"AAAAAAAAAAAAH"
Crash landed face first into the stone cold floor. After a moment he pulled his face out the ground and dusted himself off. He found that he was in a room filled with pillars and lit torches. He couldn't find any of the other Hell Fires, but after awhile he did hear a familiar yell.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAH!" A shadow appeared over his head before it got closer until it finally landed.
"Oof!" Went Crash. "Dammit Jerome get off of me."
"Sorry." Jerome stood up and proceeded to help Crash to his feat.
"Where are we anyway? Better question, where is everybody else?" Crash groaned.
"I guess we got separated." Jerome concurred.
The Feral Reaper and Hell Fire wandered around the room. So far it seemed that Jerome was right because there was no sign of anyone else. The pair came passed a pillar and then they heard a, Thump,Thump, behind them. Suddenly the two turned around, but they didn't expect to find what they did. Standing in front of them is a half man and half horse.
"Is that thing right?" Is all Crash could ask. "Half man and half horse, someone pissed mother nature off."
"Those are one of those centaur things." Jerome told, looking up and down at the beast. "
"You may call me Aries." The centaur introduced swinging the staff in his hands. "By order of Dr. Rose one of you must die and the other must come with me. Now are we…" POW! Crash kicked him through the air colliding him through a pillar.
"Weak." Crash commented cracking his knuckles.
"Hey, I wanted the first hit." Yelled the captain.
"Sorry captain, but its first come first serve." Laughed the doctor.
The debris cleared up, Aries stood back to his feet ready to fight. "Fools! No one can beat a trusty stead and knight like myself." He gained both their attention once again. "That is right, my master doctor Rose combined the two greatest things. Making me a nearly unstoppable force."
"I thought you obeyed someone named Fire Heart?" Crash asked him.
"I have no idea who your talking about. Now prepare for battle!" Aries began charging head on with his staff in front.
"Soru!" Jerome glided through the air lightning up his leg. "Flame kick!" BAP!, Staff met fire in a shock wave. Aries held off his attack with all his might. For some reason Jerome smiled even if his attack wasn't getting through. Aries looked at the last moment finding Crash coming at him with electric infused hands.
ZA-POW! The centaur was hit back by Crash's wavelength.
Aries pressed his staff down and stopped himself from flying off. "Hmmm, they both must have the power of observation haki. That must mean they can predict my attacks, but I can't predict theirs. Lucky enough I know just how to deal with that." Aries started spinning his staff in the air at a rapid speed. WHEEESH-WHEESH-WHEESH-WHEESH-WHEESH.
A air current formed around his staff. Meanwhile the air around became thicker and more hostile; Jerome and Crash held their arms over their face only catching a glimpse of what Aries was conjuring.
"You might be able to predict my movements, but nobody can predict a tornado." A tornado had formed over his head that was over his staff. WHEEESH-WHEEESH-WHEESH-WHEESH-WHEESH. "Now how about we add some lightning in that shall we." Lightning conjured out his staff then fusing into tornado. ZAP!-ZAP!-ZAP!-ZAP!-ZAP!
"I thought one of use was supposed to be brought back alive!" Crash yelled.
"I wish I was made of rubber right now!" Jerome and Crash ran off avoiding the lightning tornado behind them.
They twist and turns around the pillars, but somehow the tornado managed to track them down. What's worse is that if they even got close they would feel a taste of the electricity. Running in a general direction, before them Aries appeared and before they could react. BAP! Aries batted them both into the tornado.
ZAP-POW!-ZAPOW!- ZA-POW!, "AAAAAAAAAAH!" WHEEESH-WHEESH-WHEESH-WHEESH. Once they've been struck. The tornado died down and showed both the pirates on the ground in a crisp.
"I am triumphant!" Aries praised. "What is this?"
Despite the odds Jerome and Crash stood to their feet again. Both with the 'will' of D on their side making them a nearly unstoppable force in battle.
"I'm not done yet. Not until I finish my job." Jerome panted.
"And what job is that?" Aries started spinning his staff again.
"to kick your ass!"Jerome and Crash charged in head first.
WHEEESH-WHEEESH-WHEEESH-WHEEESH
"Jerome, we need to get that staff away from him!" Crash picked up the pace of his legs. "Throw me."
"Huh?" Jerome bewildered.
"You heard me." Crash told.
Jerome gave the nod of approval; he picked up Crash by the legs and started swinging him with all his might.
WHEEESH-WHEEESH-WHEESH-WHEEESH, "Get ready for the lightning." Once again the centaur conjured lightning from his staff. "Now as a noble steed, I shall perish you." ZA-POW!-ZA-POW!
"NOW!" Jerome threw Crash, sending him through the air like a bullet. In the nick of time, Crash swindled the staff, but was injured by the lightning for doing so. His feet landed on the ground. A static shock of electricity hit him, making him fall to his knee.
"Well that was noble and dear of you." Aries walked toward Crash. "But it was all for nothing." He stopped his hoofs when the heat suddenly intensified in the room. He looked back eyes widened as Jerome gulped fire out his mouth.
"Flame thrower!" He blew a intense stream of hell fire; he burnt the centaur's skin and fur. Without any sudden movements, he fell straight to the ground.
…
Crash used some alcohol to heal the cut marks on his and Jerome's body. They felt better and was ready to keep on moving. Except Jerome needed Crash to take care on another patient, "Crash I want you to heal that centaur."
The doctor looked at his captain bewildered. "Seriously? That guy just tried to kill us. Let him help his own self, remember we have…"
"That's a captains order." Jerome cut off.
"Fine." Crash pouted; Damn those captains orders. Crash did as told and healed up the burnt centaur. As he wrapped some bandages around him, he found something out of the ordinary. He pulled what appeared to be a neck brace off Aries. The lights blinked on and off before it shut down completely. "This is unsettling, Jerome get over here."
Jerome came over and quickly noticed the object in Crash's hand. "What's that a doggy leash?"
"Maybe." Crash scratched his chin; his raven eye looking up and down. "Just a hunch, but was this thing could've been controlling him. With that said it makes me wonder what is really going on with this island." Crash thought back to earlier on the Lazy Wolf. Jerome and Travious told a story about a man named Fire Heart. "From what they said, Fire Heart was the king of this island. Meaning these beast were his servants or something like that. If that little fable is true then the marines are surely hiding something."
Crash snapped out his thought and back into reality. "Jerome, you wouldn't happen to know anything else about Fire Heart would you?" Jerome nodded no. "Darn it. Oh well, we should get moving anyway."
"Right, Seiran and the others are waiting for us." The two continued their path down the corridor.
In another part of the citadel is a cave glowing green and flowing with a river. Tegami walked around dragging his Suzumebachi behind him. He soon found Dante with his head in the ground.
"Dante are you okay?" Tegami asked.
"Gee, thanks for the concern." Dante said sarcastically as he pulled his head out.
"Your welcome." Tegami joked.
Dante puffed air just before something started bubbling out the water; both prepared their weapons, "RAW!" Razzle popped out the pond making a scary face. Dante and Tegami put their weapons at ease and only stared at the orange haired girl. "You should've seen your faces! I was like roar, and then you guys were like, no don't eat me." Razzle cackled.
Dante turned around walking the opposite direction. "Where ya' goin'?" Tegami asked.
"The farther away from her the better." He answered.
Dante continued to walk, not noticing the scenario behind him. A large hydra like monster rose from the pond Razzle was in. Its skin color reflected a green peridot and four stubby legs. "Dante get back here we have company!"
"Not falling for it."
Razzle drew two butcher knives from her pocket. "Razzle is going to have fun with these one."
"Your gonna miss all the fun." Called Tegami.
"I said, I'm not…" Dante was cut off by a large hissing sound. He turned his head finding a blood eyed hydra. "Hn." He remarked before pulling out his rifle. "I haven't fought any of these before. I wonder if the rumor about the heads is true?"
"You mean if you cut one off twice as much comes back." Tegami smirked at the larger creature above him. The more it hissed means the more he urged to attack. "All I know is that he better make it interesting."
"GRAAAAAAAAUUUH!" It let out a ferocious roar before it dived down towards the trio.
"That's right let out some anger! I like it when they yell." He may have swung like an amateur, but his physical ability let him SLING! through the hydra. He stabbed his sword in the ground leaving the beast confused. "Three…two…one." SKISH One of the heads fell clean off.
"Ouch." Muttered Razzle at the creature. She noticed Dante sky walking through the air, he forced the rifle into the creatures other head. POW! She covered her eyes even though she could still feel the blood and guts land on her.
"What are you doing?" She heard Dante call. "You can fight right?"
Like the mad woman she is, Razzle had to have a mad smile. "Hehehehe!" She plunged both her knives at the creature. SPALSH!-SPALSH!, both the knives darted in its neck. A raindrop sized blood hit the ground. Symbolizing the body falling down after it.
"That was fun! Let's go again." Laughed Razzle.
"This chick is crazy." Tegami noticed. "I like that."
"Heads up you two." Dante loaded up his rifle, aiming where the monster once was. "These thing isn't dead yet."
Like Dante; Razzle and Tegami turned their attention to the decapitated hydra. Its body started moving off the ground before the stump of its neck began to bulge and POP, POP. Six heads sprouted from the neck replacing the lost three heads. On the sight of Dante, Razzle, and Tegami, it began hissing. Its body then sprouted thicker green scales; making are blade users cringe. To make matters worse the beast started puffing: gas, fire, and smoke. Together it makes a deadly combination.
"Since six is a evil number. I guess you deserve to die." Dante cocked his rifle before firing. POW! SKISH! "What the…!" The hydra took the blast like it was nothing. The smoke on its scales quickly diminished away. "Those scales are too thick! How are we suppose to kill this thing?"
Baffled on what exactly what should happen to the creature. Razzle then pulled both his and Tegami's arms and started running.
"We do what Razzle does best." Both boys now became aware on what's happening. "We cut and run."
They ran off with the hydra chasing them behind. The trio dashed down a hallway but the hydra was only a near five feet away.
"We won't get away like this." Dante told them; he felt the hot breath of the beast behind them ready to fire. "We need a strategy."
"I have one," The swordsman and gunner turned to Razzle with caution. "Just dig under my shirt."
Both their eyes twitched and stomachs tightened. "We are not doing that!"
"Please."
That's when Tegami pulled himself away from Razzle and decided to deal with the beast himself. "I'm tired of running." His yellow eye started flaring. "That's not what a shark does." He placed his Suzumebachi in his mouth. Now both eyes got a good hold of the beast. "Tegami style: Shark outta water!" KLING! He cut passed the hydras in a flash.
At first it looked as if nothing happened. But the more you looked, you could see that Tegami had actually stunned the beast from moving.
Dante looked over at Razzle digging through her shirt. He caught a glimpse of a army strap under said shirt before she pulled out grenade. When she tossed it to him he immediately thought, "She's not meant to be trusted." Putting her aside for right now, Dante placed the grenade in his rifle. He then aimed for the beast mouth. POW! He made a direct hit inside his mouth. The beast gulped it down before the countdown played in Dante's head.
BOOM!
The creature exploded into blood and guts everywhere. There was nothing left that the hydra could regenerate from. "Now that he's taken care of…" Without warning, Dante pinned Razzle on the ground rifle to her chest.
"What the hell, Dante get off her!" Tegami practically threatened.
"Shut up and stay out this!" Dante moved his rifle to her neck. "Now just who the hell are you?" Like he suspected Razzle started showing her true colors. That smile on her face showed it all. BA-KRAM!
Tegami kicked him a wall over and helped Razzle up after. "You okay?" He asked before yelling his top at Dante. "What the hell is wrong with you! Do that again and it won't be pretty." POO! Dante gave him a warning shot by the ear.
"Dammit Tegami, I said stay out of it." Dante growled. "That girl isn't too be trusted."
"And just how would you know?" Tegami replied. "She did nothing wrong, so that doesn't give you the right."
A fight between Tegami and Dante could've broken out. But Razzle had prevented that with her little words.
"I guess I can take my leave now."
They turned away from each other to regard Razzle with a friendly, yet wary smile. The girl had played nice and innocent before time. She looked pleasantly pleased with herself. She had seen all she needed to see, now it was time to leave. Or make a attack. She was too random to guess.
"So looks like I was right." Dante said.
"For the most yeah." The young woman told. "Now my boss is waiting for me." Fog began filling around the room as Razzle walked back. "Tell Jerome my boss is waiting for him. Kaido has something planned for all the Yonko in New World." Tegami felt his blood freeze, Kaido another one of the Yonko and king of a thousand beast. Before he could question her further, she was already gone in the mystery fog. When said fog cleared away, Razzle was already gone with it.
"I could've killed her Tegami." Sighing, Dante moved forward.
"I'm glad me came into New World right away."
"Really? Why's that?"
"Because I'm searching for an ingredient. This ingredient we help me create the worlds best dish."
Seiran dreamt about the conversation he had with Lee when they first came into New World. He was surprisingly supportive and so was the rest of his new friends.
"Seiran! We you create the best dish, I want to be the first to eat it!"
"Sure thing captain."
"Don't screw it up okay."
"Whatever Cassidy."
"I just know its gonna be super sweet."
"Like you then, right Luna."
Some image finally came to his head when he dreamt that day Martel first joined them. That was kinda fun wasn't it.
Martel was in the middle of dicing some vegetables when Seiran came into the kitchen. "Oi, cat-man. Can you tell me where are pots and pans are? And the combination to the refrigerator."
"Sure thing huh…your name again?" Seiran asked.
"Martel."
"That's right. Like the weapon." Seiran concurred.
"Hey how didya' know that?" Martel asked him.
Seiran smiled. "If we're going to be working together, you should know I'm an assassin." Martel's look gave Seiran what he wanted. He got a kick out of seeing the expression on peoples faces when he told them that. He then figured it would be best to make the man feel as comfortable as possible. He could tell him more tales of being an assassin later. "So Martel what brings you to are big home?"
"Are you going to kill me if I tell you?" Seiran was just going to take that as a joke. To break awkwardness Martel went back to chopping vegetables. "I don't even know if I can trust you yet or anybody on this crew for that matter."
"Yet you chose to join us." Seiran raised a brow.
"Look, maybe I got into some money troubles and maybe some bad men are after me. Then maybe I chose to join a Yonko's crew because I knew they would stay away. Ow," Martel accidentally cut his finger. He turned to Seiran with a bewildered look. "Just don't tell Jerome okay."
"No problem." Seiran said bluntly. He went to the cabinet to get a bandaid for the cook. He helpfully wrapped it around like a good friend. "Besides I have some bad man after me as well. But when they come for me, I'll just have to kill them."
"I know this might sound hypocritical but," Martel dumped the vegetables inside a boiling pan. "Why are they after you?"
All of sudden Seiran saw the image of the man he hated inside the boiling pot. "Let's just say me and the boss have bad blood."
Seiran finally woken up back behind those rusty bars. On the wall next to him was Clara curled up inside a ball. She looked at him but didn't say a word. Both couldn't say a thing to each other, but that was probably because they known each so well they didn't need words to communicate.
Even though, Seiran still needed that life long question answered. "Clara why did you choose Harvey over me? We known each other for long, but yet you chose the man who was abusive to you."
"Because Seiran he was there." Clara replied with some bark in her voice. "When you died he was the only person I had left."
"But I never even died." Seiran replied angrily.
"Don't give me bull crap like that!" Clara yelled. "Me and you both know what was going on! I may have made a bad decision, but that doesn't give you the right to haunt me about it!" A tear fell to the floor, Clara's anger had been channeled towards sorrow. "You don't know what happened to me. How they…how they took my innocence."
We come to another dark corridor, but it differed from the others; it had a rickety bridge and woman on top. The woman has long pigtail purple hair and a marine uniform. She had her nodachi unsheathed. "I have no idea what Dr. Rose is think letting those beast handle things." She looked below, the Siren she sliced open earlier laid dead. She looked just slightly wary of the blood. "I'll be better suited for this anyway."
Right on cue her targets arrived; she recognized them by their names: Katherine Cross Claws, Red Demon Cassidy D. Leroux, and Heart Stitches Trafalgar Lee. Each one had their name for a reason and that was enough to frighten the marine. "No I can't be afraid. I didn't come all the from the West Blue for nothing. You can do this Dana."
"Someone's on the bridge." Lee said. Everyone walked closer to see Dana with her nodachi. She was shaking with fear and this fear only got worse as they got closer. As soon as they stepped onto the bridge she couldn't hold it anymore and ran in for an attack.
"Haaaaaaa…!" KLING! Swords collided, when Cassidy intercepted her attack.
Lee and Katherine both jumped back as a reaction.
"You don't want to do this. Stand down." Cassidy advised.
"No mercy!" Dana banged her sword with Cassidy's. In return Cassidy jumped back landing over with Lee and Katherine. Even with the odds against her Dana steel seemed determined. "In the name of the justice I will arrest you!"
Katherine unsheathed her sword. "One sword style: Lions Barrage!" Katherine rushed forward and sliced downward at Dana, who blocked with her sword. Using her sword, Dana redirected the Katherine's sword. Using hers, PIERCE! she sliced Katherine's side. "Eeeegh!" Taking the pain, Katherine kicked Dana in her side.
Dana skirted across the bridge. The feeling in her stomach heightened but she forced her gaze on the pirates. Faint whispers and protest began to play in her head. Telling her that she couldn't be a marine because she was a girl. "Blasphemy!" She thought. "Shut up daddy! Shut up mother! " She charged with the speed of a leopard. "I can be a marine if I waaaaant!"
"Scream Alva!" Cassidy flicked her sword and it let out a piercing scream. PEEEEEEYAAAAA! Katherine and Lee had covered their ears. Despite the blood linking from her ears, Dana kept moving forward. KLANG! Nodachi and Alva's blade met sending a shock wave across the room.
"Enough of this, Nodachi style: Runway!" SWEESH! Dana cut passed Cassidy and Lee behind her. As she sheathed her sword, Lee and Cassidy erupted with blood. "That should deal with those two."
Dana rushed at Katherine with surprising speed, but Katherine remained where she was. Dana yelled a battle cry as she swung the blade at Katherine's head. Katherine raised her sword turned her body, blocking the blade. Dana's eyes widened in surprise. "Come on is that the best you can do?" She asked.
Dana jumped away, landing a short distance from Dana. "How did you do that?"
"Well I blocked your attack." Katherine answered.
"Why you!" Dana scowled as she charged once more. Again she swung her blade attempting to cut through Katherine. The latter blocked again, but this time with greater difficulty.
Katherine pushed the Nodachi away and appeared behind Dana in a instant. Dana turned around and kicked Katherine sending her flying backwards. Katherine's feet slid a few before they finally stopped. "You might be fast, but I'm faster." Katherine dashed towards her.
"Remember like a cat you must be swift."
KLANG!-KLANG!-KLANG!-KLANG!
Dana and Katherine's swords met again. They held their swords together with great difficulty before repeating the same process.
KLANG!-KLANG!-KLA-
The fight cut short when Dana cut Katherine in the neck. Dana threw her sword down again, RIP, Katherine ducked and rolled off avoiding the attack. Lee however took the slice for her which cost him his hand.
Dana could barely hold her sword; she find the sight of the lifeless, unattached, creepy, and stitched up hand to be repulsive. What scared her more was when Lee pick said hand up and his body stitched itself back together.
"Blaaah!" With her own will against her she vomited over the floor. "I look so weak now. How can I vomit in front of pirates. What if the men saw this? They'll make a laughing stock out of me." She looked up finding Cassidy healing Katherine with a strange aura. "Pirates…!"
Unfortunately Cassidy had to cut her healing short. "Sorry about this Katherine." She picked up her Alva and covered it with a red aura. "Alva:…"
You must enjoy using my power. Do you want more?
Cassidy ignored the voice in her head and continued with her attack. "Alva:Demon slasher!" Cassidy made a devastating blow to Dana's left shoulder to her ribcage.
"I can't lose, I can't lose!" Dana swung her sword with all her might. It hit Cassidy's Alva, but that was soon cut short.
"Scream Alva."
PEEEEYAÀAAAA!
Alva's yell broke the Nodachi into pieces. Without the will too move on any more, Dana fell to the ground passed out from exhaustion. Cassidy sheathed her Alva and went back to Katherine. She summoned her red aura and started healing Katherine's neck which didn't take long.
"Lee do you need me to heal you up as well?" Cassidy asked him.
"No problem. My body stitches itself together." Lee answered.
"Whatever." Cassidy placed a band aid over Katherine's neck. Marking it as all better.
Katherine looked at felt her injury then looked at Cassidy. "Where did you get your powers?" She quickly gulped at her question. "Sorry if that sounded rude."
"With all do respect. Don't ask me about my past." Cassidy told her.
Katherine did nothing, but gave a nod of respect.
Back in the monitor room, Dr. Rose watched every situation from his lab. He watched every battle and the end of every battle. He was so angry that he could literally blow his head off. Apparently he underestimated the pirates, but that wouldn't be another mistake.
"How am I supposed to do this?" He thought aloud before the lightbulb came over him. "That's right! I can become better than Vegapunk and destroy those filthy pirates. All you have to do is fight fire with fire." He changed the monitor screen which switched to Crash and Jerome roaming down the halls. "The surem should be finished by now."
Back in the hallways Crash and Jerome still wandered with Jerome in the lead. Suddenly little balls of light appeared leading down the halls. They each whispered "Follow us." Crash was wary on doing this, but his captain was different. Without much thought Jerome ran towards the end of the hall before he was out of sight. Before he got too far, Crash ran as well, but unfortunately the whisp disappeared. This left Crash lost and separated his captain.
"Crap baskets."
Jerome followed the whisp inside a room, but as soon as he stepped in he began feeling weak. Despite it all he continued to move further and further until he passed on the floor. "Sea stone." He muttered before passing out.
Luna was sure her heart would give out in fear. Not only was she alone in the corridor, but she was being followed by something and she didn't want to find out what. She imagined it would be some dark monster, gleaming red eyes, and razor sharp teeth.
"What's wrong with razor sharp teeth?"
She remembered Tegami ask.
The thought running away came to mind. But the idea of that certainly did terrify her. The thought retrained and her frozen feet move forward. Quiet footsteps, stealthy footsteps, the footsteps of the monster. Her eyes focused on the dark corner where the owner of the footsteps would appear. She reached for her pocket for her gun. But before then the footsteps got closer and closer until…
"AAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGHHHHH-huh?"
Luna was looking down at tiny flaming phoenix, huge yellow eyes, and yellow and red flames around the body. Luna was in shock. She wasn't going to die, but then it occurred to her.
"This is so…KAII!" She cheered. Luna kneeled down at the phoenix, "Hey, little guy." She whispered gently. It was just so kaii and she had to have it. "So you wanna become my little pet?" The bird didn't answer but kept staring at her blankly. "I'm gonna take that as a yes."
…
Luna now moved down the halls happily with phoenix perched on her shoulder. "I just know everyone is going to love you. Can you speak?"
"Poosh, poosh." The phoenix responded.
"So kaii." Luna cheered.
"Poosh." The phoenix spread its wings then flew in a general direction. "Poosh." It urged the confused Luna to follow it; Luna was reluctant at first, but realized her little friend wouldn't betray her now. She followed the cute phoenix around the halls; it appeared to be smarter than it looked. It kept her from hitting traps and lead her around any enemies.
"Wait…huh…up." Luna panted.
The bird wasn't patient enough and kept on moving. Eventually the bird did lead her somewhere. That somewhere was the cell room. She peaked around the corner seeing the stolen children in their cells. And…do her eyes deceive her?
"Seiran."
But who was that woman he was with? More importantly, how was she going to get past the guards?
A/N: And done. I honestly wish I could include more, but I ran out of ideas. I hope you enjoyed this chapter, it was kinda a hassle. Good news is we have one of are mascots in. Then we learn more about Seiran and Clara next chapter.
V God22: I was lucky enough to post it before school XD.
Son of Whiteboard: Forgive me but I don't know what you mean by that comment.
Carolyn12: So glad that I make you happy. Thanks for the support and hope you enjoyed the fights.