The Bloody Pirates were spending their time doing as they pleased. Tanya was cooking some food for herself and Vlad, and maybe just a bit for Jack. Hoarfen was in his wolf form on the deck. The smallest form he could take was that of a dire wolf. In this form, he was chewing on a severed leg, trying to eat the femur. Jack was in the storage room, cleaning his creation. He was polishing the creatures feathers and sharpening its talons and beak. Finally, Vlad was in the captain's quarters, wearing a pair of reading glasses as he examined a map. He was looking for an ideal island to make into a base of operations in Paradise.
As they were passing the time, they all stopped their activities abruptly. Vlad looked up, took off his glasses, and walked towards the deck of the ship. As he exited the room, he saw that Hoarfen was staring out towards the direction of what they sensed in his human form. Vlad jumped and easily landed next to his First Mate. Tanya walked up and stood next to Vlad, still drying her hands. Jack and his creation walked up to the group, standing next to Tanya.
"You all can sense it, correct," Vlad asked.
"There's something interesting approaching us. Something large," Tanya answered.
Hoarfen sniffed the air. "Ooh, I smell bodies. About five hundred at the least."
"Truly?! Oh, the amount of art I could make with that."
"Don't even think about messing with my food, Jack."
"Oh, Hoarffy, you shouldn't be so greedy."
Vlad ignored the conversation between Hoarfen and Jack, and walked up to the rail of the ship. He closed his eyes to concentrate, channeling as much blood into his eyes as needed. When he felt they were strong enough, he opened his eyes, and saw the target. "A galleon. A seven-mast one at that. It's about twice the size of this marine battleship. It seems to be low in the water."
"Guess that means it's fully loaded. Treasure, maybe," Tanya asked.
"Hm, for some reason, I don't believe so. However, I do believe it has significant value to us."
"So, captain, are we going to raid it," Hoarfen asked, excitement in his voice.
"Of course we are."
Tanya giggled. "So, captain, how are we going to handle the ship's crew?"
Vlad didn't answer right away. He turned towards his crew, his face completely shadowed, with only a blood red orb visible. Then, he answered Tanya's question:
"What crew?"
When the pirates heard their captain's "answer", their own faces were shadowed, their own eyes glowing. The only difference was that shining, crescent moon smiles appeared on their faces.
On the ship, dirty men were cleaning the deck. They were obviously pirates. Some were scrubbing the floors, others were getting more water, while others were just sleeping.
One of the sleepers was kicked awake by one of his crew mates.
"Oi! Get off ya lazy ass, and get rid of this water! Looks like you took a shit in it."
The man groaned. "Waking up a man is bad luck."
"Then it's a good thing I only woke up an ugly toad."
The man snarled, and grabbed the bucket. "When you least expect it, Mal."
"Just get to work, Gibbley."
Gibbley walked away from the other, grumbling all the way. "Waking me up from me nap. I was having a damn good dream." Gibbley walked to the rails, and prepared to throw the water. "I should dump this muck on that snobby bastard's head." He then threw the water.
He was about to walk away and try to find a new nap spot, until he heard something. It sounded like tapping on the side of the ship. He looked over. Since he was on the side opposite of the sun, it was hard to see in the shadowed section of the ship. However, he thought he saw something. He couldn't really tell what it was. At first, he thought it might have been a patch of barnacles, but it was way to large. He leaned over the rails to try and get a better look.
He then saw the object move. It looked like a head was moving up. Then, he saw blood red orbs.
The man was terrified. He thought a fishman had come to attack the crew. He was about to turn and warn his mates, but before he could so much as yell when he opened his mouth, he was impaled. A blood red spear went right into his mouth and out his head. He was then dragged overboard, no one noticing him at all.
"Hey, Jon! Get rid of this crate of cannonballs! It's in the way!"
"On it, mate!" Jon went and grabbed the crate. "Omph! Heavy bugger." Jon then carried the crate to one of the storage rooms. He opened the door by himself, struggling a bit to turn the handle with one hand, and opening the rest with his foot. He walked into the room, and felt off.
He shivered. "Brr. It's cold in here."
He carried the cannonballs towards the far back, where the rest of them were. He placed the crate down, and was about to leave. However, something caught his eye.
He was actually surprised he was able to notice it in the darkness of the room. It was on one of the other crates. He reached for it, and carefully picked it up. "Fur?" He started to rub the hair. "It's so soft. Beautiful." Jon then looked up, and saw something else.
"A wolf?"
He began to gently pet the cheek of the majestic creature. "It's so soft. When did we ever get this? Did the captain kill this while he was on one of his hunting trips?" He then rubbed the wolf's head, staring into the ice blue eyes. "It's still warm. Magnificent."
"Well, aren't you enjoying yourself." Jon's eyes widened in shock when the wolf spoke. He felt terror when the beast actually... smiled. "Enjoying the feel of my fur, dinner?"
Jon was too shocked to respond. Then, the wolf breathed on him. Jon wasn't able to breathe. He reached towards his face to feel that his nose and mouth had been covered with ice. He was about to run, but before he could even think of moving a leg, his head was crushed by the jaws of the wolf. The corpse was then dragged over the crates, the sound of tearing flesh and breaking bones being heard.
"Oi! Jon! What's takin' ya?!" Mal waited for a response. "Jon!"
"Keh. Bet the bastard is tryin' to nap like Gibbley."
"No. Jon's a good man. He doesn't slack off like that pile of crap."
"Where is that warthog, anyway?"
"Probably went inside to drown in grog, again."
"Worthless chimp."
"Anyway, I'm gonna see about Jon. Fool probably got knocked out by hitting his head on a low beam again."
The other man laughed at that. "Sounds like the fool. Hm? Oi! Russel! The bloody hell are you doin'?!"
A very large man went off up some stairs away from the work. "Smoke break!"
"Well leave some ciggies for me! Don't smoke them all like ya did last time, ya damned chimney!"
"Sod off!"
The first man growled, while the other man laughed. "As friendly as ever, eh Rick?"
"Just get Jon, Mal."
Mal chuckled once more before he walked into the storage room the last man was seen in. "Jon! Oi, Jon! You knocked out in here, again?!" Mal walked around.
As he walked, he nearly fell after slipping on something. He was able to regain his balance by grabbing onto a crate. He looked down to see a red liquid on the ground. "Red rum? Tch. Gibbley! Are you in here, ya fat bastard?! You know the cook will gut you for this, right, ya damned pig?!"
Mal the heard a crunching noise. "There you are, you damned glutton. Have you seen Jon?" Mal walked over. "Hey, didn't you hear me? Stop stuffing you face, ya fu-" Mal stopped when he got closer... and saw Jon's horrified... half-eaten face.
Mal then finally noticed... that the poor man was being eaten... by a wolf.
The wolf stopped eating, and turned to look at Mal with gorgeous, ice blue eyes.
Terror completely overtaking him, Mal slowly walked back, never looking away from the wolf. As he walked, something waved before his eyes. It was a tail.
Terrified, Mal slowly looked up, and saw a pair of glowing, golden eyes looking down at him. The eyes fell down, and stood before him. He was now looking at a beautiful woman, with the ears of a cat on her head. The woman gave a beautiful smile that slightly calmed Mal down, before the sounds of five slashes was heard.
Nothing happened for a few seconds.
Then, Mal's head fell off of his shoulders. Next were his fingers, followed by his arms. Then, his entire torso fell to the ground. Finally, his legs fell. He was literally cut to pieces.
"Fucking Rick," Russel growled as he took out a pack of cigars, walking towards the rails of the hull. "I can smoke all the cigars I want. I don't need to save so much as a bud for that bastard."
Russel placed a cigar in his mouth and lit it with a match. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath of his favorite cancer. He released his breath, enjoying the sweet flavors of the cigar as he inhaled. "Awww, that's good."
Russel then opened his eyes and saw a man squatting right in front of him on the rails. "THE HELL?!"
Before Russel could grab his saber, the man took out a knife and moved it an beyond blinding speeds.
Russel stood completely still, shock frozen on his face. With a smile, the man took something from Russel's face. "Aw, such a beautiful piece of art." That was the last thing the man said before he fell off the rail.
"Russel? Russel?!"
A lanky man with bluish hair walked up the stairs. "There you are. Come on. Murdoc wants to see ya." Russel didn't move. "Russel?" The lanky man walked towards the much larger man. "Come on, mate. Murdoc needs your muscle." Still no response. "Russel?" The man then placed a hand on his crew mate's shoulder. He was able to slowly turn Russel... and saw that his face, including his eyes, muscles, and even the blood was gone. All that was there was a polished skull.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
"That was Stuart!"
"What the bloody hell is he screamin' about?!"
The two men ran to see what was wrong with their crew mate, while the others were wondering what was going on. As the two men ran, one slipped and fell on his back. "Ow."
"What are you doing, Murdoc?"
"Be quiet, Rick. I slipped on something. Some fool must have forgotten to dry this sp-" When Murdoc placed a hand on the spot he fell on, he was rendered silent. He brought his hand to his face, and saw this it was completely red.
Rick came closer. "Is that rum?"
"No. . . It's warm... and sticky. It feels just like-" Murdoc was interrupted when more of the liquid fell on his hand. Rick saw it too. The two men slowly looked up, and were horrified.
"OH, GOD!"
"GIBBLEY!"
When the two men screamed, the other crew members followed their gaze. They were horrified. They were looking at one of their crew mates, hanging by his neck from one of the masts, his jaw completely torn off, still dripping blood.
"MURDOC!"
The two men looked to see Stuart running towards them. The man fell down the stairs, and actually crawled to his crew mate. He had a mad look of absolute fear on his face. "RUSSEL! HE'S DEAD! SOMETHING TORE HIS FACE OFF!" Stuart then felt something fall on his face. He looked up, and screamed in horror. "GIBBLEY! OH, GOD!"
Rick was the first to recover from the horror. "PREPARE FOR BATTLE!" Everyone looked at the man. "THERE BE MONSTERS ON OUR SHIP! GET THE PISTOLS, SABERS, BOMBS, AND EVERYTHING ELSE THAT CAN KILL ON THIS SHIP READY!"
"Sir!" All the men ran around, looking for anything to defend themselves.
Murdoc ran to grab his sword. He placed it on one of the cannons. Stuart was about to go for his sword, until he thought of a question for Rick. "Rick, should we inform the cap-" Stuart looked to see that Rick was already gone. "Did he go to tell?"
"Oi! What's that in the sky?!"
"It's a damned bird, ya bag of vomit! Don't get distracted by something so stupid while we're under attack!"
"R-Right! I'll go into the lower hull to warn-" The man was interrupted when something fell on his head. Whatever hit him made a sickening crack. The man fell, dead from being struck on the head.
"JOEY!"
"What the hell?!"
One of the men looked to see what had killed their mate. "O-Oh, god."
The other man looked and looked as if he was about to vomit. "R-Rick."
The man's head had a look of shock on his decapitated face.
Before any of the men could react, something else fell. They looked to see that it was Rick's body, shoulders torn to shreds, and his... neck looking even worse.
"WHAT THE BLOODY HELL IS HAPPENING?!"
"THE CARGO! IT MUST BE CURSED!"
"STOP SHITTING YOURSELVES, YA BUNCH A COCKROACHES!" Everyone looked at Murdoc. "WE ARE MEN! MEN DON'T COWER IN THE FACE OF DEATH! TO ARMS, YA BUNCH A KITTENS!"
"KITTENS?!"
"WE'RE LIONS, MURDOC!"
"THEN PROVE IT," Murdoc roared. "WHOEVER HAS BEEN KILLING OUR MEN IS ON THIS DAMNED SHIP! I DON'T CARE IF IT'S BECAUSE OF THE CARGO OR NOT! I'M NOT GONNA LET MYSELF BE KILLED BY SOME UNSEEN-" Murdoc then went silent.
"Murdoc," Stuart asked, confused as to why his outspoken friend suddenly went silent. Then, he began to scream bloody murder. "MURDOC?! WHAT'S WRONG?!"
"ME LEG! ME LEG! IT FEELS LIKE SOMETHING IS SLICING THROUGH IT! SOMEONE! ANYONE! CUT OFF ME BLOODY LEG! STUART! MAKE YOURSELF USEFUL FOR ONCE! CUT OFF ME DAMN LEG!"
"BUT MURDOC-!"
"HELP ME, LAD! THE PAIN IS UNBEARA-" Murdoc began to scream some more, now grabbing his chest. "AAAAAAAHHHHH! IT'S IN ME CHEST! AAAAAHHHHH! ME HEAD! ME HEAD! MEHEAAAAAAAAADDDD!"
Then, a crimson spear shot out of Murdoc's head, killing the poor bastard. The men were now screaming like banshees. Two brave men died horrible fates, and no one knew why. Then, something happened.
Murdoc's body began to twitch. It was as if something was trying to get out. Then, bloody spikes shot out of Murdoc, and began to impale many of the men. The more men were stabbed, the more spikes of blood that appeared.
Screaming in horror, one of the men tried to find refuge in the storage cabin. As soon as he opened the door, he saw something astounding. An actual werewolf was standing, no, towering before him. The beast was literally looking down at him, bearing it's pearl white fangs, growling the whole time.
Before the man could react, he was impaled by the great beast's claws. As he coughed up blood, the werewolf lifted him with a single hand, bringing him up to eye level. While being stared at by ice blue eyes, the man felt like he was impaled a second time. Then, he felt a pull. He was in agonizing pain as the wolf slowly tore him in half. The relief came in a shower of blood that alerted everyone, right before the werewolf released an ear-splitting howl.
"CORNELL!"
"YOU ZOAN BASTARD!"
"KILL HIM!"
Four men pointed their rifles at the Zoan before them, but before they could pull the trigger, they all felt sharp pain on their necks. Then, their necks felt wet. They looked at one another... to see that their throats had been slit. They heard a giggle, and turned around. Behind them was a standing... female cheetah, licking her bloody claws with a smile.
"Killed... by another Zoan." That was the last thing one of the men said before all four of them fell dead.
"TWO DEVIL FRUIT USERS! GET THE SEA PRISM!"
"LOOK! ANOTHER ONE!"
The men turned to see what looked like a hawk man. One of the men didn't hesitate and shot the creature right in the heart. The man smiled in pride, before he looked right in the hawk man's eyes. They were still... alive.
Before he could aim again, the hawk man lunged towards him, and literally slashed the man in half with his talons.
"Im...po...ssi...ble. It was... sea... pri-" The man then literally fell apart.
"W-W-W-WHAT KIND OF DEVIL IS THAT?!"
The man who cried tried to turn and run, but instead ended up looking right into the eyes of evil. Soulless, glowing, white eyes. There was also a glowing, crescent smile. They were the only things illuminating the shadowed face.
The man was getting ready to at least stab the unknown being before him, but was stopped when something flashed before his eye. Then, the being reached towards him, and grabbed his head. The man was confused, even more so when the being seemed to get closer and grow taller. The being continued to smile at him with those cold, soulless eyes; and that villainous smile.
Then, the man's vision began to turn. What he saw made his eyes widen in shock. Before him was... his own, headless body. The being had decapitated him. As if his brain had finally registered the fact, the man began to feel cold, his vision turning black, and life finally leaving him. The man died in the being's arms, not realizing the being was actually petting his head. However, he still heard something from the being.
"A true work of art."
Stuart was trembling in fear, soiling himself as he watched the nightmare before him. The werewolf was tearing his crew mates to shreds, eating some of them along the way. The cat woman was a blur, but where ever her blur appeared, the men in the path became bloody ribbons. The hawk man was either slashing men to death with his talons, or flying them high into the air, only to drop them. They would all land with a splat. The most human looking of them all was arguably the most sadistic. The eyes, heart, liver, jaw, skull, and throat was the man's main targets. He would also slash some men's arms and legs to bloody pieces of shredded meat, slowly and agonizingly killing them in the most sadistic way of torture.
"T-These creatures are not Devil Fruit users." Stuart walked backward, gun pointed in the direction of the massacre. "T-These are true devils."
Stuart then walked into something he knew was powerful. He turned to see a man taller than him, more masculine, and far more terrifying. He slowly looked up to not see a face, but shadows illuminated only by two glowing red orbs. Just looking at the imposing figure made Stuart drop his gun. He just stared at the figure, not noticing how it slowly raised its arms. Then, Stuart saw nothing. All there was to see was darkness. At the same time he saw nothing, there was a sound. It was the last thing he ever heard.
Splat.
Vlad looked at the lanky body, whose head he crushed by just clapping. He watched as it fell to its side, blood still seeping from its neck.
"Ha-ha! I love how brutal you can be!"
Vlad looked up. "Well, you look like you had a good time, Hoarfen. Enjoying the meat?"
Hoarfen took a bite out of a bicep he ripped off of one of the men he killed. "Eh. It could have been tougher."
"I'm a bit disappointed." Vlad looked at Tanya, who was walking up without so much as a speck of blood on her. "I can understand how they could fall for our stealth tactics, but I expected more of a fight when we revealed ourselves."
"Oh, Tanny, you can be so sweet, believing these walking canvases could make us exercise."
"He's got a point, ya flea bitten feline. No way these weak cuts of beef could get our blood pumping," Hoarfen said as he took a bite out of the freshly ripped off bicep.
Tanya sighed. "I was still hoping for at least a tiny bit of a challenge."
"That won't happen, Tanya." She looked towards her captain. "We are in Paradise, the weaker part of the Grand Line. It's highly unlikely we'll find a worthy opponent in these seas. The real fun will begin when we enter the New World," Vlad said with a devious smile. His words made his crew mates smile, excitement evident in all of them. "Now then..." Vlad looked up towards a door.
The door was kicked open. "WHAT'S ALL THIS RACKET?!" A mountain of a man stomped out of the room, looking pissed. He looked to be made of muscle, had very dark skin, wild hair, a long beard, and beady eyes. "There I were, resting, when I hear an ungodly noise! Are you moronic lot throwing another damn party out here like the worthless bitches ya a-" The captain was silenced when he saw the state of his ship and crew. "By the Sea Devil."
"Magnificent, isn't it?"
The captain looked up to see a man sitting above his room, looking out at the carnage. "WHO THE BLOODY HELL ARE YOU?!"
The man looked down. "Does it matter?"
The captain snarled at the man, before he reached for something in his room. "I suppose not. After all, why would I need to know..." The captain took out a club as large as he was, and swung it down towards the intruder. "THE NAME OF A DEAD MAN?!"
The captain swung his club with all his might, and completely destroyed the roof of his room. He didn't look winded at all. He just stared at the dust cloud he created, expecting to see a bloody mess when it cleared.
"Ooh, you're pretty strong." The captain's eyes widened in shock when he realized the man was behind him. "And here I thought that was nothing but fat on your body."
The captain turned to see the man, not a scratch on him. "When did you-?" The captain's eyes then widened in rage. He snarled and then swung his club towards the intruder. He was swinging his massive club as quickly and as easily as if it were a sword. His strikes weren't wild either. They were precise and calculated. However, the man kept dodging his swings effortlessly. He was even doing it with his eyes close... smiling.
"DAMN YOU! STOP MOVING!"
"Hmph, if you insist." The man actually stopped moving.
The captain felt insulted when he did that, and prepared to bash the man's pretty little head in. He raised his club above his head, and swung it down with all his might. His attack connected, and a shock wave was created. It actually blew the sails of the ship, making it move faster.
The captain had a shit-eating smirk until he heard something. A crack. Then, his club began to break, until it completely snapped in half. The captain's eyes were completely wide with shock and disbelief. Then, he saw something even more shocking.
The man was completely unharmed. His eyes were closed, his smile never wavered, and his hands... were in his pockets. True to his word, he stopped moving.
Then, the man opened one, beautiful, blood-red eye. "Are you done?"
The captain was astonished. He subconsciously walked back, unable to believe that there was a man so powerful, that not even a strike form his club could affect him. When he felt the railing, he looked at it in surprise, and looked back towards the man. He didn't see him. Then, he felt something on his stomach. He looked down to see that the man was poking him. "I guess you are." With one push of a finger, the man sent the towering captain falling to the deck. He landed with a splat.
Groaning, the captain pushed himself off, and was wondering why he felt so wet. He wiped his arm, and looked to see that his hand was covered in blood. He looked down to see that he was on the body of one of his crew mates. He recognized the body, and got off of it immediately while screaming. "STUART?!"
The captain looked around, never getting up from the bloody floor. "MURDOC! RICK! JOEY!" The man then felt something drip on him. He looked up, and saw something that made his eyes shrink in astonishment. "Gibbely. My god." The captain then heard foot steps behind him. "You did this."
"Indeed. Though, not alone. However, I am the one who gave the order to make this happen."
"You... You... YOU..." The captain grabbed a sword near him. "YOU MONSTER!" He swung the sword, hoping to cut his stomach open. He was astonished when his sword was blocked by a crimson blade.
"Monster? Please. I am far more terrible than that." The captain looked up, and felt unimaginable fear. "I am a devil." The man was surrounded by blood, the fluid taking the form of human faces. Not just any faces, but the faces of the captain's crew. They were all screaming in anguish. It was like a vision of hell. "And you're dead."
The captain watched in horror as the devil before him raised his arm, surrounding it in the blood of his screaming mates. The blood became a horrifying blade, ready to cut the captain in half. Time seemed to slow as the man swung his blade. The captain saw his life flash before his eyes. Then, a memory came to be. It was his absolute last chance of survival.
"PARLAY!"
The blade stopped right before it so much as touched the man's skin. The sudden stop created a giant gust of wind that shook the very sea itself. "Oh? Haven't heard that in years."
"Y-You are a pirate, correct?"
"I am. You are as well, I assume, since you know about parlay."
"I-I'm actually a privateer."
"Ah, a 'pirate with a badge', you could say."
"A-Anyway, by accordance of the Code of the Brethren, you must take me to your captain so that I may negotiate with him!"
"Such is the law of piracy." The man then willed the blood around him to become a mighty crimson throne, fit for any king, and sat in the great seat of power. "Now, what do you have to negotiate with in order for me to spare your life?"
The captain's eyes widened. "Y-You're the captain?"
"I am."
"B-But you're so young."
The man chuckled. "Oh, believe me, I am much older than I look. And if your curious, those are the members of my crew."
The captain looked to see where the man was pointing, and was given yet another shock. Behind him was a werewolf, a woman with the ears and tail of a cat, a man licking a bloody knife, and a hawk man. "Five? My entire crew was slain by only five pirates? That's not possible. Not even the Devil Fruits should make such a small crew that powerful. WE HAD SEA PRISM! WE HAD NUMBERS! WE HAD WEAPONS! ARE ANY OF YOU EVEN HUMAN?!"
"Oh, we have far surpassed the title of even superhuman. My crew now belongs to the real of monsters, while I myself belong to the real of demons. However, that is of no importance." The captain felt something grab his chin, and felt his head turn towards the captain of these monsters. The captain then saw that his head was being moved... by blood. "I believe you were bargaining with the devil to spare your life. Now, what do you have to offer?"
"M-M-My ship! It's yours!"
"Hm, it is a good ship. I can definitely find quite a few uses for it. However, that won't be enough."
"Everything on my ship is yours! One of the storage rooms has over five hundred million in treasure! Another has weapons of the highest quality! It's all yours!"
"Oh. That is nice."
"Come on, Vlad." Vlad looked towards his crew mate. "Do we even need cash? We can just take whatever we want. It's more fun to kill."
"Now, now, Hoarfen. Money has it's uses. It would become to troublesome for us if we slaughter ever island we come across. We would need to keep some around in order to obtain supplies that not even we could obtain on our own. Plus, there will be times when even I am not in a killing mood, so having money to make clean purchases would be nice ever once in a while."
Hoarfen sighed as he shrugged his shoulders. "Whatever you say, captain. So, can I eat that guy, now?"
The captain shook in absolute terror. "B-But our agreement!"
"What agreement? Did I ever say I accepted your offer?" The captain was terrified. "Besides, you're keeping something important from me."
"Eh?"
"You mentioned storage rooms, but you made them sound as if they were not all that important. Almost as if you had something far more valuable. What would that be?"
"The cargo! In the lower hull!"
"And what would the cargo be?"
"Slaves!" Vlad's eyes lit up in interest, but he wasn't the only one. "I supply directly to World Nobles! They're good quality! I swear!"
The captain then felt something cold near his neck. He then felt hands on his face. Hands as cold as death itself. "Tell me, love..." The captain looked to his right to see one of the men right next to him, looking at him with the eyes of a demon, a knife in his hand. "Just how high quality are these slaves? And what kind are they?"
The captain felt even colder on the left, and looked to see the eyes of a wolf. "Are there any children? I do love some veal. Soft and chewy. So fun to eat."
The captain was terrified. He really was in the presence of monsters.
"That's enough, you two." All three of them looked up towards the devil. "That man just gave us a lovely present. We shouldn't spoil our surprise by asking what's inside. It's more fun to find out ourselves."
"Ooh, very true, Vladdy."
"Huh, didn't think of that."
The captain then felt the cold disappear. He looked at both sides to see that both of the monsters were gone. He looked behind him to see that they were back in their original spots. "When did they-?"
"Oi." The captain jumped in fear, and looked towards the devil. "You're offering is adequate. For giving me such gifts, I shall allow you to leave with your life. Take one of your dingies. Leave this ship."
"Well, aren't you cruel, Vlad." Vlad and the now former captain looked towards the beautiful cat woman. "Look at the size of that pig. He'll sink that little boat before he reaches any island near here. He'll be shark food in a matter of minutes. Maybe even a snack for a sea king."
The large man's eyes widened, knowing the woman was right. Then, fear flared up once more. "Then, why don't I eat him?" The man looked up in fear to see the werewolf standing over him, his eyes glowing, and his fangs shining dangerously. "It would be a waste to let a bunch of overgrown fish to have this dish instead of me." The man was shaking in terror, actually wetting his pants.
"Well, it seems you have two choices." The man looked towards the devil, his face resting on a fist with his legs crossed. He looked like a demon king. "You can stay on this ship, and be devoured by my first mate." The former captain heard the sound of licking lips. "Or, you can go out to sea, and try to survive the harsh waters on an insignificant boat. What is your choice?"
The man didn't answer. Like a frightened animal, he scrambled onto his feet, and ran as fast as he could to the nearest dingy. When he jumped onto it, he cut the rope with a broken sword, and allowed it to fall. The sound of slashing water, and what could have been snapping wood, was heard.
Hoarfen was laughing his ass off, reverting back to his human form. "That was hilarious! That guy was pathetic! And he was supposed to be a captain. Loser."
"Not that it matters. He is no longer of any importance." Vlad rose from his crimson throne, which became blood once more the moment he got off of it. "Now, let's go see our prize." The words of their captain made Hoarfen and Jack smile in anticipation. Tanya looked indifferent.
The group went down the stairs towards the lower hull. They passed many bedrooms, storage rooms, and a few bathrooms. They found the treasure and the weapons room, but they didn't care about that. Though, Tanya did look interested when she found where the food was kept. Finally, they found two large doors.
"Here we are." Vlad then kicked the doors, knocking them off of their hinges. When he did, he was shot in the head. The force pushed his head back. "Ow."
"Ow?! Did he say ow?!"
"How is he still alive?! I shot him in the head!"
The two men got their answer when Vlad looked at them. The bullet hadn't pierced Vlad's skull. It couldn't. Blood was pushing the bullet away. Then, the bullet was encased with blood, and was being moved towards Vlad's left arm. When it reached his palm, more blood accumulated, and took the form of a pistol.
"You can have your bullet back."
Vlad fired when he said that. The bullet went through the head of the man on Vlad's right, who was the man who shot him to begin with. The bullet caused the man's head to actually explode. His headless corpse took a few steps before falling on it's back.
His companion stared at his friend's corpse in horror before pointing the gun back at the intruders. However, before he could even aim, he felt something impale him. He coughed up blood and looked down to see an arm in his stomach. He looked up to see Vlad from before, glaring at him with blood red eyes. He then felt Vlad lift him over his head. Then, he felt unimaginable pain. He screamed in anguish as he felt his body literally being pulled apart, before he was finally ripped in half, his blood spewing everywhere like a fountain.
"Well, that was satisfying."
"Looked like fun," Tanya said.
Vlad looked around. "Oh, what a sight."
There were hundreds of slaves in the dark hull. Men, women, and even children were in chains behind cages. There were children who looked barley five years old, and elders who looked close to death. Some of the men were holding the woman and some children, their eyes filled to the brim with fear.
Many of them jumped and screamed when Hoarfen smashed his hands against the bars, staring at some of the prisoners with his glowing orbs. "Ooooh. So... much... meat. They look... delicious. It's a fucking all you can eat buffet! VLAD! LET ME EAT ONE! AT LEAST A BRAT!" A child buried it's face in the body of a woman, who was trying desperately to hid the child, tears falling like waterfalls from her eyes.
"Now, now, Hoarffy. You shouldn't be so wasteful. I could make such art with these creatures." Jack appeared before another cage, his eyes glowing soullessly. He took out his knife, and sadistically licked the blade. "Oh, the countless ways I could immortalize them. Maybe I should just rip out the gems they call eyes. Or better yet, fillet them to keep their precious skin. Ooh, maybe I should preserve their organs. Or, best of all, use them in one of my experiments. Medical science needs to evolve continuously, after all. To do that... many lives must be sacrificed." The prisoners in that cage were shaking in horror as well. They honestly believed that these men were far, far worse than the men before.
However, Vlad wasn't listening to his crew mates at all. He was analyzing the area. As he looked around, something caught his eye. "Jack, you said you could make even an old man into one of your Chimeras, correct?"
"Hm? I did, indeed. Ah, do I sense a challenge, Vladdy?"
"You just might. Wait here." Vlad walked towards a specific cage. Effortlessly, he ripped the cage door off with just one hand, and threw the door out of his way. It landed with a loud and heavy clunk that made the floor crack. When he walked in, one of the male prisoners tried to attack him. Without even so much as looking at him, Vlad killed the poor fool by punching him in the face. With physical strength alone, he reduced the man's head to a sickening pile of bone, blood, and a bit of brain.
Vlad walked into the cage, and looked down at something. An old man, sitting cross-legged on the floor, who's eyes were shadowed, even in the darkness of the hull. He looked to be skin and bone. He had no hair on his scalp, but had a beard that reached his waist. He looked quite old. At first glance, one would guess he was in his nineties, and would probably be right. He looked so frail, that it seemed even the wind could kill him. He didn't look fit to be a slave at all.
"Elderly one, why have you been taken as a slave, and not slain?"
The old man was silent at first. Most of the prisoners thought he was dead, but Vlad's crew knew otherwise. They could actually hear his slow, quiet heartbeat; smell the weak blood flowing through him; and see his extremely slow, maybe even forced breathes.
"I... do not... know," the old man answered with a raspy voice. He sounded like he was struggling to just talk. "What value... does a withered old man," he began to cough. "Possibly have? I have been asking myself this question ever since I was taken. My only guess... is for the World Nobles to throw me in a pit with ravenous beasts."
"That makes sense. I'm sure the World Nobles would enjoy watching wild beasts tear a withered old man to shreds."
"That... is... their..." the old man coughed violently once more. "Nature."
"And yet, I sense no fear in your voice."
"What is there to fear? I am already at death's door. I have nothing left. Not even my own life."
"Oh? And why do you say that?"
The man was silent for a bit. "There is nothing the World Nobles can take from me... that fate hasn't already stolen." Vlad remained silent. "I was strong, once. I was proud of myself in my prime. I had the strength to lift an oak from it's roots. I was undefeated in my village's contest of strength. Then, pirates attacked. My arrogance led me to believe I could defeat them. I drove them off, only for one of them to get one last lucky shot. A shot from one of the pistols destroyed my right knee, taking away my leg. They had crippled me."
"Without my leg, I could no longer train. My proud body slowly disappeared, until I was nothing more than a shadow of my former self. Then, the woman I loved, whom I chose to marry," the old man coughed, "left me, and took my wealth with her. Her last words to me were, 'I can't stand living with a weakling such as yourself. You're not the man I fell in love with. You're just filth.' Years of caring for her, of protecting her, of earning the money that gave her the life she enjoyed, and she repays me by taking every beri I had after I was crippled from protecting our village."
Vlad remained silent. The old man coughed some more. "As if that was not cruel enough, after becoming homeless, I was attacked by robbers. I tried to defend myself..." The old man then finally looked up. "Only for them to slash my eyes out." He opened his eyes to show that they were completely white. He was truly blind.
"Fate has taken so much from me. My prime. My love. My wealth. My sight. I have nothing left. I have nothing left to lose, except for this miserable, worthless life."
"But now that you have nothing to lose, you now have everything to gain."
The man was confused by Vlad's words. "What are you talking about?"
"What if I told you that I could give you everything fate has taken from you, and more?"
"What?"
"I can give you back strength. More strength than you could possibly dream of. Strength that would put even your prime to shame. I can even return your youth. You would regain the use of your currently lame leg. But most of all, I could return to you your sight." Vlad could hear the man's heart pounding. He was getting excited. "And I only ask for one thing in return. A trivial thing."
"And what would that be?"
"You're humanity." The man did not respond. "You would no longer be human. You would be something much more. Much greater. A Chimera. A creature beyond human. Practically an all but unstoppable monster. However, you'd also be selling your soul to me. I... would... own... you." Vlad then knelt down to the man. "Will you do that? Will you sacrifice your humanity?" Vlad then got close to the man's ear, and whispered: "Will you sell your soul... to the Devil?" Vlad then stood up, and took a few steps away from the man.
The man was quiet for a bit. "If there ever was a god in this word, then he has failed me. He has taken so much from me, and gave me nothing in return." The man then looked at Vlad with his eyes. Vlad saw something that made him smile. He actually saw fire in the man's dead eyes. "What use do I have of something as worthless as humanity?"
Vlad smiled, pleased with the answer. "Very well." Vlad snapped his fingers, and the blood of the dead man near him destroyed the shackles of the old man. Vlad gently grabbed the old man's hand, and helped the frail man off the ground. He led the man out of his cell, being patient with the slow-moving, limping, brittle old man. "Jack, I have your challenge."
"Hm?" The doctor walked over to Vlad, and examined the old man. "So frail." Jack touched the man. "His flesh is paper thin." He grabbed his hand, and placed a finger on his wrist. "His pulse is weak." Jack walked back, and examined the man visually. "He looks like he'll drop dead at any second." The old man was getting worried. He thought this "doctor" was about to reject him. If only he could see the smile on his face. "A fine canvas indeed. I will make him into a work of art."
The old man felt relief, while Vlad smiled. "Now then, Vladdy, I need a few favors."
"Hm?"
"Could you forge an operation table for me?" Without hesitating, Vlad snapped his fingers. Jack looked towards the doorway when he heard a sound, and saw a stream of blood rush into the room, and form a table more then large enough to hold the old man. "Ooh, a work of art, Vladdy. Now, if only I had more light to operate." Jack then heard fingers snap again, and saw blood form above his table. He was surprised when he saw the blood actually glow. "You can illuminate your own blood?"
"You'd be surprised at what I can do with my powers."
"Ooh, you are an artist's best friend, Vladdy. Now, one more thing. I need some... material. I'm sure you sensed the above average shark swimming near us." Vlad didn't hesitate. One second, he was gone. The next, he was in the room, holding a now dead shark that was easily twice his size. It looked like a great white, but something was off about it. It's skin was darker, and it actually looked rougher. In fact, no shark recorded has ever been shown to be that big. It could have passed as a baby Sea King. "Perfect. Now, Tanny, I need a favor from you."
"You want me to get your record player and one of those records of yours, right?"
"Oh, you already know me so well."
Tanya was even faster than Vlad himself. It was like she retrieved it in the blink of an eye. "Here ya go."
"Aw. Lovely. Now then, Vladdy, the curtains?" Vlad snapped his fingers, and a veil of blood surrounded Jack and the old man.
Jack carefully placed the old man on the operating table. "Now then, I must inform you... that I do not use anesthetics, such as pain killers or knockout gas. You will feel everything. Every cut, every slice of the nerve, every tug of the muscle. You will experience excruciating pain. Pain so horrible and hellish, that you will beg me to take your life."
"I have felt that pain before doctor. I do not fear it. In fact, it's the only thing that let's me know that I am still alive in this horrid world. Please... let me feel pain."
Jack shivered... in pleasure. "Aaaah, what a glorious response. Ooooooooh, I do look forward to making you... even more magnificent." With that, Jack began the operation.
The illumination from Vlad's blood made silhouettes appear on the crimson curtain. The prisoners were shaking in fear as they watched the shadow move, taking scissors, knives, and some bizarre tools to "work" on the old man and the shark. It didn't help that they could hear the slicing and cutting of flesh, and the sound of water falling or dripping onto the floor. As the watched, they could have sworn that one of the silhouettes was actually getting bigger.
The only thing that distracted them was the sound of bones crunching, and flesh being ripped. The sound was coming from the right side of the room. When they looked, they saw a wolf... eating the poor prisoner that the man from before killed with a single punch. Many of them jumped in fear when the wolf looked back at them. They were terrified, but also mesmerized by the beauty of the wolf's eyes. The wolf stared at them for quite some time, before it licked it's lips, and proceeded to eating the corpse.
That's when they realized that the man who killed the wolf's meal and the woman was nowhere to be seen. They were wondering where he and the beauty went. Then, they heard an explosion.
The explosion was Vlad destroying the Navy battleship.
He and Tanya had moved all the supplies on that ship onto the galleon, claiming it as his crew's new ship. He saw no use for the battleship, so he destroyed it by detonating a few kegs of gun powder he left in key places of the ship.
Tanya had no idea how he did it, but she honestly didn't care. Her captain's powers were still too much of a mystery to her. The fact that he can illuminate his blood was proof of that. All that mattered to her was that her crew now had a new ship. Bigger, but with a greater prize on it than the previous one.
"He should be finished by now." Tanya looked up at her captain. "Let's go see his newest creation."
"Ai, captain."
The two then walked down towards the hull. When they reached it, they saw that Jack's shadow was completely still. "I take it you are finished?"
There was no immediate response, until the shadow began to quiver. "Ooh, yes. I am done. Vladdy, lower the curtains. Unveil my latest creation." Vlad snapped his fingers. When the curtain fell, he saw that Vlad's hands were covered in blood, and there was a huge body lying before him. "Vladdy, Tanny, Hoarffy, all you fortunate souls who get to bear witness to this; I give you... the first... human-made... Fishman." Jack stepped to the side, showing the full body of his creation.
The body was still at first, before it's hand twitched. Then, it slowly began to get off the table. Even when sitting, one could see that the new man was huge. When he finally stood, it was shown that he was tremendous in stature. He was taller than anyone in the room. His skin was as gray as the shark's, and had muscles as huge as a human head. The dorsal fin on his back looked as sharp as a blade, and his fangs looked sharper. After taking a few deep breathes, the Chimera finally opened his black eyes, and looked around. After looking around the room, he looked down at his hands, and flexed his fingers.
"Is this... me? . . . I... I can see."
"Well, it seems you can speak as well." The Chimera looked up Vlad, who walked up to the hulk of a man. "The last Chimera was pretty much devoid of will or personality."
"That's because he was an enemy, Vladdy. If I allowed him to retain his consciousness, then he would have used the power I gave him against us. However, this one pledged loyalty to us. As such, I allowed him to keep his will."
"Ah, I see. Well done, Jack."
"Ooh, you flatter me, captain."
"Now then..." Vlad looked up at the Chimera. "How do you feel?"
The man looked down at his new body. "Alive. After so long... I finally feel alive."
"I see. . . Would you like to test your new body?"
"What?"
"There is a Sea King beneath this ship. I would like you to slay it."
The Chimera was silent at first... before it bowed. "As you command... captain." With that, the Chimera ran off to fulfill it's order.
"Hm, he's pretty fast on land," Hoarfen said as he walked up, eating a heart.
"Well, let's see how he fairs in the water." Vlad snapped his fingers, and more of the blood from on deck and the curtain of blood formed before him and the crew. It took the shape of the Chimera, and watched as he dived. When he hit the water, more blood came, and made a bloody picture of what the Chimera could see.
"You're just full of surprises, Vlad. How are you doing this," Tanya asked.
"I placed a bit of my blood inside the Chimera. Not only can I now control him should he try to rebel, but with enough blood, I can truly see what he sees."
"Oooh, look at how fast he's going. He's like a true fishman. Ah, he already found the Sea King. An Eel-Type."
They watched as the Chimera swam towards the Sea King, and actually punched it in the face. The Sea King looked visually in pain.
Vlad smiled. "He actually held back."
Hoarfen laughed. "So he wants to piss of the Sea King to have a proper fight."
"At least we'll get a proper show," Tanya said.
"As well as some interesting data," Jack said as he took out a notebook, and already began to write in it.
They saw the Sea King glare at the Chimera with enraged eyes, and lunged at him with it's mouth wide open. It must have hoped to swallow him whole. It actually succeeded. However, it was a short lived victory.
In the next second, the Chimera actually punched out four of the beast's front teeth, and swam out in a blur. The Chimera saw around the Sea King, punching and kicking it with blinding speed, all hits holding a tremendous amount of power. Then, the Chimera swam down. When he stopped, he began to spin. He spun fast enough to look like a whirlpool, and sped towards the Sea King. He looked like a missile.
He struck the Sea King, and caused it to roar in pain so loudly, that Vlad and the others actually heard it. It even shook the ship itself. Then, the Chimera shot through the Sea King, killing it. He had won.
Knowing the Chimera would bring the Sea King to the surface, Vlad and his crew went up on deck to meet him. The first thing to pop up was the corpse of the Sea King. The Chimera jumped out of the sea, landed before Vlad and the Bloody Pirates, and actually bowed.
Vlad looked at the corpse of the Sea King. It was large enough to easily swallow the giant galleon whole, and yet the Chimera defeated it all by himself. "Impressive. Very well done."
"Thank you... Captain."
"Do you have a name? I would like to congratulate you properly."
"I had abandoned it."
"Oh?"
"That name would be a reminder of my pathetic humanity. I have been reborn by the hands of the Great Dr. Jack."
"Great Doctor," Jack asked with a slight giggle. "My, my. You flatter me. As such, I shall rename you. As my creation, you will now go by the name of. . . Hm. . . Ah! Megalo."
"Megalo, sir?"
"Short... for Megalodon. I believe it was the shark I used to turn you into the work of art you are now. The Megalodon was thought to be extinct, but during it's heyday, it was considered to be the most powerful creature in the seas. Even Sea Kings feared it."
"And why do you think you used a Megalodon," Vlad asked his doctor.
"The muscle of the shark was too soft, as if it was still developing. The shark you brought me should have been full grown, yet it's muscle mass... wasn't even that of an adolescent shark. It was that of a new born."
"Oh. How interesting. Does that mean Megalo here might actually grow stronger?" The Chimera's eyes widened at the words of Vlad.
"That may be possible. Either way, I created an exquisite piece of art. I look forward to his great progress." The Chimera felt a rush of pride at the doctor's words.
"As I look forward to you making more of these Chimera's, Jack. You have a few hundred more tries before you run out of materials."
"Oh, Vladdy! Are you giving me the cargo," Jack yelled with sparkles in his eyes.
"You will find the most use for them."
"HEY! WHAT ABOUT MY MEALS?!"
"Oh, hush now, Hoarffy. Not all of those canvases will be worth working on. I'll give you the... undesirables."
"I'll hold you to that."
"Though, I will still need some other material. More creatures of the earth and sky. Lovely Megalo will supply me with the material's of the sea, of course."
Vlad walked over to the rails, and looked down at the still floating Sea King. "You have a giant eel right here."
Jack gasped in shock. "Vladdy! How uncouth! To suggest that I... recreate. No, love. All of my pieces must be unique. Just as there can never be another Megalo, there can never be another Hawk. As such, there must never be another Eel. I will never recreate a previous success. I only try to perfect failure. Succession must never be tampered with, nor duplicated. Or else, it will no longer be unique. It will no longer be art."
"I see. Well, at least we have some meat for a good long while. This Sea King is more than large enough to feed us and the cargo for a few months."
"You would feed the slaves," Tanya asked, genuinely surprised.
"They are no good to use dead. And if they grow too weak, Jack's surgeries would kill them before they were even a quarter complete."
"Oh, I love how you understand my art so well, Vladdy."
"So, I'm sorry to ask, Tanya, but could you also cook some food for the slaves? They are precious material, as well as possible soldiers."
Tanya laughed a bit. "Please. Cooking for you, me, Jack, and a few Chimeras and slaves? Piece of cake. At least give me something difficult to do, once in a while."
"Thank you. Now then, we now have a new ship, and some possible new members of our crew. Next order of business, to find an island to make our Paradise base. Preferably one with a wide variety of animals for Jack."
"Ooh, you're too kind, Vladdy."
"Fortunately, I believe I found just the right island. Hard to starboard. It's time to see our new home in Paradise."
"Sir!"
Omake:
A flock of birds was flying peacefully over the sky, not a care in the world. However, in a split second, the entire flock was struck by bullet fast knives. They all fell onto a ship.
Jack walked up to the flock, pleased with his catch. "Nice. Very nice. More than enough for a new work of art. Hm, actually, it seems I only have enough to make a... young piece of work." Jack grabbed the entire flock by their necks, and walked towards the stairs leading to the lower hull.
The older prisoners jumped in fear when they heard the door open. Many of them were more terrified when they saw who it was. They were all afraid of the pirates, but the two they were most terrified of were Hoarfen and Jack.
Vlad seemed merciful, and Tanya would always bring them delicious food. However, Hoarfen would always come to eat at least one of them, and his choice was always random. Jack was even more terrifying, since he would always come and turn one of them into a monster. He has already turned ten into one of those things... and killed about thirty others with that vile surgery.
They saw that he was holding some birds in his hands, and knew that someone would be turned into a monster. Many of the adults blood ran cold... when they saw Jack walk up to a cage full of children.
"Oh, dearies, Uncle Jack is back!"
"Uncle Jack!"
The children ran excitedly up to the bars. The Bloody Pirates had tricked them into thinking they were... somewhat good people.
The kids took a liking to, ironically, Vlad first. They saw him as a cool, handsome, strong man. Many of them called him Papa Vlad. It also helped that Vlad actually took them out of the cage to see the outside world every few days. He did it to actually let them spread their arms and legs and get a healthy amount of sun... so they could grow more naturally and be more likely to survive Jack's surgery. He also taught them a few exercises and stretches. They thought it was all in good fun, when in actuality, they were exercises used to help strengthen and toughen the body. He was preparing them for their inevitable surgery.
The next person they took a liking to was Tanya, for obvious reasons. She was always the one who brought them food. They also loved looking at her. She was so pretty. They also felt calm around her. It didn't take long for them to call her Mama Tanya. The first time they called her that, she giggled, which made them all happy.
Oddly enough, Hoarfen was the next person they grew to like. And all Hoarfen did was nap in their cage while in his wolf form. One child was even brave enough, or drowsy enough, to actually try and sleep on the large wolf. When the child laid his head on Hoarfen, the wolf looked at the child, licked his lips, and just lazy went back to sleep. His warm, soft fur and beautiful wolf form made him popular among the kids.
Jack was the last one they grew to like, but only because he interacted with them the least. One day, he walked up to them, and asked them a simple question:
"Do any of you want to be like Mama Tanny or Uncle Hoarffy?"
The thought of being anything like those two got the kids excited. Though the first two kids were never seen again, the next one happily showed the others... that he was a wolf like Uncle Hoarfen, now. Then, the next child happily showed that she was like Mama Tanya. Now, the kids wait excitedly for the day Uncle Jack makes them into the next puppy or kitten.
"Can I be like Mama Tanya?!"
"I wanna be like Uncle Hoarfen!"
"Can I be like Papa Vlad?"
Jack chuckled. "Apologies, my lovelies, but there will be no puppies or kittens today."
"Aw," the kids all said in unison.
"Instead... do any of you want to fly?" The kids looked interested. "Do any of you want to have wings?"
"I do," a little girl said as she raised her hand.
"Splendid." Jack opened the cage, and took the little girl's hand. "Come now, my child. I will make you like a siren."
"Siren?"
"A gorgeous bird with the most enchanting voice. You're lovely voice might even put a smile on Vladdy. He could most certainly gain from smiling a bit more."
The girl blushed. "I could make Papa Vlad smile?"
The girl thought of it. Vlad almost never smiled. He usually had a stoic and serious expression. However, the girl once saw him smile once. She doesn't remember why he smiled, but she does remember that it was the loveliest thing she has ever seen. The thought of making such a powerful man smile made her happy.
Jack led the girl into his Operating Room. It was one of the many empty rooms that was renovated just for Jack and his surgeries. It had all of Jack's tools, some leftover materials, a few books, Jack's record player, and a crimson operating table that Vlad himself made.
Jack placed the girl onto the table. "Ah, I almost forgot about the embarrassing bit."
The girl blushed. "Do I really have to take off all of my clothes, Uncle Jack?"
"I'm afraid so, love. Down to your adorable little panties."
The girl blushed, and took off all of her clothes. Looking like she did the day she entered this world, she positioned herself onto the table, ready for Uncle Jack to give her wings.
"Now then, love, I must warn you, this will hurt."
"More than your shots?"
"Oh, much more." The girl's eyes began to tear up. "Don't fret, deary. You'll get used to the pain. If you allow your body to truly relax, you might even fall asleep. I'll be done before you know it. Just think of your most beloved memory, and the pain will be gone before you even realize it."
The girl looked at Jack, before looking up at the ceiling. She tried to think of her happiest memory, and thought of Vlad's smile. She also thought of the time she spent with him. His exercises, the fact he allowed her into his room to read some of his books, and of course, the day he saved her.
It was when her group got permission to walk the deck. She was leaning on the rails when she saw a bird. Without realizing it, she actually tried reaching for it. Because of this, she fell off the large ship. When she saw the waters of the ocean, she shut her eyes, waiting for the splash.
When she didn't feel anything, she opened her eyes to see she was above the water, and heard the sound of wings flapping. She looked to see that she was in Papa Vlad's arms, who was flying with beautiful crimson wings.
"Another work of art has been created."
When the girl heard that, she opened her eyes. She didn't realize it, but she had fallen asleep. When she opened her eyes, she saw that she now had talons on her feet. Actually, she had bird legs. She looked at her arms to see that she had feathers on her arms. Pure white feathers that seemed to shine in the light of Uncle Jack's room.
"Now, let's get you dressed, my lovely." The girl looked to see Uncle Jack put a shirt over her head. When her head popped through, she saw him grab a pair of shorts, and helped her into them. "Now, come take a look." Jack led her to a full body mirror.
The girl's eyes widened. "Is that... really me?" She was still as cute as she was before. The only thing really different about her was her new wings and legs. That, and the fact that her formerly black hair was now as white as her feathers. She couldn't help but blush at the sight.
"Indeed. Now, let's test your new wings." Jack took the girl onto the deck. "Now, try to fly."
"Eh?"
"Just flap your wings. Soar through the sky like the bird you are."
The girl looked at Jack for a bit, before she walked up to the rails. She jumped onto them and started to flap. She flapped her wings a few times... then willingly fell off the ship, eyes closed. She felt the rush of the wind through her feathers, then felt like she was being lifted. She felt like she was flying. She expected to see that Papa Vlad had saved her again. When she opened her eyes, she saw she was wrong. Instead, she was flying on her own.
She couldn't believe it. She was flying through the sky like Papa Vlad, or Mr. Hawkie. As she flew, she actually flew past the aforementioned Chimera. When she did, the hawk man screeched, but it sounded like it was in approval. Then, the hawk did a few maneuvers in the sky. Inspired, the girl tried to copy him, and succeeded. She actually followed the bird, and imitated him.
During her flight with the hawk man, she saw Mr. Megalo swimming in the ocean, carrying four large sharks. More than enough meat for dinner.
She was enjoying herself so much. She actually sang a bit. Her voice sounded angelic. Her voice really was as enchanting as a the legendary siren.
After flying around a bit, she finally landed before Jack, who had a pleased look on his face. However, someone else was beside him. The girl blushed when she saw that it was none other than Papa Vlad himself.
He looked so serious as usual, eyes stern, and arms crossed. The girl shook a bit when she saw him reach out. She shut her eyes, waiting for whatever punishment he was planning to give. However, what she felt instead was pleasant.
Vlad was rubbing her head. She looked up, and felt bliss... when she saw Vlad's extremely rare smile. "Very well done, child." With that, Vlad walked away, leaving a blushing siren.
The next thing she knew, she was being hugged by Uncle Jack. "Ooh, by beautiful Siren! You've made Vladdy smile! You're another success! Oh, what joy! What joy!"
The girl, now renamed Siren, couldn't stop blushing. She didn't know if it was because Papa Vlad praised her, because Papa Vlad smiled, or because of how proud Uncle Jack was. She was just happy... that she was now a Chimera.
A/N: Phew. This was a doozy. Like most of my chapters, this took way longer than I had originally planned. Well, I better give credit where credit is due. Most of this chapter was inspired by ch 30 of Nine Minutes by serpentguy. Read it. It's arguably one of the best One Piece fan fics the site has to offer. Actually, it might be a good challenge: see how many similarities there are between this chapter and The Raid (the name of chapter 30). I have no idea how many there are, but I'm sure someone will tell me in a review or something. Hope you enjoyed this and his chapter. Oh, and fair warning: Nine Minutes is addictive. What's worse, it's practically discontinued. Hasn't been updated in nearly two years. It will be two years exactly on October 13, which is Friday, which is also the day The Evil Within 2 comes out. Am I the only one looking forward to that? Well, I should try to beat Akumu mode before it comes out. I'm on Ch 13 right now. Yay! That trophy is mine!
