighter. Enma guessed that was why they had decided to split their forces like this.
Biri-Biri. Enma stopped, shaking his head as he heard the familiar ringing. Biri-Biri. Enma turned to the turtle guard and walked over to him. Biri-Biri. It was a Den-Den Mushi. Enma lifted up the small Den-Den Mushi and clicked it. Maybe it was talking about how the other gates were handling this mess. They probably should've thought of carrying Den-Den Mushis on them to stay in contact, but they couldn't cause they didn't have enough money to buy them. As it turned out their bounties were in no way, shape, or form a reflection of their pocket book.
"This is the South Door! We have been over-taken the Infinity Pirate and the Dark Knight Pirates are charging in!" shouted the voice from the other side. Enma nodded, that was Reymundo's group. Before Enma even had the chance to hang-up the next gate reported in. "We are fighting them at the East Gate as we speak! But they are over-powering us! It'll only be a matter of time before we lose, requesting reinforcements! I repeat requesting reinforcements!" Enma nodded swiftly once more pleased at the current turn of events. It looked as if everything was going perfectly according to plan. Enma supposed he should take some extra precautions just in case, but that would just be him acting overly cautious. He stood there as he awaited for the third and final gate to call in complaining of being over-run, but there was no call. Perhaps they had already broken through? True, with Maria's strength there is always the possibility. Or maybe they just weren't there yet. Enma indeed supposed that was probably it. It made the most sense. However, Enma couldn't help, but tremble when he considered the other possibility and how real it was. Finally he heard the Den-Den Mushi go off again, he eagerly clicked the button in order to hear of his friend's exploits, but that wasn't what he heard.
"Yeah, we just stopped them over here at the West Gate," said the gruff voice on the other line. Enma froze for a few seconds, he hoped by that he meant they just stopped them from breaking the gate. "We'll head over there as soon as we drop them off in the prison." Enma felt his body go cold.
"Excuse me, but was that part of the plan?" asked Aaron with all honest intent of finding out. He indeed had not been listening no matter how many times they explained the plan. He probably just thought they were making good time and there was nothing to worry about.
"No," muttered Enma, "it is definitely not a part of the plan."
"Oh," Aaron shrugged, "its just Ridley's group right? Who all was in it?"
Enma stood still for a few minutes as he tried to recall the names, "Ridley, of course, the doctor from Shane's crew, a few other members from Shane's crew, and..." Enma's voice trailed off as he realized that this was definitely a detrimental loss to them. He could see why the villains they beat up kept saying they were weaker then the rest. It was because of this. "Maria." They had just lost one of their strongest fighters...was it because of these so-called higher level predators? Were they just outnumbered? Something else that Enma didn't know about! There were too many questions...not enough answers. And Enma doubted he would get them any time soon.
"RAR!" shouted Aaron, "I must go help my dear sweet Maria!" He turned to take off, running, but Hiro-Shu grabbed him and held him down with one hand. "What are you doing? My dear sweetheart is meant to be rescued by me! She's probably all alone in her cell, crying that her dear sweet Aaron isn't there to protect her!"
"She'd punch you if she heard what you were saying about her," stated Hiro-Shu coldly, "do you really think she needs you? She knows what she got herself into, okay? Just call it day and get these fantasies out of your head. We are on a mission to take out the Shichibukai's on this island, okay? Not indulge in your fantasies. If you can't focus on the first mission then you can leave this island whenever you want." Aaron crawled back a bit, he wasn't happy with how Hiro-Shu spoke to him, but he supposed...in a way...despite wanting to save Maria...Hiro-Shu was right. He'd have to believe in Maria for the time being and put his own fantasies (although, to Aaron they were more like realities) on hold.
"But if anything happens to her..." Aaron began before Hiro-Shu held up a hand signaling that he didn't have to say any more. He knew all too well. He was risking his friend's life by believing in them till the end. It was hard to tell if this was what made the backbone of the Infinity Pirates so strong...or...if it was the most dangerous aspect about them. Aaron nodded, knowing Hiro-Shu would take full responsibility if it came to that. IF...however, Aaron knew that they would do everything in their power to make sure it didn't. "Come on, we got to go meet up with Mikoto and Shane to start the attack. If these Shichibukai bastards have laid even one finger on her gorgeous head...I'll break their's in."
Aid on the BattleField
You know, how last chapter I said I was ending Saga in five or so arcs. Please note that my arcs can stretch anywhere from 20-50 chapters. That means about 250 chapters of this behemoth remains. Don't feel sorry that Saga is disappearing, we still have so much left to cover.