Hello everyone, it is I, Shadowonthewall6, back with yet again another chapter of the Scarlet Wind and a brand new totally awesome profile picture.
This chapter is probably the longest chapter I've done yet in the Scarlet Wind so I hope you all enjoy it.
Also, at the suggestion of Llaelien, a reviewer from Search the Wind, I have decided to allow anonymous reviews for my stories.
So I hope you all enjoy this latest part of Scarlet Wind.
Chapter 2: Catalysts Act 3
Garp P.O.V
"~JUST A SMALL TOWN GIRL, LIVING IN A LONELY WORLD!~" I yell into the microphone, tapping my foot on the floor and spreading my arms wide.
"~SHE TOOK THE MIDNIGHT TRAIN GOING ANYWHERE!~" The crowd yelled shouts of applause as my co-singer stepped into the spotlight, winking at all the girls in the bar.
"~JUST A CITY BOY, BORN AND RAISED IN SOUTH DETROIT!~" Ace sings, before, spreading his legs and beckoning to the crowd with his index finger, bobbing up and down as he did so.
"~HE TOOK THE MIDNIGHT TRAIN GOING ANYWHERE!~" It's times like these when I'm glad to be with my grandsons. It reminds me why I wanted to become a police officer and what I'm fighting for. However, despite how happy I am, I'm still a little sad that my other grandson isn't here though. Luffy went outside a while ago to talk to Makino on the phone and he was still outside when I grabbed Ace and dragged him onto the stage. That boy really does worry me. He's been so distant recently and even today, it seems like something else is on his mind. Then again, Luffy is a mature and sensible young man…
Well he's a young man anyway and that means he's old enough to make his own decisions in the world. He's got a good head on his shoulders… and whilst the cat is away, the mice will play.
"~A SINGER IN A SMOKEY ROOM~" Ace and I sing together in a strangely chaotic harmony "~A SMELL OF WINE AND CHEAP PERFUME! FOR A SMILE THEY CAN SHARE THE NIGHT, IT GOES ON AND ON AND ON AND ONNN~" Once more, the group of people in the bar burst into applause. For some reason, they were really enjoying the sight of us singing and dancing like idiots…
Maybe Luffy can wait a little longer...
Besides, how much trouble could he get into?
Luffy P.O.V
Unbelievable pain echoes out from my back as I slam straight through the small brick wall, shattering the brick wall to pieces. I let out a howl of pain as I hit the floor. I think that blow might have cracked a few of my ribs but I couldn't tell to be honest. All of the pain from Predator AND all the pain from Galdino's punch suddenly flows into my body and I let out another loud growl. PAIN KILLERS! Where the FUCK are my pain killers right now? A loud honking sound draws me back to consciousness and I realise I'm in the middle of the road. With all the strength I have, I kick hard against the wall, pushing with my hands off the wall, using the momentum from Galdino's attack to carry me over the road. Luckily, it works and I manage to dodge the car that races past. I manage to land on the pavement on the other side of the road and I'm sure I manage to shock some shoppers but, to be honest, I don't really care. I'm too hurt to care. WHERE THE FUCK ARE MY PAIN KILLERS? I quickly search the side pockets of my costume and remove the pain killers which Bellemere gave me. I removed a pill and quickly plopped it in my mouth, swallowing it whole. I knew they wouldn't do too much but at least wanted to be able to stand during this fight. I was still a little shaken from my fight with Lucci and I could feel every bone in my body screaming out in pain. They were aching like mad. For a moment, I actually wonder if I'd have to take some pain killers all the time when I'm fighting these super villains. I really hope not, getting addicted to these things isn't on my to-do list. Currently, only one subject is on there. Beating Waxwork into the ground. As I move my neck, another spark of pain flares up and I groan loudly. Despite the feeling of pain being unpleasant, however, I cling to that feeling as tightly as I can. It reminds me I'm still alive.
Quickly, I take a deep breath and try and stand up properly. I grab my head, nursing it in my hands for a minute, before stopping and looking up towards where Waxwork once was. Now, however, Waxwork is walking over to me, sending busy shoppers fleeing in fear.
"That's a good right hook" I mumble, watching him carefully "you definitely went through quite an upgrade didn't you? But the bigger they are, the harder they fall!" Then, without hesitation, I kick forwards with my right leg, the leg stretching out and hitting Waxwork straight in his chest. However, the kick doesn't seem to affect him and Waxwork quickly grabs hold of my leg with his giant wax hand. The grip on my leg is so tight I actually wince a little. With the hold he has on my leg, Waxwork casually throws it to one side, sending me flying to the left, landing once more on the rough tarmac.
"Quite an upgrade?" Galdino yells with a laugh, as I heave myself to my feet "Haven't you learned anything? This Wax armour is super thick it makes my attacks feel like you've just been hit by a bullet train and makes your attacks feel like nothing more than a bee sting"
"Well you're going to find out that this bee is quite tenacious" I reply bitterly, nursing my leg that is stinging from the tight clenching grip Galdino had on it. Waxwork didn't say anymore, instead he begins to charge towards me, his footsteps louder than I ever thought possible. Quickly, I stretch my arm backwards, reaching out so I could get a grip on something, letting me swing away. Luckily, my hand manages to grab hold of a street light and before Waxwork can catch me; my elastic arm pulls me out of his reach.
"YOU SEE!" Galdino yells triumphantly "EVEN THE MIGHTY SCARLET WIND FLEES FROM MY POWER! YOU'RE SCARED OF ME AREN'T YOU?" Of course I'm scared. I'm scared Galdino will do something reckless and hurt the innocent civilians around here. After all, if he can fling me through a brick wall, who knows what he could to some poor innocent soul. However, telling him that would probably only make him laugh even more.
"The only thing I'm scared of is that smell of yours. Seriously, you're sweating quite a bit in there aren't you?" I taunt with a grin.
"You're one to talk, aren't you?" Waxwork yells back with a chuckle. Automatically, I sniff underneath my armpits and instantly recoil. Note to self: never let Garp talk me out of having a shower every again.
With a sigh, I continue swinging along; turning around to look in the direction I'm travelling as I call back to Waxwork. I suddenly get a weird feeling of déjà vu from the fight with Predator and I shudder at the thought. Is it just me or do all my problems spawn from that leopard…or whoever gave him those powers in the first place. Didn't he mention something about a Vegapunk guy? Maybe he's the guy who keeps giving these super powers to all these people. Why can't his experiments turn people into innocent cute bunnies, instead of leopards and giant armoured men? Unfortunately, this wise and truthful thought is interrupted as I hear the sound of loud creaking behind me.
"HERE HERO! LET'S PLAY SOME CATCH!" Galdino yells.
"Catch?" I mutter, turning around to look at Waxwork. My eyes widen as I notice that Waxwork has grabbed a nearby parked car, holding it in his firm grip. He grunts and groans as, amazingly, he starts to lift the car from its place. After Galdino raises the car above his head, he lets out a roar and, using all his strength, he flings it over towards me, sending the car soaring into the air. My jaw drops noticing the car flying in my direction. At first, I consider dodging it but then, I realise that there are some innocent bystanders standing behind me, currently screaming loudly at the danger they're being placed in. Reluctantly, I turn around and brace myself. After I take a deep breath, I stretch out both of my arms and grab hold of a lamppost on either side. From there, I tuck my legs in and, with a loud scream of my own, I shoot them forwards. The legs strike straight at the car in the sky and the force from the double kick sends the car spinning backwards at Waxwork. Galdino lets out a panicked scream as it flies towards him and in that instant, I suddenly see fear in Galdino's face. I can't help but grin as I see it.
Once a coward, always a coward…
As the car flies at him, Galdino holds his arms up to shield himself and crouches down. However, the car doesn't stop and instead, crashes straight into him. I land on the pavement and look away as it hits him, hoping to any kind of god out there that a car to the face will be enough to take Waxwork down. For a while, there isn't any sound. A thick cloud of smoke covers the area where the car crashed and I can't see anything through it. Panting, I decide to relax on the edge of the pavement.
Please say he's stopped…
Please say he's stopped…
Please say he's stopped…
As the smoke clears, I can see the wreckage of the car. The metal is crushed and bent out of shape, almost as if it's curled around something.
Please say he's stopped…
PLEASE say he's stopped…
Suddenly and unexpectedly, the car is literally torn in half as Waxwork steps forward, throwing the two bits of car away like rubbish. The car's petrol squirts out as he steps on it, covering his torso in the liquid.
Just for once I wish a villain would stay stop when I wanted them too. Predator had done that. Did I have to constantly carry around a convenient fuse box for my enemies to punch in order to finally take then down? Angrily, I sigh and stand up once again, clenching my fists. For a second, Galdino looks shocked then, he suddenly starts smiling. He chuckles.
"Tickles…" Waxwork mutters as he looks up at me. I let out a foul curse under my breath, watching him walk forwards "Don't you get it yet Scarlet?" Galdino continued with a wide grin "I AM INVINVIBLE IN THIS SUIT OF ARMOUR! I'm really finding this tedious repeating myself…"
"Then shut up…" I reply with gritted teeth. Galdino laughs happily at my response.
"Getting a little stressed are we?" Waxwork taunts "well, it makes sense to become mad especially when you're outclassed"
"You're seeming confident for someone who was wetting his pants a few seconds ago" I shout, motioning towards the car with my left hand. Waxwork growls angrily at this challenge to his courage and then, without warning, he begins to charge forwards. Luckily, the onlookers who almost got hit by the car have scattered, so this time, I can easily leap out of the way of the raging super villain without worrying about them.
"Nice aim there Galdino" I joke landing on the ground once more "I mean you only missed me by one mile this time!" Waxwork growls very loudly at my insult and then, quickly charges over towards me. He slams his left fist onto the ground where I was standing. I quickly sidestep the strike and, in a burst of sudden inspiration, I jump up onto Waxwork's bulking arm and start to run up it quickly. Dodging the spikes on the armour around Galdino's shoulders, I manage to swing around Waxwork's back and grab hold of the bump at the top of the armour where Galdino's head is. Immediately, Waxwork starts freaking out, straining with his reach to try and grab me off his back.
"Get off of there!" he yells angrily.
"I didn't hear a please young man" I respond with a grin. Waxwork once more lets out a loud yell at my stubborn nature and starts to swing his body around recklessly in an attempt to get me off of my perch on his head. His arms are too bulky so their reach doesn't get to where I'm holding onto. I laugh a little at the large man's predicament. At least I've managed to find a little chink in Waxwork's armour…now all I need is an actual weak point in Waxwork's armour and then I can finally defeat this giant. Suddenly, Waxwork starts to laugh and then, he falls backwards, off of his feet and onto his back in an attempt to crush me. Luckily, I drop onto the floor and roll backwards out of the way of Waxwork's fall before he hits the ground. At first, I start smiling happily as I realise that if Waxwork is lying on his back then maybe he can't get back up. Unfortunately, my hopes are quickly dashed as Waxwork hauls himself up off the ground.
"Shit" I curse under my breath as I stand up as well. Waxwork turns around, spotting me out of the corner of his eye. Slowly, he begins to smile. Instantly, I decided I need to continue my search for somewhere abandoned to fight Waxwork. Already, the guy had created a huge crater in the ground just by falling onto his back. I don't want to see what he can do to a group of unarmed and unaware civilians.
"Come on Galdino, we're playing a new game now! Ever heard of 'follow the leader'?" I call over to the bulking giant. Quickly, I stretch my arm backwards and start swinging away from Waxwork, hoping he takes the bait and follows me to somewhere deserted. Waxwork laughs loudly and then, he begins to charge after me, actually moving a lot faster than I thought he would be able to with that large heavy armour on.
"Follow the leader?" he shouts after me "Please! This is more like a game of cat and mouse!" I ignore Waxwork's cry and keep swinging away. I need somewhere abandoned where I can take this guy down, somewhere out of sight…
Right, somewhere abandoned in a city with a population of around three million people…
Since when did being optimistic turn into me being as mad as a hatter?
Sighing, I focused on the situation at hand. Waxwork is a danger to everyone around him and right now, I need to find a way to take him down...
Unfortunately, I got so lost in my thought that I didn't see where I was going and as I turned the corner to get further away from Waxwork, I'm instantly met with a sight I really don't want to see. I had entered the plaza where the charity circus was set up and everywhere I looked there were game stalls, attractions and, much to my irritation, people. Swiftly, I try and turn around to get out of the populated area but by the time, I've adjusted myself so I can swing back out of the plaza, Waxwork has already ran around the corner and his face lights up at the mere sight of the funfair. Moving as fast as his wax armour can let him, he sprints forward, charging straight through a nearby hot-dog stand and, ignoring the frightened vendor, as well as the screaming mother and her child next to the stand, roughly pushes it aside as he sprints in my direction. Just as I suspected, he doesn't care about any of the onlookers. All he cares about is catching and beating me. He's definitely solely focused on me, meaning he doesn't mind if anyone else gets hurt. Luckily, the hot-dog stand doesn't hit anybody and, even better, at the first sight of Waxwork, everyone starts running away from the armoured beast. I wanted an abandoned area to fight in…I guess that I've got one now, all I need to do is think of a way in which I can take Waxwork down…
I drop down out of the sky and land right next to a test your strength game, the one where you have to hit the ground with the hammer and you have to try and ring the bell at the top of the large neon spire… Test your strength eh? With a smirk on my face, I grab hold of the large hammer and grip it firmly in both hands.
"Float like a butterfly, sting like a hammer to the face" I mutter to myself, as I look up to see Waxwork coming closer. Galdino now resembles a charging rhino and as he approaches, I quickly spring up over him; escaping Waxwork's grasping hands as I did so. With a load cry of pure adrenaline, I roll forward in midair, sending the hammer crashing down against Waxwork's back with as much strength as I could muster. For a moment, Galdino let out a small wince of pain from behind his thick purple wax coating. Then, almost too suddenly, Waxwork turned on his heel, bringing his right fist around and smashing it straight into my upside down stomach. This shattered the hammer into pieces and sent me to the ground a few metres away. Galdino laughs loudly as I push against the ground, trying to stand up once again.
"What was that thing supposed to be?" he asks in a mocking tone.
"A hammer" I pant in reply "don't tell me you're so stupid you don't even know what one of those is" Oddly enough, Waxwork laughs louder at my reply.
"You call that a hammer? No, no, no…" he mumbles to himself. As he lifts up his hands, I can see the wax on his fist's start to stretch, changing shape, until finally, they have fully transformed into two large wax hammers "NOW THESE ARE PROPER HAMMERS!" Galdino shouts, before slamming both of them into the ground. As he does so, I take a speedy step backwards. Waxwork doesn't stop his attacks and starts to dash forward towards me, swinging his hammers almost madly to try and clobber me one. Luckily, I keep stepping backwards, dodging the mighty blows from the large juggernaut. Whenever a large hammer would strike from the left, I'd shift to the right.
"You getting tired Waxwork?" I ask with a taunting smile. By now, the man in the large bulky armour looks like he's sweating quite a lot, but he still has that large grin on his face as he laughs at me.
"Are you kidding? I'm just getting started!" Galdino yells defiantly. Never the less, however, his speed slows and his strikes become less and less frequent. As soon as Galdino's exhaustion becomes overwhelming to him, I unleash a strong uppercut to Galdino's exposed chin…and in the process of the strong punch; I think I break my rubber knuckle. I let out a loud scream before stepping back and shaking my hand, blowing on it occasionally to soothe the burn of the pain. My right fist hurts so bloody much that when I swing away from the fight, I use my left hand to grab hold of a nearby flagpole. Luckily, Waxwork is also quite dizzy from the hit and now, he's staggering around like some mad man. For a moment, I rest on top of the flagpole, wincing at the pain in my knuckle but, after a small seconds rest, I feel I'm ready to get fighting again. Waxwork is still stumbling about and he's completely off balance. Now is my time to take him down!
"Round 2" I mumble "WATCH OUT WAXWORK! HERE I…"
A fist hits me straight in the face like a bullet. My head goes dizzy and my vision becomes blurry. Colours whiz by me until a sharp smash of glass cries out into the sapphire sky. The glass doesn't rip the costume but it does sure as hell hurts hitting the floor. I still can't see anything. Just black blobs covering the outline of the window I just crashed through. I must be in a building along the side of the plaza. That punch must have made me travel really far. I let out a loud groan and shake my head on the floor as I try to get up off the floor. My head is ringing. It hurts…
It hurts…more than anything Waxwork and Predator had ever done…
There's only one person who can hurt me like this!
"Gramps…" I whisper, but my inquiry is interrupted as a heavy weight slams down on the ground in front of me, pinning me to the ground with two strong arms. Slowly, my vision recovers and I can make out Gramps' small grey beard. He's glaring down at me, the scar on the left hand side of his face making him look almost demonic to me.
"Scarlet Wind, you are under arrest" he announces, withdrawing a pair of handcuffs from his pants "You have the right to remain silent! Anything you do say can be held against you in a court of law"
IS HE READING ME MY RIGHTS? HE'S NOT BEING SERIOUS IS HE?
"You have the right to speak to an attorney and if you can't afford a lawyer, one will be provided in court…"
Oh…shit…
I'm getting arrested by my Grandpa in a flowery shirt…
Things aren't going well at all…
Garp P.O.V
Finally, I've caught him. This troublemaker has been around for over three months now. In that time, he's made himself public enemy number one on my list. I had just finished singing with Ace when I heard screaming and panicking from outside. Apparently, there was some sort of fight going on. I told Ace to stay where it was safe and, despite protesting for a while, he did. When I got outside, I couldn't believe my luck. The Scarlet Wind, that vigilante menace was standing right outside on top of a flagpole. Of course, seeing him there I decide to take a chance and, using my super-human agility, I leap up to where Scarlet is and pound him in the face. I'm glad Ace and Luffy aren't aware about these special abilities of mine. It might scare them if they learned that their grandfather was some kind of mutant freak. Speaking of mutant freaks, Scarlet's currently lying on the floor, moaning with pain, rolling around in an attempt to get up. What really surprises me about this brat is that everyone sees him as some sort of superhero. Are they all forgetting what he did when he first appeared? He was a true vigilante, taking the law into his own hands, pursuing criminals like a madman with no regard to the safety of others. He even put five of my men in hospital! But now everyone's treating him like a champion of good, saying he's turned over a new leaf. Even Luffy and Ace like the guy. They all forget that he needs to be punished for his past crimes. He's a man in a mask, taking the law into his hands. He's no different than any of the other common criminals and, like a common criminal, I plan to lock him up and throw away the key. Watching him lying on the floor in front of me, I can't hide the scowl from my face. Everything this man stands for is wrong and he's breaking the law and it's my job to bring him to justice…
"Gra-Garp!" Scarlet shouts, struggling in my grip "Let go of me! I don't have time for this!"
"You're going to have a lot of time on your hands when I get you in a nice cell" I told him, reaching down towards Scarlet's left arm with the handcuffs in my grasp. As I move down, however, Scarlet's left leg comes up and hits me square in the chin. I let out a loud cry of pain and reel backwards from the blow, giving Scarlet enough time to jump away from my grip. He's now clinging to the wall opposite me, scowling at me from across the room.
"Look, I need to get out of here and back to my fight" he argues angrily "Can we do this later? I can schedule you in sometime next Tuesday"
"Stop with the jokes!" I bark at him "I'm bringing you to justice!"
"Not if you can't catch me!" Scarlet shouts, before he springs off the wall at a high speed, aiming for the hole in the window behind me. A sly grin comes to my face as he approaches. It's been a while since I've been able to cut loose like this…
Scarlet's eyes widen as I miraculously leap off the floor like a rocket, soaring high into the air and blocking his path towards the window. I swing my fist forward at him, striking the raven haired vigilante in his stomach. Scarlet shoots backwards onto the floor and once more, I land right next to him. This time, I grab a hold of his neck and his right arm, throwing Scarlet at the wall and pinning him there to secure him.
"Scarlet Wind, as I said before, you are under arrest…" I repeat confidently. Scarlet continues to struggle against my grip, banging his left arm against the side of my head and lashing out with his legs. A quick knee to the groin soon stops him and Scarlet starts panting.
"You…you have to let me go…" he groans through clenched teeth "I have to stop him…" I look at Scarlet confused for a moment.
"Who? Who do you have to stop?" I ask.
"Waxwork" he chokes out in reply "He was….Galdino Goldenweek…nothing I do can hurt him…"
"WHAT?" I thunder, turning to face the broken window. As I look out of the window, I can just about hear the sound of splintering wood. Whoever this Waxwork guy is he's definitely a problem.
"Then I'll stop him…" I shout at Scarlet, who persistently struggles against me "as soon as I've got you out of the way…"
"How?" Scarlet asks. I can't answer but Scarlet is persistent "listen to me Garp, you can't beat him alone. You need my help…"
"I need it like a bullet in the head!" I respond bitterly, once more slamming the young criminal into the wall.
"You can't beat him on your own. Trust me, I've tried!" Scarlet continues in no more than a whisper.
"I'll take him down once you're in chains" I say calmly.
Scarlet shakes his head in disbelief.
"Are you sure about this?" he asks hesitantly. Of course, I laugh loudly at the absurdity of the question.
"Of course you brat! I heard you were a little dumb but I didn't know you were this bad at using your head"
"Then I have no choice then" Scarlet mutters to himself, before he swings his head back violently. Despite the hold I have on his neck, it still manages to extend just enough to create a large ricochet as it shoots back down, straight against my forehead. Not expecting the attack, I let out a growl of pain and sink backwards, dizzy and confused.
"What was that?"
"It's called using my head" Scarlet's voice calls with a smile "...that or fighting dirty. We should really do this little dance of ours again G-man" As he shouts this, I notice a blur race past me to the left. I move to stop him, but Scarlet vaults over my arm and keeps on going, leaping out of the smashed window.
Shit, I'm not sure what Sengoku will be more pissed about. Losing Scarlet or the fact I've broken ANOTHER window...
Then again, I suppose this time it was only the one...
Luffy P.O.V
As soon as I leap out of the building, I stretch my hand forward so I can swing away back over towards where Waxwork was. I still need to take him down. I'm not sure whether Garp could actually defeat Waxwork by himself or not, but I did know something though. Galdino was after me, not Garp. It was obvious from the way he acted that he wasn't after some big score or some prize. All Waxwork wanted was payback. He wanted revenge for all those times I'd beaten him because now, he was strong enough to fight on and even above my level. It didn't matter whether Garp knew he could beat Waxwork or not because he wasn't Galdino's target, I was and Garp couldn't always be around to save (arrest) me. I needed to know that I could actually defeat Waxwork myself, because then I'd have one less problem to deal with…at least in theory anyway… As I glanced around, searching for Waxwork, I suddenly let out a gasp and grab my neck. It stings so much right now. I'll say this about Garp, he is amazingly strong. Hopefully it runs in the family…
Now that I think about it, maybe Garp's a mutant like me. It does explain how he always punches so hard and how he was able to leap all the way up to me on top of that flagpole.
"THERE YOU ARE!" I turn around at the shout and notice Waxwork stamping towards me, a sly grin on Galdino's face "RUNNING SCARED ARE WE?"
"You wish" I reply simply, dropping onto the cobbled street below. Looking around, I notice that most of the circus stands are still standing. Unfortunately, I really can't see anyway how I can take Waxwork down. That hammer to the back didn't even make a dent in his armour. Even when I threw a car at him, it still didn't work. Already this seems really problematic. How am I going to beat this guy? Unfortunately, Waxwork isn't giving me much time to think and is in front of my face in a matter of seconds. Swinging his fist forwards, Waxwork charges straight into me and I'm sent flying backwards. I let out a cry of agony as Waxwork then grabs my leg tightly and slams my body hard against the floor.
"Not so tough now are you Scarlet?" Galdino mocks, tightening the grip he has on my leg. I wince but never the less, keep a sly grin on my face.
"Nah, this is nothing. I've had worse…" I start to taunt, unfortunately, Waxwork isn't amused by me and instead, he drops me straight to the floor. I hit the ground and groan. At first, I try and stand up but before I can, Waxwork lifts me up off the ground and, surprisingly, pulls me into a mighty bear hug.
"Showing your favourite Scarlet a bit of love?" I ask with a chuckle "hate to tell you man, but I don't swing that…AHHH!" Waxwork interrupts me by tightening his grip, crushing my body in-between his wax chest plate and his bulking gauntlets.
"You know what?" Waxwork questions as he continues to tighten his grip "you've been acting more like a spineless wimp than a superhero today…so I'm going make sure that that spine of yours won't trouble you any longer…BECAUSE I'M GOING TO BREAK YOU IN TWO!" At these words, Galdino continues to crush me. I let another loud wail as the pressure continues. He's…strong…too strong…he's literally crushing the life out of me…my vision…it's blurring…I'm…passing out…I feel so dizzy, so…so…
Without warning, Waxwork's strong grip suddenly loosened. I couldn't see what was happening but I felt my body crashing onto the hard ground. Quickly, I shook my head, hoping to return the flow of blood around my body and regain some sense of sight. Thankfully, it wasn't long before I could see again…though the sight was so surreal I almost thought I was dreaming. Gramps had just swooped down out of nowhere and had charged into Waxwork. The two were now engaged in a full on conflict, with Gramps landing a mighty combination of blows right onto Waxwork's chest. Surprisingly, Gramps' strong attacks barely seem to damage the powerful armour that is protecting Waxwork. Waxwork lets out a loud howl as he strikes forward with his left fist, hitting Gramps and sending him to the ground.
"Get out of my way old man!" Galdino shouts angrily, looming over Garp's prone body "I'm not interested in you. I'm only after…" Galdino found himself interrupted in mid-speech as I kicked forward with my right leg, stretching my elastic foot that hit Galdino's exposed face. As my foot kicked him, Galdino gasped in surprise and began to stagger backwards, clawing at his face with his large wax hands.
"MY NOSE! YOU BROKE MY FREAKING NOSE!" he complains angrily, gesturing uselessly with his hands in an attempt to nurse his throbbing red nose.
"Oh cry me a river…" I groan angrily, walking over to Gramps and extending my hand towards him "you okay old man?" Gramps gives me a glare and stands up on his own, ignoring my outstretched palm.
"I've taken some hits in my time brat. I'll be alright. Some overgrown candle isn't going to take me out" I nod with a laugh.
"Yeah I see what you…" I stop speaking and snap around to look at Garp with wide eyes "what did you say?" Gramps shrugged his shoulders.
"I said I'm okay…"
"No, not that. You said he was like a giant candle, right?" I ask, the smile on my face slowly widening as an idea began to grow in my head.
"Well, you said his name was Waxwork, so I presumed that the armour of his was made of wax…or at least some sort of strong alloy combined with the wax. Why is that so important?" Despite everything Gramps is saying, I still have that wide smile on my face.
"Garp…I think I know how we can beat him…"
"I've already told you to give it a rest!" Gramps snaps at me "I'll beat this Waxwork guy on my own and then, I'm taking you in!"
"No look, I definitely know how to beat him" I argue angrily "All I need is…"
"Aren't you listening to me?" Gramps asks louder "YOU'RE A CRIMINAL AND I'M NOT GOING TO ASSOCIATE MYSELF WITH SOMEONE LIKE YOU!"
"I'm a vigilante!" I correct with a smile "think of it that I'm just doing some community service"
"I'm not…" Gramps begins but I interrupt him before he can continue.
"Look, there are times in life where we have to do things we don't want to do. If we're going to beat this guy, then you have to distract him for me. I'm the lesser of two evils here and you have to trust me…just this once…"
Garp P.O.V
I don't know why, but I find that I can't reply to Scarlet now. I want to bring him to justice…but now, I'm having second thoughts. Scarlet's actually right in a way. I will admit that Waxwork is a greater threat to everyone else right now but he's wrong if he thinks that that simple fact excuses him for all he's done.
"Listen here you little brat…" I yell angrily, turning to face Scarlet with a glare.
"You're going to play decoy for me? Of course, thanks a lot there old man!" Scarlet says happily before he leaps high into the air, vaulting over a nearby game stall and disappearing from sight. I let out a loud sigh of irritation as he leaves and immediately, I prepare to follow him. However, I'm suddenly stopped by the large purple statues recovery. Before I can properly react, Waxwork charges over towards where I am and punches me hard with his right fist. I take the full force of the attack and I'm literally thrown off my feet, soaring backwards. Luckily, as I land, I'm able to steady myself and recover quite quickly.
"If it's a fight you want, then you've got one!" I shout loudly, before charging straight towards the large purple statue. Clenching my right fist, I dodge Waxwork's left fist as it crashes down on where I was once standing and strike a powerful uppercut against Galdino's exposed chin. Once more, the armoured man stumbles backwards though this time; he recovers much more quickly than before. With a loud incomprehensible shout of rage, Waxwork launches an incredibly strong attack straight at me. Quickly, I step to the left, however, the attack still hits me right in the shoulder and I wince at the pain of the punch. I hope that brat actually has a plan to take this guy down because now I look at things; I don't think I can last much longer against this guy if he throws more punches at me like that…
And if Scarlet's lying to me and he's just left me here to die, I am so haunting his ass…
Galdino P.O.V
I can't believe how brilliant this is. It's an almost addicting feeling being in this armour. I'm invincible and unbeatable. What was I so scared about? Spandam's deal has allowed me to become stronger than I've ever felt in my entire life. Was this how that leopard man felt after Vegapunk gave him his abilities? Probably. After all, there's no way anyone in their right mind would condemn such power when that would turn them into this kind of unstoppable fighter. Finally, I feel happy again. I'd even call myself ecstatic. I've not felt this good in so long. Now, I'm in the position of power! NO-ONE ELSE! I've had to put up with being a little meek weakling my whole life and I've hated every second of it. At school, I was always the one getting picked on and bullied because I wasn't tough enough to take it. Even after I graduated, I was still the underdog. Despite everything I did, I couldn't get anywhere in life. I got a job which didn't pay as much as I would have liked and I hated it. Times got tough pretty quickly. I worked out the only way to get enough money to survive was to steal. So…I did. One day, I stole some money from the cash register and tried to sneak out of the store with it…but I got caught on the way out. I fought back and in the process, injuring my boss. I was arrested by the police and charged with theft and assault. It was ridiculous. I've had things stolen from me all my life and the moment I start to fight back for my rights, I get branded a criminal. From there, my life fell apart. I lost my job obviously and I was locked up in a jail for over three months. In that time my girlfriend left me and took my six year old daughter with her. They couldn't believe I would steal something and stoop to that level. They said I wasn't the person they knew anymore and that I had changed. Shame filled their eyes as they looked at me one last time. That was over nine months ago and I still haven't heard a word from them. They acted like I was the one with the problem. I'M NOT IN THE WRONG HERE! I was deprived of everything I wanted and everyone I loved because people who were stronger and more powerful than me used that power to keep me miserable. Now, I'm strong enough to do what I wanted and to get what I wanted, to finally live the life I want to live.
Still people are trying to bring me down though. This old man standing before me is one of those people. He's been fighting me for around four minutes now. It's almost like he can't accept that I'm better than him. Well, I'm going to teach him that he's wrong. Once again, I launch my right wax fist into an uppercut straight at the old man's jaw. Somehow, he manages to get enough strength to sidestep the blow but he doesn't dodge the second blow as I place both of my fists together and then bring it down on his skull, sending him straight to the floor. The old man lets out a loud cry as he hits the ground face first. I laugh as I watch him trying to get up, only for him to stumble and fall back down. People like this guy have always been pushing me down…AND NOW I'M BETTER THAN THEM! Now, it's me making the rules and me kicking ass. Without a second thought, I lift up my right leg and gently place the bottom of my large wax foot onto the old man's head. Steadily, I lift my leg upwards and prepare myself to make the killing blow…
"Hey Waxwork!" At the voice's shout, I turn around only to see a long elastic arm reach down, grab the old man and then pull him off the ground. Perching on top of a nearby carnival stand was none other than the Scarlet Wind. Gently, Scarlet lifted the old man onto his left shoulder and smiled down at me.
"Didn't you ever hear that you should respect your elders?" he asks in a mocking tone "or is it that you knew you couldn't beat me, so you started picking on an old age pensioner?"
"Hey…" the barely conscious old man grunted angrily but both Scarlet and I paid no attention to him.
"Of course not, you're a little runt! I could crush you whenever I wanted" I yell up to the red clad superhero. Scarlet only laughs at my threat though.
"Prove it then!" he shouts, before he starts running along the stands. With a loud and angry cry of rage, I start to follow him, sprinting after him as fast as I can. The wax armour really hasn't slowed me down as much as I thought it would…maybe that's because of that thing Vegapunk injected into me before he put me in this suit but, to be honest, I don't care. I'm now strong enough and fast enough to take down all the people who brought me down, starting with that stupid spandex wearing freak! I manage to stay with Scarlet as he runs until, eventually, I enter a large courtyard. There, Scarlet stops, dropping the old man off onto the floor on the other side of the courtyard.
"Have you finally stopped running now?" I inquire with a content smile. Scarlet doesn't reply and instead, reaches into his pocket with a grin.
"You know what? That wax armour must be cutting off a lot of the blood to your brain" he comments. My good mood vanishes almost instantly.
"What the heck is that supposed to mean?" I bark at him. Scarlet doesn't bother to answer and instead, pulls the hand out of his pocket, revealing a small pack of matches. Without hesitating, Scarlet removes a match and scrapes it along the cobble stone floor, igniting it. I watch the small flame with interest, yet I still laugh.
"What's that? A match? What are you going to do with that?"
"Beat you" was Scarlet's simple reply before he immediately starts sprinting towards me. He doesn't get far though as I simply grab hold of his throat with my large wax hand before he can get too close.
"You stupid ignorant brat!" I mock him with a smile "did you really think you can beat me that easily?" Despite the pain I'm giving Scarlet through tightening my grip on his body, the smile on his face doesn't fade.
"Galdino, you stink…" he simply replies. I laugh loudly and tighten my grip, crushing the wind out of the boy once more.
"Is that your best insult? Are they your famous last words?"
"No Galdino" Scarlet interrupts me with a wide grin "I mean you literally smell! You stink of gasoline…" My eyes widen as Scarlet casually reaches forwards with his right hand, which I have failed to restrain and drops the match forwards.
Then, bright and blinding light burst forth from my chest and I let out a scream of terror…
Luffy P.O.V
Every time Bon makes me a new outfit, he always makes it flame resistant. It's become so common with all of my costumes that he doesn't even need to mention it anymore. I just know he's done it because that's the kind of guy he is. He can talk forever about all the polymer fibres he's put into the fabric but he doesn't even need to mention anything to do with it being flame resistant or not because he knows that I want that. When Waxwork charged through that car, breaking it in two and getting all that gasoline on his chest, it was a huge mistake. Luckily, wax doesn't melt quickly so I know that Galdino won't be harmed by the flames…but they will cause him a huge problem. His cowardly screams cry out as he instantly lets me go and starts running around like a madman with the flames glowing off his chest. Without a moment to lose, I quickly sprint over towards the other side of the courtyard. Hiding under one of the stands is a large black hammer, like the one I had used before on Galdino's back. I noticed that the last time I did it created a small dent in the armour. Not enough to hurt Waxwork, but definitely enough to damage the armour, if only slightly. So, with the hammer in hand, I once again run up towards Waxwork and then, with all my strength, strike the back of his armour hard with the hammer. Galdino lets out a terrified cry from inside the suit, followed by a quick whimper of pain. I've made a larger crack but not big enough to do what I want. Once again, I smash down on the back of his suit again with a hammer, and then again and again and again, until, finally, after the sixth time of trying, the crack in his back has widened up enough for me to reach my hands inside the gap. Carefully, I drop the hammer and leap up onto Waxwork's back. I can feel the heat emanating from the front of his armour and Galdino's coughing through the smoke but I had to ignore it if I was going to beat him and bring him in alive. I reach both of his hands inside the crack and then, after I took a deep breath, I began to strain my muscles as I started to tear the armour apart. I knew I wasn't super strong…BUT Garp was and if I was his grandson, then I couldn't disappoint him now. I strain for what feels like forever until finally, I feel a satisfying snap as the hole in Waxwork's back opens up wide enough for me to pull Galdino out. Carefully, I do just that, wrapping my arms underneath Galdino's and then, I gently heave him out of his large wax armour. Galdino's eyes are fully closed as I pull him out but I can hear him breathing. Gently, I pull Galdino as far away from the empty burning suit of armour. With Galdino beaten, I finally let out a loud content sigh before I collapse onto the floor on my back and close my eyes for a moment.
I've won…
Feeling quite joyful at that thought, I sat up…only to sit up too quickly and hurt my arm. I let out a loud groan and nursed it with a sigh.
Winning hurts…
Suddenly, I realise that Gramps is still hurt over the other side of the courtyard and so, I spring up from where I'm lying down and quickly head over to him. To my surprise, Gramps is actually pretty relaxed. He's nursing a black eye and a cut lip but apart from that, he seems to be okay.
"You are one lucky old man Garp" I told him with a grin. Gramp's response was to glare up at me angrily.
"Shut up…" he growls "you've got more of a mouth on you than my grandson…" I decide not to comment on that statement and, instead, I crouch down next to him to check on his injuries.
"Do you need me to take you to the hospital?" I ask but Gramps laughs at the question.
"I'll live…besides, the day I accept help from you is the day hell freezes over"
"Well then, it's defiantly a little chilly in hell seeing as how I saved your ass today" I reply with a grin. Of course, Gramps brushes it off.
"I wouldn't have needed your help if you hadn't abandoned me…but thanks…"
"No problem" I say with a happy smirk. Gramps, however, quickly snaps angrily at me, seeing my cocky smile.
"DON'T THINK THIS CHANGES ANYTHING BETWEEN US! You're still a criminal and I'm still going to bring you down…just…not today…" My eyes widen a little at Garp's words and I lean forwards towards him, pretending to clean out my ear.
"I'm sorry? I must have misheard. For a minute there, it sounded like you were going to turn a blind eye to me because I saved your life back there" I mutter with a grin.
"I'm giving you a head start" Garp clarifies "Ten minutes and then I'm coming after you…"
"Whatever you say old man" I reply gleefully. I turn around; ready to leave Garp, when suddenly Gramps speaks up.
"I should thank you in a way…" I look back at him with a confused glance, stopping in my tracks.
"How so?" I ask. Gramps chuckles to himself and then, looks up at the clear blue sky above.
"You've taught me a little humility today…and I think I've learned that sometimes, you can't do things the way you want to, can you?"
"What do you mean?" I continue to ask, now enthralled in whatever nonsense Gramps is prattling on about.
"Well" Gramps starts, a hand stroking his short white beard in thought "I suppose that in the end, you can't always have things your own way and you can't always get what you want…so, in those situations, you need to compromise with people. You know, meet them half way..." He then turns to me and I feel that his eyes are looking straight into mine through my mask "you know what I mean?" For a second, I didn't say anything then, I nodded.
"Yeah…I guess so…" I reply quietly.
"Eight minutes and fourteen seconds…" Garp mutters under his breath and I laugh a little.
"Whatever…" I reply louder this time and smile a little.
"SAMI, LOOK! THERE HE IS! THE SCARLET WIND!"
"IT'S NAMI YOU IDIOT! AND QUIET DOWN, BEFORE HE NOTICES US!" The pair of echoing voices attracts my attention and I look past Garp and sure enough, running towards us down the empty cobbled street, in between the broken and damaged stands, is an orange haired girl and…some sort of mime? I shrug my shoulders at Garp, who is also staring at Nami and her friend as they approach.
"Ah well!" I say happily "here comes the paparazzi! I'll be off then I guess. See ya around Geezer!" and with that, I stretch out my hand, grab hold of a nearby building and swing away, soaring upwards high above the battlefield. I smile a little as I hear Nami shouting up after me, saying something that sounds like the word 'Interview'.
She's settling in with that newspaper company quicker than I imagined…
Then again, she is Nami…
Getting changed back from my Scarlet costume back into my normal clothes was actually a lot more difficult than I first thought. For one, I had actually got changed further away from the fight with Waxwork and, to add to that confusion, I actually forgot where I had left my bag. Luckily, I found it after a bit of searching, quickly got changed and then, slipped the bag with Scarlet's costume in once more hidden in Garp's car, before I ran back over to where I had left Gramps. The sight when I arrived was a little hectic to say the least. Civilians everywhere were trying to get past a police barricade that had been set up by a division that had arrived shortly after the fight. For a moment, I groaned angrily at the thought that the police were so late to the battle, but, then again, the police station was on the other side of town, which explained why they had gotten here so late.
"Hey Brand-new!" I called over towards a nearby police captain. The green haired man with the sideburns turns to me and sighs as I approach. I notice one of the men try and stop me from coming nearer but he holds up a hand.
"Let him through Shu! It's Garp's Grandson" Brand-new announces. Shu immediately backs off and then leaves to try and help the other officers keep control of the public's prying eyes. Brand-New scratches the back of his head nervously as I approach.
"Luffy, how are you?" Brand-New asks, saluting me. I wave at him, signalling him to drop the salute and chuckle a little.
"Brand-New, relax buddy. There's no need to be so serious I'm just here to see gramps. I heard he was caught up here in a fight between some super powered criminals..." Brand-New bought the excuse easily and nodded, yet he still retained the focused look on his face from behind his pair of sunglasses.
"Affirmative. Commander Garp is over there resting. I think Captain Hina's tending to him"
"Thanks Brand-New" I say before running around him "and lighten up would you!" Brand-New doesn't reply and so, instead, I decide to keep on going until I spot Garp. Hina and the medics had managed to patch him up pretty well and luckily, Garp isn't that hurt anyway. Despite this, however, Hina is still trying to keep him down.
"You need time to rest Garp. You're not fully healed"
"Fully healed? I'm as fit as a fiddle Hina, now let me go! I've got two angst ridden teenagers to look after who are probably wondering where I am right now" Gramps complains, struggling against her grip.
"Angst ridden teenagers?" I yell as I approach, attracting the two's attention "clearly you don't know me well Gramps!"
"Luffy my boy!" Gramps shouts happily, standing up and walking over to me with a grin on his face, pushing anyone out of his way before looping his arm over my shoulder into a one armed embrace "where've you been?"
"I phoned Makino but then I got hungry so I went to buy some food" I lie with a reassuring smile "I didn't want to ruin your fun and Ace seemed to be enjoying himself too"
"Ace!" Gramps shouts suddenly "Of course! He's still at the Karaoke bar! We'll have to go get him won't we?" Without any delay, Gramps then starts to walk through the crowd, dragging me with him under his arm.
"GARP WAIT!" Hina cries after us, but it falls on deaf ears "HINA IS FURIOUS!"
"So, have you enjoyed today then?" Gramps asks me as we start to leave the town square, heading for the karaoke bar on the other side of the street. I can hear Ace's singing drifting outside, doing a surprisingly good cover of 'It's My Life' by Bon Jovi.
"Enjoyed?" I question with a laugh "what's with the past tense Gramps? The day is still young right?" I had never seen a single inquiry put such a smile on Gramp's face and I found myself smiling back at him as he laughed.
"Right Luffy! The day's not over yet! We've got much more to do yet!"
"Aren't you hurt at all?" I ask him with a grin. Gramps shakes his head and pulls me into a headlock, rubbing his knuckle along my head as quickly as he can.
"Of course not you idiot!" he jokes "I've had worse hits in my day and besides, today is just about you, me and Ace having some family fun!" I smile a little as Garp continues to scrub my hair and for once, I actually feel kinda happy with the old man.
Meet them half way…
The words echoed inside my head and I couldn't help but smile a little. Gramps is trying to get closer to me and Ace. The least I could do is meet him half way for his trouble…
Nami P.O.V
I'm tired. So tired that I feel like I'm going to just drop at any moment. However, I find the willpower to perceive against the creeping feeling of sleep. It's Midnight and even Bellemere's asleep now but I'm still finding the energy to type on my keyboard. After the picture I managed to get of Scarlet today (thanks to Luffy's Grandpa, who said that seeing as I was a friend, he'd turn a blind eye to my photographing and even give me a bit of an interview) Mr. Shiki was amazed. At first, he was going to have Indigo write an article about the fight…but then, seeing as though the story wasn't going to appear on the first page (it was beaten by a story about the revelation of a theft from Donflamingo's estate the same night that Predator and Scarlet had their little fight there) Shiki's given me the chance to write an article about it for the Monday newspaper. I'd already been writing for over two and a half hours and now, I was just trying to refine everything and make it perfect for Shiki. After all, if people liked the article, it could be a good way for me to advance in the paper. So I surrender myself to the rhythmic pattern as my fingers gently tap away on my keyboard.
'And so once again, The Scarlet Wind has defeated yet another one of these super powered foes and Galdino Goldenweek is now in police custody. However, the question of how these mysterious assailants are getting these abilities has yet to be answered. However, what remains constantly clear is that our answer to these super powered threats is Dawn city's own heroic vigilante. Let us hope that…"
My typing is interrupted by a beeping sound coming from the open Facebook page I have. I groan a little but I still click onto my profile to see what I have been alerted of. It's a notification to something Ace posted on his profile. I and over hundred other people were all tagged on it. That had to be almost everyone on Ace's friend list. Intrigued by this discovery, I investigate further only to find it's a video. Ace's only updated his profile a few seconds ago meaning that he and Luffy have probably just got home within the hour. I knew he'd enjoy himself. There's no way he'd stay out for so long with his grandpa and not enjoy himself. Curiosity quickly takes over and so I gently click for the video to start playing. When the video starts, the lighting is really low and I can't see anything. There are a few lights on a stage of some kind but it's barely enough to see
"…And that red light means its recording" Ace's voice calls in the almost pitch black room "are you okay with doing this?" There was a giggle on the other side of the camera.
Well, Nojiko was definitely going to be happy about that…
"Don't worry" the girl wielding the camera says "I think I can do it now, just get up there" A blurry shape nods in the darkness and then disappears. The camera quickly turns so that it's solely focused on the stage. Then, a man steps into centre stage and smiles happily.
"Good evening ladies and gentlemen" he shouts into what I presume is a crowd of people "how are you all doing tonight?" Cheers greet the question and the man on stage chuckles as if he's not surprised in the least "now then, as you all know, this is a karaoke bar and, if you're here, then you most likely want to get up and do a little bit of singing and have a little fun. Am I right?" The reply, yet again, is cheering. The man laughs but holds out a hand.
"Well, you're all going to have a chance to get up on stage and do a little bit of karaoke…but, the first karaoke session of the night has actually already been booked before any of you arrived. So, without further ado, let's give a big round of applause to the D family, who will be singing a song by Santana and Chad Kroger called 'Why don't you and I'. I hope you all enjoy" More applause is heard in the audience and then the music starts to set in. It's a slow kind of melody played on what I can guess is an acoustic guitar. At first, the stage is empty, but the moment the speed of the music starts to speed up, Garp steps through the curtains onto the stage with a microphone to another round of applause. Garp laughs happily and waves out to the crowd before he walks over to the left side of the stage and starts to sing.
"~Since the moment I spotted you~
~Like walking 'round with little wings on my shoes~
~My stomach's filled with the butterflies~" Garp takes in a deep breath and grins into the audience, who seem satisfied by his performance.
"~And it's alright~" Garp adds in song, winking directly at the camera, which has now been carried closer to the stage, so now it can get a proper view of the stage and its singers. To add to the surprises, Ace pushes open the curtains at the back of the stage and walks in, singing the next part of the song as he walks to the right hand side of the stage.
"~Bouncing round from cloud to cloud~
~I got the feelin' like I'm never gonna come down~
~If I said I didn't like it then you know I'd lied~" Ace sings, winking into the crowd with a large smirk on his face. A few of the girls in the audience behind the camera cheer at Ace's, dare I say, brilliant performance.
Like I said before, Nojiko is definitely going to be pleased about that.
Suddenly, however, the lights go dim and a new voice enters my ears.
"Every time I try to talk to you
I get tongue-tied"
Instantly, the new voice captivates my attention. Who is it singing? I'll admit, whoever it is doesn't sound like he's the best singer, definitely no where near as good as Ace's voice but…it seems to have its own little amiable tone. Who's singing this song now? And…and why am I so interested in who is singing?
To answer my question, the lights slowly come up and Luffy is standing in centre stage with a microphone in his hand.
"~Turns out, everything I say to you~
~Comes out wrong and never comes out right~"
After Luffy's introduction, the crowd bursts into more applause, whilst Garp and Ace walk over to where Luffy's standing and put a friendly arm around his shoulder. Luffy does the same, his microphone now hanging over Ace's shoulder, whilst Garp and Ace hold their microphone's in their free hands. The trio then start to sing the chorus, slowly swaying to the left and right with large grins on their faces.
"~So I'll say why don't you and I get together~
~an' take on the world, be together forever~
~Heads we will and tails we'll try again~"
A large smile slowly comes to my face and I find that nothing I can do will get rid of it. I can't believe how amazing heart warming it is to see the three of them together, singing a song. It's a brilliant feeling seeing the D family working together for a common goal for once, instead of fighting and squabbling. After all, they may be at each others throats most of the time but, in the end, the three of them are family and it's good to see them actually getting along…
Maybe that's why I'm smiling…
Or…just maybe…it's something else…
As Luffy keeps on singing with his brother and grandpa about how 'you' and 'I' should get together, I suddenly feel a weird sensation in my chest. It's a tingling kind of feeling. I always get that around Luffy though. I got it when I was sitting with Luffy in that tree house on Thursday. I got it when Luffy said he thought I was more interesting than English. In fact, I think whenever Luffy so much as smiles at me I get it. I've not properly noticed it until now, but it's definitely been there. For a moment, I focus on the video, my eyes suddenly locking with the Luffy on screen.
"~Fly to the moon and straight on to heaven~"
His dark eyes are shining with joy in the light. It's almost as if the joy is reaching through the screen.
"~Cause without you they're never gonna let me in~"
I shake my head and quickly press the 'like' button (which it appears Marco has already done) and then, I tab off Facebook. The second Luffy is out of sight, the feeling stops almost completely.
"Mystery feeling…" I mumble to myself like Luffy used to, before collapsing back onto my bed and yawning loudly. I sigh with content and decide right then and there I'm going to fall asleep. It is late after all and I could just finish the article tomorrow and send it to Shiki then. Slowly, I close my eyes and relax against the comfortable mattress on my bed.
"Why don't you and I get together and take on the world and be together forever?"
"…If only…" I mutter quietly to myself.
3rd person P.O.V
"Are you watching the news right now?" Spandam's voice asked across the phone. Vegapunk nodded and chuckled to himself, his eyes never staying from the large big screen TV in his dark office. The only light was coming from the television itself and it was barely enough to light up Vegapunk's face.
"Interesting development" the orange haired man muttered to himself, adjusting his glasses accordingly with a wide beam on his face.
"You told me that this one would actually work!" Spandam pointed out angrily. Vegapunk nodded calmly.
"I just set up these super powered freaks. It's up to them if they complete their job or not, right?" Vegapunk explained. Spandam let out a sigh of irritation.
"Mr. Zero will not be pleased…" he moaned. Vegapunk quickly descended into fits of laughter.
"He's never happy" Vegapunk giggled, fiddling with one of the ornaments on his desk. It was a small golden globe and he spun it around gently with one of his pointy fingers. Suddenly, the blue eyed man became deathly serious and leaned forward to watch the television closer "I'm still getting paid right?"
"Of course" Spandam reassured him "I've had Blueno pay into your account. You'll receive the eighty hundred five thousand beri we agreed upon for your experiments on Lucci and we'll add in a five hundred thousand beri payment for your work with Galdino" Vegapunk couldn't have smiled wider if he tried.
"Good. So, when will Mr. Zero require my work next?" he asked hopefully.
"Mr Zero suggests you'll need to lay low for a couple of days" Spandam explained "From what we know about Galdino, he's a squealer. He doesn't know who Mr. Zero is of course but he knows who I am and he knows where your old lab is"
"Old lab?" Vegapunk inquired, the interest in the globe ornament on his desk rising again, as he placed a finger on South America and spun it around slowly in order to get a better look at Africa.
"We're having it burned down tonight" Spandam informed him "Witnesses have hired to say it was some freak accident from a gas explosion. Any of your work notes will be saved before the burning"
"Let them burn" Vegapunk insisted, carefully spinning the top off the globe and removing a small flash drive from it "I've got backups of the files…"
"I'll inform the boys before they get to work. We'll provide you with a new lab of course and you'll be able to begin work again in a few days' time. Until then, keep your head down and stay safe" Vegapunk held in a sigh at Spandam's instructions. He had heard it all before from his clients.
"Of course"
"I probably won't contact you for a while" Spandam revealed in a low voice "We're in the middle of an investigation"
"An investigation? Really? Do tell what it's about" Vegapunk requested, his smile growing wider with every passing second.
"Security breach" Spandam simply stated "We think some people under Mr Zero's employ are working two sides of the fence as it were"
"A spy?" Vegapunk asked, feigning shock at the revelation.
"Bingo" Spandam replied "We're currently trying to the source of the leak but so far, we're coming up with nothing"
"What a shame" Vegapunk admitted mournfully "I will keep my eye out of course for a rat in our midst"
"It's been a pleasure doing business with you doctor" Spandam concluded and with that, the phone went dead. Vegapunk sat where he was for a while with a smirk on his face, happiness spreading across his features before; he clicked a button on his phone with a grin.
Vegapunk had learned a long time ago that playing dirty was the only way to get ahead in the world.
"Sorry about that Wiper" Vegapunk cackled with glee "Someone was on the other line"
"Wife?" a gravelly voice asked from the other side of the line.
"I wish" Vegapunk said, bursting into another batch of loud laughter "But no, it was a business associate of mine. I assume you called for a reason other than intruding in on my private life…"
"Yes I did. I just phoned to check how those items I asked for are coming along"
"They're coming along splendidly" Vegapunk announced proudly "The jetpacks and other flight equipment will be finished within the month. As for the special weapons you ordered, those are taking slightly longer to prepare but, I can assure you they will be completed to Donflamingo's exact specification"
"Good. The Don's been waiting for a time to strike back against this Scarlet freak that's been ruining his business" Wiper revealed.
"Tell the Don that there's nothing to worry about. All of my experiments will be completed on time" Vegapunk assured his client, before his laughter ceased and he once more became focused "Speaking of experiments, how's the boy?" Wiper took a while to reply.
"He's coming along nicely. I think he'll be ready for a test run soon"
"A test run?" Vegapunk gasped "I can't wait to see what Scarlet makes of him"
"Trust me" Wiper said confidently "When our boy is done, the only Scarlet left in this city will be a blood stain on the floor…"
To be continued in Chapter 3: Polarity Act 1
"Monkey D. Luffy" Beckman announces "your partner for this project will be…" He reaches his hand into the jar full of names and pulls out a second piece of paper "Boa Hancock…"
Until then, I'm Shadowonthewall6 and I have the greatest profile picture in the world.
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