Bad Wolf, Big Axes

Disclaimer: Don't own One Piece.

--

"BOSS! BOSS!!"

Indora turned away from a distraught village chief to see Flint running towards him, "Ah, Flint! What's...going...," he trailed off when he saw a very disturbed look on her face, "What happened?"

"It's Jim!" Flint panted, tired from the run, "Jim's dead!"

"What?"

"Jim's dead!" she repeated, "He was torn to pieces, Boss, we gotta get the hell outta here!"

Indora scowled, "Calm down, Flint, just cool your heels," he walked up to her, "Now, what happened?"

Flint quickly told him everything that she and Jim did in the short amount of time leading to his death, including his death.

"...and that's what happened!" she finished before holding up a familiar rapier, "I got this, though, the girl dropped it and that thing just left it laying in the street!"

The merc leader snatched Heaven's Savior away from his partner and nodded, "Alright...not a bad blade. This should get a good price," he looked back at Flint, "You said that this thing went into the forest after killing our comrade?"

Flint nodded rapidly.

"Well, then we avoid the forest," Indora tossed the rapier back at her, "Easy as that. We'll avoid that, get our payment from the ossan here, and we'll be on our way,"

"But...but, Jim-!"

"Was unlucky in his way of dying, but it can't be helped," Indora cut her off, "Let's not dwell on that,"

"But-!"

"Flint?"

"Yes, Boss?"

"Shut up!" Indora sighed and turned to the chief, "Good help is so hard to find nowadays...anyway, ossan, shall we finally get to business or do I need to find a few people to help persuade you?"

The village chief glared at him, but said nothing.

"Still stubborn, eh?" the big merc shook his head, "I really don't want to rough you up, Ossan, because I'm much stronger and larger than you, a small and brittle fool, I don't want to knock your head off should I backhand ya, so why don't you just pay up before anyone else gets hurt?" he offered just before a large rock clocked him upside the head from behind.

Indora growled and slowly turned his head, his eye twitching as a vein appeared.

"Oi, Stinky!" Axe juggled a few more rocks in his empty hand, "You and I got business to take care of!"

"You again?" Indora turned all the way around, "What business, brat?"

"The business of you scamming and tearing up an innocent village!" Axe caught the remaining rocks and crushed them easily in his hand, letting the bits of rock and dirt fall to the ground.

Indora scoffed, "Oh, kid breaks a couple of dirt clouds, I'm shaking in my boots! The last kid who went against us died," he turned to his remaining comrade, "Flint, show him!"

The dark-skinned woman nodded and held up Kairi's rapier.

Axe's eye twitched ever so slightly, almost undetectable, but Flint caught it.

She smiled, "She was your friend, wasn't she? Now, she's a dead friend and this is ours!" she lowered the rapier, "Just like you will be when the Boss gets done with you!"

"If he wants a fight, he'll have to take us both on!"

Axe turned to see Toby leaping through the nearest wall of fire, landing just a few feet away from him, his body smoking slightly. The young treasure hunter couldn't help but notice fresh blood on his front and hands.

"What the hell are you doing here?!"

"Fighting, like you said I should," Toby rose to full height, "What, you want me to hang back?"

"After what they've done to Kairi, hell no,"

"Kairi? Oh, she's fine,"

Axe blinked, "Wait, what?"

Toby grinned, "She had a bit of a tough spot with that Jim guy, but I took care of him. She's safe, so don't worry about her,"

Soon, Axe shared that grin, "Guess I owe ya one, then,"

"HOLD UP!"

Both challengers turned to Flint and Indora, the former looking upset.

The dark-skinned woman raised a shaky finger, pointing at Toby, "W-What do you mean that y-you took out Jim?! I saw Jim die, it w-was...," she trailed off when Toby began to convulse, "What the hell?!"

Axe frowned and backed away, "Was just about to ask that...,"

Toby doubled over, grasping his sides as his face was scrunched in pain. Everyone seemed to forget the fires around them, as they watched the young boy scream in agony as his body underwent dramatic changes. His limbs twisted and snapped, he began to grown considerably in size, his face started to grow outward as canine ears and sharp fangs appeared, and thick, coarse fur sprouted all over his body.

The village chief, who had gone completely unnoticed and forgotten by now, stared in shock and horror at what he saw.

"I don't believe it...,"

--

The first thing Kairi saw when she opened her eyes was green. Lots, and lots, of green. As her vision cleared, Axe's First Mate realized that she was sitting against a large tree in the forest somewhere. Frowning, and with a major neckpain, Kairi looked around, confused as she rubbed her neck.

"How'd I get here?" she asked herself in a hoarse whisper, "The last thing I remember was that Jim guy...but that's it,"

As she tried to get up, she felt a sudden sting of pain in her shoulder. Looking down, she saw the bullet wound in her shoulder, and more memories came back.

"I got shot...wait, that means-!" she looked around frantically, but couldn't find her rapier anywhere, "Oh, that's just fantastic! I get shot, I lose my personal treasure, and not only do I have a close call, but I'm suddenly alone in the wounds...," she gingerly touched her wound, "...with a patched up gunshot wound. Did I miss something here!?"

--

Axe gawked at what stood before him. He couldn't believe what he was seeing right in front of his very eyes, but at least he wasn't the only one.

Flint let out a small shriek and backed away, "Th-That's the thing that killed Jim! It ripped him apart!"

Indora stared, obviously thrown off, "What the hell are you?!"

"That's what I'd like to know," Axe murmured, "The stories about a wolf creature...?"

"They're true,"

The three humans turned to the village chief, who seemed to have an oddly calm look on his face.

The old man swallowed, "Throughout the history of our island, we've heard many legends about wolves in our forests. We've heard tales of wolves that turn others into their kind, or wolves that lay in secret, watching over us,"

Axe glanced back at Toby, "Oh, you gotta be shitting me...,"

The newly transformed Toby cracked his neck loudly and snorted as he glared at the two mercenaries, "You shouldn't have come here. You have trespassed in my forest, you have burned down the village where I was born, and you have hurt innocent people all for greed and personal gain! Why?"

"Born?" the village chief repeated in a whisper, looking at Toby long and hard, "It can't be!"

"Uhm, 'cause they're the bad guys?" Axe suggested with a slight shrug, "It's kinda in the Bad Guy Handbook...," he stopped and shook his head, "Wait a minute! What was that you were talking about earlier with the 'It's not my village anymore, I'm gonna let it burn because I'm a loser!' ?"

Toby glared at Axe, "I don't remember saying that last part...,"

"Oh, so I paraphrased it, does that really matter right now?"

"He's right! What really matters is that you two freaks pay attention to what's in front of you!"

Both lycanthrope and treasure hunter turned to see Indora gripping his large weapon. Axe sighed and pulled his own weapon in front of him, "You know what's sad, big guy?"

"What's that punk?"

"I got this weapon as a gift. You probably got yours because you're trying to compensate for something,"

Indora's jaw dropped, "Y-You...bastard!" he let out a roar and charged right towards the two of them.

"I'll take care of him, you can handle the leftovers," Axe told Toby just before he charged forward to meet Indora head on.

Toby smiled a wolfish grin as he turned his gaze to a freaked out Flint, who had brought her rifle up, aiming the barrel towards him. Sure enough, she fired a few rounds and each one ripped through Toby, but the beastman just laughed as blood trickled down his body.

"You've got the right idea, however you have the wrong kind of weapon,"

--

Indora had to admit, for a kid his size, Axe was lasting a lot longer than most people did when they fought against him. He was quicker, tougher, and stronger than the others he had battled in the past. There was no way it could be true, but every now and then, he could swear that Axe was smiling in a way that said he was just toying with the brute. However, he knew that couldn't be true, because no one lived after toying with him and he was still breathing.

"You're like the second major bad guy I've faced since I started, and just like the last one...," Axe ducked Indora's axe swipe and threw a hard punch into his gut, not only making the large man gasp in pain, but he made him slide a fair distance along the earth, "...you're all talk and no real power,"

Indora coughed as blood dribbled down his mouth. He wiped his lips and saw the blood staining his flesh, "Only the really strong or abnormal could do this sort of damage to me...," he glared at Axe, "What the hell are you?"

Axe spun his weapon around with one hand hand, a grin on his face, "I'm just a Devil Fruit user,"

"A Devil Fruit user?!" Indora repeated, "What fruit did you eat?!"

"Kachi Kachi no Mi," Axe stopped his spinning and rushed Indora again.

--

"Why the fuck won't you die?!" Flint shrieked as she put slug after slug into the advancing beastman, "Why can't I kill you?!"

Toby soon loomed over the frightened mercenary, "Because, it will take more than just bullets to kill me," he grabbed her and lifted her clear off the ground, "You're the one who shot the girl in the shoulder,"

Flint struggled to get loose, "I was just doing my job!"

Toby growled and brought her close to his canine-like face, "Your job is to shoot down innocent people from a distance?!" he tightened his hold on her, making her choke and gag, "This is why I don't like coming out of my forest sanctuary. I come out, and I see all kinds of filth and horrible creatures that would kill one of their own species for money or some other reason. I may kill, yes, but that is to survive!" he raised a hand, showing his curved claws that seemed to gleam in the firelight around them, "You're a threat to these people, and for them to survive, you must die!"

He pulled his claws back, then thrust them towards the helpless mercenary woman, who closed her eyes tightly, not wanting to see the end of her life coming at her. He was just about to kill her when...

"STOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOP!!"

Instantly, Toby stopped his killing blow and turned back to see Kairi standing a short distance away, panting as if she had just run a marathon. Oddly enough, though he didn't exactly will it, Toby released the mercenary. As soon as she hit the dirt, Flint scrambled away from the bizarre child, who looked straight at Kairi.

"What are you doing here?" he asked.

"I came here to fight and maybe find my rapier at the same time! What in the world was that just now?!" she demanded, referring to the beast form and Flint's near-death experience.

Toby scowled, "I was about to kill her,"

"Why?!"

"Because she was trying to kill me," he pointed to the gunshot wounds he had sustained from her, "It was self-defense. Besides, I killed that other mercenary who was hurting you,"

Kairi's eyes widened, "You killed him?!"

"To save you," Toby reasoned, "I don't know why I did it, the problems of the village haven't really been my problems for a loooong time, but then you two come along and here I am, standing in what used to be my birthplace and home, fighting the intruders who set it ablaze. I saved you from who knows what at that bastard's hands, I took you to safety and I treated your injury as best I could," he pointed to her shoulder, "You should've just stayed in the woods,"

"I couldn't do that," Kairi shook her head, "No way,"

Meanwhile, Flint was bolting for cover, I was just about to die and they're having a conversation like nothing's going on or nothing's wrong at all?! What the hell is wrong with these kids, they can't be normal!

--

While the other two were having an oddly timed, strangely calm conversation, Axe was still having fun against Indora, who was starting to do something he never did before in a fight.

He began to worry.

This is not a normal boy! He's not only eaten a Devil Fruit, but that axe of his is real after all! I've almost had my torso cut into by that thing of is and he deflects each one of my attacks! Who the hell is this bastard and how the hell did he get so strong at such a young age?!

More than he wanted, more than he should've allowed, Indora was so into his thoughts during his fight, he was too slow for a split second and Axe took that moment to destroy Indora's axe with his own. The large man in fur stared in shock as his weapon fell to the ground, smashing into pieces as it hit the dirt. Seconds later, he felt the blade of Axe's weapon against his throat.

"I have no problems with kicking one's ass, or even killing them if it's necessary. I was told that life on these seas would mean that one would have to do somethings that they wouldn't normally do in their lives, but I'm giving you just one chance, Indora. Take whoever you have left on your payroll and leave this island. Leave the island and take your scheming hearts someplace else because they are most certainly not welcome here!"

Indora glared down at the mere child who had his life at his mercy.

"You only have one chance here, Indora, so take it or I'll be forced to end this,"

Without much time to think, Indora came to a decision. He sighed and closed his eyes, "Fine. We'll leave, just let me live," he said quietly, "Please, just let us go,"

Axe looked at him for a bit, nodded and lowered his weapon, "Good choice. Go on, get out of here before I personally and literally kick you off this island!" he turned away, and just as soon as he showed his back, he knew that he shouldn't have made that decision.

Indora lunged at him and wrapped his large, muscular arms around the boy and picked him up, squeezing him more and more with each second.

"Little piece of advice, kid: If you're fighting an enemy, make sure you show no mercy and kill them as quickly as possible before they kill you! That's the...," he paused when he felt his arms not only stop squeezing, but being pushed away, "What the-?!"

"I warned you. I told you to take the chance and leave while you had it, but you chose to try and attack me from behind like a coward...," Axe grunted a little as he pushed Indora's arms outward, loosening the grip the large man had on his body. Soon enough, he was free and out of Indora's grasp, but this time around, he didn't give the large man the chance to attack him again. This time, as soon as he landed on the ground, Axe spun around and pushed off into a hard diagonal leap, his head crashing right into Indora's stomach.

Axe's hard head plus his speed made him a human projectile. The impact he made not only caused Indora's eyes to roll into the back of his head and blood fly out of his mouth, but it made the merc fly through the air so far back, he disappeared past the treeline, plowing into the large wood-covered plants as he flew.

The treasure hunter rubbed his head, wincing, "I'm gonna feel that tomorrow...," he looked around and found the village chief, who was more or less shocked beyond reason. He walked over to the older man and waved a hand in front of his face, "You okay, ossan? Yoohoo...?"

--

After having fled from the village, Flint found herself in the forest, her lungs burning for air and her legs burning from running so much in such a short amount of time. She turned back the way she came and glared, "I'm not gonna die without a fight, you bastards! You hear me?!" she screamed, "I'll come back and finish you all off for Jim!"

A loud crashing sound soon reached her ears and Flint spun around, ready to fight if she needed to, but instead of an opponent, she got her Boss. Indora's unconscious body plowed through the trees in front of her and right into her, knocking her clean off her feet, taking her flying with him. The two mercs flew for just a bit longer before hitting the ground so hard, they created a groove in the earth as they slowed to a stop. Indora was still alive, but still out cold. Flint, however, was also alive, but pinned under the heavy form of her leader. The only part of her that was free was her arm and hand, which were twitching like mad.

--

"I don't believe this, I fight the bad guys and you two talk?!" Axe shook his head as he tossed a certain lost rapier back to it's proper owner.

Kairi caught her weapon and strapped it to her belt, glad to have it back, "Hey, at least we were actually involved, be glad for that!"

Axe rolled his eyes and turned to a newly reverted Toby, "Thanks man, I owe ya one. Personally, I could've taken those two on myself easily, but it's nice to not have to worry about another one while fighting. So I guess I owe you for two, huh? Helping fight and saving Kairi," he held out his hand, "Thanks, Toby,"

Toby, however, didn't take his hand. In fact, he looked very pale and weakened all of a sudden.

"You okay, Toby?"

"You sick, dude?"

Without any warning, Toby fell forward, only to be caught by both treasure hunters.

"Oh shit! Toby!"

"What's wrong with him?!"

--

Kilnorc: Alright, I thought this chapter over for quite some time and though it's not up to my usual standards for OP fighting, I think I did rather well. I'm sure you all are wondering more about Toby's little condition. That'll be revealed in the next chapter, as well as some other things. Stay tuned folks!

On the next chapter of Origin...

Chief: I never would've thought the boy who disappeared after the slaughter of his family was the monster.

Toby: My story is not for the faint of heart. I'll be forever cursed unless I can find a way to lift it.

Kairi: How dare you! You're treating him like some kind of wild animal!

Chief: It may be best if you leave, children. People are a bit...angry.

The Lone Wolf

Axe: If you're looking for a pack to be with...come with us, Toby.