Disclaimer: One Piece is the property of Eiichiro Oda. Many of the characters in this story are property of me. Do not use this story or its characters without my permission. Thank you.
The tournament aboard the Buster Pirate's Imperial Dragon went on smoothly, with Zan coming out on top after Rez was beaten in the second round. His abilities made it hard for anyone to judge how a hit should be counted on him, so he ended up getting hit the least of anyone by default. Afterwards, the crew went about their normal business of navigating the dangerous sea, avoiding any potential Sea King nest they could. While it all happened, Bard stayed in his cabin and read...
The Offensive Arts: Rankyaku (Storm Leg)
Using the motion and speed generated by a successful Soru leg vibration, one can use it to kick the wind as a traveling blade. Rankyaku kicks have enough force to cut apart wood and even skin and can travel a great distance. Rankyaku kicks can and will dissipate under certain conditions. There are two main varieties of kicking, the 'sweep' and the 'jab'. 'Sweep' kicks are created when the leg is swung around in a horizontal arc. 'Jabs' act as pinpoint spears that travel much faster through the air made by kicking straight ahead without any arc motion. Combining both types of Rankyaku is difficult to accomplish, but the true master can accomplish it.
"Cool" Bard noted, reading huddled over himself on his bed. "I can probably do that."
"I knew it!" an astonished voice said form above. Bard looked up and his eyes bulged out at the phantasmal figure of Zan in his ceiling. Bard quickly shut the book and fell off the bed in a fearful panic. "It was Tekkai that you used. That was Rokushiki!"
"Yeah!" Bard exclaimed, pointing, "that's what it's called! Hey, did Rez win?"
Zan cocked his head and looked at him oddly. "Win what?"
"The tourney!" Bard said, jumping up.
"Ah, yeah" Zan remembered. "No, I did."
"Cool" Bard noted. "Say, how do you know about this Rokushiki?"
"Because" Zan began "I'm an assassin. Moreover, I'm a Revolutionary assassin. I've come across others who can use those techniques as well. It's not pretty what they do with them, either." Bard kept his smile, so Zan assumed that the message he wanted to convey to him didn't get across. "Bard, Rokushiki is a martial art of assassination. It's primary use is to kill people." Bard's eyes went black with disbelief and his jaw lowered. A heavy air of depression swept over him.
"Assassination!?" Bard squealed. "You mean I've been slowly learning how to kill people!?" Bard began to slowly and quietly panic over this revelation. He wasn't a killer, but only a fighter. He lived to make sure everyone he fought could eventually fight him again.
"It's not all that abd" Zan noted, sitting on the bed and smoking. "This is rumored to be one of the most powerful martial arts in the history of the world. No one can trace its development or its perfected uses, that's how dangerous it is." Zan blew out a stream of smoke, as if it represented his own killer intentions, and finished his point to Bard. "You want to fight the most powerful people you can, right?" Bard nodded. "If you're seen using this art, then only the most powerful people will come to stop you. You can use it to achieve your goal on the ocean." To such an effect, Bard once again became happy.
"Really?" he asked. Zan nodded.
"It's not the fight" Zan noted poetically "which kills, but the killer. One can't blame a gun for killing a man because that's what it is meant to do. On the other hand, a gun can save a man's life without harming him. It's all in how you use it, Bard."
"YEAH!" Bard shouted, his confidence and reason returning. "You're right! I forgot about that!"
"You mean" Zan said in angry disbelief "you knew all that already?"
"Yeah" Bard bashfully admitted. "Sometimes I forget things like that. One time I forgot where I lived and had to sleep in the woods for three days. Hahaha! But, we all forget things, don't we? Huh? Zan? You okay?" Zan had in fact fell to the floor and half-melded himself within the boards out of the shock of Bard's stupidity.
This guy's my Captain!? Zan shouted internally. What have I done? I should have just cheated to win like I wanted to!!!
"Pain" Rez said droningly. Everyone moved about the ship, helping Max down into the proper crew quarters for the coming storm, making sure the log was pointing straight and adjusting the sails, while Rez sat as a crumpled heap under Araly's huge hammock.
"Doesn't this crew have a doctor?" Araly asked.
"Pain" Rez answered.
"You guys should really get one" she nagged. "It's dangerous enough that you pick regular fights with a guy who beat a sea kind to death with his own two hands and feet, but there are diseases on this ocean! Horrible little bugs and poisonous fish that can just barely nick you and then you're sick! And after a while from being sick you're dead! Doesn't that make you paranoid?"
"Pain" Rez continued.
"You just don't have any smarts" Araly pointed out, leaning back and enjoying her book.
"Pain" Rez grunted. His wounds and bruises were neatly pulsing all around him. His face was hideously bloated on one side, his arm was in a sling, his leg was in a split: he got messed up.
"we do have doctors" Marco noted as he passed. "Most of us have some kind of medical training."
"Yeah!" a larger, rounder pirate with a gruff voice called out. "I was a certified doctor before I decided to go out to sea!"
"Then why become pirates?" Araly asked. "Seriously, why did any of you become pirates?"
"To be honest" Marco said, "we were suckered." Araly glared curiously, wanting him to continue. "Our history is pretty brief, actually. When Maxwell was still our captain, he said his old crew had become to bloodthirsty and bothersome, so he marooned them on an island on the Calm Belt." Araly was about to say something, but he cut her off with a hand. "We don't know how he got there either...Anyway, when he came out of the Calm Belt, he stopped by a bunch of random islands and picked up anyone willing to side with him. When we got this crew together, he got bit by a Salsa snake. Then, of course, his first mate took charge and we decided to retreat to the closer islands of the Grand Line and pick off the weaker pirates whenever we could..."
"That was the jackass" Rez began, sudden;y well enough to talk "that Bard got jailed back when we met. It's been barely a year since I joined up with Max and started taking orders from that kiniving son of a bitch. To be honest, I'm glad he's gone."
"Hell yes!" the pirates agreed.
"He would've dodged past Paradiso like it was on fire" another pirate pointed out.
"That's a nice story" Araly said "but how does it imply that you got 'suckered'?"
"Because" Marco started "none of us knew who Maxwell was. That's how we were suckered. Before you know it, all of us are on the Marine's Most Wanted Crew list for being under the former-Pirate Emperor 'Chromatic' Maxwell." Araly became speechless.
"They declared him former" Rez explained "when he gave up his crew and left the new world. Although, it's not like he wouldn't go back if he could."
"We've just been set back so much" Marco added. "I'm sure we'll get there again, if not just for Max's sake."
"Besides, we love being pirates!" someone yelled. The chorus joined in cheer to his declaration. Everyone loved being a pirate on this ship. Araly even found it interesting and exciting at times, but otherwise dangerous. Then, her thoughts became still when she felt a warm drop of rain.
"Storm!" the navigator shouted. Out of the cabin came Bard, darting about and doing all the jobs as quick as he could, followed quickly after by Zan, who stole away Araly and her hammock and threw it up onto the walls in the bedroom.
"Ah! Help! ASSASSIN!!!" Araly shouted.
"Yeah, I'm an assassin" Zan said, securing her down. "Have you ever tried to absolve your sea-sickness through meditation?"
"...Uhh" Araly grunted in puzzlement.
"It worked for me" Zan admitted. "I used to be just as bad as you."
"Well that;s no fair" she said. "you can attach yourself to the ship if it rocks!"
"Yeah, that makes it worse!" Zan said. Araly gave him a stern, suspicious glare as he worked for her.
"You came in to talk with Bard,didn't you?" she said, nearly growling at him.
"Yeah" Zan said, securing the last knot. "you're right, he's pretty nice. But I don't think I can influence him to kill."
"Really?" Araly said, trying to be as probing as possible.
"He's far too stupid" Zan explained briefly "to kill anyone." With his piece said and Araly in a building rage, he left and descended into the lower deck to operate the Dampening sails with the others. As the warm, almost hot rain started to pick up, Rez took the wheel and Bard continued to rush about on deck with blurred speed.
"Hey, Bard!" Rez shouted. "Where'd you learn that weird 'Tekkai' junk?"
"That!?" Bard shouted back. "It's a part of my own fighting style!" Rez glanced back at his furrowed-brow smile, his eager determined ready-to-fight smile, and focused ahead again.
"Well, how good is it?" Rez yelled, somewhat to himself. "You'll have to make sure it's perfect if we're gonna cross the Red Line again to get to the New World!" Bard listened, holding down one of the larger ropes for the Grand Sail, and smiled happily. Then, of course, the mystery of the Grand Line picked up and the rain became boiling hot.
"AGH!" Bard shouted. "RETREAT!" Rez followed his command and appeared with his Captain below deck, both of them panting synchronously with their skin beaten red.
"Quick!" Marco shouted to Rez. "Take the under-wheel!" Rez hurried into a small room directly under the bow and took another wheel that was connected to the one above with chains. There was already a steady drip along the sides of steaming hot water. The sky was bright orange and the ocean heaved the giant ship about in the windy tempest as they all sailed on, down the powerful Grand Line.
