I bet you readers are REALLY annoyed at the cliff hanger last time. Well don't worry, because here comes the next extra long part of Scarlet Wind for your viewing pleasure.
I hope you enjoy.
Chapter 1: Predators Act 3
"…that him?"
"Yeah that's him, quick get a stretcher"
"Scarlet"
"Scarlet"
"Scarlet"
"Luffy"
My eyes flew open. I was lying down on a towel. I could feel the sand of the beach all around me. The sun was nice and warm as it beat down upon me.
"Hey Luffy, you there?" At the sound of the voice, I shot up, only for two fingers to be flicked against my skull.
"AH" I screamed "Sabo! What the hell's wrong with you?" Sabo smiled at me in reply and chuckled to himself.
"Same old Luffy, hot headed to the core" he joked with a grin. Slowly, he stood up and I followed him, only being tall enough to come up to Sabo's waistline. The twelve year old brown haired boy looked down at me and ruffled my hair. I pushed his hand away but still smiled none the less.
"I wanna show you something…" Sabo announced with a wide grin. I looked up at him with a confused expression but Sabo shook his head.
"…It's…better to show you…" he mumbled. Sabo reached out his hand for me and I grabbed it without hesitation. My older brother smiled and we both walked across the sandy plains towards the sapphire sea. One glance at the wet ocean and I pulled on Sabo's leg.
"Sabo…why are we going to the sea? You know I can't swim right" Sabo doesn't listen to my questions and instead keeps walking through the water. Finally, when he stopped, I was up to my knees in the cool salty ocean.
"Sabo…what are we looking for?" I questioned in pure confusion. Sabo merely smiled at me and pointed straight ahead. Due to my curious nature, I cautiously stepped forward, looking in an attempt to see where Sabo was pointing. As I stepped forward however, the ground suddenly gave out beneath me and I tripped forward…
I landed in water. Cold and dark water. I was sinking fast. I kicked out, in fear and anger. Unfortunately, it was becoming obvious how futile my efforts were as I sank deeper and deeper beneath the waves. My lungs were aching like they were going to burst. I held my breath and kicked my legs rapidly. I reach my hand upwards, begging…pleading to someone to help me. I didn't want to sink into the darkness. I needed help...Sabo…help me Sabo…
Help me…
"Luffy, stop being stupid…" I looked upwards to see Sabo standing up straight in the middle of the pool of water
"Come on" the brown haired boy called, smiling happily "I didn't have a quitter for a brother, get up"
I can't Sabo…I just can't...
"Can't is not a word I have my vocabulary" Sabo announced, his eyes closing as he sighed.
Sabo…I need your help...
"Luffy…I'm not going to be here for you to lean on forever…you need to stand by yourself for a change…"
Sabo! DON'T SAY STUFF LIKE THAT! I DON'T WANNA LOSE YOU!
"LUFFY! STOP BEING SUCH A CRY BABY!" Sabo yelled, shocking me slightly "THAT'S NOT THE REAL YOU AND YOU KNOW IT…You don't need me…you don't need me to help you stand…so stand up…"
Sabo…I…
"Luffy…stand up…"
At his words, my finger twitched.
"Luffy…stand up"
My whole body moved at once for a moment…
"Luffy…"
Suddenly, I was no longer sinking lower and lower…I'm being raised out of the water, floating upwards, higher and higher…
"Stand…"
And now I'm soaring, soaring through the sky towards a bright shining light that begins to encompass my vision…
"Up…"
With a gasp of air, I shot up from the bed I was on and began panting heavily. I'm covered in sweat and my vision is shaking for a moment but it soon returns to normal. I look around frantically, trying to recognise my surroundings. I can hear beeping and whirring and I have no idea where I am.
"Wow, kid calm down" At the sound of the voice, I look over to see a woman with red hair watching me. Bellemere smiles softly and places a hand firmly on my shoulder. I flinch at the contact but never the less, I calm down.
"Where…am..." I begin before my head starts throbbing like hell "Ah!" I gasp, a large migraine pulsating around my mind "What happened?" I ask, looking at Bellemere with one eye "I feel like I just got hit in the head by a brick"
"Makes sense…we found you under a pile of rubble in someone's private office in a building in the downtown district. Want to tell me what happened first?" I groan…then I remember.
Arlong
Decken
Predator
Claw
Tired
Sleep
Wall
Sabo
"…He beat me…" those were the only words I said in reply. For a moment, I completely zone out, focusing only on my stomach. It's bandaged and it looks as if blood was hiding underneath the bandages. I'm hurt…they had removed my costume…my…
Straight away my hand reaches upwards to my face. My figure eight mask is still on. I look up at Bellemere. She laughs.
"Don't worry. I made sure they didn't remove your mask…no real need too, the mask doesn't restrict your breathing so the doctor was able to resuscitate you without having to remove it" Bellemere explains. My eyes are still wide with shock at Bellemere's words.
"So…I wasn't breathing for a while…?" I ask, shaking slightly. The thought of me being almost dead…it gave me the chills. NO-ONE had ever beaten me like that. This is the first loss I've ever suffered since I started the superhero thing…and I can honestly say that it was a huge freaking loss…
"Scarlet…I recommend you rest up for a bit" Bellemere advises as she notices my forlorn expression "Also, diagnosis wise…well, you're one lucky kid. From what the Doctor could tell, about six of your ribs are fractured and you're covered in bruises and blood…but apart from that, believe it or not, you're mostly fine. I'm guessing that rubber skin of yours helped stop your body getting damaged so much" I stare at Bellemere in confusion, but never the less, I nod. Lucky? That is a HUGE understatement! How the heck did I get out of that with just a few broken ribs? Granted, my ribs hurt like hell and I feel like I'm going to pass out any second now…but at least I got out of there with only a small amount of damage.
"So then…" I mutter "what do I have to do to treat it?" Bellemere, in reply, points towards some pills and an icepack that were left on a table nearby.
"You'll need to take those pain killers four times a day and, also, it'd help if you could keep that ice pack on your chest for about an few hours a day" I nod at all of Bellemere's explanations but still stay silent.
"O...kay..." I say with a hoarse voice. My whole body hurts and aches and I just can't keep eyes open. Angrily, I bang my fist on the bed. Predator…he beat me…I just hate feeling like this…I just feel so…so weak…
Bellemere P.O.V
My god, how is this kid still alive? I remember finding him under that pile of rubble. Someone had phoned the police saying there was a disturbance downtown and, since we were the nearest unit, we went to the area of disturbance. Then, we took the stairs all the way to the top of the building (it wasn't too high but it did take a while to get up there)…and we found him. He looked like a corpse. The whole area around him was decimated. The roof had caved in a bit and the whole wall that was behind him had been brought down on top of him. It made me shudder when we managed to dig him out of there. I didn't want to remove his mask to see if he was awake and I warned the other doctors not too as well. Luckily, they were trustworthy and they didn't. We brought him to ground level out of the building. They managed to bring the kid back…but an extremely small part of me is not sure they all have. Sure, Scarlet's alive…but he's not alive and kicking yet. Whilst his body seems awake and his chest is rhythmically moving up and down, I've never seen a person look so dead that have looked so dead. Scarlet's spirit is dead. His will to fight has been extinguished. The kid is basically just a shell of what he used to be. Sadly, I bend over, meeting the gaze of Scarlet's mask.
"I need to go check on things outside…will you be okay if I go for a bit?" I ask worryingly. Scarlet nods. I'm not so sure he really hears what I'm saying, but I agree and turn around to exit the ambulance. Before I leave, I glance backwards towards Scarlet one last time. I shudder at the way Scarlet sits there, completely and utterly broken. With deep regret, I shut the doors of the Ambulance and walk away.
Outside, I slump down against the shut Ambulance door. I sigh with a deep sense of dread and wipe the small tear gracing my cheek. Dammit, I'm getting too close to that kid. After a small moment of relaxation, I realise that loud shouts and yells are echoing from nearby, as if some people were arguing. Slowly, I stand up and approach the yells.
"OUT OF MY WAY!" A gruff voice yells.
"Sorry sir…" a timid voice replies "but Captain Bellemere has instructed that I not let anyone pass through…including police…"
"I DON'T CARE IF SHE TOLD YOU TO SHOOT ME ON SIGHT, GET OUT OF MY WAY!"
"Sorry sir…I can't do that…"
"ALRIGHT THEN, I HATE PLAYING HARDBALL BUT IF YOU'RE GOING TO BE LIKE THAT, I'LL SUSPEND YOU FROM THE FORCE IF YOU DON'T LET ME THROUGH!"
"What's going on here?" I ask as I finally reach the area where the argument was. At the sound of my voice, the officer who was arguing turned around and I recognise who he was talking with. Behind him is an old man in a regular police attire with a white shirt, as well as a white coat draped over his shoulders, indicating the man was of high rank. I sigh loudly.
"What the heck are you doing here Garp?" I ask with an uninterested gaze. In reply, Garp glares at me and points in my direction.
"BELLEMERE!" He bellowed loudly "WHERE IS HE?" I could feel the hair on the back of my neck stand up at his words but I bluffed and remained calm.
"I have no idea what you're talking about" I mutter in response. Garp isn't satisfied by my reply, however, and instead of listening to me, he pushes the officer who was keeping him away out of his way and grips my shirt roughly.
"Don't you DARE lie to me Bellemere. WHERE IS THE VIGILANTE?" He bellows loudly. I raise up both of my hands and I remove the grip Garp has on me.
"And don't you DARE talk down to me Garp" I reply, angrily glaring at the elderly man. Garp ignores me once more and pushes me out of his way.
"You didn't answer my question! Where is the Scarlet Wind?" he asks angrily making his way through the barricaded area.
"He's not here" I reply, following behind Garp and attempting to pull the old man back. Garp, however, manages to reach the ambulance. He grabs both of the door handles and readies himself.
"Not here eh?" he asks. My eyes widen and I move faster through the area, grabbing Garp on the shoulder and trying to tug him away. I know how much Garp wants to see Scarlet behind bars and I'm not letting him get that kid. It's been Garp's belief that Scarlet's a bad influence on kids and teaches them to act outside the law. The old man means well but he doesn't appreciate how much Scarlet's helped the police. Crime rates have dropped dramatically but Garp doesn't think the end is worth the means. He's been hunting Scarlet for weeks…and now is his perfect time to get him.
"Garp, don't you…"
"THEN WHO THE HELL IS THIS?" Garp shouts as he pulls both of the doors wide open…
The confident smile on his face disappears and a disappointed frown crosses his lips.
I lean out from beside him and have to hide my shock.
The back of the ambulance is empty and the left hand side door of the ambulance is wide open. The pain killers and the ice pack aren't there any more.
Luffy P.O.V
Some people say that it sometimes seems as if every city has a distinct rhythm or beat to it and that if you listen very carefully, you can sometimes hear the tune. You know what the tune of this city is right now?
"!"
Why is that you may wonder?
It's because that's the word I'm constantly screaming as I swing through the city. My arms feel like they're tearing off as I stretch out my arm. I'm banging a lot into rooftops and into the side of buildings but I don't stop and keep going. I need to get out of here…I need to run and find a place to sleep for a while...I'm just so tired. I groan as my chest stings for a small moment before the pain subsides slightly. It doesn't help that I've got both the icepack and pain pills Bellemere gave me hidden under my outfit, pinning the cold pack and the large tub to my kidney. The cold touch of the ice bag on the side of my body caused me to shake and shout due to the extremely cold pressure being applied to my side. I'm not sure which hurts more, my aching chest and arms or the stupid pain killers being pinned to my side. After a few quick seconds of swinging, I can see Dawn high in the distance. With one last stretch of my arm (and another cry of pain), I travel the distance towards the school roof and I land…who the hell am I kidding, I CRASH onto the roof. I shout once more as the side I land on has the icepack on it and the ice pack and pain killers are shoved into my ribs by the cold, hard rooftop. I am DEFINITELY going to be feeling this tonight when I'm trying to go to bed. With an angry grunt, I attempt to get up by body gives way underneath me and I fall once more to the floor. I try once more and fail to get up. With that final failure, I sigh and decide that I just can't stand up right now. I can still crawl though so I make my way towards the roof entrance and prop myself up at the side of it. I just feel so tired right now. With shaky hands, I pull out the pain killers Bellemere gave me and I take out a pill, downing it whole with a gulp. That should help…but right now…I feel so…tired…I'm…just gonna…take a nap…for a…
And with a loud sigh, I lose consciousness in the shadow of the roof entrance…
Usopp P.O.V
Nami walks into the lunch room with a small sad frown. We all notice as she enters and our eyes become fixed to her. Slowly, she approaches the table and silently sits down. Her eyes are vacant and unfocused as she looks up at all of us. Vivi is the nearest to her and puts a reassuring hand on her shoulder.
"Well…did you find him?" the blue haired girl asked. As expected, Nami shook her head sadly.
"No…I tried phoning him, texting him, everything…but I just couldn't get in contact with him…" she explains. At her words, all of our heads lower as if in a depressed slump. I sigh quietly, my gaze turning down towards my fingers. This is really bad. Luffy's late. That's a fact. The guy's always late…but this? This is overkill! Luffy is NEVER this late…EVER! Something's wrong…something is definitely wrong…
Zoro interrupts all of our solemn thoughts as he calmly reaches for the meal he's ordered from the school's canteen.
"Look, Luffy's not here…but he wouldn't want us to be moping about him" he announces loudly "Besides, I'm sure Luffy can take care of himself" Zoro looks up at us, watching our next action to see if his speech worked. As it turned out, it sort of did. At Zoro's words, the others around the table reluctantly nodded and began to eat their lunch. Acknowledging his good work, Zoro nodded as well and took a large bite out of the burger he had in his hand. I mimic the rest of the people on the table, eating the dinner which I had received whilst all along ignoring that fearful and nervous thought that something bad had happened to Luffy. I felt just plain horrible. How could Zoro have such a strong sense of will? How could he be able to have so much faith in Luffy? To tell you the truth, I've always envied that about Luffy and Zoro. The two of them have always been able to perceiver through thick and thin. No matter what comes their way, they keep on moving. It's what I admire about them…and I really want to be the same…
I shake my head roughly, as if to ignore those thoughts, and my mind wanders onto something else. What class do I have next?...Let's see…We've just had Art with Dad (yeah, having your parent as a teacher is kinda weird) so that means that after Lunch, it should be form time. Our form teacher is actually Mr. Beckman, due to the fact that he's the teacher that has us the most often. Beckman is gonna be pissed as hell when he learns Luffy hasn't been in since this morning…
Luffy P.O.V
It's about three hours later when I finally regain consciousness. My eyes open shakily and I groan loudly. Where the hell am I? Suddenly, I feel all my memories rushing back to me and I slowly stand upwards. My body is aching and I can feel the pain flowing through my body. I shudder slightly but the pain feels a lot more dulled than before. The pain killers feel like they're working better than I thought. I can actually manage to move without coughing up blood and collapsing with a cry of pain. Slowly, I make my way towards the metal containers where I've hid my school uniform. The pain in my body may be gone but I still fell a little uneasy on my feet. Luckily, the more I move, the more I can feel myself getting better. Soon, I've finally managed to reach the area where I hid my clothes and I start to get changed out of my Scarlet Wind outfit. I'm careful not to damage the bandages that are wrapped neatly around my waist and chest as I pull on my school shirt. My pants are also easily pulled on but I leave my red tie loose around my neck. Our school uniform is really simple so, luckily, I'm dressed now as I slip on my black shoes. I turn around after I'm done; stuffing the ripped and torn outfit into the bag I usually kept it in. I pretty much bounded down the stairs, stopping once and then hiding the bag in the air vent of the abandoned classroom on the third floor. After that, I ran straight back towards Beckman's classroom…I can't have been gone too long…right?
Well I find my answer as I find myself in front of the room. I grasp a hold of the handle of the door and open it. As the door swings open, the room falls silent and I calmly walk inside. All of the students continued to stare at me, as if mesmerised by my very presence. I made my way over to my usual seat and sat down, ignoring all of the other people looking at me. Beckman, in particular, was staring towards me as if he hadn't even expected to see me again. After a while, the silence began to irritate me and I leaned towards Nami.
"Hey, what's up with these guys?" I ask, worried by everyone's sudden interest in me.
I was so worried that I didn't notice as Nami raised her hand and slapped me in the face…
The slap was such a surprise to me that it took a while to realise what she'd done, so I turned back to her with wide eyes.
"Nami…what the hell was that for?" I ask. All of my complaints, however, were interrupted by Beckman banging his fist on his desk.
"All of you are excused" he announces loudly. At his command, all of the students around the area stand up and prepare to leave the room. This confuses me greatly and I scan the area in confusion. Nervously, I reach down towards my school bag, which was still under my desk.
"LUFFY! YOU ARE NOT LEAVING!" Beckman yells, shocking me and causing me to sit down back into my own chair. I glance around in confusion and I realise that as they leave, Nami, Usopp, Sanji, Zoro, Chopper, Robin, Vivi and Kaya all look over to me, their eyes full of misunderstanding and confusion. What hurts the most though, is the way that Nami stares at me. It looks like she's going to cry any second. I'm not sure if she's happy to see me or disappointed. After everyone had left the room, Beckman looks up at me with a cold stare. I'm not sure whether the chills down my spine are from the ice pack or from how scared I am by Beckman's glare.
Beckman heaves himself off of his chair and walks towards me, his footsteps slow and heavy with each footstep being as loud to me as an angry explosion. I can't look up as Beckman's footsteps stopped in front of me. I can tell that he standing in front of me, his eyes drilling into the back of my skull.
"Beckman…"
"Don't even bother Luffy" I look upwards at Beckman's cold words and I see that the older man's eyes are now full of sadness. His expression is morbid and the frown that graces his features is something I can't stand the sight of. "Do you know how long you were gone for?" I shake my head "Do you know how long you were gone for?" I shake my head "It's ten to three right now" My eyes widen significantly. I'd been gone…that long?
"…Oh…" I reply sinking back into my chair, looking away from Beckman's gaze. He notices my shock and sighs.
"Listen…Luffy…" Beckman begins, his head looking towards the desk "I know that things can be hard for teenagers at your age…but you're going to have to meet me halfway here. You are the only student this year who has had this many frequent absences and despite all of that, despite claiming you'll try better to get to class on time, you never do...I…I'm not sure how much more I can try to get you to understand Luffy. You've already missed over…20 classes overall in these two weeks you've been in school. You're incredibly low attendance and your bad test scores mean that a lot of the parent/teacher association want you out of the school" My eyes widen once more and Beckman nods, as if to confirm my fears "They think that you're interfering with the potential that a lot of the other students have for learning and because of that, they want you out"
After that shocking announcement, Beckman fell silent. The whole room is still, with nothing but the shrill call of the end of school bell. It's echoing out through the room and I'm sure that the sound of the bell ringing is calling out with its sad little cry throughout the whole school. Everywhere else in the building, all of the students are packing up their work supplies into their bags and getting ready to head off home. I can hear the sounds of doors opening, the sound of talking, the sound of lockers opening and closing and, most notably, the sound of footsteps exiting the corridor. I can hear these sounds but I'm not listening. I'm focusing with all my might on the floor. I feel…so useless. Why…why can't I do anything right? I try and be a superhero and I get beaten by my first super villain AND I get in trouble at school for doing it. How the hell can I win the game when all of the moves I can make break the rules? I feel like screaming right now…but then I snap back into focus when Beckman starts talking once more.
"Luffy…I'll give you one more chance…just ONE more chance though…" At the sound of this, my ears perk up and I look into Beckman's eyes. There appears to be one more spark of hope in those eyes and I can't help but smile at it.
"…What can I do?..." I ask.
"…I was going to tell you this anyway after this lesson today…but you weren't hear again, so I might as well tell you that tomorrow, I'm going to have a test in class. I warned everyone about it so they can revise for tomorrow. Luffy, I not only want you to revise for this test…I want you to PASS this test!" My mouth widened at Beckman's proposition.
"Becky…I mean, Mr. Beckman…isn't it a little early in the year for a test?" I ask, nervously shaking. Beckman twitches at my slight slip of tongue but ignores it and looks towards me with a curious gaze.
"Well, it's an end of unit test and I've already finished our first biology unit, so you're going to have to revise ALL of that in preparation for the test. If you can pass the test, it'll raise your grades just enough to stay in school for now…if not, then I can't help you anymore. You'll be expelled for sure. DON'T WORRY!" Beckman suddenly yells, interrupting my complaint before I could voice it "You see, I've already taken the liberty of getting all the notes for you, seeing as you weren't here to take them yourself…and you're going to start your revising right here…and right now" I looked upwards as Beckman placed a large folder of papers before me.
"Welcome to detention Luffy. You're staying back for 2 hours now so that I can be SURE that you're going to revise…consider this a repayment for you being late for my lessons all the time" For a moment, I can't reply. I'm completely shocked by everything that Beckman had suggested. How long was I going to stay in detention? What would I do if I got expelled? I love my friends and I didn't want to leave them all of because of some stupid punishment. Eventually, after a long time to think, I turn towards Beckman and nod.
"…Okay…" I agree "I'll…I'll do it!" Beckman smiles at my determination and then walks away towards the front of the class. With a sigh and a groan, I turn to my right to see the small pile of papers Beckman has placed on my desk. Without a word, I begin to read the notes supplied to me. With each passing word, I could feel my brain swelling with a sort of joy, as if it was finally glad I was focusing on the important things again…unfortunately, my mind couldn't help but wander back to what had happened to me on the rooftop with Predator.
I had lost…
…what was I going to do next?
I sighed at the depressing question and once more, began to read the notes on the table
"Evolution often is confused for a similar term called 'Adaption'. Adaption is a process which makes an animal better suited to their habitat. Adaption's can be the products of the environment that an animal lives in and also of the predators which prey on them…"
Lucci P.O.V
"Is he dead?" That was the question I didn't even have to consider to answer.
"Yes Mr. Zero. He took the bait and then, I put the poor little kid out of his misery" Mr Zero is merely a silhouette on a television screen but even I can tell his eyebrow has risen at my statement.
"Your proof?" he asks once more, his glassy eyes watching me with interest.
"I levelled half the floor of a building and I brought the wall down on his broken corpse. There wouldn't be anything much left after all that, don't you think Mr Zero?" I argue, adding with a smile on my lips "and if I hadn't have broken his body, I'm pretty sure his will to fight would be dead by now anyone. Whether its bones or spirit, the kid is out of your hair for good" There is a small pause, until Mr. Zero nods at me.
"Very well" he murmurs "Spandam, get Mr. Lucci the money he was promised…" the purple haired weakling nearby me nods in reply and pulls out a briefcase, hidden underneath the table. Spandam flicks the suitcase across the table and smiles at me as I grab it with one hand.
"You're not going to open it?" he asks as I turn to leave.
"I trust you Mr. Zero…you won't betray your word...or else, everyone finds out whom exactly you are Zero…" Mr Zero shudders slightly at my words but remains calm.
"And if you reveal my identity anyway?" he asks.
"Well…I guess you'll just have to trust me like I do you" I reply as I continue to approach the door.
"What if I have another job for you?"
I stop with my hand on the door handle.
"Go on…" I mutter
"Tonight, as I'm sure you are aware, there is a party being held by a rather rich associate of mine, one Donquixote Doflamingo, a man who is, quite literally worth his weight in gold. Whilst the man himself is worth millions, I am most interested with his 'collections'. Doflamingo possesses a vast quantity of Art and many other valuable treasures…so I'd like to make a deal with you...I was planning on having my men steal the artefacts whilst the party is in full swing...but I believe I may just need a distraction…" I felt a small smirk grace my lips.
"So…you wish for me to act as some sort of decoy? Take the guests hostage and by enough time for your guys to steal the goods?"
"I knew you were smart Mr. Lucci and this has proved me correct" I nod calmly and turn to look at the television screen.
"…if I'm to take this job, I want four guards at the party to help keep control of the hostages and at least a tenth of the profits. I'm a reasonable man you see Mr. Zero but even I…am not stupid…" Mr Zero chuckles slightly at my proposal.
"It shall be done"
"Good" I reply, leaving the room a lot happier and richer than I had entered it.
I'm not going to lie.
I'm looking forward to tonight.
Luffy P.O.V
"Again Luffy? What the hell's got into you lately?" a voice calls from my mobile. I sigh loudly.
"I know Ace...how's Makino doing?" I ask, slightly worried about how my mother figure is taking the news to my recent 'problems'.
"Well, to be honest bro, she's more pissed than a pirate who can't swim…"
"Pretty bad then" I felt the all too common sigh leave my lips but shook my head roughly.
"Yeah" Ace replies from the other side of the connection "I suggest you don't come home yet bro. Give Makino some space and some time to cool down first. You're gonna get an earful when you get home…but as long as you turn this around…"
"Ace, I will! I promise…things are just getting in the way recently" I tried to complain.
"I know Bro. You're a teenager. You're changing and growing up. I went exactly through the same thing when I was your age…" I couldn't help but smile at that "point is Luffy, you need to get focused on the things that are truly important right now, and that's your exams. Got it?" I nod.
"…I said Got it?" Ace repeats.
"Yeah, I know. I nodded"
"…Bro, we're on the phone. You know I can't see you right?"
"Whatever" I mumble, fighting off an embarrassed blush on my cheeks "Look, do you need something?"
"I'm good. I'm just making sure you are"
"I'm fine…well, I'm getting there anyway"
"I'm sure you are Bro. Bye"
"Yeah, see ya later Ace"
"If you can't tell I'm waving at the phone"
"Let the damn nodding thing go Ace" I shouted in reply. I could hear his laughter echoing from the other end of the line, before the inevitable click separated us once more. I sighed loudly, banging my head backwards against the wood of the wall.
I wasn't happy.
I just didn't know what to do. There was the exam tomorrow but I had definitely revised enough for that during my detention with Mr. Beckman. My problem was what Beckman had told me. The student teacher association wanted me gone. I wasn't going to give up without a fight…
I was going to fight back the only way Beckman had told me I could.
I had to stop trying to be a superhero during the day and I had to get my attendance and exam results up…
And then I guess I have to spot those flying pigs from the magical land of pixies whilst I'm at it…
How the heck was I supposed to choose between helping others and staying in school? Sabo had always told me that I should always aim to do the greater good, but how could I do that if it involved me skipping out on school, something that I need to stay in if I want to succeed in my future life? Why weren't things as black and white as they were before? As I wondered these questions, my eyes scanned the small wooden shack I was sitting in. Ten years ago, in the summer, Sabo and Ace brought me to a park a little bit away from the school with Makino and Shanks. Together, the five of us managed to build a tree house up here at the edge of one of the parks. It's completely hidden from most angles, so only those who know where the house is will be able to find it. Ever since that day, I've always come here when I have to think about things. It's peaceful up here and nothing but a small breeze can enter the wooden structure. With the quiet breeze floating through the branches, I start to think about everything that's happened. I need to stay at school…but I want to try and help people as the Scarlet Wind...
Then again, I did get beaten by my first ever super villain…
Maybe that's a sign that this whole super hero thing just isn't working. Maybe…maybe I've gone as far as I can go as a hero…
I've saved lots of people…but have I finally reached by limit?
And besides, look at all the bad things that have happened ever since I had the bright idea of putting on this costume?
I've confused and alienated my friends…
I've been ignoring my school work and that means I'm getting expelled
And worst of all, I've got everyone worried about me…
I look down at the phone in my hand and flick through the messages I had missed during my time as the Scarlet Wind.
Over 20 missed calls and 36 texts of concern…
Most of which, I've realised, are from Nami…
That may explain the slap to the face when I went in the room.
She was thinking the worst of me all because I left my phone in my school uniform.
Maybe…maybe if I can't handle both of the things I'm trying to do, I should just fall back on my school work and give up all these hopes of being a hero?
I don't want to…but if Scarlet and Luffy can't live at the same time, then one of them has to die and Scarlet's the kinda guy who'd sacrifice himself for the greater good…
I suppose if all else fails, my adventures as a superhero have come to an unexpected and shocking stop.
All of a sudden, I jump as my phone buzzes. I look down at the mobile and click to open the message.
Any room up there for 1 more? N xx
My eyes widen and I look over the edge of the treetop. At the base of the tree stands an orange haired woman, still in her school uniform. Her brown eyes seem relived to see me up there. I don't speak to her. I don't really think I need to. I just smile and shimmy over to one side. Nami smiles softly and climbs upwards along a make shift ladder that was attached to the tree. She heaves herself into the tree house and I grab her hand to support her. Eventually, she manages to get into a sitting position beside me.
"Thanks" she whispers quietly. I grin at her and chuckle happily. After that, we just read adjust ourselves to stare out of the window on the other wall of the tree house. I love moments like this. When it's just me and a good friend relaxing in the setting sun and I'm pretty sure I couldn't wish for a better friend than Nami. I turn slightly to look at her, grinning happily. Her eyes are shining a bright golden in the fading sunlight. Her soft beautiful orange hair shimmered like a bright flame. I froze in place, my mouth opening slightly to gawp at the sight. Since when did Nami look so…so…different?
I was sure she was the same as usual but…then why was my heart pounding against my chest like a prisoner trying to escape from its chains.
"Luffy…" Immediately, I snap out of my trance and turn away, feeling the blood rush to my cheeks…and I think somewhere else too…
Nami hasn't seen me staring at her but she turns to me regardless.
"Where were you all day?" she asks, curiosity obviously covering her features. For a moment, I struggle to reply. What exactly can I say? I'm the city's superhero and I was fighting crime only to get beaten by a leopard man? I doubted she would believe me otherwise.
"Well…" I mumble, thinking of an excuse "I was just…doing something important…"
"Were you visiting Sabo's grave?" Nami asks.
"What? N…yeah, yeah that's where I was" I quickly correct myself, thanking the heavens that Nami had given me a good excuse for my behaviour "It's just that, I want to see him for a bit every day…but I was tired today and I kinda fell asleep for a bit, so I had to book it back to school as fast as I could" I hated lying to her…but I really didn't want her to know the truth. In fact, when Nami smiles sympathetically at me, I can feel my heart hitting itself once more against my ribcage, showing it's disapproval of my actions.
"Luffy…you need to make room for school work as well…" she says to me, nudging my shoulder gently. I hold in a scream of pain as she does so and gently move my hand to my arm. Damn that predator. I knew I'd feel that later.
"I know" I reply to Nami, as the room once again turns to silence. For a long while, we don't talk…but when we do, I'm the first to speak.
"Nami…let's say that you were in my shoes. You've got school…but you also want to 'visit Sabo's grave' and it's really important to you. What would you do?" I ask, turning to her with a hopeful smile. If anyone could help me, it was Nami. She always knew what to do when I was unsure. Nami smiled at me as I said this and she gave it a quick moment of thought before replying.
"…Have you tried balancing the two things you want to do together? The city won't burn to the ground if you stay in school you know?" she said calmly. I hold in a laugh at the irony but consider the option.
"Balance it how?" I ask, intrigued by this new opportunity I had never thought of.
"Well…how about you stay in school and you go visit Sabo on your breaks or at lunch time? And there's also after school as a time slot where you can go see him as well" I nod listening to Nami's advice, but never the less, I'm doubtful.
"But being…I mean, visiting Sabo always distracts me from school work and…it's made you guys sad. Maybe I should just give it up?"
"You won't" she replies firmly. I look at her with a perplexed expression on my face.
"How do you know that?" I ask
"Because I know you Luffy…you never give up. If there's a way to do something that you want to do, you'll find it…it might take a while but if you focus Luffy, I know that you can work something out…" I find myself unable to speak at Nami's remark.
No…I'm not going to give up on being Scarlet…
Scarlet won't give up on me so neither will I…
So what if I lost once against my first super villain? As long as I don't give up, I'll get him one day...
I can't just dismiss the thought with an 'I can't do it'…
Can't is not a word I have in my vocabulary…
"Look" Nami says, interrupting my thoughts "I have to go back home and see Bellemere before she goes off tonight. She's acting as security for this big fancy party and I promised to be home to see her off…but if you need me for anything Luffy, you've got my number…" and with that, Nami shuffled towards the step ladder. Without a word, I offer her a hand, helping to lower her down onto the floor. She smiles up at me one last time and with that, she begins to walk away.
"Hey Nami"
As I call her name, she stops and looks back over to me.
"Thanks…for everything"
Nami smiles widely at my gratitude and turns to walk away.
"My pleasure bonehead" she calls back "Don't you ever slip up again!"
"Yes mam!" I reply loudly, grinning widely with determination.
I won't Nami. I won't ever give up.
Balance…like you said, I need to balance my life…
Only do the hero thing when I can and not whenever I feel like it.
I need to be responsible and I need to be able to control the situation I'm in…
And like you said, if I put my mind to that, I can do it…
And I will…
I really am stupid sometimes if I can't see that I shouldn't give up being the Scarlet Wind. Think of all the people I've helped with my powers. Think of all the lives I've saved and all the criminal's I've caught.
I shouldn't have to choose between Scarlet and Luffy.
After all, I am both and they're parts of my life I don't want to give up.
Wearily, my eyes travel downwards towards the watch on my phone. It's currently seven o'clock. Makino's still gonna be mad at me…so I guess I'll have to take the long way home. Plus, I'm kinda hungry. I think I'll go stop for a take away or something then make my way back home. It should be about half past eight when I start heading back so I think I'm a-okay. Calmly, I pull out the pain killers from Bellemere and plop another one into my mouth, swallowing it whole. The taste is sorta bitter but a spoon full of sugar does help the medicine go down. With that done, I slowly descend the ladder and make my way off towards the nearest fast-food place. After I've eaten and patched things up with Makino, I'll go back on patrol again for a bit. After all, I'm not letting that Predator guy beat me into the ground and then get to walk away free of charge, now am I?
Bellemere P.O.V
As much as I hate to admit it, undercover security is so boring. All I've been doing for the past hour is just standing around watching all of these rich types talk about how good they think they are. I knew I should have taken up Nojiko's offer of a horror movie festival tonight. Alas, I was the only police captain available so I have to stay here and keep everyone safe.
"All clear on the west side" I hear a murmur through the radio hooked up to my ear. I tag the ear piece and speak quietly back.
"Good work Johnson, see if you can meet up with Francis on the first floor. I haven't heard much from him all night. Go in armed but don't be too itchy with the trigger finger" I instruct quietly.
"Got it captain" the voice replies on the other side of the line and the radio goes dead. As I remove my finger from my ear, a loud and obnoxious voice calls my name.
"BELLEMERE BABY! IS THAT YOU?" Recognising the voice, I shudder angrily and turn around to notice a slightly overweight man with long yellow hair in a black tuxedo approaching me. Oh great, it's him.
"Shiki" I mumble, trying to ignore the man with all my ability. Unfortunately, the man places his arm over my shoulder and laughs loudly.
"JI HAHAHAHA! How long has it been? 2 years? 3 years? We must catch up more. How are you? How's the two girls, Kami and Bojiku? Are you still on the force?" At the last question, I stamp my foot hard down on his and Shiki winces slightly.
"As an answer to your questions, it's been a month, I'm fine until you showed up, my daughters names are Nami and Nojiko and they are just fine" Then, after I had said that, I lean in closer to Shiki and whisper in his ear "and if you EVER call me baby again, or try to blow my cover then I'll make you wish you were never born!" Shiki laughed at this and patted my shoulder as if I hadn't ever mentioned any of the things I had said.
"One month? Doesn't time fly! So you're working undercover here are you? Guess that answers why you're here…so if you're in the force, you must have heard about the latest news?" I cock my eyebrow as I pretend that I don't know what he's going to say next. Shiki smiles with a cackle and then using his hands, he gestures around, as if a title was appearing in his hands.
"Tomorrow's headlines my dear, 'Scarlet Wind defeated! Menace eliminated!" he announces, dancing in place happily. I cock my eyebrow once more, this time at Shiki's attitude.
"What is it with you and Scarlet?" I ask curiously. Shiki shrugs, removing the cigar he was chomping from his mouth and blowing out a smoke ring.
"Nothing personal doll, it's just that that super menace sells papers by the bucket load! The Grand Line times has already predicted the red boy's fall from power, and now it's come true! Think of the support the paper will get for this latest incident!" he says, grinning as he places the cigar once more into his mouth.
I roll my eyes and Shiki continues ranting about his paper and how Scarlet's 'a menace to society'. To distract myself, I tap my fingers against my ear piece, hoping to get some news back from Johnson. There's no reply. That's strange…
"I'll talk to you later Shiki" I mutter, heading over towards the elevator. Of course, the pompous oath tries to stop me.
"Hey, where you going? What's wrong?" he continues to ask.
"I've got a bad feeling" I inform him, pressing the button to the elevator. Immediately, I hear a loud 'ping' and the doors open wide…to reveal none other than four armed guards and a man in a top hat and a tuxedo. The armed guards are wearing black helmets and armed with bullet proof armour and a large machine gun each. The man in the middle with the tuxedo smiles, stepping forward first into the room. Before I can act, one of the guards has already restrained me and removed the pistol from my pocket, whilst the other has Shiki (who is currently demanding his lawyer). Without a word to anyone, the man in the top hat pulls out a small pill from tuxedo pocket and places it into his mouth, swallowing it whole. To the shock and surprise of Shiki and me, as well as the other guests who are only now just noticing the intruders, the man begins to shake violently and almost like magic, he is suddenly replaced by an extremely large leopard man. The beast smiled at the terrified and crowd of guests and announces with a loud growl
"EVERYONE GET DOWN ON THE FLOOR! YOU ARE NOW OUR HOSTAGES!" The guests all start to scream at first but are soon calmed down by the two guards walking into the room and threatening them all with their machine guns. Slowly, one by one, all of the guests fall to their knees. The guards restraining me and Shiki push us into the crowd of people and, with no option, I fall down on the floor like everyone else.
"Now…" the leopard roars, a smile on his lips at his new prisoners "Where is Donquixote Doflamingo?"
To be concluded in Chapter 1: Predators Act 4
"Alright Predator" I announce loudly, looking down at the leopard man with a smirk "time to become the prey" The large cat laughed at my words and gestured with one of his claws in a beckoning motion.
"We'll see runt…and this time when I kill you, you'll stay dead…"
Until then I'm Shadowonthewall6 and I love my cliff-hangers
Please review. Positive criticism is welcome.