Chapter 4: The Past Comes Back To Haunt You
(Hello all. This is my very first published fanfic. Please feel free to leave any comments at all and have a great day.)
Disclaimer: I do not known any of the One Piece characters. This is a non-canon work of fiction.
Warning: I do realize that Kairee comes off like a Mary Sue, yes. Haha, I suppose I just ended up writing her that way. Whether that retracts from the experience or not is entirely up to the reader. I do hope you all enjoy the story, though.
….
She was suddenly woken by a violent quaking. She grabbed on to the suspended cot for dear life as the shaking lasted for several moments, then slowly lessened to a stop.
"What the hell was that?" she wondered aloud, then realized that perhaps they had hit land. She decided to sit and wait. After all, the Captain had said that she'd be leaving as soon as they hit shore. Several minutes passed, however, and nobody had come to get her. She strained her ears while waiting at the Prison's entrance, and after a few moments, she heard a din of activity coming from the level above. There were voices roaring in excitement and stamping about. She was beginning to have a bad feeling about things.
"Boys, check down that ladder!" she heard. It was not a voice she recognized.
"You got it," a voice replied, followed by another that sounded nearly identical, "Boss." She heard a shuffle of quick footsteps down the ladder and quickly she used her ability.
Her body disappeared from her sight, every particle of it was now a wisp of wind. Just in time, two men appeared at the entrance, peering inside the hold. They saw nothing, of course, but Kairee had to be careful. Her logia ability allowed her to become the wind, but in order to be called wind, it had to keep blowing and moving. It seemed that in this form, there was no inherent ability ot keep still, so she gusted lightly back and forth through her cell room and a short distance from the entrance to observe them.
The two men were twins, both with slim and angular, and they had the longest arms she'd ever soon dangling down several inches past their knees making her realize that they were probably members of the Longarm tribe, though she'd never actually seen one in person. They both had long hair. But one tied it in a braid and the other had it spiked up in a spire over his head.
"You think anybody's here, bro?" the spiked one asked.
"Nah, what about you bro?"
"Me neither, bro."
They left after this exchange, as it seemed, to check the other rooms. She decided to trail them and find out what happened. Even if they did treat her distastefully, she hoped the crew hadn't gotten hurt… or worse.
They checked the Storage room and they wondered at the large enclosure that was the Treasure Storage. They attempted to open it, but it wouldn't budge, and they resolved to get back to it later.
As they turned out to the hallway, the braided hair said, "Hey bro?"
"Yeah, bro?"
"I felt a weird chill just now, bro."
"Ack, you did too, bro?"
"Yeah, bro."
They nodded to each other and quickened their pace a bit as they checked the Mechanics room. When they opened the Engine room, and a billow of steam blew in their faces, they quickly closed the door and rushed upstairs.
She tried her best to keep her breeze as light as possible, and to keep her distance as she followed them. They headed to the Control room, and inside a large, muscular man with shaggy red hair in a brown coat was waiting. He had a rectangular face and very long arms, like the brothers did, but on his left arm was attached a hook instead of a hand. She lingered at the door as they spoke.
"So boys, find any more of the crew straggling around?" he asked, his tone casually cheery with a mischievous grin.
"Nuh-uh, Boss," said braid hair.
"Didn't find anybody," spire-hair finished.
"Heh. Well. once those cowards fond their captain and they came running back, we can trap him and finally settle an old score."
"Still," he smiled widely, with an excited gleam in his eye while he watched the monitor that displayed an empty, grass-filled forest, "I never expected that young boy to stumble into our territory after all these years. And he's been making a name for himself, too. How the times fly, huh?" He shrugged with an amused chuckle while lazily musing at his hook hand. "I wonder if that woman is in his crew as well… She has to be."
The whole time the boss was speaking, his two lackeys seemed rather uninterested in what he had to say, and were nudging each other's sides. This turned into a silent squabble, and, as it happened, spire-hair was pushed just a bit too much and stumbled backward, right into Kairee's path.
He jumped forward with a yelp and shuddered. "I felt that chill again, bro!" He pointed at the empty hallway, and the other two rushed out of the Control room, while Kairee retreated farther back farther away from them.
"What did you say, Lassert?" the boss's eyes narrowed and scanned the hall suspiciously.
"It's true, boss!" Lassert insisted, spreading his arms and walking about, trying to feel for the breeze.
"We felt it downstairs too, Boss!" said braid-hair, who had joined his brother in feeling about the space.
The large man halted as realization dawned on his face. "Wait… Could it be?" he looked up swiftly at the hatch that led outside.
"Buraki, close that hatch! She's inside that sub, don't let her escape!"
No sooner had she processed the words he'd said had she managed to rush up the hallway, blast past Buraki, who had started to climb up the ladder and now fell to the floor from the force of the gale, and escape into the Deck enclosure.
She materialized and had only a second to see their dumbfounded faces as she closed the hatch on top of them and locked it tight, setting all of her weight on keeping it locked. If she could just keep it locked like this til Law and the crew returned, they could-
She jumped just as she was about to be grabbed from behind, but bas she was turning into wind, she felt something cold and hard close around her wrist, and she suddenly materialized and fell to the ground, every finber of her body feeling heavy, weak, and useless.
She looked up and found another Longarm, who himself seemed to be triple-jointed with upper limbs even longer than those she'd seen the first three with, and he towered over her. In his hand was the other end of the seastone cuffs that held her, and he grinned at her sinisterly, his tall and scrawny form making him look akin to a spindly spider having caught its dinner.
"Where do you think you're going?" His voice was like sandpaper, and he said this as he placed the other cuff on her free wrist. She felt quite powerless as she was forced to kneel by her wrists.
"Ah, good work, Sersis." The boss climbed up through the hatch and eyed the young girl before him, and his smile spread from ear to ear.
"Well look who we have here! I knew those seastone cuffs would come in handy. It's nice to meet you again, young Miss. I've been looking forward to seeing you again for a long time." He bowed low in front of her. "Don't tell me you don't recognize me?"
"No I don't, actually," she replied, expression hard.
"But you'll remember us!" Buraki suddenly spoke up, his expression annoyed and seething.
"Yeah," Lassert continued, as they bent down over her and studied her face, taking it in one hand and rotating it roughly from side to side. "There's no doubt about it," he declared confidently.
Buraki agreed. "This is definitely that girl who wrecked our boats all those years ago."
"But she doesn't look like she's grown at all!" interjected Lassert.
"Sorry to interrupt," she said, "But I don't know either of you and I don't know what you guys are talking about. So just let me go! And what have you done with the crew?"
"Just as feisty as ever, I see," the boss said after a hearty laugh. "Well, if you need reminding as to who I am, I don't have any problem with that." He took a bow, but whether mocking or genuine, she wasn't sure.
"I am Captain Ferrio Grave of the Strongarm Pirates, but back when we first met I was a simple bandit gang leader. Ring any bells?"
"I'm pretty sure you have me mistaken," she responded coldly.
He laughed again. "Well, no matter. You don't have to worry about your little crew, either. Soon enough they'll come right back and you can watch as we kill them all." He grinned sinisterly, and said it with such casualness that it made her shudder.
She was picked up and roughly carried outside on to the deck. She found that what she had seen on the Control room's screen had only been half of the view. They were surrounded by thickets of mangrove trees, their vines covering each other in thick knots, and instead of land, the ground was patched with green and sticky-looking marshes. It seemed that the sub was quite deep in the muck of a marshy pool and the atmosphere was humid and thick with the call of birds that could not be seen. Another longarm, with a very round body and wave-shaped hair, was standing on lookout, scouting as though he could peer yonder the tress.
"See anything so far, Barm?" Grave asked him.
"No sign of them yet, Boss," he reported, watching the thickets, when suddenly he gasped and pointed. The mangrove trees beyond stirred, and, emerging from the dark overgrowth came another large man, even larger than Grave, who was rushing hurriedly towards them.
"Umeri's lured them back."
"Looks like they're here!" declared Grave excitedly. "Get ready, boys!"
After a few moments, the Heart Pirates emerged as well, running into the marshy clearing, with Law leading the crew and halting at the sight before him.
"Hey there, little Captain," Grave greeted while leaning over the deck's rails and projecting his voice across the clearing. "You must still remember me, right?"
"It can't be…" Law muttered, studying the man and his crew.
"You're the leader of those bandits from Minion Island, aren't you?"
"Give the kid a prize!" Grave laughed loudly. "Then I bet you'll remember this?" He raised his claw hand up to the dim light coming through the foliage, and it glinted dangerously.
"You see, ever since that fateful day, I gave up the bandit life and took to the seas. It seemed the only smart thing to do at the time. I became a Captain and now we're the Strongarm Pirates. And wouldn't you know it? Here we all are again! What's it been, ten years?"
Law eyed the claw silently and said nothing for a while, then he looked to Kairee, and she saw his jaw harden.
"Your business is with me. Even though they look exactly the same, that girl that you've taken hostage isn't the one I was with back in Parvul. She's got no part in this."
To this, Grave laughed again heartily and wiped the tears from his eyes. "You really think we'll believe a lie like that? We saw her use her wind ability. There's absolutely no doubt about it!"
Kairee saw Law's eyes widen upon hearing about her ability, and even her own head was buzzing. Did that mean Shingle had an ability similar, if not identical, to her own? If that was true, then she really could be her, no matter how little sense it made or how improbable it was.
"Besides, even if she's not the same young lady from all those years ago," he smiled at her maliciously and it chilled her to her very core, "We still plan on having a little fun with her, don't we boys?"
The crew whooped nastily in agreement.
"If anyone's getting their hands on her first-"
"-It should definitely be us." Buraki and Lassert jeered as they gestured at touching her.
"Don't you dare put a damned hand on her," Law's face turned dark and seething, his rage kept in check just underneath the surface but still ready at any moment to burst at the seams. "Or else none of you might live to regret it."
Grave smirked and cocked his head to the side. "Oh? We'll see about that, won't we?" He pushed Kairee to the back of the group and she fell on her behind with a thump.
"Listen up, kid. I could very easily just threaten this girl with torture or death to force you to do whatever I ask, even give yourself up in exchange for her life," he declared confidently. "But lucky for you, that's not how I'm gonna play the game today. No matter how much I want to see both of you grovel and beg, I've always dreamt of digging this claw into your face in a good old-fashioned fight. Then I can play with you two and your crew however I please."
"So, let's get this thing started, shall we?" The Strongarm Captain's eyes flashed with surging excitement, and he raised his arms from his sides, gesturing as though he were carrying a very heavy ball in each hand and trying to lift them above his head. At his movements, their surroundings began to shake and writhe about around them.
The Heart Pirates struggled to keep their balance and looked around them with wide eyes as the thick twisted vines that draped the large marshland tress came alive, like snakes slowly waking from a deep slumber and rising to engage the trespassers in their territory.
Kairee gave a loud yelp as the animated barky tendrils picked her up from the floor and lifted her up to the highest part of the sub, tying her fast to a large pole that extended up some meters into the air. She watched, feeling quite helpless as the events unfolded in front of her.
"Watch out, everyone!" Law warned as the Strongarm crew rushed to position themselves around the perimeter of the Heart Pirates, as though they had rehearsed their moves many times before. The animated vines snaked and slithered their way towards the now cornered crew, and very suddenly, the vines lunged towards them. They all dodged, but several of them had been caught around their arms or legs and they were tied fast.
"What the hell?"
"We can't get them off!"
"Like my Tangle-Tangle fruit's ability, little Captain?" Grave had jumped off the deck, and joined them in the fray. Law, who had been caught around his ankles, quit his struggling and gave a smirk while drawing his nodachi.
Grave's smile disappeared and he had just managed to warn his crew, "Fall back, boys!" when Law summoned a large blue sphere that engulfed him and the Heart Pirates. The Strongarm pirates had only narrowly escaped getting caught inside, and stood some meters away from the perimeter.
"Hoo, that was a close one," Grave remarked, his grin returning as he watched the younger Captain cut off the restraining vines, which then fell limp and lifeless after getting cut, and staying where he was, he slashed the air towards his companions and the vines that bound them were cut as well and they were free.
"Huh, sphere's a lot bigger than I remember. Just think, if you'd been caught in that," Grave told his crew, almost nonchalantly, "you'd end up just like my hand here."
"Don't worry," Law interjected while facing Grave. "Both you and your crew will be in pieces when we're through."
Law's crew drew closer to him after he wordlessly beckoned them over, and he muttered a few things to them while Grave scoffed, amused.
"Don't tell me you're going to spend this whole fight strategizing in your little blue ball, Captain Law?"
Just as Grave ended his taunt, he had only enough time to raise his hook hand up in front of him to block when Law had rushed at him and driven his nodachi down at him in a powerful slash.
"Boss!" Grave's crew were poised to rush to his help, but before they could take a step, the Heart Pirates, after being given their orders, now charged at the other crew and engaged them. Each one had his target chosen and they all fought in a flurry of blows and dodges, both sides using only martial arts as their weapon.
Meanwhile, Law smirked as he had his gaze and blade locked on Grave, and though the Longarm had more physical strength and was not easily overpowered, the younger captain said haughtily, "I think a little strategizing in a blue ball would do you some good."
A blue spinning sphere appeared in his hand and Grave swiftly jumped back, motioned his hands and the vines around them rose up high and came down over the heart Captain like a green tsunami, but the sphere had expanded before they could ensnare him and were quickly cut down with an easy spinning slash of his sword. Grave had only enough time to escape from the sphere's perimeter before the younger captain had closed the distance between them and they parried each other's blows as the larger man continued to widen their gap, and Law, getting bombarded by vines from all sides, cut them down and pursued his opponent.
"Clever little captain, aren't you?" Grave spat, no longer smiling, and breaking into occasional fits of panting as their chasing wore on. "Keeping your attacks on me stops me from using my ability on the others," he was a good distance from Law at this point and let loose several vines as the latter cut them down all at once, "and you get the chance to slice me up when you get close enough."
Law lunged at Grave once again, who raised his vines for defense. "Don't you ever shut your mouth?" he remarked while slicing away at the vines to reach his target.
"If you keep running it, you'll end up getting your tongue cut out." Law warned while standing tall after the last vine in front of him had been cut down, and Kairee could tell he was feeling the strain of his constant offensive wave, but he was far from being out and was gaining the upper hand.
She turned her eyes to the others down below her. Bepo was facing off against Sersis and she watched as the bear's quick reflexes helped him dodge an oncoming barrage of punches. Penguin and Shachi were taking on the twins together, and the pair and teamwork almost as good as the Longarm brothers. Tern was battling the round Longarm Barm and threw a very heavy punch straight into his gut. Finally, Beluga and Puffin were dodging left and right from the blows of the largest Strongarm, Umeri, who swung his arms about like wrecking balls. Though all of the crew were having trouble finding stable footing on the marshy ground, none of them had gotten any serious hits and were slowly getting accustomed to the difficult terrain, all while battling the enemy that had doubtless been trained for combat there.
The two Captains, as it seemed, had also been monitoring their subordinates from out of the corners of their eyes while their own battle ran on, and Law began to smirk.
"I'm sure even you can admit that this battle's already decided," he readied himself for, as it seemed, his final strike. Grave, however, darted his eyes left and right expectantly, as though the trees were whispering to him, then he looked up at the sky, and suddenly he burst into laughter.
"Oh yeah, I quite agree with you there, little Captain! This fight of ours is already decided."
As if on cue, the air around them started to get heavy, and a dense fog seemed to emerge right out of the forest and envelope the clearing, blanketing everyone caught up in their battles with both a cover and a blindfold. Kairee heard the voices of the Heart Pirates rise up in confusion and frustration, and it seemed as though she were the lone soul who could see everyone's position, as the top of their heads were the only parts that weren't obscured by the thick mist.
Grave's laugh echoed loud and distorted through the whiteness, "I'll give you and your crew a fair warning, little Captain. You're all at a horrible disadvantage out here."
Towards the rightmost side, she could make out the familiar Penguin hat and a green casquette turning about frantically. Then out of the fog jumped Lassert, brandishing a dagger and about to slice through the air at his target.
"Shachi, above you! Knife!" She saw his hat halt for a split second before sinking into the fog as the blade came swiftly down and Lassert disappeared into the white expanse as well, and then a yelp of pain. She had no time to worry, however, because advancing upon Penguin was Buraki, who had also jumped up as his brother had to get a glimpse of his enemy's position, and was carrying another dagger in hand.
"Penguin! Dagger!" Heading her warning, Penguin seemed to block his arm just in time before they both fell into the complete cover of the mist.