Ushitora chuckled as he rowed his boat through the water, looking up towards the destroyed Marine base at the top of the island. The burning wreckage of the last attack brought a smirk to his face as he thought of the Marines and those Pirates who'd beaten his men.
Pretty soon, the whole island would be the same as the Marine base – ashes and dust. Those Pirates might have been strong, but even they would not be able to survive the island's destruction.
"Hey, Captain!"
Ushitora looked back towards his ship, watching as his men cast down a rope ladder for him to climb back aboard. Smirking, he stood up in the rowboat and grasped the rope ladder, steadily climbing up.
Still, the thought that a kid had managed to not only stop, but slice his club in two... He couldn't help but wonder what the hell he was. There was no way an ordinary person could be that strong. He must have been a Devil Fruit user, Ushitora told himself.
He continued to climb, pulling himself over the railing of his ship. It was unfortunate that the island they were going to claim as a base would fall, but they would find another place in West Blue to make their fortress. After all, there were plenty of islands to choose from.
"Keep running!" Alyona called out, continuing to race as fast as she could. She found herself beginning to fall behind, her heavy form unused to such strenuous sprinting.
They were taking the most direct route to the bay as possible, heading directly down the slope. They were racing as fast as they could, yet it was all they could do to keep ahead of what lay behind.
They could hear the screeching of the burning bullet passing through the air before crashing into the earth behind them. A gust of wind blew out from behind them as flames spread outwards. Burning wreckage and debris fell as civilians across the island screamed loudly over the booming explosion.
The large woman let out a gasp as she felt a rock slam into her shoulder, causing her to almost stumble over as she continued running forwards. She clutched her shoulder tightly, her pace slowing as she began to fall behind the others even more. Baldric glanced back, frowning.
"Alyona!" he barked, expecting it to somehow motivate her to speed up. Kai, the Fishman, glanced back for a brief moment. He stopped for only a split second.
Alyona suddenly felt a webbed hand clasp tightly around her wrist, yanking her forwards as she suddenly found herself running again. She looked up to see Kai practically dragging her along, continuing to look forwards. Alyona opened her mouth to speak, but then shut it as she resumed focusing on running.
Baldric frowned as he watched the ship in the bay fire up another bullet of flame into the sky. How many shots did they have? How quickly were they loading the gun? How much time was passing? A few seconds? Or a few minutes? The dark-haired youth continued rushing as fast as his feet could carry him, taking lead of the group of five.
"How much time do we have?" he wondered to himself, his face devoid of any smile or smirk as it usually would. He could see the bright light arcing upwards in the sky. Soon it would fall, and they needed to stay ahead of it if they wanted to survive. One direct hit and it was over.
"Obaa-san!" Madoka cried out from behind. Baldric turned his gaze back, seeing that the old woman – Sakura – was beginning to slow down, falling behind. He cursed. She was old, of course – she may have been incredibly skilled, but she probably didn't have the same stamina she once had. At this rate, even with the downhill slope making things easier, it might be too much.
Madoka jumped down from her grandmother's back, taking the old woman's hand and running ahead with her. Briefly Sakura began to speed up, but even Baldric knew that the weight of Madoka off of her shoulders would only afford her an extra few minutes of speed. Even he could feel the fatigue creeping in. But he had to keep moving forwards. If he didn't, there would be no way for them to survive.
But at the same time, they couldn't have too far more to run. The bay was coming ever closer within their sight. They could make it! He steeled himself, mustering whatever strength he still had to continue running.
But he could feel the heat from up above. He stared up, seeing the flaming bullet coming down. Baldric grit his teeth. No! It couldn't end this way! Not yet! Not now! He glanced back at the rest of his ragtag group, his eyes glimmering with desperation.
"Run for it!" he ordered them mere moments before the impact. Only a few feet behind them the bullet crashed, upturning the earth and burning away the buildings to either side. The collision with the ground sent out a shockwave, blowing the entire group forwards – along with the stone and wood and metal of the buildings.
Baldric felt himself flip through the air, crashing against the ground and skipping against it like a stone across the surface of water. He caught sight of Sakura clutching her granddaughter against her chest, taking the impact of the shockwave for her daughter, along with the impact against the earth. Both Alyona and Kai were thrown against the floor, although a piece of metal had lodged itself in Kai's right shoulder.
Baldric groaned as he began to slowly push himself up, watching as droplets of blood hit the ground. He felt sore, but nevertheless willed himself to get up. As he rose he caught sight of the inferno they had just narrowly avoided, a great flame rising into the sky. But as he turned, Baldric saw the open waters behind him and the pirate ship that sat in the bay.
"We're here..." he spoke, taking deep breaths as he pushed against the ground. Shakily he rose to his feet, but eventually he found himself managing to regain his balance. In the water, just by the docks were almost a dozen rowboats. All large enough to fit half a dozen people.
"Obaa-san! Obaa-san!" the young girl called out. Baldric turned, seeing the old woman lying on the ground. She was breathing deep breaths whilst her grandchild knelt by her side. Just to the left of the two, Alyona and Kai were slowly helping one another up. Baldric looked back to the bay, continuing to frown.
"This is bad. We're not exactly in the best of shape after that last hit, and even if we grab one of those rowboats, we might get blasted out of the ocean by a cannon!" he thought to himself, his brows furrowing.
"We're so close..." Baldric remarked to himself, pushing himself to think of something.
"What's wrong...? Not... Not scared, are you?" a voice spoke behind him. Baldric turned, looking back towards the old woman, Sakura, with astonishment. Despite her injuries and pain, the old woman stubbornly pushed herself up whist her grandchild stared with concern.
"Please, just rest!" Madoka pleaded, but the silver-haired woman shook her head, pushing herself up with her wooden cane to maintain her own balance.
"I can rest... When I'm dead. Until then, I ain't quittin'... I ain't lyin' down," the old woman spoke, a smirk on her wrinkled face.
"With those injuries...?" Baldric questioned, remaining skeptical. The old woman laughed, spitting some blood off to the side as she stepped towards the docks slowly, her cane clacking along as she walked.
"I'm 'One-Stroke'... Sasaki Sakura, remember? I've been through... far worse than this!" she told him as she boldly walked towards the edge, where the rowboats sat in the docks. Baldric stared, incredulous – what did she intend to do? Did she really think they'd stand a chance in these circumstances just approaching like that?
"Get in the boat," a deeper male voice spoke. Baldric turned, finding himself staring at the Fishman, Kai. He hadn't pulled the metal piece from his shoulder, but in spite of his injuries he still stood strongly, refusing to lie down. Alyona walked past at the same time, heading to the rowboat before Baldric. The dark-haired youth was about to interject, but the Fishman held up his hand to cut him off. "I'll handle it".
Captain Ushitora sighed as he leaned back in a chair that was placed on the deck of the ship like a throne. He possessed no injuries that needed treatment, but after all he'd gone through so far, he felt a need to sit down and relax for a few minutes.
Sweat rolled down his brow as he thought of how that fight had gone. How close he'd been to being killed. If that young man hadn't chosen to stroke his own ego and create an opening...
He refused to think about it.
It didn't matter that he almost died, he told himself. It didn't matter how much danger he had just escaped from, he told himself. They were going to be dead, if they weren't already from the bombing. He looked towards his mad gunner, who grinned from ear to ear as he sat up behind the 'Giant Killer', taking aim with the oversized cannon.
He could rely on Kanabo. Maybe his First Mate had failed, but Kanabo was something else behind that cannon of his. He could rest assured, nothing was going to-
"Captain Ushitora!" one of the crew yelled out. "One of our rowboats is returning to the ship, but it hasn't got any of our men on it!"
The Pirate Captain walked across the deck, his lips curved into a frown. Arriving at the railing he looked out, immediately spotting a rowboat containing four people – a little girl, an old woman, a fat woman and a young man in a cloak. Ushitora grit his teeth. It was them.
He stared at the group in the water, seething. How had they escaped Kanabo's cannon? How had they managed to survive for so long? He watched as they rowed out towards the ship. But in spite of the threat they posed, Ushitora couldn't help but laugh. He grinned maliciously as his hand slammed down on the railing, gripping the wood tightly enough to crack it.
"This is good, this is good..." he repeated to himself. "Men, get to the cannons! Blast them all out of the water!".
"They're in position..." Kai thought to himself as he floated in the spot underwater, staring up at the shadow of the boat above him. All around him he could feel the ocean moving and swaying as the currents pulled. But Kai remained in his spot, focused on his target.
It was a strange situation, he understood. He'd spent all of his day fighting relentlessly against the Marines – against the Humans. He'd fought tooth and nailtearing through their ranks in a mad frenzy, hoping to cause as much damage as possible. He'd threatened these people, making it clear that he was ready to kill any one of them.
And now, he was going to save them.
It wasn't out of compassion, he told himself. It wasn't because he wanted them to be different, he told himself. This was just keeping up his end of the deal, he told himself. Because after tonight, they'd have to keep up theirs.
"Fishman Jujutsu: Mizugokoro," he spoke, holding out his hands and cupping them over one another. Between his hands he caught a current of water and began to pull, twisting and shaping the liquid like it was cloth. He pulled and turned, giving shape and form to the water around him before his eyes rose up, staring at the boat. Then, over his shoulder, he threw it.
"Kairyuu Ipponzeoi!" he yelled, watching as the water shot upwards like a cannon. The torrent continued to rise and rise, aiming directly for the rowboat above. But as the current of water rose, Kai found himself beginning to drift and fade. He cursed his own fatigue and his own injuries, finding himself slowly beginning to black out.
"This... Should be enough".
"Fire! Fire! Fire!" Ushitora screamed, just before the cannons roared. At least a half a dozen explosive burst went off as cannonballs shot through the air, directly towards the rowboat.
At this distance he could still see the group that had dared to confront him before as they found themselves looking around, as if in panic. Ushitora laughed, watching as they struggled. He laughed, feeling so certain of victory.
But very soon, that laughter stopped.
From beneath the rowboat rose a torrent of water – like a pillar stretching into the sky, it rose and rose, pushing against the bottom of the rowboat. He stared in awe as the rowboat shot through the air upon the stream of water, watching as it rose. He stepped back one or two steps, unable to simply let it leave his sight.
But soon, he realized, that all things that went up must also come down. The rowboat and the torrent of water it rose on was now curving downwards, heading straight for the deck of their ship. Ushitora gaped in shock, barely able to think straight as he watched it happen before his eyes. Only at the last moment was he able to find his voice.
"GET DOWN!"
The rowboat crashed against the deck, but more importantly than that so had the torrent of water. It splashed against the wooden boards before flowing outwards, the splashing water carrying enough force to knock one or two men off the side of the ship. Kanabo found himself forced out of the seat of the 'Giant Killer', crashing against the deck whilst Ushitora stood his ground, clutching the railing. As soon as the water washed over the sides he relaxed, nearly slumping to the floor. But his eyes now turned to the rowboat on the deck, his jaw dropping.
"You think he could give us a warning next time?!" the young man spoke.
"I think I'm going to be sick..." a young girl interjected.
"Over the side, over the side!" the plump young woman spoke, urging the little girl to keep away. The girl's grandmother said nothing but rose slowly, keeping firm grip of her cane to keep balance.
They were here.
"Kill them!" Ushitora screamed furiously, his finger pointing directly towards the group of four. His men almost immediately recovered from the shock of the sight, draiwing their guns and blades.
But then, the Knightfall Pirates were ready for them.
Sasaki Sakura drew her cane-sword, moving with incredible speed as she weaved in and out of her attackers, her blade passing through them like a hot knife through butter. Blood hit the floor before their bodies did, each one of her enemies falling to her blade.
Alyona stood her ground, punching and throwing aside anyone who came close. Her sheer, physical might overcame any opponent who dared to attack as she ploughed through them like a ferocious beast.
"Die!" roared the fat gunner, Kanabo, as he raised his bazooka. He took aim at the old woman, his finger curling around the trigger. But the moment he fired the old woman seemed to speed up, her arm moving like a blur as her cane sword bisected the cannonball aimed right for her, letting it divide and shoot by either side of her, hitting only the pirates who dared to try and flank her from behind.
The fat gunner immediately reached for another cannonball to load his bazooka, but it was too late. In a second Sakura had closed the distance, her blade slashing through his throat. The fat man stumbled backwards and collapsed through the railing, falling to the sea below with a loud crash. Flicking her arm, the old woman removed the blood from the blade as she turned to face the other pirates, who now looked upon her with incredible terror.
The little girl, Madoka, found herself letting out a scream as a pirate attempted to grab her. But before he got his chance to take hold of her, he in turn found himself lifted off his feet and held over the head of the larger woman, Alyona.
Turning, the heavy-set chef swung the man like he was a weapon, throwing him into his comrades and sending the group crashing against the floorboards. Madoka looked up to her saviour, watching as Alyona flashed her a small smile. In return, Madoka smiled back as thanks.
Baldric, meanwhile, seemed strangely calm amidst the chaos of the battlefield. Bullets flew around him, but he seemed to always be positioning himself in just the right spot to avoid attack. He'd draw his broadsword in an incredibly casual manner and then cleave through someone who ran to challenge him. His opponents dropped behind him as he kept his eyes on Ushitora, his expression once more becoming a smirk.
Ushitora grit his teeth, stepping back as Baldric stepped closer. He could feel sweat dripping down his brow. Was this fear? Was he scared? Scared of this young boy who'd shown up out of nowhere? The large, muscular man snarled in anger. No! No! He refused to cower before this child!
"Raaagh!" he roared, reaching into his pocket. From his pocket he drew a pistol, raising it towards the young man. His finger quickly curled around the trigger in an almost instantaneous movement, firing relentlessly at his target.
"I am Captain Ushitora!" he fired at his target, watching as Baldric almost effortlessly twisted to the side. He fired again, watching as the young man now stepped to the other side to avoid his fire. "I am the Captain of the Iron Club Pirates! I refuse to die! I-!"
In one swift movement Baldric ducked below his final shot, the pistol now aimed just above his head. With one swing of his broadsword he not only knocked the firearm from Ushitora's hand but sliced the barrel in two, letting the pieces of metal fly through the air. In astonishment the Pirate Captain stepped back. In the same moment, Baldric stepped forwards and swung once more.
Blood erupted like a fountain from the wound carved in Ushitora's flesh, splashing against the wooden boards. Thrown off his balance the large man fell back, his heavy frame collapsing and breaking through the railing behind him. As blood escape the large vertical gash in his body, his last sight before he lost consciousness was the surface of the water breaking beneath him.
Looking over the edge of the deck from up above, Baldric watched as the spot where Ushitora crashed against the water rippled before eventually calming again. He rose his sword above his head before resting the flat of the blade against his shoulder, smirking.
"I win, Captain".
The night had passed and the sun was rising on the horizon as the dark-haired youth let out a sigh. He leaned against a wall of the ship, staring out at the sunrise with a smile on his face. The ship of the Iron Club Pirates had now been commandeered and its crew tossed overboard.
Now, the ship had a new crew – a crew of only a few, but a crew unlike many others. In that small crew was an elderly swordswoman with skill and strength far beyond that of a normal human – the elderly swordswoman's grandchild, a chef who could take on the form of a ferocious beast-
"Okay, just a little more and he'll be on the deck!"
-and a Fishman who could pull and shape the water around him. Baldric turned his head to watch Alyona and Sakura pull on the rope, dragging the exhausted Tiger-Shark Fishman onto the deck. The lean, muscular Fishman lay sprawled across the deck, his chest heaving up and down – not unlike the other two who had pulled him up. Baldric couldn't help but chuckle.
"Hey, what's so funny?" the young girl spoke, pouting as she looked towards the young man. "You didn't even help!".
"Captain, remember?" Baldric teased, sticking out his tongue to the young girl. Madoka pouted even more.
"Not fair!"
"There'll be plenty of time to deal with the boy later, Madoka..." the silver-haired woman spoke, sitting down on the deck as she kept a firm grip of her cane. "But for now, we should rest. It has been far too long a night".
Letting out a chuckle, Baldric couldn't help but agree. He cast a brief glance back to the sunrise, looking out at the sea it illuminated and the island silhouetted by it's light.
The road would be tough ahead, he knew, but he understood the risks ahead. That was why he had come so far out to make a crew. With what he'd seen last night, he knew he didn't have to worry.
The Knightfall Pirates were ready to set sail.
Author: Finally, the Orsus Island Arc is over! It was fun, but I'm happy to finally get this arc over with. We've introduced the characters, so now we can get to see them really interact as a crew! I hope you enjoyed the arc. But whatever your feelings, be sure to let me know what you think :)