Well gang, by popular demand, I've written this epilogue. I won't waste too much time here so I'll be brief.
I'd like to give a huge thanks to the people who have reviewed up to this point.
I'd like to give a hug glomp hug to: SniperKingSogeking0341, Fenrir the vicious, Mikila94, Miyu Hinamori, Razamataz22, Meiya Soku, KimiUzumaki and Amekoryuu.
-"~"-
The fire burned her eyes and her legs ached from running but she couldn't stop. Right now, she was running for her life.
The path around her was burning like the rest of the town. Tears ran down her cheeks and her breath came out labored and wheezing, but still she ran.
She passed the Marine fortress, destroyed and crumbling, the bodies of the soldiers no doubt under the rubble. She felt a chill run up her spine. They were supposed to be safe. The Marine Fortress had been there for years, protecting them from any pirates that tried to take over their little island. They were supposed to be one of the lucky islands in the Grand Line. Knowing they could go to bed easily without worry of a sudden attack.
That was before tonight though. The pirates had come faster than they'd thought was possible. They'd slaughtered anyone who crossed their path. Burned the buildings and laid waste to the Marines. Not even the civilians had been spared. Their last shrill cries still echoed behind her, a few, she shivered, were suddenly cut off.
She had to get out of there. If she could hide somewhere until sunrise, the pirates might have left by then.
She just needed to survive.
Fire grabbed at her clothes as if trying to pull her to her doom. Her arms and legs were still cut from the glass shards of the window she'd smashed, when she'd made a desperate jump to freedom from her burning house.
She found herself praying her friends and family were safe, but it was too risky to go back. Not that she would be of any help either way.
She saw the edge of the village up ahead, the forest a short distance away. As a child, she'd often play hide-and-seek in those woods. If she could make it in there, she could disappear until the pirates left.
Her heart filled with sudden desperate hope and she put her last bit of energy into a dash.
A blur moved out of the corner of her eye and she felt something go through her.
A bloodstained blade prodded out of her, her blood glistening in the fire light. With her last bit of life, she turned to see her murderer. All she saw was a deathly pale face, and hair like the flames destroying her world.
"You should have run faster." Her killer said as her body slumped to the ground.
-"~"-
The sunrise danced across the sea's waters, dyeing the sky the same color as the town below it.
All was silent, except for the waves crashing against the pirate ship, as it sailed away, undamaged.
-"~"-
Killer cleaned his blades carefully, making sure to get all the blood washed off. When he'd first gotten his blades, he'd been careless and missed a little. He'd walked around a town with them and hadn't noticed until later. He'd wondered why people had given him more fearful looks than usual.
Kidd had thought it was hilarious.
Killer took off his helmet. As he suspected, there was a few bloodstains on it, courtesy of some Marine soldiers that wouldn't die easily.
He began scrubbing off the blood. At least they were getting closer to the New World. All that stood in their way was the Red Line. Maybe they'd even find someone that could last against Kidd, a fight actually worth watching.
In an instant he remembered his own childhood fights with Ace. How close their skills were at the time, but that had been a long time ago. That was back when "Sabo" was still alive.
Killer walked to the small mirror he kept in his room, the memory still fresh in his mind.
His burns had long since healed, but the scarring and aging had changed his face forever. The only thing he had left of "Sabo" was his chipped tooth and his blond hair. If he were to squint, he might see the ghost of his childhood's face, but he would never do that. What would that prove?
Working for Kidd had changed him. He no longer hesitated to take another life, or burn a town to the ground or torture a person for information.
The sea was a harsh place, weaklings didn't deserve to live. Only the strong had the right to survive.
"Sabo" would surely have been repulsed by this life.
But he wasn't Sabo anymore. He was Killer.
-"~"-
"Hey Killer? Do you see that?" Kidd asked with greedy eyes.
"Yes." Killer said emotionlessly.
Kidd stared up at the Red Line. "I'm halfway to taking over this damn world, and crushing everyone beneath me."
Killer simply nodded. "Of course,"
Kidd smirked and turned to face the crew. "To Shabondy!" He screamed.
The crew answered with their blood thirsty cries.
Killer turned back to the Red Line. "And to the New World," He said quietly to himself.
-"~"-
Killer leaned casually against the wall of the bar, watching Kidd drain another glass of something strong.
They'd been on Shabondy for a few days. Surprisingly, the mangrove island had stayed intact during their stay. The threat of the World Nobles and the admirals that would come were there any trouble was enough for any sensible pirate crew to keep a low profile until their ship was properly coated. Even Kidd had restrained himself.
Killer pushed himself off the wall and headed to the door.
"Going for a walk, Killer?" Kidd asked without taking his eyes off his glass.
"Yes." Killer said calmly.
Killer waited for a moment, and having heard no reply for Kidd, made his way out of the bar.
It might not be the wisest decision to leave Kidd. The Captain was itching to start a fight after a few days of doing nothing. At this point, it wouldn't take much for him to go berserk over a small thing.
Although, Killer mused, if that were to happen he wasn't even sure he would be able to stop his hot-blooded captain. When Kidd got into one of his moods nothing short of a battleship would be able to even dent through his bloodlust blinded fury.
But there was something in the air that made Killer anxious. Although he had developed a strong resistance to alcohol over the years of drinking with Kidd, today he wasn't in the mood to drown his feelings in hard liquor. What he needed was a little exercise.
He wandered through the streets aimlessly. Through his mask, he saw several people give him nervous or outright looks of fear and back away. Which suited him just fine, the Kidd pirate's weren't exactly known for their friendly social skills.
However, there were always those who just never seemed to take a hint.
"I know you." A voice said nearby.
Killer turned feeling slightly irritated. A large winged man in monk style clothes stood nearby, a wide intimidating grin plastered all over his face. He had short black hair and a beard, a scar near his left eye and a large red bead necklace around his neck. Killer took an almost immediate dislike for the man, whatever he wanted, it wouldn't end well. Before even setting foot in Shabondy, Killer had known about the 'Eleven Supernovas', high bounty rookies who would all be on one island at the same time.
Knowing this, Killer had spent a same time analyzing the bounty poster pictures of these rivals. He couldn't stay ignorant of any potential threats to Kidd.
'Mad Monk' Urouge leered down at him. "Who would have thought I'd run into a big name like you today? So 'Massacre Man', where's your Captain?" he asked.
Killer turned away, even as a first mate his own bounty was considerably larger than that of the Sky Island pirate captain. It would be a waste of his time talking to him.
"Now isn't this interesting, a Kidd pirate walking away? I thought they were all hot-blooded monsters looking for a fight."
Killer stopped dead in his tracks.
"Oh, you're a nasty little crew. Going after civilians like that, and that's only what the papers have released! Who knows how much damage you've done? And now here we are,"
Killer wished the pirate captain would just shut up. The monk sounded like he wanted a fight, and he was going to get one if he kept talking about the Kidd pirates.
"A Kidd pirate taking the high road and walking away from a fight, or maybe," the monk said lowering his voice, "he's actually just running away."
Killer's almost endless patience snapped and without thinking he charged at the monk with his inhuman speed. Urouge looked surprised for a moment but somehow managed to take out the large pillar at his shoulder and blocked Killer's whirling scythes.
A scream broke out nearby and the street went into a frantic panic as people scrambled to get away from the fight.
"So much for keeping a low profile," Killer thought grimly as he leapt back with acrobatic grace, dodging a powerful swing from Urouge.
Through the panic, Killer noticed a group of people hadn't moved in the midst of all the panic. A man with a furry spotted hat and a yellow and black hoodie sat on a box, surrounded by a group of men in identical white boiler-suit style clothes, with the exception of one who wore an orange colored suit who seemed to be some sort of a walking bear.
Killer turned his full attention to the fight. He was determined to make the monk pay for his insults to the Kidd pirates. He would have time to wonder about the strange group watching the fight afterwards.
The monk swung the pillar downward, but Killer instantly dodged it, taking a few leaps back in order to create more distance between them. The heavy pillar was made for power, not speed, something Killer was using to his advantage. He charged forwards again jumping upward as the monk attempted to hit him again, as if he were swinging a baseball bat. Killer aimed for the monk's head, manipulating the speed of the fall to add to his attack. The monk smiled and raised the pillar, ready for a counter attack.
Something moved out of the corner of his vision and leapt forward between the two fighters. The man blocked Killer's scythes with a saber, and Urouge's pillar with a four-bladed axe. "If you want to cause a stir, then do it in the New World!" the man shouted.
The two fighters stood their ground as the newcomer crossed his weapons over his chest. The man had reddish brown hair and an X shaped scar on his chin. He wore a white-feathered cocked hat, with a mask outlining his eyes. He had an open blue jacket and elbow high gloves, blue pants and knee high boots. A large X was displayed on his bare chest.
"I see," Urouge said swinging the pillar over his shoulder. "The former officer, Drake, huh?" The monk laughed and turned to Killer. "Your life was just spared, masked man."
Killer restrained himself from snorting out loud. Had the fight gone on any longer he would have ended the monk's life, as painfully as possible.
Killer watched the pirate 'Red Flag' X Drake walk away. Still furious at his fight's sudden end, Killer continued on his walk in the opposite direction, having no desire to be near either of the men who had irritated him.
Killer continued on his walk, ignoring the hushed whispers that seemed to follow him wherever he went.
"-dangerous crew-"
"-supernovas-"
"-not safe-"
Weaklings, every single one of them, Killer clenched his fists. The whole island stank of fear, for the World Nobles, the pirates and the Slave hunters.
"This really is a place full of scum." Killer thought to himself as he passed by a group of high class men bragging loudly about the slave girls they'd bought.
Killer remembered the High Town he'd lived in as a child. If Shabondy was anything like the kingdom of Goa, they were already lost souls. The ideas shoved down the children's throats rotted them to the core, the adults were beyond hope.
Killer hated this island. There were so many things here that reminded him of his old life. He wanted to go on a rampage, destroy everything in sight. He shook his head. He was starting to think like Kidd.
"-Strawhat pirates-"
Killer stopped to listen.
"I heard someone's seen them at an amusement park." A middle aged woman said.
"I hope they don't get their filth all over it. My son loves going there!" Another scoffed.
"Have you heard all the things their captain has done since he started his crew? I hope the marines catch them quickly!"
Killer continued on his way, unwilling to listen any longer. Luffy? Here in Shabondy already? He'd known Luffy and his first mate were supernovas but he never imagined they'd get to Shabondy so soon.
He hadn't spoken to either of his "brothers" since he'd left Goa. He'd made no effort to contact them at all, and he wanted to keep it that way. They all had different lives now, they'd chosen their paths and there was no going back.
-"~"-
The Kidd pirates made their way through the lawless groves with ease. Killing any bounty hunters stupid or desperate enough to try and attack them.
Killer walked beside Kidd, keeping his usual silent presence. While he was on his walk, Kidd had apparently learnt about a special monthly Human Auction held in grove 1.
Why Kidd wanted to go was beyond Killer. But over the years of working under Kidd, he'd learnt to save himself the mental pain of wondering why his captain did what he did.
The Human Auction House looked normal enough on the outside, with its moss covered roof and stone pillars. On the inside it was a grand stage and rows of seats for those rich enough to afford the "luxury" of owning another life. The air crawled with greed and torment.
They were looked at with disapproval but no one stopped them from walking in and leaning against the wall at the back.
Kidd looked down at the nobles anxiously taking their places with an unreadable stare. Killer wondered once again what his captain's motives were for coming here.
Shortly before the auction began, they saw an older man and a woman walk through the door. They wore white suits and bubbles over their heads.
"World Nobles…Slaves…The Human Shop…" Kidd snorted. "Compared to the 'righteous' greed of the rulers, the villains of the world seem much more honorable. When scum rules the world, only more scum is born…You don't even understand that? At least we're honest about being bad people, right Killer?"
"You're right." Killer replied, looking at the World Nobles with distaste. To think his father wanted him to grow up to become one of them? He would rather be eaten alive by Sea Kings than suffer such an existence.
"How about we buy anyone who seems interesting?" Kidd laughed.
The zombie crewmate leaned down to Kidd. "Chief Kidd, look at that."
Both Kidd and the crew turned their attention to the group that had been pointed out.
Killer narrowed his eyes. It was the same group who had watched his fight against Urouge. The one that had been talking to X Drake when he'd left.
"I know that face…" Kidd said measuring up his potential rival. "It's the 200-million man from the North Blue, Trafalgar Law. I heard some bad rumors about him."
At that moment, the Heart captain turned lazily and stared arrogantly at the Kidd captain. Slowly, he extended his middle finger and smirked.
Kidd gave his signature bloodthirsty grin. "His manners are bad, too."
Killer felt his anger flare up but pushed it down. Now was not the time to get worked up over something so trivial. He assured himself he was just a little on the edge after hearing Luffy was at the island. Besides, as long as Kidd didn't decide to rid himself of a potential rival any time soon. There was a definite possibility that he wouldn't even see his "brother" at all. After all, their ship had almost finished getting coated and they'd be ready to leave soon for the New World.
The noise settled down slightly as the Human Auction began.
Shortly after the auction began, another group of latecomer came.
Killer watched in shock as the newcomers stared out at the crowd. He'd know them anywhere from their bounty posters and their most recent media attention.
The Strawhat pirates.
No, not all of them were there, only four of them plus another man. Luffy was nowhere in sight. Killer let out a breath he didn't know he'd been holding. One of his crewmates looked at him strangely but wisely didn't comment.
"Chief, I think that's the Strawhat crew." The zombie crewmate said calmly.
Kidd looked at them with interest. "The Strawhats's captain isn't there… I was hoping to see just how dumb he was myself…"
Killer observed the Strawhats. For some reason they seemed to be getting worked up about something. He turned his attention away from them and pretended to be paying attention to the auction.
Maybe things would get interesting after all…
-"~"-
At about the midpoint of the auction, another World Noble walked through the doors, a younger man riding a beaten up man.
Killer watched silently as the World Noble proceeded to kick the man with his pointed expensive boots.
Killer clenched his teeth. He imagined one of his scythes sliding across the Noble's neck. How the blood would pour out on the polished floor. He didn't usually make a show out of a killing. That was usually Kidd's job. But, he watched the Noble walk arrogantly to his seat, he considered making an exception. He could almost smell the blood.
"Easy Killer," Kidd said under his voice, "you'll get your chance someday."
Killer watched as the rest of the auction house avoided the Noble's gaze. Women huddled near their husbands and looked away. He also noted that it seemed only the pirates dared to look at the Noble.
He stared down at the people below him. "Weaklings," he thought.
A cheer erupted from the crowd as the auction continued and the fear of the World Nobles was temporarily forgotten.
Lights danced across the stage, the entire auction house seemed to be on the edge of their seats. The host seemed to be saying something but Killer wasn't paying too much attention. He was too busy keeping a watchful eye on the Strawhats.
The excitement in the air grew and it was getting harder and harder to ignore. Killer turned just as a light came up behind something covered in a sheet that the staff at the auction house had rolled out onto the stage. Although they were as far away from the stage as possible, the silhouette that was shown was obvious.
"A mermaid?" Killer thought as he heard gasps coming from all over the room.
The sheet was dramatically thrown away and the auction house stared in amazement at the mermaid.
The young mermaid looked out at the audience, looking like a trapped animal searching for any means of escape.
Killer barely heard the Noble yell out his ridiculously high bidding price, or the shock that followed. All he saw were the eyes of that mermaid. Eyes so filled with terror. He'd seen similar looks like that, mostly from the people he and his crew had killed. But there was no murder this time, no burning villages, no marines coming to fight them, all there was, was a young girl being sent to a life worse than death.
Killer expected to feel something inside him, repulse, anger, hate, normal human reactions. But he felt empty. Not even pity burned slightly in his eyes. He wondered what that said about him.
"It's like a symbol of how messed up the world is." Kidd snorted. "I've seen enough of this farce. We're leaving."
The crew stood up and followed Kidd. Killer tore his gaze away from the mermaid and followed them to the door.
Kidd stopped and the rest of the crew followed his lead as they heard a distant scream getting closer and closer.
"What?" Kidd began.
Something smashed through the wall, narrowly missing them.
Killer watched in utter shock as Luffy emerged from the rubble.
"Irony's such a bitch." Killer thought as he watched his 'little brother' yell at a man who, Killer guessed, had been the one driving the flying fish.
"Hey, that's Strawhat Luffy!" Kidd said turning his full attention on the Strawhat captain.
Killer saw a glint in his captain's eyes, a look that he normally got whenever he was about to go wild.
Killer had to stop himself from groaning. This wasn't going to end well.
He closed his eyes, vainly hoping that when he opened them the situation would look a little better. He heard heavy footsteps, followed by sudden screams. At the sound of a gunshot, his eyes snapped open.
The man he'd seen with the Strawhats lay on the stairs, blood dripping down the stone stairs. Somehow the man still had the strength to speak to Luffy through a mouthful of blood. It was when Killer took a closer look that he realized the man had six arms.
A fishman.
Killer pieced everything together in his mind. He remembered something he'd seen out of the corner of his eye when he had been watching the mermaid, the look of mixed expressions of shock, horror and fury on the Strawhats' faces. He looked back at the mermaid who seemed to be screaming and pounding her fists against her prison. He felt the pieces snap together in his mind.
He watched Luffy's face cloud with anger. If he really understood what was going on, things were going to go straight to Hell.
Luffy rose slowly and fixed his glare on one man in particular. The young World Noble who seemed to be dancing with joy with a smoking gun in his hand.
Luffy slowly began to walk up the stairs.
Killer knew in an instant what Luffy was planning. The idea seemed to spread as the whole auction house watched Luffy in fear.
"Is he serious?" Kidd said.
Killer felt a pounding in his head as Luffy came closer.
"Luffy no," Killer thought frantically, "Luffy don't do it!"
The World Noble shot his gun a few times, which Luffy easily dodged.
He wanted to yell, scream at his brother not to do it, but years of silence held his tongue.
"Luffy!" His mind screamed as he watched his brother punch the World Noble right in his smug, arrogant face.
Then, there was silence.
No one spoke, no one moved. Luffy casually reached over his back and pulled his old straw hat onto his head, a hat, Killer remembered, that had once been too big for him.
Killer saw Kidd smirk out of the corner of his eye. Things were definitely going to get more interesting.
Chaos exploded and people ran for the exits in panic. Only the pirates stood their ground and made no move to leave.
Guards flooded the room and the Strawhats leapt into battle.
Killer glanced at his captain. Kidd was staring intently on Luffy. There was something strange in Kidd's eyes, something that took Killer a moment to identify and was almost shocked at what he saw. Pirate 'Captain' Kidd was looking down at Luffy with respect.
"Just like the rumors said." Killer said softly.
"Yeah," Kidd said without looking away from the fight, "He's one crazy guy."
More of Luffy's crew appeared, jumping into the fry as soon as their feet touched the ground.
At one point Luffy and 'Demon Child' Nico Robin spoke with Trafalgar Law. Slowly, Luffy looked up and fixed his gaze on Kidd.
Killer glanced from Kidd to Luffy and hoped they wouldn't start a fight with each other. The last thing they needed was for the captain to get into a serious fight while an admiral was on his way.
A commotion seemed to have broken out on the stage and Luffy broke his gaze with Kidd.
Killer looked wearily at the stage. "What now?" He wondered.
One of the World Nobles had a gun pointed right at the mermaid. It seemed to have occurred to her that the mermaid was the main cause for all the chaos and had made it her own personal mission to eliminate her.
Killer sighed. "What an idiot." He thought to himself.
Then, the strangest thing happened. One moment the Noble was standing over the mermaid about to pull the trigger, and the next moment she was falling off the ladder and landed unconscious on the ground.
The fighting stopped as everyone stared in shock at the stage. A blast came from the stage, blowing a hole in the back.
Casually and unnervingly calm, an older man walked out of the hole, followed by a giant.
"Have a look at that, Giant." The old man said his voice echoing through the room. "The hall is a complete mess. Seems like the auction is over. Seeing how I've stolen some money, I guess I'll be returning to the gambling hall."
"What a foul old man you are…" the giant said with a sigh. "You came here just so you could steal money?"
"I wanted to steal from whoever bought me as well… Well that's impossible now…" the old man reached for a small bottle from one of his pockets. "Oh, right, it was empty." He said with a trace of sadness. "First, I've got to get some more sake. Although, come to think about it…I'm pretty old, so who would want a slave like me?" The old man laughed.
Killer felt a chill run up his spine. If that was who he thought it was…
"What? It seems like I've drawn some unwanted attention…" the old man said with a smile.
Killer had to stop his jaw from dropping. He was staring at a legend, a man who had been on the Grand Line before the Pirate Age had even started. He knew as clearly as he knew how to kill that the old man was going to do something.
Killer felt a wave of something blast through him. All around him the guards fell to the ground.
"This guy…" Kidd began.
"No way." Law muttered.
'Dark King' Rayleigh looked straight at Luffy. "That straw hat of yours…It really fits a fearless man like yourself. I've wanted to meet you…Monkey D. Luffy."
The next few moments seemed to blur together. Somehow Rayleigh had managed to take off the collar off the mermaid without destroying her and was casually strolling up the stairs.
"Sorry, you guys." Rayleigh said looking from the Heart pirates to the Kidd pirates. "You were just here to watch, right? Judging from how you handled that situation earlier, you aren't exactly pushovers, right?"
"Who'd have thought we'd run into such a big shot here?" Kidd said leering. "That's the 'Dark King', Silvers Rayleigh, no doubt about it. What's that legendary man doing here?"
"I prefer to be called the old coater, Ray-san, around here." Rayleigh responded. "Please don't call me by that name. I'm an old man now. I'd like to live peacefully."
Killer had the urge to laugh as he watched the old pirate lean down and talk to the fishman. The man had killed thousands during his pirate days. And now here he was, wanting a life of peace. Killer glanced at Kidd and tried to imagine him living a peaceful life, but all he saw was his captain standing next to him, his eyes watching the old pirate closely.
"Seems like they've got us completely surrounded outside, Chief." The zombie crewman said to Kidd.
"Criminals inside! Please release the Rosward family! An admiral will be here shortly! I'd imagine that it would be safer for you to just surrender. You don't know what will happen otherwise, rookies!" A megaphone voice yelled from outside.
Killer stopped to consider what had just been said. Pirates taking the safe way out? Supernova level pirates surrendering? Did the marines really know who they were dealing with? Did they think they could win that easily? Killer smiled under his mask, he could almost hear his blades begging for blood.
"So they're not just dragging us into this, but they're treating us as if we were his accomplices, too…" Law said amused.
"I see that Straw Hat Luffy is every bit as crazy as the rumors said. Not to complain, but I'm not going to stick around to clash with an admiral." Kidd said grinning.
"If he'd wanted that he would have already done so." Killer thought silently.
"Yes, I can't use that power from before anymore, so I'm counting on you. It would be really troublesome if the navy found out who I am." Rayleigh said.
Kidd snorted. "I have no intention of getting saved by an old man. But the longer we stay, the more soldiers will come. I'll be going on ahead." He turned and began heading out the door. He waved. "As an extra favor, I'll save you guys. I'll take care of the cleaning outside, so just relax."
The two other captains' expressions darkened.
Killer watched as both of them got up from their seats and followed Kidd out of the room.
Everyone in the room could hear the captains argue with each other on their way out.
"Man, those guys are so simple-minded!" One of the Strawhats scoffed.
Killer rolled his eyes. Simple-minded was putting it lightly.
"Killer," the zombie crewmen said quietly. "Is there something wrong? You seem a little tense."
Killer shook his head. "This isn't going to end well."
The crewmate with the pitchfork snorted. "What'd you expect? He's our captain after all."
A few of the Strawhats were making their way to the door when Killer felt something change in the air.
"Oh shit, here we go again." Killer thought as he felt the familiar pull of Kidd's devil fruit power. He stood his ground and tensed his muscles as he began his usual fight to keep himself from being dragged off into one of Kidd's attacks.
Once, when Kidd was starting to get more familiar with his strange devil fruit powers, Killer had been working on an earlier version of his scythes. He's just gotten the damn things on and he felt like his arms were being ripped out of their sockets and he soon found himself flying through the air.
Over the years, he'd trained himself to stand his ground whenever he felt the pull. Under no circumstances was he ever going to be dragged off into the air again. Not while he had the strength to stop it!
He glanced over to see one of the Strawhats, a green haired swordsman, hold on tightly to his blades.
The weapons from the guards were lifted into the air and went soaring out the door. A few of the Strawhats shouted in surprise.
"It seems Kidd is having fun." Killer mused.
They heard a screams and loud crashes coming from the battle outside.
The pirate crews ran out of the auction hall just in time to be greeted by a large dust cloud.
The three crews sighed as they looked out at the destruction their captains had caused in just a few minutes.
"Hey! It's already this bad?" The Strawhat swordsman groaned.
"Amazing!" Another Strawhat said in awe. "My eyes must be deceiving me!"
"Oh man…" A Heart pirate sighed. "You're over doing it, Captain…"
Rayleigh laughed. "Why, these guys aren't half bad."
"They sure are impatient…" Killer said wondering if the other crews had similar problems dealing with their own Captains as the Kidd pirate did with theirs.
The three captains stood in the middle of the destruction looking out proudly at the chaos they'd created.
Killer blinked a few times and stared at Luffy who seemed to have shrunk a few feet. He sighed, things certainly had changed.
"Hey, what happened to you, Straw Hat?" Law asked the small Luffy. "You're ruining the mood."
"Really?" Asked the little Luffy. Killer cringed for a moment. Luffy's voice was higher pitched to match his sudden change in size.
"Well, I guess we've pretty much ruined their formation now." Kidd said grinning.
The marines stared at the pirates in shock. Then, the leader yelled out some commands and the marines quickly began closing in on the pirates.
"Here they come." Kidd said looking eagerly at the fresh meat charging towards him. "The enemy seems to have run out of strategies. Now it's just a brawl."
Luffy's body stretched and it grew back to his usual height. "I'm back to normal!" he said laughing.
"Well, see you later, Straw Hat." Kidd said. "It was a pleasure meeting you in person. But I won't show you any mercy the next time we meet!"
Killer wondered what a fight between Kidd and Luffy would be like. He imagined destruction without a doubt. He considered the thought. Kidd had an advantage in using sharp metal weapons, which could leave considerable damage on Luffy. He'd never known Kidd to lose a battle when he got serious, but then again, Luffy had most likely been training since he'd last fought with him. He didn't know what Luffy was capable of now.
"But I'll be the one who finds One Piece!" Luffy declared confidently.
Both Kidd and Law snapped their attention on Luffy. Luffy laughed, oblivious to the sudden attention he was receiving from his rivals.
But Killer was no longer paying attention to the captains. He was running forwards blocking the heavy axe a marine had swung at Kidd. Before his mind could catch up to him, his spinning scythes had easily sliced through the marine.
Killer landed gracefully and turned to his captain. "Hey, Kidd! What are you just standing around for?"
"Hey, Killer." Kidd said, though obviously distracted by something. "On the route that we took to get here…Whenever we said we were gonna find One Piece, people just laughed at us…Although I killed anyone who dared to laugh…But after this…We're going to an ocean where anyone who doesn't have the guts to say it will die." Kidd grinned. "Let's meet again in the New World!" Kidd looked out at the marines coming closer and closer towards them. "Let's go, you guys!"
"Yeah!" The Kidd pirates shouted.
The zombie crewmen exhaled fire from his mouth, burning his victims alive. Killer silently sliced through the men pausing only to land and catch, his balance before going onto the next targets.
Killer let the bloodlust cloud his mind. The bloodlust stopped him from thinking. If he thought too much he'd end up doing something stupid. They didn't have time to make any mistakes, not now.
If he let himself think too much, he might be tempted to go after Luffy. To do that, he'd have to leave his crew when they needed more than anything in the world to escape.
His past and his present battled it out in his mind. On the outside he was a calm murderer, slicing down anyone who went against him.
In a moment when he was feeling a little more clear-minded he saw he'd been subconsciously moving with the crew of the Kidd pirates towards a bridge. He knew he'd chosen a side.
To Luffy, he had died years ago. While he'd been in the South Blue with Kidd, Luffy had grown up, today was proof of that.
"He doesn't need you anymore." A voice in the back of his mind whispered.
"He never needed me." Killer thought back. He remembered how Luffy had once called him his 'nicer' older brother. He wanted to laugh at the irony.
Once, Luffy had needed 'Sabo', but 'Sabo' was dead and in his place was someone new. A man who would murder without a second thought, who would follow his captain through the pits of Hell and who would never let anything stop him from his goal.
He was Killer.