Last line of defense my ass.
I sat on the edge Syrup Village listening to the sound of battle cries erupting from a far off shore. As per instructions ordered by Zoro, my master, his majesty, the all knowing ruler, I was to act as the last line of defense should the Black Cat Pirates breakthrough. I, as well as everyone else, knew that was not going to happen. Based on Luffy's showdown with the Buggy Pirates, I knew he could hold his own and more. Just one of his gattling barrages of rubbery fists would send those pirates fleeing with their tails between their legs. Of course, that would be if there were even any left after Zoro was done with them.
Usopp, Nami, and probably myself were negligent factors. Maybe Usopp could think of some slick strategy but I got the feeling that the sound of his knees knocking together would be too distracting for anyone to think straight. Nami randomly started following us around and telling us what to do after the run in with the Buggy Pirates. She's bigger and taller than me but she doesn't have any sign of lean muscles like I do so I doubt she has any reputable combat skills. Cross those two off the list.
I imagined myself at the front lines of the battle. You want to raid the village? Not today, suckers. With my double-edged sword in my hand(s), not a single pirate would make it past my steel wall of might. 100 legs couldn't match the speed of my swings; they'd fall prey to my blade before they could take a step past me.
Of course in reality, if I were to slice them down as I imagined, they would bleed. There would be blood splattered everywhere and it wouldn't just be mine. Blood smells gross and in my opinion, it's meant to stay inside the body so why would anyone want to spill it? Because that means they would be in pain - most likely even more pain then when Zoro hits me with the back of his blade. And that hurts like hell.
I changed my mind - last-line-of-defense sounds perfect for me.
I was just the choreboy (because no one says choregirl). Or I will be as soon as we get a decent ship that requires chores. That's the agreement Zoro and I came to with Luffy - I'd continue my training under Zoro and swab the decks or whatever because Zoro doesn't want me fighting for real. I guess Luffy didn't really care what I did but I felt it was only fair to earn my keep.
My heroic reverie-turned-nightmare was interrupted by a familiar presence quickly approaching from the shore. Moments after I detected him, Luffy came running down the path to the village.
"Run straight north, run straight north, run straight north," he panted as he came storming up to me.
"Crystal! Which way is north?" he shouted when he saw me at my post.
"Let's see here. The sun is rising to my left, facing away from the village, and it rises in the east (or is it west?). So if that way is east, north is straight through the village," I concluded.
Not soon enough because Luffy was already out of sight, running off in some incorrect direction.
The pieces started to come together in my mind - Luffy heading north; battle cries; their position at the south shore. I had been so engrossed in my day dreams that I didn't realize that sounds I had heard from beyond the village were not coming from the same direction where the crew was stationed. What the hell happened?
It happened, that's all that matters - that's what Zoro would tell me. In fact, he wouldn't even stick around to discuss it. So does that mean that I'm supposed follow his (hypothetical) example and rush to the north shore? Or not because I'm not even supposed to be fighting?
I cursed my indecision as I headed for the shore. In the end, I decided that it's not what I'm supposed to be but it's what has to be done that should guide my actions. Who knows how long it would take Luffy to find his way across the island? And I seriously doubted Zoro would ever make it there, even if Usopp was guiding him, much less on his own.
So I'll commit to the fight. For Usopp. For his friend Kya's life. For the peace of the villagers. I'll commit to spilling some blood...
...
My breakfast almost came up just thinking about it.
Knowing which direction to head made the trip from the village to the north shore a short one.
I arrived to find the worst scene imaginable: Nami and Usopp (both already down) vs the entire Black Cat force. And then there was me, alone on the front lines just as I had dreamed of.
Erase their faces from your mind.
That part was easy enough when the blindfold hid the details of their image. The hard part was pretending that they don't have a name, a story, that they don't bleed. I was supposed to reduce these humans to nothing more than the straw decoys used for training. Back at home, there were a line of them in front of the dojo where Zoro used to train. Some of them had vital target areas highlighted in bright red paint to clearly state where to strike.
My mind's eye imposed the ink on my new decoys showing me exactly where my blade should fall. I smelled it too. The smell of blood was strong where it coursed most thickly through their veins. The heat was like a magnet drawing my sharp sword across their fragile flesh.
The first one fell in one swift movement. It dropped to my feet like a lifeless doll and I could just imagine the blood spilling out of the injury I ripped through its stomach. But no - training equipment doesn't bleed.
Each subsequent target was assigned a number by my blade. I didn't have the strength or weapon range to tackle more than one at a time as they tried to rush passed me. So one by one, they lined up to fall victim to my relentless attack. The path was clearly laid out for me, starting with the one at point blank range to me left, followed closely by the smaller one that would veer right to cut off the closer larger one.
I saw the careful calculations of warfare running through their minds and guiding their movements. I knew because I was on the same, deadly wavelength as them; only my quick feet were one step ahead of them. There was a line that they were not permitted to cross - the imaginary marker drawn across the dirt road was concrete and easy for me to visualize. Just as they'd reach the line, I'd appear before them to end their march.
Halted bodies piled up on my line, overflowing and pushing the boundaries I had determined. One particularly agile target intercepted my quick work and I was locked in a stalemate. My two years of dedicated training pressed against his Captain's orders to push forward into the village. His will was unyielding and I felt like I was shoving against a boulder.
That was something else Zoro had me do on the daily - push boulders around empty fields and up steep (like 5 degree steep) inclines. It's physics - I push a mass and it pushes back. But if I prove stronger than the fucking rock then I can push it all over the village if Zoro orders so. If not, then he makes fun of me for being weaker than an inanimate object.
But this boulder felt like it was being backed by a brick wall. And if I didn't supply at the very least an equal and opposite force, then I would be the one being pushed up and down hills all morning long. Or, in this case, I'd have my throat slit.
The weight of my blade grew heavier with each swing and each block. Its hefty, wide structure was ill-suited for my agile frame but we had come so far together that I'd never give it up for a smaller katana. Besides, nothing was heavier than the pressure to protect what's precious.
For me, it was my dear friends and, as Zoro's apprentice, his pride as a swordsman. For Usopp, it was protecting his village. So, by extension, that made it like my burden too. One that I was more than happy to bear. Thus, the lives of his friends weighed more on us than the black blade in my hands.
At least, that's what my resolve said. My body, on the other hand, was not so spirited and still, as always, constrained by human limitations.
Zoro was going to chew me out if I fell in battle; I had the chance to prove that I was good for more than just swabbing decks and catching fish; There were really dangerous weapons coming at me; I could die. There were so many reasons why I couldn't lose here but the only thing that had any authority in the matter was my strength. Which was about to give out.
There was that first time where I backed the stone into a corner. I couldn't pull it out or find a different angle to push it. Done, right? Not according to Zoro. He looked at my work with dissatisfaction.
"Like this," he instructed and cleanly sliced the mass into a pile of ruble.
I wish that I had taken a different approach to the exercise. It's not that I didn't put my heart into everything he told me to do.. I just didn't connect the actual practicality of the lessons. But I see now that the battle's not over until your enemies have fallen. Be it a rock or a pirate, the only way to victory is through a series of clean slices.
The sudden understanding elicited a rush of adrenaline through my system which allowed a temporary (at least perceived) influx of strength. Hell. Yes. I grasped the upperhand of the stalemate and threw him off balance. In his brief moment of recovery, I ducked for an unexpected low-sweep.
Look at me now, Moss Head, I'm not so much of a loser am I?
The defeat of the hulking pirate marked me as a viable threat and the remaining crew turned their attention from raiding the village to putting a halt on my brigade. Some had doubled back and approached from behind. Others encroached on the left and right. And of course, there were those who dared to charge in head first.
They surrounded me on all sides and a I was caught in a ring of blades and guns. I cursed myself for getting careless. Zoro would never allow this to happen so easily and he held me to the same damn standards. It would be super embarrassing if he found me this way.
In the major amount of chaos which I used to my advantage to slip out of the crowd so there was no one to my back. A guttural cry brought me the battle back to me with a grizzly fellow leading the charge with two hands on a flimsy sword. The rest followed like a dam bursting after a torrential downpour. I quickly found myself drowning in a sea of smelly pirates.
Could I overcome one of these full grown men before the next one came barring down on me? Was I fast enough to outrun a bullet? Would I survive with the odds against me?
Of course.
Because I made a promise to a very dear friend of mine that I'd be there to see the day when he became the world's greatest swordsman. And after that? We'd rule an empire of swordsmen, sitting high and proud on an untouchable throne of our raw strength. He is not the greatest swordsman yet so if I fall here, how am I supposed to support him? Easy, dying isn't an option for me.
But the weight of my blade grew heavier with each swing and each block. It's hefty, wide structure was ill-suited for my small figure and quick style but we had come so far together that I'd never give it up. Besides, nothing was heavier than the pressure to protect what's precious to you.
For me, it was my dear friends and, as Zoro's apprentice, his pride as a swordsman. For Usopp, it was protecting his village. So by extension, it was like my burden too. The lives of his friends weighed more on us than the black blade ever would in my hands.
At least, that's what my resolve said. My physical body, on the other hand, was not so spirited and still, as always, constrained by human limitations.
Zoro was going to chew me out if I fell in battle; I'd prove taht I was good for nothing but swabbing decks and catching fish; there were really dangerous weapons coming at me and I could die. There were so many reasons why I couldn't slip up but only one thing that had authority: my strength. Which was about to give out.
I didn't cry when the first blade nicked my shoulder. I didn't scream when the bullet lodged itself in my leg. I didn't run nor did I back down. Besides, why should I? I could lose all the blood in my body but it wouldn't change the fact that The Strawhat Pirates are eternal. As a team, we couldn't lose.
Even as the scythes slipped across my skin and the axes tore across my stomach, I smiled a blood-stained wide grin. I was there and I was fighting. I would never run like a true swordsman and Zoro would be so proud of me.
The blood drained from my body and ran sticky and thick down my arms and legs. As it left, it was replaced by a violent and animalistic urge to spill more blood. It was already starting to pool around me but I wouldn't done until there was more and more. It was like the blade was swinging itself and the rage masked the pain I might have felt.
A pair of fast approaching mega-presences broke over the hill. They had the familiar feel of Zoro and Luffy finally arriving on the battle scene. In moments, they were visible to everyone else. The remaining Black Cat Pirates flew overhead as they were hit by a brick wall of muscle.
"Wow Crystal, you really wreaked out here," Luffy exclaimed, examining the previous carnage.
Blood leaked from my wounds as I slowly turned around to claim my pride. I didn't care though; so much blood had already been spilled on the ground so what was a little more?
Zoro, do you see me? Look how much I've flourished under your guidance. Have I made you proud?
"Crystal, you idiot," he cried and lunged for me as the blood-stained ground rushed up to meet me.
Up Next: Sanji!
A/N: Hello! It's been two years since I've updated this story but I have never forgotten it! Funny story, I actually had this chapter written two years ago on paper and was too lazy to type it up until now! LOL! Also, I read my A/N from the previous chapter and it was weird and wrought with typos so please ignore it.