Chapter 11: Blood oath
Before starting to look for a new crew, Maxi had something left to do regarding his brother. He had to bury him.
He organized a funeral, which was attended by all the inhabitants of Ryukyu, who weren't a lot of people.
It was a short, simple and emotional ceremony. Each one of the attendees left a flower on Kyam's grave, but Maxi wouldn't be satisfied with that.
He knelt in front of his brother's tombstone, holding the sword Kyam always used while he was alive. Maxi cut his left palm with the sword, making a long but superficial cut, thus spilling his blood all over the flowers left by the other people. At that moment, he swore to get rid of Astaroth and Soul Edge. He had made a blood oath.
All the people left the cemetery, but Maxi stayed behind. Suddenly, he heard a sinister voice behind his back.
- You are going after Soul Edge, aren't you?
Maxi turned around and saw who was talking to him. But he couldn't see his face, because it was covered with a hood.
- It's not your business. Who are you? – yelled Maxi.
- Don't go. Or you will only achieve a grave beside your brother's. – said the mysterious man, quietly.
- So what?
- And I would treat that wound. It may become infected.
Maxi looked his bloody hand and, when he raised his eyes, the man had disappeared.
...
But a stranger's words wouldn't calm down Maxi's thirst for revenge. So he headed to the village's inn in order to recruit some men.
However that wouldn't be an easy task.
Soul Edge was the most fearsome weapon in the world, so not many people would dare to go after it. And most of those who did were ruined sailors with nothing to eat whose only wish was to die with honour.
After five exhausting hours at the inn and having recruited only three men, who would join the 13 of Maxi's previous crew, the pirate was about to give up and put to sea with as little as he had.
But then, a man wearing a ninja suit and a mask covering his face approached him.
- Is it you who is looking for a crew?
- I was. But there are only cowards and people wanting to die in here.
- I don't want to die, and by no means I am a coward.
- Are you offering yourself to join me?
- I'm offering myself to help you. Better said, I'm offering ourselves to help each other.
- Who are you? Where have you come from?
- I call myself Yoshimitsu. And I want to destroy Soul Edge, just like you.
- Why?
- I belonged to a ninja clan. A very powerful clan. But one night, a warrior wearing a blue armor arrived at our hideout, and he killed most of us. Fortunately, I managed to survive. But I lost a lot of friends and fellows. And that warrior killed them all…using Soul Edge.
- So…somebody has already found it?
- That's what it seems. But that won't prevent people from all around the world to go after the sword.
- And...why do you want us to help each other?
- There is strength in numbers. And I know you have good intentions. Not like many others, who just go after the sword in search of power.
- It's okay. But I need to check what you can do. I can't accept you just because you told me your story.
Maxi never knew what happened, but just a second later he was on the floor, being held against it by Yoshimitsu.
- All right, all right! You're in! – moaned Maxi, with his face touching the floor.
Yoshimitsu let him go and, without saying any more words, he left the inn.