~ "It's always calm before the storm."
Chapter 4: The Storm, Part 1
Loguetown
Hands slammed against the wooden table, breaking the entire thing in half, and sending papers and books flying in the air before they landed on the ground in a heap where more piles of research lay in disarray. It was a gigantic mess that was disregarded by the two occupants of the small room.
Erza wore a frustrated frown, obviously angered by the findings that they have read through for the past few hours. Findings that displeased them greatly.
Grey sat against the shelf of books that had been nearly emptied throughout their hasty research. Unlike Erza, he sat still, quietly brooding in the corner while holding onto a sheet of paper with a drawing of a map on it.
Erza gritted her teeth, staring off into space with that same angry expression.
"What the hell… is this?"
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Sabaody…
Gildarts stared in shock from his position behind the wall of a building. 'Anger' was not an emotion that could fully describe what he was feeling at the moment. Furious was still too much of an understatement.
Fucking-pissed-off-beyond-belief seemed like a better description. And even then, he still believed it wasn't enough.
The group of people that had walked in quite honestly made him feel a certain way that would, most likely, have him demolish the entire square with his mere magical presence.
The bastards stood above everybody else; people were literally groveling on the ground and staring at the grass the way a guilty dog might when confronted by a furious owner.
They wore the most ridiculous outfits that Gildarts had ever seen. And if the ambiance of the situation were different, he would definitely be cackling at their appearance like there was no tomorrow.
But now, the outfit just pissed him off. Especially because, just by staring at it, it gave him an idea of what it stood for.
These people—a man, a woman, and a small kid—were morbidly obese to obscene levels that made him sick to his stomach. They wore a cocky expression that have been, by now, permanently etched on their faces. Their hairstyles were erected in the air like a tower, and curled at the top underneath their bubble headsets.
Their mere appearance wasn't what pissed him off the most though. It was the long rope of chains held in their hands from one end that connected to the neck of various other people on the other end that angered him. They were wearing the same collar as the poor man in the middle of the square, with nothing but dirty rags covering their filthy and skinny bodies.
Even the young boy of the family was holding onto long ropes of chains, and the sight made Gildarts sick to his stomach.
The woman in the crazy getup sighed dramatically, "Another waste," she said. Gildarts flinched when her heeled toe kicked the unconscious man the way one would a dead bird. He clenched his hands so tightly he could feel his fingernails dig into the skin of his palms and protrude blood.
"I told you he was trouble," stated the old man as he stared at the body with no compassion whatsoever, more like he was a broken toy thrown into the trash, "should've put him to sleep when we had the chance."
The woman scoffed, "It's not too late for that." Before anybody could react, she took out an object from within the folds of her suit, and Gildarts' eyes widened when he recognized the sight of a gun in her gloved hands.
Gildarts froze in shock as the woman pointed the gun at the downed body before pulling the trigger.
Everybody in the square flinched at the sound of the gun going off, and Gildarts watched with unbridled fury as more blood began to poor out of the body. He hadn't even realized he had taken a step forward - causing more cracks to appear on the ground beneath him - until he felt Rayleigh's hand gripping the back of his hood tightly, eventually stopping him.
"Stupid."
BANG!
"Useless."
BANG!
"Trash."
BANG! BANG!
With each 'bang' that resonated throughout the entire square—hurting the ears and morality of everyone in the vicinity who was unfortunately close enough to hear it—Gildarts found his fury spiking even more and more to the point that he feared his scale might break and release an explosion that would implode everything and everyone around him.
His face contorted painfully. The presence holding him back from murdering the group of people in the middle—'Tenryuubito'—became more and more faint to the point that Gildarts was vaguely aware of it.
'Rayleigh' who?
"You there!" the woman pointed at a man in the crowd, an innocent bystander wearing an apron with the words 'Kiss the Cook' written across it. The man yelped and shook in his boots as the woman carelessly pointed the same gun she used to shoot at the slave towards him.
"Get this mess out of our way, you putrid skunk!" She motioned towards the body she had just shot.
The man nodded vehemently and clumsily rushed towards the corpse, nearly tripping on his own two feet in the process.
"Who the hell do they think they are?" Gildarts could vaguely hear his daughter whisper in a shaky tone that spoke of the ire that consumed her. It was a tone that he had never ever heard emanating from her mouth before. It honestly made him quite proud - as a father - that she was capable of creating such an intimidating tone. Her voice was filled with unbridled fury that she was most likely struggling to contain so she wouldn't do anything rash.
There was the sound of nervous shuffling behind them before Rayleigh released a small sigh. A sigh that spoke of how tired the old man was of trying to come up with a way to explain this common, and sick occurrence in a delicate manner to tourists who would have a hard time believing it in the first place.
"As I said before they're called the 'Tenryuubito', or the Celestial Dragons if you prefer," Rayleigh began, as they watched the cook attempt to lift the large body that was as limp as a sack of potatoes. Except it was heavier than one, as shown through the obvious struggle the man was having just trying to wrap the corpse's heavy arm around his neck.
"Let's just say that they're practically Gods. Due to the fact that their ancestors were the creators of the World Government, they have more power and authority than anyone else in the world."
The man tried in vain to wrap the slave's arm around his neck, the shaking still quite evident in his body as he feared for his life and struggled with the weight. The Celestial Dragons continued to taunt him and berate him for his efforts.
"If they want to kill someone in the middle of the square for no other reason than for breathing, they have the authority to do so. They want to marry someone in the crowd, they don't need consent. They want to have slaves, there's no one who can stop them," he then narrowed his eyes at them, "if somebody were to try to stop them, then an Admiral would be sent out immediately and they will dispose of the offender themselves."
Gildarts' eyes widened in horror.
What the hell?
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Yuki Island...
The climate of Yuki Island was one of a winter wonderland. A blanket of snow covered the entire land, creating a sheen of bright whiteness that was nearly blinding. The two mountains that were presumably rugged and pointy underneath the frozen water, were nothing but large lumpy hills that grew to a point that they touched the clouds up above.
This, was the island that never stopped snowing. Literally.
Never could the people of the village ever recall a day where snow was not the forecast-ed weather. Because it always snowed. In fact, there were legends that the island was actually much smaller in reality, but because of all the snow, the island continued to become thicker and even grew in length due to the snow that accumulated throughout the years.
It was for this reason that Yuki Island was hardly located by the log poses of pirates and marines.
The forest that surrounded the hills and covered more than two-thirds of the island, was smothered in large pine trees that grew so much to the point that even if one were to stretch their neck as far back as they could, they still wouldn't be able to see the top.
Because of the abnormal height of these trees, it was damn near impossible to catch sight of the small town that was established in the middle of the two mountains. Where they both created a large valley and the snow was few and not as smothering as it was throughout the rest of the island.
It was a rather small town. The huts that were spread across the valley in varying spots were of different shapes and sizes, making it seem like a village out of a story book where small magical creatures lived in peace and hidden from society.
The people that lived here were not in such small amounts, but neither were they large enough to create a big crowd. They lived in a peaceful town where everybody knew everybody's name and small parties where everybody was invited took place in the middle of the square.
Due to the fact that their magnetic field was not strong enough to catch the log poses' attention, pirates and marines rarely visited the island. If at all. Connection with the outer world was practically nonexistent, and the World Government was vaguely even aware of the island's existence. Newspapers were scanty; arriving at a rate of once every six months. Sometimes they'd even go years without a News Coo passing by.
The last time an outsider had been here, had been twenty years ago.
And that man had been Edward Newgate, otherwise known to the world as 'Whitebeard'.
The man and his crew had landed on the island by incident and made a huge impact on the people that inhabited it.
But that, was a story for another time.
Because right now, a more important story was taking place in this island where peace reigned and uneventful days were a commodity.
"Come on get moving!"
Doors were kicked open and people were grabbed roughly by the scruff of their jackets before being taken from their homes. Women held on to their dear children who cried in fear as they were shoved in the direction of the middle of the town. Men complied without hesitation as they were threatened with a bullet to the head by the very people who were supposed to protect them in the first place.
Vice-Admiral Raiden Tameemon stared at the scene with cold, calculating eyes. Watching as his soldiers pulled families out of their homes and shoved them to the middle of the town where he stood waiting. Women, men, children, elders; it didn't matter who it was, none of them were shown mercy as the Marines dragged them roughly and threatened them with guns if they refused to comply.
So far, casualties had been prevented. So far.
Once the Marines were sure that everybody had been gathered, they surrounded the circle of people that they had rounded up like sheep, with their weapons at the ready in case anybody got out of line. Crying mothers held on to their weeping children and fathers stood tall to protect families. Marines held their weapons up as the civilians continued to cause a commotion.
Raiden rolled his eyes and pulled out a gun from his pockets before shooting it in the air, startling the people silent. Once he was sure he had their attention, he put the gun back in its place.
He glared at the civilians with a scrutinizing look that could probably melt all the snow of the island.
They had arrived at the island a little more than an hour ago. An island that had been an utter bitch to find due to the fact that that the eternal log pose they had been given, was crappy and obviously hadn't been used in decades. The needle that was supposed to lead them to their destination decided to act difficult and kept shaking in random directions at all times, before setting back on Yuki Island... only for it to start shaking again. It had been frustrating and irritating, and Raiden was honestly not in the best of moods to deal with non-compliant civilians who lived in a third-world society.
Then again, he was never in a good mood. That was something that could be stated by the many marines who have sailed with him for a short amount of time. Soldiers never lasted long under Raiden's command. This was because the man cared not for their safety and sometimes even used them as stress balls or punching bags, which would result in crippling injuries that would end their careers most of the time.
The soldier that has currently lasted the longest under his command, was barely transferred to his unit one week ago.
The civilians stood shaking in fear and anticipation, standing before the intimidating man who seemed like he wouldn't hesitate to snap their necks like twigs.
Raiden cleared his throat loudly. The others flinched at the rough noise.
"Ok... tell me where it is…"
0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o
Amazon Lily…
The nightmare that had gripped him tightly for what seemed like decades, finally loosened its hold on him as consciousness began to drift back in and he was roused from his deep sleep. His lips released a sharp gasp that made him aware of the rawness in his dry throat as he sat up abruptly, and caused the birds that had been surrounding him since he fell unconscious to fly away in fear.
The strange cawing that echoed in the area around him did nothing to relieve him of the immense fear that had his heart pounding, and lungs heaving heavily as he struggled to catch his breath from the horror he had just escaped from.
A horror that he could no longer recall.
He clutched his chest with a weary hand and leaned back against the bark of the tree he had been sleeping under.
"Dream… just a dream…" he vaguely found himself muttering.
He shut his eyes tightly against the blurry images that infiltrated his mind. They were vestiges of the hallucinations he had fallen under while in the darkness of his mind, and disfigured pictures that flashed across his eyes and taunted him.
"A dream," he whispered again with a finality to his tone.
He finally took one final deep breath and let his painfully tense limbs loosen, feeling like his body would nearly melt back against the tree trunk if he relaxed any further.
He tersely blinked his lids and briefly glanced with weary eyes at the surrounding area.
He would be lying if he said he knew how he got here.
The scene was different from the one he had previously woken up to. Instead of the tall buildings and paved streets, there was rugged ground and grass and trees bigger than small buildings, surrounding him. Instead of women dressed in scanty clothing and eyeing him with hungry eyes, there were creatures such as birds and small rodents that were eyeing him curiously before moving on as if he was never there in the first place.
It was much more pleasant if he did say so himself.
He groaned as he stretched his limbs and slightly lifted his stiff body from the ground, pushing himself against the tree trunk in a sitting position.
He was tired.
No. He was so freaking exhausted.
Which was odd. Sure he had practically depleted all his magical reserves during the battle at Tenrou Island, but surely by now he should have at least some new magical energy in his reserves. But... there wasn't any.
He just felt more tired and utterly exhausted. He barely even had the strength to get up from his position on the ground.
The few minutes before he fainted and woke up under this tree, were hazy and vaguely recognizable. He didn't know how far he ran nor where he ran towards. Nor did he know where the women that had been chasing him went.
He lost them. That much he was sure of.
He just didn't know how. The last thing he remembers is using a pulse of magical energy to destroy the bars of his cell, then a crippling feeling of weakness before a burst of magic made itself known, and filled his entire being with an overwhelming power that gave him the energy to run away from his pursuers.
Then he woke up here.
And that's that.
He didn't know where he was, but he assumed he must be on the outskirts of the empire he had been in.
The sunlight that streamed through the tree canopies was warm and inviting, but irritating to his eyes.
He groaned and wiped his eyes with sweaty hands. He had to move on. Based on what the old woman told him, Mirajane was back at the empire, and he had to find her before he could go find Laxus and the rest of his comrades.
There was also the issue that they had to find out what happened at Tenrou Island.
So with new resolution, Freed voiced thoughts of encouragement to himself and painfully lifted himself up from the ground.
His hand gripped the tree bark in an attempt to sustain his body and keep himself from falling over. His body was stiff and exhausted, like he just ran a nonstop marathon for three days straight.
'What the hell was that, anyway?'
He still remembered the burst of magical energy that had overwhelmed his entire body and made his stamina go from a zero, to a whooping hundred in under a freaking minute. It had felt… amazing.
He had no idea how that happened, but he won't bother to look a gift horse in the mouth. That burst of magic gave him the energy he needed to escape from his captors and move on to his next goal: find Mirajane.
He released a loud sigh before letting his hand fall away from the tree and took a step forward… only to nearly trip on his own feet when his eyesight became blurry and his limbs failed him.
He gasped and gripped the tree once again before his entire body could flop on the ground and jostle his wounds that still hadn't healed.
Okay, maybe he'll continue looking for Mirajane after he's rested for a little while.
He couldn't do that here though. Most likely, those women were still searching for him, and he had to get a move on before they could find him and bring him back to captivity.
He had to find a hiding place where he could gather his strengths.
His ears perked up at the sound of rustling leaves. His eyes narrowed and he sighed in frustration.
Well... so much for resting.
0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o
Little Garden
Two. Days.
That's how long they've been stuck on this island... and still there was no progress made in their attempt to escape the damn place.
Lucy watched with solemn eyes as the fire that Natsu had ignited earlier continued to burn down the carcass of the dinosaur Dorry had brought in. She wasn't really hungry. Thoughts of what might have happened to her friends and what might happen to them plagued her nightmares and waking dreams.
The worry that consumed her was overwhelming and frightening. Her anxiety was eased by nothing, except for the fact that at least she had one of her closest friends alongside her to help her through their ordeal.
A friend who didn't seem to mind gobbling down large amounts of meat without hesitation.
"Mu Haf fo eet pho keef mu fent hu," ("You have to eat to keep your strength up"), Natsu spoke through a mouthful of meat while shoving a large piece of cooked meat in front of Lucy's face.
Lucy stared impassively at the offered food and sighed. "How can you even be so relaxed?"
Natsu looked confused.
"Our friends are... who-knows-where doing... who-knows-what, and we're stuck in a different world," she rambled, "I mean, what if they're not even in this world with us? What if they're still back there at Tenrou Island fighting against that dragon and need our help? What if…"
So many varying, and unwanted, possibilities filtered through her mind, running rampant and increasing her anxiety to massive levels, like a monster leaning over her shoulder. Varying possibilities that frightened her and kept her awake at night when her mind refused to fall asleep, as it was taken over by the worry that consumed her.
Their friends could be scattered all around this entire world, running around like headless chickens without any comprehension or idea of where they are. They could be attacked by the evil people of this world and maybe even hurt worse than before. Or they could be back in their world and fighting against the dragon that had nearly annihilated them with one breathe. Or they could be...
Erza, Cana, Grey… they could all be…
BAM!
"OW!"
Lucy yelped as she clutched her head tightly where a small bruise began to form at the top. Her eyes leaked small tears as her senses focused on that small area where pain radiated, thanks to a large fist that had connected harshly with it.
She turned to glare at Natsu, but her hurt expression and teary eyes did nothing to intimidate the man that was still munching on a leg with one hand and holding his other smoking fist - that had connected with Lucy's head earlier - up in the air.
"Stop thinking that," she heard him mutter through the food. Lucy's glare and angry expression fell as she took in the serious tone in her friend's voice.
"They're going to be okay," he said with a resolution that Lucy could never hope to match up. He turned to face her with a bright and determined smile that would always fill her with resolve every time she caught glimpses of it. "They're Fairy Tail after all."
Lucy flinched at the statement in surprise. Slowly, a small smile made itself known across her expression, and she nodded.
"Yeah," she agreed.
"Ah! How is it?"
A booming voice echoed in their ears and both Mages turned to see Dorry coming out from within the trees of the jungle, holding a large T-Rex in one hand and his large bloodied weapon in the other.
Natsu smiled in greeting upon seeing their new friend. "Delicious! Thanks, Giant-san!"
Lucy's eyebrow twitched in irritation when she heard the new nickname Natsu seemed to have for the giant man. But, chose not to comment when the large man didn't seem to mind.
"Gegyagyagyagya! I'm glad!" he stated as he dropped the giant dinosaur on the ground, next to the fireplace that had been placed in the middle of the logs where they sat in front of the cave entrance. The weight of the creature caused the ground beneath them to shake, and whereas Lucy yelled in surprise as she flew slightly in the air, Natsu didn't seem bothered at all by the quake.
Dorry groaned as he took a seat on the giant tree trunk that lay on the opposite side of the campfire.
"So, how's the raft going?"
The two Mages groaned in displeasure.
Dorry hummed, "Not well I suppose."
"Nope," Lucy sighed, before taking a bite of a small piece of meat she had ripped out from the mass of the half-eaten carcass of the stegosaurus.
"That's too bad," he mentioned before placing the dinosaur on top of the fire.
Lucy nodded solemnly.
"Why don't you just use one of the ships stranded on the island?"
"I don't kno-" she stopped, and blinked her wide eyes.
…
"WHAT!?" cried out Lucy, startling Natsu who stopped in the middle of his meal and turned to look at her in surprise.
"Y-y-y-you mean there are…"
Dorry nodded. "Not a lot of sailors survive in the Grand Line, and when they land here, they don't usually survive the elements here long enough to reach us. Or, they try to attack us and it ends up in an unpleasant situation," he ended the sentence uncomfortably. "Anyway, their ships are still there near the waters. Some of them are wrecked, but you might find something useful to aid you."
"Why didn't you tell us this before?!" Lucy questioned angrily.
Dorry shrugged nonchalantly, "you didn't ask."
Lucy facepalmed. Natsu just laughed.
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Yuki Island…
The tension among the crew was astronomical.
Soon after seeing the Marines docking on the island, Thatch ordered the crew to move further away from the marines' position and towards the other side of the island where they would avoid being spotted.
Now, they were docked on a part of the island - far from the Marines- wearing large winter coats, and standing on the snowy ground trying to come up with a plan of attack.
"What are we gonna do, Commander?" asked one of the crew-members nervously.
Thatch didn't respond, seemingly pondering the question himself.
"There wouldn't be any point in all of us going back to the Moby Dick," he finally said. He crossed his arms across his chest and stared pensively at the ground. "We could send someone to call reinforcements, but by the time they arrive it could be far too late, not to mention we need as many people as we can up in arms here."
"I could go back," voiced Laxus.
Thatch shook his head, "It's too dangerous. You don't even know how to navigate this ship. Not to mention you have to wait an hour before you're able to take more of that medication the nurses gave you."
Laxus didn't offer anymore of his help once his motion sickness was mentioned (immediately feeling queasy at the thought of sailing that ship on his own). "Isn't there some other way to call for help?" he asked.
"We could use the Den Den Mushi we have with us, but even if we were to reach them, we have the only Vivre Card that leads us here since we haven't split it up between us."
"Vivre Card?" Laxus asked curiously.
Thatch pulled out a white piece of paper from the inside of his pockets and Laxus noticed the way it seemed to move in a certain direction, towards the inside of the island.
"Since the island doesn't have a strong magnetic field and the log pose can't catch it, the mayor of the town here gave us a Vivre Card so we would be able to find it whenever we need to come here," he explained.
"It's the reason why marines and pirates don't usually come here," continued another crew-member.
Laxus nodded in understanding.
"Which is why I'm having a hard time understanding how they even managed to find it in the first place," said Thatch, "there isn't even an eternal log pose that we know of that leads here. A Vivre Card is the only way to find this place. Well, as far as we know."
"Either way," Thatch frowned and turned to stare in the direction of the large hills that Laxus had stared at in awe earlier (they were HUGE!), "we have to have a plan of attack in place. I don't know what the World Government is doing here out of all times, but it can't be good."
"So what are we going to do?" asked a crew-member.
"Vice-Admiral, Raiden Tameemon, was the one leading the crew here," the rest of Thatch's crewmebers gasped loudly and began whispering among themselves fearfully. Laxus stared at them in confusion. He didn't know who this 'Raiden Tameemon' was (obviously), but based on their reactions and the serious expression Thatch wore (a man who was typically in a cheery and goofy mood), it couldn't be good. And he mentally groaned at the thought that he hasn't even been stuck in this world for a week, and already he had gotten himself into some deep shit.
"Who's Raiden Tameemon?" Laxus found himself asking.
The others stopped muttering to each other and whipped their heads in his direction to look at him as if he had just grown a second head.
"What?" he asked innocently.
"Raiden Tameemon is one of the most feared Vice-Admirals in history," answered one of the crewmembers.
"He's a man who cares little for others and does whatever he wants, when he wants," Thatch continued, voicing the same words Pops had told him after he had asked who had injured Jozu so gravely to the point that the man needed weeks of rest. "He's an arrogant man; he believes himself to be a God among Gods. And the missions he conducts for the World Government always ends up with injured civilians, and the Marines trying to cover up his messes and sweep them under the rug," his hands clenched tightly into fists, "Hell, I don't even understand why the Marines would employ such a guy. The only reasonable explanation comes from rumors that have never been confirmed to be true."
"Rumors?" Laxus asked.
Thatch nodded. "There are rumors among marines and pirates alike, that the guy apparently has some sort of relationship with the Gorosei, the ones who offered him the position in the first place, and that's why he's still in the Marines."
"He's a vile man who does things on his own accord and isn't afraid to hurt innocents in the process," he continued, "He also ate the Kaba-Kaba no mi* and there are stories about how few men who have seen his full Devil Fruit form have lived to tell the tale."
Laxus remembered the word Devil Fruit from a conversation he had previously had with Thatch during their trip to Yuki Island. The Commander had explained to him how Devil Fruits were fruits that gave the consumer extraordinary abilities, with the risk of becoming a hammer at sea and not being able to swim. Ace and Marco had consumed one each - the Mera-Mera no Mi* and the Feni-Feni no Mi* respectively. From what he understood, these fruits were, in a way, like the magical abilities of Mages. They each granted the consumer with a specific power the way a Mage developed magical abilities to a specific power as well.
It reminded him of the way the Dragon Lacrima gave him his dragon-slayer abilities, even though he had never been trained to use that type of magic. It was... amazing, to say the least.
"Even Ace and Jozu had a tough time going up against the guy," finished Thatch, with a far-off look as he remembered the state Jozu had been brought in following his battle against the Vice-Admiral, which ended with both of them in a horrible state. And Ace who had been beaten by the guy not long before becoming a member of the Whitebeard Pirates.
Laxus nodded in understanding. But the explanation did nothing to end the nervousness that overtook him. He didn't know what Ace's and Jozu's battle capabilities were, but he did know that they had to be strong to be working under a terrifying man such as Whitebeard, who practically radiated raw power that he couldn't match up to in his current state. Or even in a healthy state for that matter.
"So what will we do, Commanded?" asked a nervous crew-member.
Thatch sighed. "Raiden is known for traveling on his own with the few soldiers that the higher ups force him to take with him out at sea. I know you guys could easily take them on. Especially cause they're usually new recruits." Thatch still had a hard time understanding why the World Government was so insistent on putting marines under Raiden's command; the guy had the social skills equivalent to that of an arrogant lion. Him and the rest of the Whitebeard crew just assumed that maybe it was a strategy to recruit only strong marines who could last three full days in Raiden's vessel before being promoted to a different command.
The guy was strong enough to be near Admiral level. The only reason he hasn't been promoted to that rank, is because of his unruly behavior that even other Admirals find to be dangerous.
"But, what about Raiden?" asked a nervous crew-member.
Thatch stared at each and every one of them with brown eyes full of determination, "Leave him to me."
"What?!"
"But, Thatch-"
"This is Raiden we're talking about!"
"Even Jozu had a hard time going up against him!"
"And Ace-"
"Shut it!"
Silence.
Thatch sighed loudly, before letting a smile that looked more force than anything grace his lips. "Come on, you can't be seriously underestimating me to this extent."
The crew glanced at one another.
"'Sides," he continued. Laxus' eyes widened when the man pulled out a long and wide, curved blade from the sheath hiding in the folds of his clothing. "Imagine the look on Ace's face when he hears I beat the man who kicked his ass years ago," he smiled smugly, holding the blade up in the air.
The rest of his crew seemed to relax slightly with that statement, and some even smiled a little.
Except for Laxus.
The dragon-slayer didn't know why, but he had a really bad feeling about this and it made his whole body tingle in dread and anticipation. And the hint of hesitation and fear that he caught in Thatch's eyes didn't help in relieving any of it. Not to mention that everything he's heard from this 'Raiden Tameemon' only helped in setting his nerves closer to the edge.
"Laxus," he heard his name being called. Laxus looked at Thatch questioningly - the use of his full name instead of the usual 'Lax-san' he got from the brunette only adding fuel to the fire which increased his anxiety and made him more aware of the unconscious body of his grandfather resting peacefully inside the small ship docked on the snowy harbor.
Laxus tensed slightly as Thatch approached him. The brunette placed a hand on his shoulder and gave him a reassuring smile before speaking softly. "You stay here. Take care of your grandfather. And if anything goes wrong, hide until you're sure the marines have left along with their Vice-Admiral. Then, go to the town that lies in the valley between those mountains," Thatch pointed at the large lumps of snow, "Find a man by the name of Zoku, tell him Thatch sent you."
"I should go with you," he voiced. He was slightly angered to feel like he was being underestimated to such extent. He was a Fairy Tail Mage for Kami's sake. He knew how to fight and defend himself. Hell, he was one of the best fighters ever to come out of Magnolia.
Thatch shook his head and released a small chuckle in response to Laxus' stubbornness. He motioned with his head to the ship resting on the still waters, "Your still injured and plus, your grandfather needs you. We also don't want to get you on the World Government's radar under our care. Our Pops gave us the job to bring you here safe. We can't let him down."
Laxus swallowed the argument he had planned in his head when he heard 'no' and had his grandfather's current condition was shoved back to his face. He was right. He had to take care of his family first. As much as he liked Thatch, he barely even knew the man, and as such, there was barely any attachment there. It was practically almost nonexistent.
Still, the idea of Thatch getting injured - or worse, killed - didn't sit well with him. Sure, he barely knew the older man, but he didn't like the idea of Thatch getting hurt, knowing he could've done something.
"Oh~, Lax-san, it looks like your saying good-bye to a long-time lover."
Laxus' eyebrow twitched in irritation and his solemn expression was quickly replaced by an irritated frown that wrinkled his features and made the older man laugh.
"Don't worry, we'll see each other again," Thatch patted his shaking shoulder before moving back to rest of the crew.
"Let's get moving men!"
Laxus watched as the crew disappeared between the snow covered trees, fading slowly as their steps carried them further away.
Laxus was certainly not an emotional man.
But he also wasn't a person who would stand back and do nothing as disaster strikes and others did the fighting for him.
He glanced back at the ship, rocking softly in the calm waves.
"Do whatever you think is right! That's the way of the Fairy Tail Mages!"
He glanced at the large mountains.
Thatch was right: they would see each other soon.
0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o
Amazon Lily...
Right left.
Right left.
Right left.
Right-shit!
Freed yelped as his clumsy feet stumbled beneath him and he was nearly sent pile-driving to the hard ground underneath him.
He didn't how long he had been running for, he was just surprised he still had the energy to do so, let alone surpass his lone pursuer.
'What the hell is it with these crazy women?'
As soon as that thought flitted through his mind, Freed yelped once again as another arrow landed near his feet, making him stumble one more time before he caught his balance back.
His almost nonexistent stamina was nearly out, and his body felt like it would shut down any moment. Still, the thought of being caught by those crazy women once again was enough to get him moving until he could reach the edge of the Earth.
"Stop, Man!"
"Hell no!"
He yelled back, completely frustrated with the way his gender was spit with so much venom, as if being born of the male sex was a sin in and of itself.
Which, maybe it was.
Either way, it just fueled his determination to get as far away from here as possible, and find his friends before the woman chasing him turned him into shish-kabob.
So when he was suddenly faced with the large wall at the side of a mountain that seemed to stretch far to his right and left, he immediately cursed whatever almighty being out there seem to want to get to him through the worst way possible..
His eyes widened at the sight of the rugged wall before skidding to a stop, which was probably a bad idea considering his condition and the fact that he had been about to trip on his own two feet since the beginning of this game of cat and mouse. He cried out as his feet gave out and his body skidded across the floor. The landing was far from graceful and he found himself sliding full-body across the ground, causing his wounds to reopen and more bloody scratches to appear on the exposed bare skin.
His body stopped just a couple of feet before reaching the wall, and he found himself staying in his position on the ground and considering taking a nap before the sound of small footsteps getting closer to his position snapped him back to awareness.
He slowly moved his shaking arms and struggled to peel himself from the ground.
"Got you."
He cried out as a small foot with a considerably large amount of strength stepped harshly on his back, forcing him back to kissing the floor.
"There's no escaping now," he heard the female voice say smugly.
He weakly turned his head to glare at the small blond standing victoriously on top of him, as if he were a priced animal she just caught and was about to show off at an exhibition as a dry carcass frozen in a specific pose.
"What the hell is wrong with you people?" he managed to groan out.
"You will be brought back to Amazon Lily's prison, where you will await our empress to arrive and deliver your punishment," she stated, ignoring his question.
'For what? Existing?' he rolled his eyes.
He felt as his limp hands were gripped tightly by smaller, calloused hands that pulled them behind his back and felt something - a rope perhaps- being tied around his wrists. .
Despite the haziness that permeated his mind, and the sluggishness of his body, he could feel himself slowly struggling to gather the strength to protest.
No way could he go back. His friends needed him. Laxus needed him.
If he was brought back to a cell in the state he was in…
He didn't even want to imagine what might happen to him. Nor Mirajane. Sure she was a woman, but surely they must have connected the dots by now that she was associated to him.
If he was brought back, he wouldn't just be putting himself in danger, he'd be putting Mirajane in danger as well.
He couldn't allow that to happen.
He closed his eyes and tried to remember that magical pulse that had given him the energy to run in the first place. A powerful pulse that sent him running at unimaginable speeds that outran his pursuers.
He tried to remember the emotions he had felt at the time, the deep-set panic that had enveloped him at the thought of his friends in danger. At the thought of Laxus in danger.
They needed him. And he knew he couldn't let them down.
Not again.
He felt it. It was small at first. Pulsating deep within his chest before growing bigger and bigger. He could feel the woman on top of him tense up as if she could feel it as well. And maybe she might have based on her next statement.
"What the…"
He could feel it enter and leave his body in burning waves that stabbed the air, Hear the leaves of trees around him rustling as the wind picked up, setting a sense of foreboding that pushed the woman's nerves to the edge.
It was elating.
"What is… this?"
His eyes snapped open to reveal his right eye to be a darkened color where blemishing white was supposed to be, and a dark green iris.
No way was he going back.
Not without a fight.
0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o
Sabaody…
The scene that unfolded following Rayleigh's explanation is one that would be talked about for months and years to come. An incident that released a chain of events that would have a role in creating a new era in the Grandline. One that would begin the legend of the Fairy Tail enigmas that would bring about a new kind of chaos from the likes the World Government had never dealt with before.
Months and years would pass by, and the witnesses who were there would still find it unbelievable that they were present at such a historic phenomenon.
They were there to witness the 'bang' and hear the snap of a large chain that has been holding their world in this chaotic balance for generations through generations, and still survive to tell the tale to their grandchildren, who will share those same words with their own grandchildren.
It became an event that would be written from newspapers, to books, to scrolls, to basically any form of paper.
And still the World Government will vainly attempt to sweep it under the rug and hide it from the rest of the world.
Only to fail.
But, let's start from the beginning, shall we?
"Hurry up you worthless scum!" berated the female Tenryuubito as the innocent man continued to struggle to remove the corpse from their path.
Her husband scoffed and sharply pointed at a different man in the crowd, "you there!" The poor man flinched in response from his kneeling position, praying to God that it wasn't him the Tenryuubito had his finger directed at.
"Help him!" he ordered.
The man gasped and nodded brusquely, quickly getting on his feet and moving to help the cook that continued to struggle with the body.
Only to fall right in front of the child Tenryuubito's feet, causing him to jump back in surprise.
The crowd let loose a soft gasp that echoed throughout the grove. The man that tripped began to shake noticeably as he pushed himself off from the floor.
There was nothing but silence after this took place. Almost as if another collar exploded on another person like before.
Which it might as well have happened.
The Tenryuubito seemed to be the most shocked. Their mouths gaped, as if having somebody move and trip in their mere presence was an act worse than the sin of killing. A sin that they had committed various times in the past.
And one they were thinking about doing now.
"You little-"
"How dare you!?"
The father stepped up and abruptly slapped the man. Resulting in a loud 'CRACK!' that sent the man stumbling backwards. The crowd of people flinched but remained still in their positions.
The poor man stumbled backwards about a foot away and fell on his back. His shaking body stayed on its position on the ground, not because the slap had been painful, but because he was simply too scared to move anyway.
"Jalmack-san, you have dirtied your hand," the woman gasped.
"This scum," spit Jalmack venomously, "had the guts to land in front of our son, Greta."
The dead slave had, by now, been forgotten. And the cook that had been carrying him now stood with the body's arm wrapped around his shoulder, completely still and staring at the scene in awe and fear.
Jalmack reached for his wife's hand, and grabbed the gun tightly, positioning it so that the mouth of the weapon was enclosed within his palm and the neck stuck out for the world to see. He walked towards his fuming son who was glaring at the man with a ferocity that didn't belong in the face of a child.
"Teach him a lesson, Cromwell," he stated sharply as he handed the gun to his son.
The crowd's eyes widened largely as the boy gripped the gun tightly without hesitation.
He took small valiant steps to the cowering form, holding on to his slaves' chains with his other hand who followed his steps obediently without complaint.
The man stared with wide eyes as the boy lifted the gun and pointed its barrel right between his eyes.
"N-n-no," he stuttered. He got to his knees and kneeled before the young boy. "Please I beg of you! I have a family! A wife a-a-and two kids!"
Said family stood amongst the crowd. The mother holding onto their two daughters and covering their eyes from the brutal scene.
"Shut up," stated the boy coldly in response to the man's pathetic pleas.
"Die, scum."
BANG!
A shot rang out.
The crowd flinched and closed their eyes, knowing that if they were to open them, they would see nothing but the corpse of a man with a face frozen in horror and a bullet hole between his eyes, releasing a river of blood.
But, when they heard a trio of gasps and the lack of sound of a dead body hitting the floor, they opened their eyes…
And immediately widened them to the size of large dinner plates at the sight that greeted them.
"That's enough."
Called a strong, cold voice. A voice laced with white-hot anger, capable of freezing the entire area if it's owner so wanted to. A voice that chilled them to the core and made the fear that already gripped their hearts that much tighter.
It belonged to a hooded man who stood sturdy and still in front of the young Tenryuubito, holding the boy's gun so that the exit hole—which was smoking after releasing its contents—was facing the sky instead of the kneeling man behind him, who sat shaken from his near-death experience and stared with wide eyes filled with awe at the tall man standing before them.
Still, despite the shock that surrounded the crowd that had them gaping like fish out of water, nobody was as shocked that the Tenryuubito had been challenged, as the Tenryuubito themselves.
Jalmack and Greta stood from a distance, their mouths hitting the floor and their large eyes popping out of their sockets. Their lips struggled to form any coherent words as they stared at the baffling scene before them, releasing only gibberish sounds that nobody would be able to fully comprehend.
And Cromwell, poor eight-year old Cromwell, could only stare in shock as buckets of sweat poured down his ghost-pale complexion, and a dark stain began to grow in front of his suite's white pants, causing a sickly acrid smell to permeate the air.
"W-w-w-w-w-w-" stuttered Greta.
"WHO THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?!" Finished an angered Jalmack.
The man gripped the gun tightly and lifted it from the limp hands of the boy before looking up to stare at the parents of the Tenryuubito.
Immediately, both adults froze and paled at the sight of the scrunched face before them.
Recognition immediately filled the features of all the witnesses and whispers began to be exchanged despite being in the presence of the Tenryuubito.
"It's him-"
"'Shanks' Brother-"
"What is he doing-"
"That man's insane-"
They recognized the angered face from the flyers that had been in the newspaper that morning. The pulsing veins, the narrowed eyes, the scrunched skin, the blazing irises—it was all there.
Only this time, it was ten times much more frightening than the one in the picture.
The man slowly stepped around the paralyzed boy. His rough steps causing everyone in the vicinity to flinch in anticipation.
The couple could only stand frozen in fear as the frightening man slowly made his way towards them. Causing a stab of horror to pierce their hearts and create a strong urge to run away- run away - as far and fast as possible.
Finally, the man stopped a few feet in front of them, and the crowd and Tenryuubito stood in silence as they awaited for a dreadful response.
When the man opened his lips and one came, it was definitely not what they expected.
"I'm the man whose going to kick your ass."
0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o
Somewhere in the South Blue...
The man had been staring at them ever since they had entered the bar. Well, more like the man had been staring solely at him.
And he definitely didn't like the look he was giving him.
It annoyed him. Angered him. Pissed him off. It made him want to punch that stupid clown-like, pale face that had been directed towards him their entire stay for the past hour.
"Are you even listening to me?!"
No. He hadn't. Right now, his full concentration was narrowed solely on that stupid red, flaming hair that reminded him so much of a certain idiot he knew, being held back by a stupid pair of goggles. He could only focus on those stupid dark eyes that stared smugly at him from across the room which complimented the stupid smug grin - the feature that pissed him off the most.
He was mocking him. He must be. Why else would he be staring at him like that.
"Oi!"
His eyes shifted to the full mug of beer being held in the red hair's pale hand. His fifth one, he noted.
He glanced at the mug in his own hand, half of the liquid gone already.
This was his fourth one.
He frowned.
He gripped the mug tightly by its handle and lifted it to his lips, downing the remaining contents in one go before sighing loudly and slamming the now-empty mug on the wooden table, causing a loud banging noise to echo across the room.
"OI!" he called out to the large bartender. The bartender grunted and glanced at him with a lazy eye.
He waved the empty mug in the air, "Bring me two more!"
The bartender nodded before moving to do as asked, thinking all the while that he definitely didn't get paid enough for this job.
The man glanced at the red-haired once again, noting how the smug smile grew in size as his challenge was accepted.
He smiled widely in return and released his usual cackle.
No way was he losing.
To Be Continued...
*Kaba-Kaba no Mi - Hippo-Hippo Fruit
When I say that I am sorry to have taken so long... I think apologizing has become obsolete by this point.
At least I brought the chapter and that's all that matters... right?
Oh my God, I barely realized it's been more than a year since I posted this story. Where has the time gone? And holy crap, I've only uploaded five chapters! I am ashamed...
Anyway, I promise chapters will be more frequent. Graduation is approaching, but I'm almost done getting all of my stuff done, so I hope I can update more frequently.
So, did you like this chapter? I know you guys probably have a lot of questions like, how come Natsu's magic is fine but Freed is taking a long time to recover? Who is Raiden? What will happen to Gildarts? Who were those last people in the final scene? Where is my damn coffee?
*Ahem* rest assured it'll all be answered in time.
I also want to thank my friend TheCatLounge once again for helping me so much with this story! They've really helped me tons and I really feel like this story has improved because of them. And a huge shout-out to my beta and dear friend mellra for always helping me out. Thanks you two!
I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! I'm hoping to have the next one posted beginnings of March, but for now, I have to get a move on on 'Amazon Warrior.'
Also, I started a new blog where I review books as well as some other stuff, and it would mean the world to me if you guys would check it out! The link is in my profile.
AND you can also follow me on Instagram where I post updates about my blog as well as my stories!: x_enigmatic_blogger_x
Okay, I'm done self-promoting.
For now...
Here's a Preview!
Preview:
"Aaaah, Thatch of the Whitebeard Pirates. It is a pleasure to meet you."
"... a cat?"
"So, what do you say? Would you like to join my crew?"
"... Why the hell would I do that?"
"So, youuuuu're 'Shank's Brother'. I didn't knoooow the man had family."
"And you are?"
"Ooooooohhh, hooow ruuude of mee. My name is Borsalinooo."
"Why should I let you work under me?"
"Trust me, you want us to work under you."
"Our Empress! Our Empress has returned!"
"Thank you so much, Mr... uh-"
"Law. Trafalgar Law."
By the way, don't expect the previews to be accurate. They're rough ideas of what's to come, and though they WILL happen, that doesn't mean that it'll be in the upcoming chapter. They might actually happen in future chapters.
OMG THE DEADPOOL MOVIE CAME OUT LAST WEEK AND I STILL HAVEN'T GONE TO SEE IT! WHAT KIND OF DEADPOOL FAN AM I?!
Speaking of Deadpool, I will soon post a Deadpool/Jessica Jones fanfic. Not the Deadpool from the movie (cause I still haven't seen it), but the one from the comics. So, if you're a Deadpool fan, check out my profile to see when I finally post it... probably never, but oh well.
Please Review! It makes me happy and motivates me! :D