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.
So now Bard found himself faced down with an opponent with extremely upscaled power. Arthir grinned evilly as he shuffled from the crater he made and growled fiercely at Bard. The magic slip of paper in his hand continued to glow with its soft orange light.
The end cometh Arthir manically thought at Bard. Bard even started backing away on his left leg out of caution.
Something's up Bard noted. He wasn't that strong. He was fast, granted, but not this strong. He's done something, but it's too subtle for me to follow what it is...
"Heh" Zan laughed. "There's secret number one."
"Number one?" Rez repeated. "You mean there's more than one? What else is that bastard hiding?"
"Oh, who knows" Zan said. "Hey, Colleen, come on up here!"
"No thank you!" Colleen shouted back. She still hid behind cover out of shy fear while watching the fight from afar. Something is definitely wrong. He's using that weird paper like before...I shouldn't interfere though. If those pirates get the wrong impression that I'm on their side, I may be betraying captain Ramone!
Bard pressed on, crouching down deep on his left leg in preparation to jump forward. Arthir read the movement and made a mach-speed punch. He hit air, as Bard had controlled his jump to be slow and lofty. When he finally did get close enough to Arthir, he used and open-palm punch to his jaw and jarred his whole head.
Just a little more Bard told himself. Once one of his senses fails out he won't be able to fight me anymore, ridiculous speed or not! So, as he floated in the air, Bard delivered another straight, powerful slam between the eyes that pressed the blood from Arthir's nose in streams.
ARG! Arthir shouted in exasperation. I'll end ye yet! He clenched his magic paper hard, activating its super-speed properties and aimed inward at Bard. Using his still hurt right leg, Bard made a desperate Geppou out of the way and let Arthir smash his own face in. YOU SON OF A HERRING MAID!!!
"YO-HO!" Bard shouted in victory. He came down hard, landing on both feet, and a very slow shiver of pain crawled up his spine. A moment later he was grabbing his leg and shouting painfully up to the sky as he rolled around on his back. "AH! Bad idea! BAD!!!"
"Cut that out, moron!" Rez roared. "Act like a damn man and rub some dirt in that already!!!"
"Hmph" Zan scoffed.
"You cut the bull too, man" Rez lowed. "What's so 'Hmph' worthy here? You saying Bard's hiding something from the big guy?"
"Perhaps" Zan said, trying not to give anything away. "I'm just amused at how much pain he's in, considering how tough he is." Rez blinked in confusion, then turned with disbelief to the battle.
"No way!" Rez quietly exclaimed. Bard...he's faking?
"Oh, man!" Bard finally shouted. He still clutched his right knee with both hands, but he was back in a controlled state. He looked up and saw Arthir, face drenched with blood, charging once more at him with both arms thrown backwards.
"RAAAAARRR!!!" Arthir bellowed. Bard made a horrific gasp and raised his arms up to guard the coming smash.
Tekkai! Bard mentally shouted. He was pushed down through the stone-path road and into the dirt by Arthir's double-fisted blast. It didn't stop, however, as the magic papers allowed him to ignore the insane burn in his arms and make a glaring rush of machine-gun punches directly at the defensive Bard.
"This is getting stupid, man" Rez said. "Faking or not, we need to help!"
"No" Zan said, stopping Rez with the burning end of his cigarette just an inch from his forehead. "We have to take our captains request seriously. This is an honorable fight. If we interfere it will be as bad as Bard losing his life. He's not a man like you or I. He grew up as a normal, albeit strong, child. He wasn't forced to kill for a living like me or turn to a life of piracy like you. His honor is more important as a fighter than it is as a pirate. Try to understand that..." Rez stopped on his own and relaxed. Taking out his broadsword-cannon, he stabbed it into the ground behind him and cocked the handle at a parallel angle to the ground. Then, he sat on it.
"Yeah" Rez added, taking off his bandanna and letting his hair freely blow in the cold wind. "He's a tough guy alright..."
I may be tough Bard told himself as he got hammered into the ground, but I have limits! I have to get out of this attack somehow! Maybe now is when I reveal my trump card! "Hrrrnnnggggh!" Bard grunted. Arthir's punches were finally lessened but not slowed. They still came with the power and speed to break the ground, but fewer of them came. Arthir was panting heavily and was only on one leg as a result of Bard's unrelenting power earlier.
This... Arthir lamented, this may be my end. If I am to die with regret, it is that I was unable to allow my brothers in arms to watch my final fight. I was hoping they could learn from this...gentleman... And so the fight was over. Now more air in his lungs, Arthir collapsed to the side and Bard was free to come up.
"Nice job, Bard!" Rez cheered. Zan held his cigarette in his mouth and applauded. Bard limped up out of the crater, a sure sign that he was indeed not faking the entire time, and fell down to his left knee to pant.
"Holy Hell!" Bard groaned. "That was intense! Where'd all that strength come from all of a sudden?"
"Bard!" Rez shouted. "Get over here!"
"Yeah, in a sec!"Bard answered. With the sun blocked by the swirling storm clouds overhead, Bard was unable to distinguish between the natural darkness and the black shadow that loomed over him.
"CAPTAIN!" Zan shouted with heedful alarm, "RUN!" Bard looked in shock at his assassin mate, then glanced quickly behind him. It seemed that Arthir was up again and smiling. This time it was a smile that complimented the dim twinkle in his eyes before: that of a heartless villain. Bard pushed on his knee and Soru'd to Rez and Zan, turning on his hand and stopping just before them. As the lightning flashed in the distance of the rainless sky and the thunder rolled forward, the boys could see what new horror they were dealing with.
"Hehehe..." the dark giant chuckled menacingly. "What the hell's goin' on 'round here???"
"Hey!" Bard happily noticed. "He dropped the accent!"
"That may not be good" Zan said, drawing his knives. Rez set his broadsword back to normal and propped it upon his shoulder. Colleen continued to observe from a distance, but now with a concerned hand to her mouth.
"Who're you guys?" Arthir asked. "Where'm I? Where's cell block 51?"
"Cell block?" Bard repeated curiously. "You're a Paladin, aren't you? Why would a holy warrior live in a prison?"
"Holy warrior!?" Arthir repeated mockingly. Then he burst out in very deep, very uncharacteristic laughter. "Who're you talkin's ta? I'm Dark D'Leon! I've murdered women bigger than you, blondy!"
"He has multiple personalities" Zan noted.
"Is this the right one, though?" Rez asked.
"It might be" Bard said. "The other one was kind of silly, I think."
"It seems the outside world has changed a bit in the last few years!" Dark announced, observing the archaic buildings and broken structures made of feeble wood and sticky sealing tree sap instead of normal concrete. Even the streets were build as if by some uneducated and shaky hands. A stone castle in the distance with a tattered Government flag fluttering at its peak tower. "The last thing I remember was gettin' drug through the halls from solitary and sittin' in some weird chair for 'therapy'. Where the crap is this place!?"
"Who knows?" Bard said, sitting with his legs crossed now. The boredom of prolonged conversations was getting to him at last.
"Oh yeah" Dark added. "Who's the reason I can't breath through my nose!?"
"Yo-ho" Bard said, raising his hand.
"Are you daft!?" Rez shouted. "He said he's a murderer, a prisoner! This guy's not gonna show you any honor like his other self did!"
"Then we won't either" Zan said. "Bard, perhaps it's time to do 'that'?" Bard blinked up at Zan for a second, not knowing what he was talking about. Then he placed his chin on his fist and thought for a moment about what 'that' was to him. "I'm the smart one, remember Captain? It's a little hard to fake something out with me." Then, Bard understood! He jumped up with a push from his hands and landed a yard ahead on his left leg. He let his right leg carefully slide back along the ground and posed with his left arm flat in front of him and his right arm flexing at head level. Both his hands were tensed like claws and a brash smile came across Bard's face.
"I should warn you" Bard said, alternating the position of his arms in a cat-scratching motion, "I know martial arts!"
"Really!?" Dark said moronically. "I should let'ya know, I've killed men with my bare hands and ripped apart the hides of sea kings! You ain't standing in my way, kid!"
"Yeah I am" Bard argued, as he was clearly standing in Dark's path. The foolish jokes of Bard just pissed Dark a little too much and he snapped.
"KILLING BLOW!" Dark shouted. He started running forward, despite his obvious cripple, and raised both arms up with hands clasped together. Unaware of the magical paper he held, he grasped them so tight the light literally whined out. Bard prepared and leaned on his left foot, hiding his plans with subtle movements that even Rez and Zan couldn't follow. "CRUSHER DRIVER!!!" With that, Dark sent his huge hands crashing down with sound-breaking speed! Having not expected such force so easily, his hands were badly bruised against the stone ground. Bard managed to dodge and stop all the way behind him by passing between his legs, and now prepared to attack from behind.
"Soru!" Bard shouted. Dark yanked his arms out and turned around in time to see Bard in mid-air, left leg spinning towards his side. "And, RANKYAKU!" A slicing kick to Dark's side. Arthir would have dodged it, but Dark took it at full force! More blood slivered out into the air and Dark's legs finally gave out, sending him head over heel into a nearby building. Bard landed on his left leg and posed once more, right leg up and folded in front and hands in a mantis position. Both angled up to the sky and wrists angled down with the fingers flatly pointing at the ground. "Told ya!"
"...ugh..." grunted Dark within the oddly huge and domed cabin. "Those moves. Those were...no doubt...Rokushiki...Grrrrrr!" There came a nasty stomping from the cabin, and then out crashed Dark in Arthir's body, now equipped with hastily thrown-on metal armor and a huge pole-axe. "I know now! You're with the damn CP 9 to get rid of me! WELL TOUGH DAMN LUCK, you DOG!" Bard blinked once in confusion, then again in terror. He saw the glow from Dark's hands as he raised up the long-handled ax far above his head. "Killing Blow: DEATH CLEAVE!!!"
"Yipe!" Bard shouted. The pole-ax came screaming down, shattering the air around it and breaking the ground cleanly in two chunks of rising land.
"Oh, crap!" Zan muttered.
"BARD!" Rez screamed. Colleen stood in the open, hands tightly gripped, biting her lip.
"Oh god!" Araly shouted. "BARD!"
"Calm down, deary" Harriet comforted, seeing tears brimming in the girl's eyes. "He's a fast bugger, right? Surely he got away!"
"I...I!" Araly stuttered. Even with the unknown effects of the tattoo on her back, she was still forced down to her knees and sobbed. "Why did we have to come here!? An island of criminals wearing disguises and fake names is still an island of criminals! That guy...he killed Bard!"
"You don't know that" Harriet said. Araly's sobbing slowly turned from cries of despair to growls hatred. She lowered her hands from her eyes and bared her glowing-white eyes and fangs of fury! "Eh...?"
"I won't let this happen!" Araly roared gutturally. She grabbed a bottle of volatile potion and some pieces of cloth and began speeding out the cave.
"Wait! What are you doing!?" Harriet called.
"I'm not gonna let Bard die in vain!" Araly answered. "If he's really dead, then I'm taking an eye for an eye! I...I'll KILL THAT GUY!!!"
"No!" Harriet said, waving her hand. "I mean, what are you doing going to help without a full arsenal of alchemy? Come back in and grab some more!" Araly was moved pleasantly by Harriet's words and nodded, keeping her serious face and twitching mouth as she ran back inside. I suppose that color not only dampens emotions, but reason and civility when the time calls for it. Quite a dangerous concoction she brewed...She'd make a fine witch... Now with a sash full of corked bottles and pre-made cards of magic ink, Araly ran through the woods, following the Den Den Mushi's coordinates and her roaring woman's intuition.
Dammit, Bard! She shouted internally. If you're dead, I'm gonna beat the crap out of you!!!
