Revelations
Disclaimer: Don't own One Piece.
The following day, Axe found himself in the library again, leafing through every book he had been through before, looking for that red cross sign he saw on the attackers the day before. He had ripped off a piece of fabric from one of the unconscious ones before they were taken away by the Marines and now he held it in one hand while he leafed through the books in the other hand.
I know I've seen that red cross symbol before, but where?
He spent hours leafing through all the books he remembered looking through the day before, but still he came up with nothing.
"DAMMIT!" he slammed a book down out of anger and slumped forward, "Where is it?!"
A strange silence fell over the library and Axe lifted his head to see everyone in the library was staring at him, no doubt shocked that he had just cursed inside a church.
He cleared his throat and waved at them, "Sorry...I'll uh...ask for forgiveness after I do this," he said quickly before going back to the books, hiding his face behind a large one, Okay, I feel awkward...
"You seem busy with something, boy,"
Great, him... Axe's eye twitched, but he turned around to see not only Gabriel, but Father Anderson walking up to him. He waved politely at them, "Sorry about all that, I didn't mean to curse, out loud anyway," he grinned sheepishly, "Just having a difficult time with something,"
"Well, perhaps we can assist you, my son?" Anderson offered, walking up to the table, "What are you looking for?"
Axe sighed and turned around, holding up the torn piece of cloth, "I'm not sure, Father. I've seen this symbol before, but I don't know where and I don't know what it-,"
"The Knights Templar,"
He looked up, "Say what now?"
Anderson frowned a little and looked through one of the nearby books, coming to a stop on a page with a mark that was identical to the piece of cloth Axe had taken. He slid the book over to Axe and the young man scanned the pages.
"Not much here. Just something about secret societies and conspiracies...you know, most of the world has this, right?"
"Keep reading, you'll find something very interesting,"
"Like wha-?" Axe stopped in mid-sentence and pulled the book closer, "...it says that there was a Grand Master of the Templar Order was burned to death and three of his followers found his femur bones and skull and with it, supposedly made the first Jolly Roger flag?!"
Anderson shrugged as he sat down, "The Templars are supposedly a secret society, something that was just made up long ago. Supposedly, they were a powerful order, under the guise of a branch in the World Government. Not much is known about the Templars, except old legends and theories of what they were trying to do. All we know is that they were a large collection of religious soldiers," he looked at the fabric, "Where did you get this?"
"I saw the Holy Knight beat a group of robed people yesterday, I told Gabriel and Kairi this," he pointed to the platinum-haired man, "But I didn't know who there were, at least until now," he grinned, "Looks like you got some not-so-secret society members around town, Preacher,"
Father Anderson sighed and looked at the symbol, "Once thought as rumors, the Templars are here on the island, attacking the Holy Knight. No doubt they wish to take out the only true protection we have on this island...," he tapped the table idly, "This does not bode well,"
Axe frowned, "Why would they be after the Knight, or even this island?"
The preacher shook his head, "Who knows what the Templars do. It seems, however, that the revived Order of Templar has targeted our home,"
With the new knowledge given to him by the preacher and the books, Axe found himself going around the rooftops again later that night. Again, luck was on his side, because he found the Holy Knight again. However, he wasn't alone; he was fighting another group of Templar warriors below in another alley of the town. Deciding to get in close again, he hopped down and landed on top of a couple of soldiers, taking them out of the fight.
He was about to move off and help out with the rest, but he noticed something with one of the soldiers he knocked out. Reaching down, Axe pulled back the hood of a Templar and was startled to see the face of the crazy man from the diner the night before.
Axe frowned, Didn't I see him all crazy and rabid just last night? How'd he go from that to a seemingly calm, quiet killer just overnight? he looked up to see the Holy Knight take down the rest of the Templars, "You and I need to talk, pal!"
The Knight turned around, sheathing his rapier.
"I don't know if you know who these people are," Axe held up one of the beaten warriors, "But these guys call themselves the Knights Templar. They revived the ancient and secret order and now they're trying to take you out, but why, I don't know. All I do know is that they're gonna keep coming after you until you are dead, then they'll do whatever they're wanting to do on this island,"
After a few moments, the Knight turned and started off.
"Hey!" Axe used Soru and reappeared in front of the Knight, arms folded across his chest, "You may think you're strong enough to take care of yourself, and I'll admit, you are strong, but sooner or later, they're gonna get to you and you won't be able to do anything. I can help you!"
The Knight shook his head.
"No, I mean it, I can! I can help you, I'm tougher than I look and-,"
BAM
The sound of a gunshot echoed through the night. The Holy Knight stumbled back a bit and Axe knew that he had been hit. He turned around and scanned the area behind him, knowing the gunshot came from that direction. Squinting, he saw a figure on a rooftop dart out of sight, and his first instinct was to go after it, but he remember the Holy Knight had been hit. Deciding to take the moral high road, Axe turned back and ran to the unmoving Knight, whose helmet was clattering against the street. Carefully, Axe rolled the Knight over and saw that there was just a graze across her forehead.
Wait...her? Axe looked down and was surprised to see that the Holy Knight was not a he, but a she! Not only that, but it was Kairi Lumina, the apprentice from the Church!
"Holy crap!!"
Kairi opened her eyes to find herself in her bedroom at the church.
How did I get here? The last thing I remember... she slowly sat up, ...was being in the street.
Feeling cool, she pulled the blankets close to her and she found herself out of her armor and in simple pajamas.
What happened?
"Glad to see you're awake,"
Startled, Kairi jumped a little and turned to see Axe sitting on the other side of the room, holding the rapier in his lap. He looked up at her, running his finger along the blade.
"So the Holy Knight of Sanctus Island is a thirteen year old orphan apprentice at the church," he chuckled, "One helluva cover, even I didn't think of that. I thought it would've been Gabriel who was the Knight," he looked up at her, "So, how does a thirteen year old orphan get roped into being the protector of a whole island?"
Kairi glared at him for a bit, no doubt angry that he had learned who she was, but turned away and sighed, "It was a message from God,"
"...I'm sorry?"
"It was a message from God," Kairi repeated, "When I was growing up here, after being abandoned on the church steps, everyone discovered that I was gifted. Whenever I played swords with other kids, you know with sticks, we all found out that I had a talent for it. I didn't know I did, it just came natural to me...,"
"I see,"
"Anyway, since we found out my talent, the adults believed that I was a savior from God Himself. So, in secret, they trained me how to fight with a sword-,"
"When does a church teach kids how to fight?"
"I was able to become stronger and faster, and learn everything they taught me at a surprising rate. Now they were completely convinced I was a gift from God, as was I. They gave me that sword," she pointed to her rapier, "It's called Heaven's Savior, and it's one of the O Wazamono swords,"
One of the 21 Great Edges, huh? Not bad...I'm surprised she can use it. Though, after what I've seen and heard so far, it's not that surprising! Axe thought as he handed the sword over, handle outward, "That's quite impressive. I'm surprised the church even had this sword,"
"It's the treasure of the church," Kairi explained, taking the sword and placing it beside her on the bed, "They thought that a gift from God should have it,"
Axe cleared his throat, "Well, since you're up and about...you thought anymore on the whole being part of my crew thing?"
Kairi shook her head, "I owe a tremendous debt to the church. I'm sorry, but I cannot,"
"Aw...oh well. At least the church is lucky enough to have ya still,"
"They thought they were lucky when I came around,"
"And we still think that, my young friend,"
Both Axe and Kairi turned to see Anderson and Gabriel standing in the doorway. Kairi smiled, "Father Anderson! Gabriel!"
"We're so glad to see you safe, Kairi," Anderson walked into the room and sat down on the bed, looking at the bandage that was planted over the graze on her head, "God's blessing has give you a second chance, Kairi. Who knows what could've happened if Axe hadn't come to talk to the Holy Knight," he turned to the young treasure hunter, "You of course, know that you can't tell anyone about Kairi's secret?"
"Oh, yeah, that's a no brainer," Axe waved him off casually, "You got no worries from me,"
"That's good. Now, I think we should leave and let Kairi rest some more," Anderson rose from the bed, patting Kairi on the head, "Rest easy, my child,"
"Thank you Father,"
After they left the room, Anderson pulled Axe away into a secluded part of the area, not wanting passerby to listen to what he had to say.
"I greatly appreciate what you've done for our young friend,"
"No problem, happy to help out. However," Axe held up a finger, "I found out something odd when she got attacked,"
"What's that, my son?"
"One of the attackers was a guy I was in the diner before. He was ranting about a false prophet and how he told nothing but lies,"
Anderson tilted his head, "Is that so? Was he working with the Templars, then?"
"Yes and no,"
"I beg your pardon?"
Axe chewed on his thumb, "He was calm and collected when he attacked Kairi, but from what I've read, most people who go crazy can't be calm just overnight,"
"What are you saying?"
"Okay, hear me out. You said this Templar Order was ancient and secret, right?"
"Yes...?"
"What if their leader was in here town? What if, he tried to recruit people, but this crazy guy saw through whatever lies he was telling and he was trying to warn people? What if he was trying to get the message out to the Holy Knight before it was too late?"
Anderson scowled and rubbed his chin, "Then we have a problem,"
"You're telling me, and if they have spies like any secret order does, then anyone can be a Templar, even the church regulars," Axe looked around, "Listen, for the time being, say nothing about Kairi or the Holy Knight, alright? If there are spies, then they'll probably know who she is, so don't say anything about either of them because if we can make them think that she's dead, then they'll make their move,"
"Right," Anderson sighed and patted Axe on the shoulder, "You are an intelligent young man, aren't you?"
"Hey, I learn from some of the best," Axe grinned, thinking back to Rayo, "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'll be going,"
"Going? Where to?"
"I'm gonna go around and talk to people. If that crazy guy was a town member, then maybe someone knows who he's met. If I can learn that, then I can learn who the Templars are working for, and then I can kick their ass,"
Anderson looked at him for a bit and smiled, "Then God be with you, my son,"
"Thanks, preacher,"
As the treasure hunter walked down the corridor, Anderson turned to Gabriel, "We may have a problem,"
"I'll take care of it," Gabriel nodded, "What about her?"
"I'll think of something, but first we may have a big loose end roaming around,"
"Don't worry. Like I said, I'll take care of it,"
Okay, so the Templar Knights are part of an ancient, supposedly make-belief Order from a long time ago, and they're trying to kill Kairi for reasons unknown. Also, they're most likely based around on this island and their leader is some kind of prophet who tells lies. Not only that, apparently, this group can brainwash people. That's the only way I can explain that crazy bastard being calm enough to try and kill Kairi overnight...man, talk about a weird place to come by.
After hours of searching and yet again, getting nowhere with answers, Axe found himself in the near empty diner. The only ones there were the owner and himself. Axe had ordered a buffet of food, but with all the problems weighing on his mind, he couldn't eat a single bite.
"Something wrong, kiddo?" the owner asked as he wiped a glass mug.
"Eh, you can call it that, I guess," Axe ran his hands through his hair, "I gotta big problem, but I can't find any damn answers!"
The owner shrugged and put down his mug, "Life's full of problems. Speaking of which, I think I gotta crapper in the back that needs some serious cleaning," he threw a heavy rag over his shoulder and pulled a bucket from under the counter, "Need anything, just holler,"
"Yeah, I'm gonna holler for help from a guy who's wrist deep in shit," Axe muttered under his breath as the owner disappeared in the back, "That's a good plan,"
Axe sat that for awhile and listened as more people entered the diner. He heard them walk up behind him, but other than footsteps and breathing, they made no sound or movement.
Okay, chances are that there are either crazy people behind me, or some guys looking for a fight... Axe slowly turned around on the stool to see a large group of robed Templars standing in front of him, each of them carrying a weapon.
...and it's both. Gee, aren't I lucky?
"Okay, someone mind taking this off? It's kinda messin' up my hair...,"
Axe's vision returned to him as soon as the heavy bag was pulled off his head. A short while before at the diner, he had thought about beating the crap out of them all, but that would give him a small chance of finding their leader. So, taking the advice of his mentor Rayo, Axe used his head and surrendered himself to them. Now, he was sitting on his knees in a small cell made of stone, his arms chained behind his back, connected to the stone wall behind him.
He looked around at his captors, "So, uh...what's next, are you gonna get a guitar and sing a campfire song, or are we gonna have some kind of hazing ritual with a paddle here? Seriously, what's all the initiation of the Templars?"
"May, you're an eager one, aren't you?" a familiar voice greeted him.
Axe winced, Figures. I go around looking for the bastard and it's right in front of me the whole time. I need to learn how to not overlook the obviousness of stuff.
He lifted his head to see Father Anderson and Gabriel walk into the cell, the latter closing the door behind him.
"So, I take it you're the Grand Master of the newly revived Templar Order?" Axe asked casually.
Anderson nodded, "Yes, I am, but I wasn't always like this, my son,"
"Can you not call me that anymore?" Axe inquired, "I don't mind it coming from a good preacher, but now having the idea of two men calling me son...kinda creeps me out, especially if one's an evil bastard,"
Gabriel growled and began to approach, but Anderson held him back.
"Like you, my son, Gabriel and I were pirates many years ago. However, we left our ways of piracy. It wasn't until recently that I decided to revive the Knights Templar," Anderson smiled, "Neither of us have regretted it,"
Yet... Axe thought with a grin, "A pirate, huh? Prove it, preacher,"
"Very well," Anderson reached into his robes and pulled out a couple of rolled up pieces of paper. He unrolled the papers and laid them out in front of Axe, "I hope these are proof enough,"
Axe looked down at the posters.
WANTED DEAD OR ALIVE
Alexander Anderson aka "Paladin Anderson"
Reward: 7,000,000 Beli
WANTED DEAD OR ALIVE
"Gabriel the Angel of Death"
Reward: 4,000,000 Beli
"Paladin? As in holy warrior? As in warrior from God or some other divine deity?" Axe thought aloud, looking up at Anderson, "What kind of title is that for a pirate?"
"I gave up that life a long time ago, but not my title," Anderson folded his hands across the front of his robes, "Now, we are striving to help the souls of the poor people of this world,"
"How so?"
"By showing them our way of view of God's work, they will be happier and stronger than ever. Gabriel and I will be there to usher in an age of peace for the world!"
"Then why get rid of your own Holy Knight?"
"Sadly, not everyone can be persuaded like others. We've tried subliminal teachings on her, but she hasn't shown any signs of coming to our side. Sadly, we've come to the conclusion of sacrificing her blood and flesh in order to bring about our new world order,"
Axe scowled, "You can't kill her, Anderson. If your Knights couldn't kill her, what makes you think that you can?"
Anderson leaned forward and grabbed his hair roughly, "Because while she is stronger than our Knights, Gabriel and I are stronger than her. She may hate us for what we must do, but as she lays there going into the Gates of Heaven, she will realize that our will have been for the good of the world,"
"What's to keep her from finding out the truth before then?" Axe raised an eyebrow, "I can easily break out of here and warn her,"
Gabriel chuckled darkly, "Listen boy, you're not good at bluffing. You cannot break out of those chains, and even if you did, she barely knows you. She's known us far longer than you, and after we make you the culprit behind the attacks, she'll want nothing to do with you,"
"Why you sonofa-,"
"Language, boy, language," Anderson wagged a finger, "You may be chained up, but you're still in a house of God. Now, if you'll excuse us, Gabriel and I have to deliver the horrible news to our good friend,"
Kilnorc: Oh man, what next?!
On the next chapter of Origin...
Kairi: I can't believe...I thought we were friends!
Axe: Listen to me, Kairi, they are lying! They plan to kill you!
Anderson: God has spoken to me, my children...
Gabriel: He's gotten loose!
Question of Faith
Axe: What do you believe, Kairi? Your heart or his words?!