Still no SBS but I hope I get questions soon. Hope the Japanese isn't confusing anyone. Ai will be speaking more English as the story goes on. And I've decided on giving my story arcs like in the series, so this is the Colonel Aero Arc and it's probably one of the shorter arcs in my story. Happy Halloween everybody! Now onto the story!!

Chapter 6: Flames and Attack

Jarred walked around the village, hoping to find those two siblings again. That chase had been fun and Kuro Neko was napping, so he would just have to settle for running in the woods. But something told him that something bad was going to happen today.

It had been three days since they encountered the cougar siblings, Koji and Ai, and he'd noticed that some Marines had started to appear in the village, whispering things to the villagers. The Marines were avoiding the docks, which were filled with pirate ships.

"Better figure out what's going on." The swordsman mumbled.

He walked over to a tavern and spoke to the Marine. The Marine said, "I think it's best if you evacuate the island. Colonel Aero of Naval Base 7 is attacking the island to get rid of two little brats who have taken control of this island. We will eliminate them and any other pirates, and then we will rebuild this town."

"Interesting," Jarred said, smirking. "I'll start packing then. Thanks for the info, sir!"

The Marine nodded and headed down the street, unaware that he had just told a pirate about their plans. Jarred ran back to the ship to tell Kuro Neko about the attack.

The abandoned shack in the woods…

"So, Ai, do we join or not?" Koji asked. "They'll be leaving soon, plus the Marines are starting to come here. I've seen some around the village and the edge of the forest. They're searching for us, no doubt about that."

"Mou iya desu." Ai whispered, hugging her knees to her chest. "Dore?"

"Naval Base 7 with Colonel Aero." Koji replied, running a hand through his hair. "I wish they would stop following us. Maybe joining those guys is a good idea."

"Hai, oniisan, doukan desu." Ai said.

"Well then, let's head down to the docks." Koji said. "From now on, we are pirates!"

As the two walked into town, they noticed the Marines giving them odd looks. Jarred ran up to the two and led them to the docks, where they explained everything. After they were finished, the siblings looked horrified.

"You mean they're gonna burn down the island? Like they did before?" demanded Koji, a hand already on his two axes.

"Yeah, I know." Kuro Neko said grimly. "But do you two know who this Colonel Aero guy is?"

"Hai, Kuro Neko-san," said Ai. "He burned down our village 10 years ago."

"So you can speak English." Jarred mumbled.

"That's horrible!" said Kuro Neko. "Why would he do that? Why couldn't he just do what he's doing now and evacuate all the people before attacking?"

"Because everyone in the village was with them!" yelled Koji. "None of them would leave the island or the pirates. Especially us since those two pirates happened to be our parents."

"Your parents?!" asked Jarred. "So you two are the children of pirates?"

"Yes and that's enough of a reason for the Marines to hunt us down and kill us, including anyone who gets in their way or anyone who helps us." Koji growled, fingernails digging into his palms.

"So, are you gonna join my crew?" asked Kuro Neko.

Before Koji could answer, someone else spoke up. "Of course he isn't joining you pirates. He and his sister and all you filthy pirates are going to die!"

"Marine!!" yelled Jarred.

The Marine was a tall, heavily-muscled guy with brown hair and black eyes. He wore a large jacket over his shoulders and had a mustache. "My name is Colonel Aero and your names are dead!" he yelled, shooting his gun.

The four zoans scattered, running in different directions in hopes of an escape. Koji kept running until he reached an alleyway and sat among the trash there, hoping for safety. He kept thinking about the original Inferno Island and what happened there 10 years ago.

FLASHBACK

Original Inferno Island, 10 years ago

Two little kids, one 8 and the other 7, were resting on the ridge over the beach of their home island. Suddenly, they spotted six Marine ships headed towards them. The children, Koji and Ai, had been taught to tell adults if they saw Marine ships. Both kids ran towards the village.

They spotted their parents resting under a tree in the town square. They ran towards their parents, screaming, "Mommy, daddy! The Marines are coming!"

Their mother, a beautiful raven-haired woman named Seika, embraced the two and gestured for her husband, a tall brunette man named Higeki, to check it out. He got up and walked over towards the beach with some of the villagers. Not long after the takeover of the island, the villagers grew dependant on the pirates for protection and were willing to fight alongside them to protect the island.

Three Marines stepped onto the beach. One was a heavily-muscled colonel while the other two were merely soldiers sent to guard the colonel. "I'm Colonel Aero of Naval Base 7, and I've come to arrest you pirates." He said, pointing to Higeki and Seika.

"We don't want to be saved!" yelled some villagers. "If it wasn't for these guys coming along, pirates would've destroyed this village by now! It's thanks to them that we don't have to live in fear anymore!"

"See, Colonel Aero?" said Higeki. "These people love us pirates. In exchange for food and shelter, we protect them and their village from harm. No, we protect this entire island from harm!"

"We're doing no harm whatsoever, sir!" Seika said, holding Ai and Koji close. "We're doing a lot more help than you think. Not all pirates are bloodthirsty cutthroats that only care about treasure, there are good pirates who protect people and only fight when necessary."

"You're blind, all of you are!" roared Colonel Aero. "All pirates care about is killing! There is no such thing as a good pirate!"

"Then how do you explain us all being alive despite having pirates in the village for the past 10 years?" yelled a villager.

"You're their slaves!"

"No, they're not!" yelled Higeki. "They're our equals. We help one another to survive in this world. Ever heard the saying 'It's a dog eat dog world'? Well, that's what this place is! Without us, these guys would be dead! Without them, we pirates would be dead!"

"Silence, filthy pirate!" yelled one of the two soldiers.

"No, we won't be silent!" yelled Seika. "We've been silent for years and yet you still try to kill us when we've done nothing at all. We're sick and tired of you Marines coming into our home and trying to throw us out!"

"That's right!" yelled Higeki. "Why can't you leave us alone already? We haven't killed anyone or anything, so just leave us the heck alone!"

"Be quiet!" yelled Colonel Aero, shooting him.

"Otoochan!!" screamed Ai.

"Stop it right now!!" yelled Seika, pointing a gun at Aero. "I don't want to shoot you but if you insist on killing us then we'll kill you!"

Suddenly the sounds of cannons filling the air. The village erupted into flames as a cannonball hit it, and one by one, the villages were destroyed. The entire island was erupting into flames, and the Marines retreated to their ship.

Koji grabbed his sister's hand and ran back to the ridge. There was a small ship hidden in the cove below it that they could use to escape. A scream came from behind them and when they looked, their mother hit the ground and was killed by the explosion.

"Okaachan!!" screamed Ai.

"Come on, Ai! We have to go now!" yelled Koji.

A cannonball hit the ground in front of them, throwing the children away from their escape route. The ridge and their boat were destroyed.

One of the villagers grabbed the kids and raced to the beach where a small boat was docked. Shoving them on it, he cut the rope and pushed it out to the sea. The kids screamed for him to come with but stared in horror as he was killed, along with everyone else on the island.

Hours later, the two landed on what was to be the new Inferno Island. They cried and cried, but knew everyone was gone. Not long after that, they ate a Devil Fruit and made a vow to destroy the Marines for what they did.

END FLASHBACK

Koji was crying now. Why did that man have to come back? A gentle voice beside him said, "Oniisan, why are you crying?"

Koji looked and saw it was his sister. Jarred and Kuro Neko were with her, looking very worried for him. "I'm fine, Ai-chan!" he sniffed, wiping the tears away. "It's just I—"

A gun shot sounded nearby and the trashcan they were hiding behind got kicked over. Koji looked up and saw it was Colonel Aero with his gun pointed at them. "Prepare to die, pirate trash!"

"You're the trash, Marine!" yelled Jarred, slashing the gun in half with his Akayuki sword.

Another Marine soldier appeared and pointed his gun at the swordsman. Just as he was about to fire, Ai went full cougar and slashed the man across the chest. His blood stained her white fur red.

More soldiers appeared and the four worked together to defeat them all. Soon enough, Colonel Aero was all alone. "You filthy pirates! Die!" he yelled, shooting.

Kuro Neko dodged the bullets and punched the man in the face, sending him crashing into the wall behind him. Colonel Aero collapsed on the ground, unconscious and bleeding. The other three looked at him in shock, and then started cheering.

"Let's go, guys!" yelled Koji.

The four zoans raced towards the ship. After hopping onboard, they set sail to get as far away from the island as possible. An hour later, all they could see was open sea on all sides, turned bright colors by the setting sun.

"Man, I'm beat!" sighed Kuro Neko. "Who knew running could take that much out of you?"

"Yeah, man!" groaned Jarred. "I've got a stitch in my side from running. I guess even zoans get tired from running that much!"

"My sister can fix that up for you!" said Koji.

Ai opened her backpack and pulled out a red ball thing with holes on top and a tube at the side. She blew into it and played a tune by placing her fingers over some of the holes and changing her fingers' positions to change the notes. The crew of four relaxed.

"Man, I'm feeling better already." Kuro Neko said, stretching. "You are definitely my musician, Ai."

"Could I be the first mate?" asked Koji. "My sister will have to be second mate though."

"Sure! You both seem really strong, even if I haven't seen what Ai can do yet." Kuro Neko said. "Welcome to the Neko Neko crew, guys!"

"Arigatou, Kuro Neko-sama!" Ai said happily after finishing the tune. "I should do this every sunset."

"Sure, Ai," Jarred said. "You should. That's a great idea."

"What's for dinner, anyway?" asked Kuro Neko.

"Probably chicken, corn, and bread. I have to cook until we get a chef, just so you two know." Jarred said, getting up and heading for the kitchen to cook dinner.

While he was gone, Kuro Neko taught the two newest crewmates about their tradition of praying to Midnight before dinner and eating in silence. After praying, Jarred yelled for them to come eat.

They sat around the table in spots that would always be theirs. Jarred served their food, much to his dislike, and then sat down. "Oishisou!" said Ai.

"She says it looks good." Koji said, taking a bite of chicken. His eyes lit up in happiness. "Delicious! This is the best food I've ever had in years! You're an excellent cook, Jarred!"

"Thanks!" said Jarred. "At least someone compliments me, unlike a certain panther zoan."

"What?" asked Kuro Neko. "I always say it tastes good."

"Sou desu ne." Ai said, taking a bite. "Good but it needs salt. Shio o totte."

Kuro Neko handed her the salt. She took another bite and nodded in satisfaction. "Hai, it's very good!"

"Thanks, Ai. That means a lot, considering Kuro Neko and I are both supposedly bad cooks." Jarred said, grinning.

After dinner, they showed Jarred and Ai the individual rooms and let them choose their rooms. Koji chose a room about the size of Jarred's that had thick black carpet and bare walls. He began unpacking.

Ai chose a room that was a bit larger than her brother's. It had thick red carpet with hints of gold and silver. A large bed was against one wall and a bookshelf rested against another. She, too, began unpacking.

After an hour, the crew decided it was time to sleep. After going to bed and shutting off the lights, none of them saw the small caravel gliding silently alongside their ship. The flag was a green skull with roses for eyes and the crossbones were thorny vines. A young girl around 14 with short dark green hair and green eyes silently watched the ship, a large amount of deadly plants writhing around her feet and ship.

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I hope you all like this chapter! Ai and Koji have joined the crew and their profiles are now in my profile too. Here's a list of what Ai said in Japanese and their English meanings:

Mou iya desu – Not again

Dore – Which one?

Hai – Yes

Oniisan – older brother

Doukan desu – I agree

-san – Mr./Ms./Mrs./Miss

Otoochan – Daddy

Okaachan – Mommy

-chan – children and girls/women

Arigatou – Thanks

-sama – higher status person

Oishisou – Looks delicious

Sou desu ne – Let me see

Shio o totte – Pass the salt

The Colonel Aero Arc has ended and the Ivy Rosethorn Arc has begun. Next time, the Neko Neko crew is ambushed by a mysterious little girl with power over plants and a mission to destroy the Neko Neko crew! Who is she and why is she only targeting them? Find out next time in 'Journey of a Black Cat'!!