Episode 2: "A Life Envolving Fighting Marines"
"NOT SO FAST RORONOA!" he touched the ground, his marine's jacket falling off of him as he crouched down to touch the earth with his hand. First his boots, then his tight (but not too tight) jean pants with a chain strap changed from their normality to a dirt ground color. Next his grey muscle shirt and his large, well-toned torso itself. Followed by his face and his jet-black, streaked back, smooth hair. Now his whole body, except his dark, scary blue eyes, was the color, the texture, the density, and the POWER of the ground.
He now bolted for Zeke in his 'earth form'.
*SLAM!*
His 'ground' fist hit Zeke in the stomach, and he flew into the air. Zeke landed, or more so crashed, and gained back his composer, but not nearly enough for it to matter. The marine CAPTAIN hit the ENEXPERIANCED Zeke again, again, again. Zeke was now brutally broken into a feeble shell of a boy. Soon after the assault, Frank had arrived and fled with Zeke on his shoulder.
That was more than a year ago, when Zeke was barely 18.
~Z~X Present Day ~Z~X
The marine ship carrying 36 year old Commodore Jagger Mathius was now docking in the Gagre Island bay. "Lt. Commander Whitney!"
"Yes sir!" A young, short haired blonde woman stood at attention of her Commodore. Her hair was styled in a sort of choppy way, her body, although feminine, contrasted with her very boyish face. Due to this she grew up more as a boy, learning how to fight, and ACT like a male, not really showing her feminine side. But her body did that for her. Average B, maybe C sized breasts, long, thin, elegant limbs, and smooth skin over all. She wore red fighter's gloves and a simple yellow T-shirt with khaki pants that only reached just below her knee caps and instead of shoes, she wore fighting tape. Despite her very attractive figure and 'able' body and spirit, she always dreamed of being a strong identity in the world. Her greatest idol was Tashigi, now a Vice-Admiral. She herself had tried to train the usage of a sword, but due to a 'mistake' of her's as a child, an object like a sword did not 'agree' with her. So she has trained vigorously in the art of MMA to become a powerful marine.
Lieutenant Commander April Whitney! You are ordered to find and secure Roronoa's vessel, The Prodigal Sun. Is that understood!?"
She saluted with ut-most respect, "Yes Commodore Jagger!" She ran off, calling several men to her disposal to follow her.
Jagger then beckoned men to his side, "I demand 30 Petty officers, now!"
"YES SIR!" Came simultaneous shouts.
"We capture 'The Blue Flash' Roronoa Zeke today!"
~Z~X Zeke - Age 19 (The 4th time he and Jagger had met)
Zeke: "I've gotten stronger."
Jagger: "Yes..." he takes off his Marine's jacket, "I've heard of your, 'incident' on Tull Island."
Suddenly he disappeared, Zeke's eyes widened, his was too scared to comprehend what was happening.
Then Jagger appeared behind him. "You no nothing of MY power boy. You couldn't possibly manage to keep up with me... Even if you 'fought' Jason." Jagger then turned to his 'earth' form and punched Zeke right in his face.
Zeke flew and hit the ground, skidding a few more feet before stopping. He struggled to get up. Jagger appeared before him, almost seemingly teleporting. "I possess the Soteni Soteni no mi (soteni = (elemental) phase change or phase transformation) I'm a morph man, I can turn into any elemental substance...." he gripped the metal chain on his jeans. Slowly his turned into complete metal. "And ANY compound of elements, I can basically change into anything. Sadly each transformation only lasts for 8 seconds. But 8 seconds are enough for pathetic, weak, worthless, pirate swordsman scum like you." He hit Zeke again and again, waling on him, crushing the boy, he unable to put up his swords to defend himself.
Zeke fell again, Jagger snarled, "Pathetic indeed! You? Roronoa Zoro's son? Don't make me laugh. You can't be... too weak." Zeke stood up, Jagger about to strike again.
"I.... have nothing.... to do.... with My FATHER!!!!!!!!!" suddenly a blue burst around him exploded quickly and then faded, Jagger became speechless. "I AM ZEKE RORONOA! ZEKE!!! MY FATHER DOES NOT DEFINE ME!!! HE GAVE ME LIFE!!! I GIVE MYSELF MEANING!!!!!!!!" the blue aura appeared again then disappeared once more. Zeke stared cold and emotionlessly at Jagger, "I will become a worthy name known in this world. By MY means.... don't you or any other living being DARE compare me to ANYONE! Even my father! I am my OWN man!.... And I will prove it."
~Z~X Present Day (Zeke, Age 20) ~Z~X
Zeke stopped himself as he skid backwards from the clashing blow of his steel swords, and Jagger's steel body. Jagger had caught up with Zeke and his friends, however not finding Tatum or Mie. Rika was in hiding and Frank was doing his best to hold off the other marine officers.
"So," Jagger panted, "You are defiantly WORTH fighting this time.... I take you've met your father considering he lives on Kusha Island and Gagre Island is past it, you're almost at Rafftle, Roronoa, do you plan one meeting someone else of such power as your father?"
Zeke simply smirked, "The King doesn't interest me. I may have never even met the World's Greatest swordsman if he wasn't my father." Zeke returned to assault stance, ready for Jagger, "I'm going to be great, without anyone's help and without any lucky breaks. I'm not that kind of person." Jagger smirked back, almost glad to hear it, "Good, because you seem to have the makings of a 'worthy' pirate... For me to CRUSH!" he disappeared, touching the air on his finger tips, giving him the properties of the wind itself.... for 8 seconds.
Zeke stirred around himself, watching the slightest change in his surroundings to find where Jagger could appear.
Jagger turned back to normal, but not behind, or even NEAR Zeke, instead he was near a puddle of water. Jagger, as quickly as he appeared, crouched down and touched the water. His body turning into nothing but the murky liquid, then he seemed to grow. Bigger and bigger, until a tidal wave of a transformed 'water' Jagger flooded Zeke.
Zeke managed to keep himself standing and coughed out the water. Jagger then became steel again and attacked Zeke.
~Z~X ~Z~X ~Z~X ~Z~X
With the boat of Roronoa Zeke successfully found and detained, April ran to help her mentor. There she ran into Frank, who was easily wiping away the petty officers. "You! FrankshirokishIi Dekata! By law of the marines, your 112,000 beli bounty puts you as a high criminal threat and are under arrest!" She formed herself in a MMA fighting stance. Frank sadly smiled, "We fight again I see miss Whitney, so sad."
His kindness angered her, mostly because she felt that as a pirate, he was mocking her, "Shut up! You pirate! Fight me and be prepared to lose!" Frank reluctantly obliged, his loyalty and drive to keep his master Zeke safe was much greater than the concern of hurting a woman. Besides, she was very powerful herself.
Frank swung down his sword on her, but she lifted one hand and just simply flicked her wrist, and the sword 'bounced' off of her. "You know better than that by now Dekata! I have the bankin bankin no mi (bankin = sheet metal), my skin has the feeling, texture, durability, and other characteristics of metal. And due to the strange polarity of my metal skin as well, other metal objects bounce of as well. You know this! Don't fool around with me!"
Frank shook his head, "Sorry, we only 'fight' so often that I sometimes forget."
This only angered her more, "Shut up! No excuses you cowardly pirate dirt bag!" she ran towards him and spun around into a heel kick. Frank, deciding to fight her hand-to-hand, as she seemed to prefer it anyways, dropped his Long Sword and grabbed her foot. April gritted her teeth, angry as she could be stopped by him. (Of course he stopped her! He's a friggin partial giant and she's like 5'6, what's her problem?) She managed to pulled her foot our of his grip and then hit him with a quick uppercut. Frank took the blow, much to his dismay. With her metal body, the blow was MUCH harder and hurt Frank worse than it would a normal man. But thankfully Frank is NOT a 'NORMAL' man.
After recovering from the uppercut, Frank, more than he wanted to, hit April in the chest, making her fly backwards.
Back to the fight of Jagger and Zeke-
Jagger grabbed Zeke's legs and spun around to toss him into the air. As Zeke was flying, Jagger ran towards his predicted area of landing. He brushed up against a wooden post of one of the buildings and turned his whole body into wood. Jagger jumped into the air and blared his wooden fist into a barrage assault. Zeke smiled, thinking wood was a very dumb idea. As he started to fall downward, Zeke started swinging and spinning his handed-swords, cutting bits and pieces of Jagger s wooden fists.
They both came down and made a small crater. As both stood up, Zeke pointed at Jagger, "Heh... wood?.... That was 8 seconds." Jagger looked at himself and realized in horror, he was now in normal form. As he reached down to turn into ground, Zeke rushed to him. And used a move made famous by his father, "ONI GIRI!!!"
*SLASH!!!!*
Blood splattered everywhere.
-
"COMMADORE!!!" April went to help her leader, but Frank came up to her and hit her with a gut check (remember, as a partial giant, Frank does have a larger strength then most humans, so he can effect someone with a metal outer body). She crumbled to the floor, tears forming in her eyes as she watched her teacher fall with a bloody X on his torso.
Zeke panted hard, worn from the fight... then laughed a little, "You're crazy Jag, but hey, I'd never kill you."
April did not take this as relieve, she believed these pirate 'scum' would just torment them, leaving them as nothing but mangled bodies when they were through.
Then, with hope refilling her heart, Jagger rose up. "I'll admit, you got me for a moment,... heh" he smiled, "But now all you've done is earn one of my most difficult to defeat, and powerful forms." Jagger faced Zeke, and reached into his pocket, to pull out a lighter.
Zeke's eyes widened, "You're not....!" Jagger smirked, as he flicked on the lighter, "Scared of a little fire... Roronoa?" He placed his bare hand directly on the flame, his body now engulfed in it.
Zeke thought of running, but knew that was in fact- UTTERLY useless. Jagger's massive fire form swarmed Zeke, consuming him as a giant flame sphere surrounded him.
"MASTER ZEKE!!!!" Frank ran to save him.
"Back off Dekata!!" came the currently warped voice of Jagger's flame form, "I won t kill him either, he'll pass out soon from the heat and lack of oxygen, maybe a few 1st or 2nd degree burns for fun. But if you try to be a stupid hero, I won t think twice of scotching you. 6 seconds left... he won't survive.
-
Inside the fire ball, Zeke was already on the ground, panting heavily, with so much fire around him and no open anything, the fire consumed ALL the oxygen before the sphere even finished forming. ("Damn it...") he thought, ("I......... i...... i can't........ en~d.... he~re.....") he blacked out.
-
"Commodore Jagger? Are you there?"
The 6 seconds past, and Jagger now facing the angry colossus known as FrankshirokishIi Dekata... Frank. Zeke and April both were now completely unconscious.
"Yes?" he answered his den-den mushi still looking at Frank's anger unfold faster and faster before him.
"Have you captured Roronoa Zeke yet? If you have not, we need you on an URGENT mission ASAP! It requires you expanitionily, Admiral Smoker has asked you to lead it PERSONALY."
Jagger's eye widen, "Huh... imagine that Dekata. I'll be there as soon as possible."
"Good, report to the marine base on Jupitou Island."
Jagger put up his den-den mushi and looked at Frank with a smile, "You can go... as you heard, I have more oppressing matters than you guys."
He looked back at Zeke, and gave a glare at Rika, whom he knew was there trying to carry Zeke away. The glare scared her motionless. "You're lover has much luck Miss Momoto... heh, or is it Roronoa yet?"
Not really carrying about his words, now that he gave them 'permission' to leave, Rika finished picking up Zeke and ran off towards their boat. "Frank!" she called to the still confused and surprised man. He shook it off and ran with her.
Jagger just chuckled and walked towards the forest of the island, towards what seemed to be the edge of the island.
April came to and noticed him leaving for the woods.
~Z~X ~Z~X ~Z~X ~Z~X
With the help of Frank's large 'figure', and sword, they easily defeated the petty officers on thier ship and sailed of, a still unconscious Zeke resting below the deck.
As Zeke, Frank, and Rika sailed off Gagre Island, Jagger was watching them sail away from a cliff on the island.
April ran up to him, huffing from tiring to find him, "Sir! Why-Why did you let them go!?! You had him! I know you did, Roronoa was uncurious when I finally blacked out, all that was left was Dekata! Then... then you let them go!?!?"
Jagger looked at her with an angry look on his face, "Who said I let them go, we're need elsewhere now and he'll only take up our time at the moment."
"But-But sir! Why?!?"
As she asked this question, he took off his blood soaked shirt, and revealed on his back, two tattoos that April never had seen before that he was now intrusting her with. One, was the Kanji of "Real Justice" and the other, the Kanji of "Real Piracy", he now spoke very meaningful words to his most trusted subordinate. "Lieutenant, there was a man in my village that raised me from an adolescent along with my mother, he was my uncle. And he taught me of the way I think today.... He was also, a member of the Strawhat Pirates. Then, when I decided to become a marine for, certain reasons, I was taught by a man I idolize to this day for his sense of REAL justice. ADMIRAL Smoker, or as his alias is known, ShiroRyu (literarily means White Dragon). They both helped mold me into the man I am proud to be today. And I would sacrifice my life for BOTH of them. They are completely different in personality, morals, loyalty and may have never seen eye to eye. Yet I feel their ideals were much alike then they themselves could ever discover. I am telling you this so you understand what I see in that boy and why I 'let him go' as you put it. He is no one else but himself indeed, Zeke Roronoa. And for that simple reason, which intertwines with the last lesson my Uncle ever taught me, is why I let him go."
April was confused, "I... I don't understand."
Jagger smiled, but she didn't see this, "Good... you're not suppose to... not yet."
He then thought of his Uncle and several very important moments in his life with him.
{Words only flash back}
{15 year old Jagger: "Hey old man! Tell me about the Strawhats again!"
Uncle: "What? Why?"
Jagger: "Because! Hehe, I'm going to become a great pirate one day, just like you!"
Uncle: "Really? Ok then...."
- Another time
16 year old Jagger (crying and angry): "YOU BASTARD!! I HATE YOU! YOU DID THIS! YOU AND YOU PIRATE SCUM! ALL OF YOU! I HATE ALL OF YOU! I'M GOING TO BECOME A GOOD MARINE AND KILL YOU ALL!!!"
Uncle: "Boy... one day you'll understand that PIRATES are evil... and good, and the MARINES hold the same truth to them. There is no black and white, if there ever was... it was all covered in red the day it was made. So hold that truth, and go be a GOOD marine, you'll see what I'm talking about." These were last words spoken from his uncle to him as he left the next day to become a Marine.}
Jagger then thought of Admiral Smoker.
{22 year old Jagger: "Real Justice sir?"
Smoker: "Yes... This 'True Justice' and the shady 'Dark Justice' you hear marines and the Government say is what upholds the world in peace.... is bullshit. Plain and simple. I see that understanding in you, even if YOU don't know it yet. During the great Whitebeard War, I made a choice: Follow that shabby old World Government's 'True Justice' or Follow MY REAL Justice. I chose to follow REAL Justice, and I believe that was something that help cause Monkey D. Luffy become Pirate King. And to this day... I STILL do not regret following my REAL Justice. So you do the same boy. Follow YOUR REAL Justice, and fuck what the Government tells you to do. After all, you only WORK for them, fuck what they say. It's not worth damaging your own morals and sense of right and wrong. And that includes deciding between Pirates... and Marines."}
These words rang in Jagger s head, almost in-sync with the final words he heard from his uncle.
Jagger stopped watching Zeke's boat sail off and started walking back to his ship, "Whitney! Now! We'll be late for our new mission!"
"Y-Y-Yes sir!"
To Be Continued.....