I told you Scarlet Wind fans you'd be in for a treat (if any of you read both A-Z AND this which I'm not sure everyone does so I'm not sure why I'm starting my Author's annotation) and I hope this latest chapter won't disappoint.

Some added good news, however, is that as well as this chapter of Scarlet Wind, I've got the next Act in the works as we speak and I should be ready to upload that sometime this week :) I love Summer~ It's the perfect time to write more stories :D

Also, many of you may notice in this story that Monarch is…well, you'll find out if you haven't figured it out already but trust me, there is a reason for that.

On a final note before you begin reading, I'd like to thank all of you readers and reviewers out there because now Scarlet Wind has reached one hundred reviews :)

Chapter 3: Polarity Act 3

Luffy P.O.V

With one last punch to the face, the final thug hits the ground, dropping his baseball bat with a clang as he lands. Also on the floor are the three other members of this little purse snatching incident. A woman aged in her early 20's and two guys aged in their mid 30's now litter the floor, next to the leader of the group, a man in his late 20's with blonde hair and sunglasses. Sitting on the floor nearby, staring at the scene in shock, is an old woman dressed in a pink coat, her walking stick lying beside her almost forgotten.

"Now let that be a lesson to you young man!" I shout at the unconscious body with pride, reaching down to snatch the old woman's purse out of his grip "make sure to respect your elders in future! You never know when a spandex wearing ass kicking machine will jump down and ruin your day" with that said, I quickly turn around to the old woman on the floor and offer a hand to help her up. Remembering Makino's teachings, I crouch down to her level and speak as politely as possible.

"You okay ma'am?" at first the old woman seems a little shocked, then a wrinkled smile appears on her face and she nods her head.

"Well, my hip hurts a little but it's nothing I can't walk off. Thank you for the help sonny" she says with a smile as I carefully help her up off the floor. Once she's steadily standing, I pass her the purse the muggers had tried to take before and hand her the walking stick she'd dropped.

"You don't have to thank me" I insist, checking to see if she was injured in any other way. Luckily, it doesn't appear that she's hurt "As long as you're okay, it doesn't matter…though you're going to have to be more careful going out at night like this" Unfortunately, now that I've gained the old woman's interest, she doesn't seem to be too interested in letting me dash off any time soon.

"Oh, if only more young'uns were like you! What's your name dearie?"

"…er…Scarlet…" I reply quite awkwardly "but now, if you excuse me, I've got other places to be" Without waiting for a reply, I quickly shot my rubber arm up onto a building, just as the police cars screeched into the street.

"Goodbye Scarlet, I won't forget this!" the old woman yells as I swing away, waving her hand at me with a smile. I give a wave back with my free hand, leaping along a new path as the police officers finally get out of their cars. I'm sure I can hear a few stray bullets being fired after me as I sweep over the rooftop. Guess some of the blues still see me as just some lawbreaking vigilante...which I am, but at least I've not done any serious crimes…

Okay, well at least I haven't murdered anyone...

Besides, I was already prepared for something like this tonight. Seeing as Bellemere's on a date with her new boyfriend and Nami and Nojiko are having dinner with them so they can all get to know each other, she won't be around to keep her men in line…and I know that a lot of the cops at the station aren't exactly my number one fans.

Some grudges don't fade so easily…

Luckily though, I'm now home free and there's no way the police could possibly hope to follow me now. For a moment, I pause on one of the rooftops I've been sprinting across and glance down at my watch. Even in the dark light of the sky, I can still make out that the little hand appears to be pointing left, whilst the big hand appears to be pointing up…

Now if I could only remember what time that actually was, my day would just be perfect…

With a sigh, I decide that I better head home in order to avoid getting into any more trouble with Makino…or at least I would have, if a sudden loud alarm didn't start crying out into the night. Glancing around, I quickly realise that the alarm is actually coming from a nearby warehouse. It's probably that white haired guy and his thugs again, trying to cause trouble…though that does make me wonder how they got out of jail so quickly.

With a small shrug, I spring from the rooftop, launching two arms forwards in order to grab hold of the roof of the warehouse. My arms drag me forwards, allowing me to fly through an open window into the warehouse. I land on the cold hard floor of the warehouse, rolling as I hit the ground in order to keep moving. Strangely enough though, as I enter the building, I can't make out a single sound. The lights are on but it seems that nobody's home…

Usually, a theft is never this quiet. Where's the shuffling of boxes? The loud complaining? No frantic footsteps? It was…weird…

I didn't like this…something's going on here…

"Hello?" I call out into the warehouse, hoping to at least get a response from anyone inside.

Heck, I'd settle for someone shooting at me just to tell me that someone is here…

That's when the lights went out.

Without warning, I'm plunged into complete darkness, standing motionless and quiet in the middle of a warehouse.

…I guess that was sort of a hello…

Now that I'm aware that someone is actually in the warehouse, I quickly put up my guard, listening intently for any sounds or signs of motion. Unfortunately, the groups of shelves remain completely motionless and not a sound emerges from the silent space behind the shelves. Slowly, I step forwards cautiously, feeling my way along the shelves and using the small amount of moonlight shining through the windows in order to see ahead of me.

Unfortunately, I can't make anything out amongst the darkness. Slowly, I step forwards, each footstep crunching on the ground in the still silent, calling out like an explosion. Sneaking is always hard, especially when you really need to stay quiet.

Then there's a hiss.

I turn around immediately, though I fail to spot anything in the dark. All I can make out is a whiff of smoke and dust slowly rising from the floor, as if something has just blown it upwards. That settles it. If I ever doubted it before, now I know for sure that someone's here and that someone apparently doesn't mind messing with my head…

Once more, I start to walk steadily in the direction of the smoke, my ears listening out for any sound whatsoever in the night. Somewhere out there in the dark, someone is watching me. I know that much…but this all seems so strange.

I mean, if this were some real robbery or a break in, why didn't the thugs swarm around me when the lights were out? And what's with the dust and smoke being kicked up in the some sort of wind? I'm inside and, last I checked, the wind wouldn't be strong or fierce enough tonight to swirl the dust around like it had done just a moment before. Things didn't add up…

Suddenly, the dark warehouse seemed that it was looking more and more like…

"SURPRISE!"
A trap…

The yell alerts me to the attack, but I fail to turn around fast enough and, for my effort, my reward is a large metal object colliding with stomach and sending me flying backwards. The sharp tip of the large item cuts slightly into me and I wince in pain. Luckily, I manage to recover from the sneak attack quite quickly. As my body moves backwards, I push down with my feet and they hit the floor with a loud bang.

The force of the stomp allows me to use my new found motion to my advantage, as I flip in midair, the legs I had used to kick soon flying up over my head, before coming down on the floor. As my feet make contact, I grab at the floor with both hands, helping my feet slow me down and allowing me to focus on the thing that just hit me…

The thing that just hit me…and is no longer there…

I stare blankly at the empty space in my vision with confusion. A familiar amount of dust blew silently off the floor, as if pushed away by some great force. Now, I'm being to lose my patience.

"Alright, show yourself coward!" I shout, glancing around the warehouse, hoping to catch some sight of my attacker. However, all I receive in reply is a loud laughter that echoes and rebounds off the steel roof and the shelves.

"Fascinating" a voice suddenly purrs from the dark "very nice work indeed. That little back-flip of yours was quite incredible. I heard you were good…and it looks like you're not going to disappoint"

"Who are you?" I yell out once more into the darkness, snarling with rage as a small humming fills the room.

"Ah, what do names matter?" the voice replies with a high pitched giggle of glee "after all, I'm just a voice in the dark trying to get to know the Scarlet Wind a little better…"

"You know my name" I respond simply "but I don't know yours. That's kind of an unfair advantage, don't you think?"

"Of course it is" the echo taunts me "but then why should I care about fair?" without warning, a small whirring sound cuts through the air. On instinct, I dodge to the left, just missing a shuriken as it whirs past. A small cut appears on my left cheek and my right hand immediately clings to it to stop the bleeding. The disembodied voice laughs once more (this guy REALLY likes to laugh doesn't he?)

"Oh if only I'd aimed that a little better, I could have taken out an eye..." the voice continues to taunt me.

"Is this some sort of game to you?" I yell back, listening out more intently now for the reply and also looking through the dark trying to spot something that can turn the lights back on. Right now, I have no idea where the guy is but if I light up the room that might make things more equal. Slowly, I creep towards the nearest wall, trying to remain as quiet as possible and as out of sight as I can.

"Of course it is, I'm having so much fun" the voice in the dark shouts loudly with another laugh "why? You don't like playing this game?" I choose not to answer, still searching along the wall with my hand hoping to find a light switch. So far, no luck and even with me listening out intently, I can't make out where the guy is. His voice is echoing all around the room, so it's a lot harder to pin point his location "I'll take that as a no" the voice mournfully comments.

This time, I'm ready.

As a piece of metal flashes in the dark, I step backwards, out of the path of the shuriken that imbeds itself in the wall and fire a rubber fist into the darkness. A low humming cries out for a moment but then stops, once more leaving me as blind as a bat…

If only I had the hearing of one, I'd find this guy in no time.

My fist keeps sailing forwards…but not for long, as it soon comes snapping back to my arm.

Another miss.

"Well, how about we play another game then?" the voice suddenly asks, surprising me slightly with how eager yet calm the voice is. There's no panting with exhaustion or fear. No harsh breath alerting me to his present.

"What kind of game?" I mumble, finally deciding to face my tormentor myself. I leap up to the top of one of the shelves of supplies.

"How about 20 Questions?"
"20 Questions?" I mutter in confusion.

"Question 1: Are you over 21?"
"What?" I question in confusion, tilting my head at the shadows.

"You heard me. Are you over 21? Do you have a job? A girlfriend? Pets? Heck, I'd even settle for you telling me whether or not you had size 10 shoes…"

"Why are you asking?" I say calmly to the darkness, still listening out for the mysterious intruder.

"Well, I just want to find out exactly who I'm going to have to kill before I do so"

"Kill? You want to kill me? Why? Are you working for someone?" I question the darkness.
"Don't worry your masked little head. I'm doing this all by myself…as for why…well, I have my reasons…" I feel my brow furrow. This guy is getting on my nerves.

"Feel like sharing with the class?"
"Oh no, I've never been much of a public speaker" once again, the humming starts up again. Quickly, I turn around…but it's too late. Before I can dodge, someone's fist lashes out of the dark and hits me straight in the face. The force of the punch is so hard that it not only sends me to the ground, but it also knocks over the stacks of boxes I was standing on "but my words do leave an impact on people…"

"Look, you're not the first super powered freak show I've gone up against. I can take care of myself"
"Indeed I'm not your first super villain…but I will be your last…" Once again, more shurikens rain from the sky. Throwing all caution to the wind, I start running, leaping over crashed boxes and weaving through gaps in crates, hoping to escape the steel weapons falling from above.

"But now to get to the main reason why I'm here: you say I'm not your first super powered adversary. My first question, however, would be who are you?"
"You already know my name"

"Ah, but what's in a name?" the voice wondered aloud "You call yourself the Scarlet Wind…but that doesn't tell me anything about you. We all have names but names don't really mean anything, do they? For example, since you've been inquiring, I like to call myself the Metal Monarch but even from that, you know nothing about who I am or what I'm doing…but I want to know about you. Why do you dress up like some circus acrobat every night and go off playing hero? For what purpose do you pick fights with mobsters, thieves and super powered freaks? What makes you the Scarlet Wind?"

I find myself getting more and more confused as this Metal Monarch guy keeps speaking. He's clearly one crayon short of a full set.

"Why are you so interested in me?" I ask, once more listening into the night.

"Ah, now that is a question I just can't answer quite yet. All you need to know is that you interest me. You interest me GREATLY Scarlet. I mean, you're so brand new! The world's never seen a superhero like you before. They've been mostly in comics or maybe stories posted on websites by nerdy writers. You're real though and you're here…and I want to know what makes you tick…"

"So you don't want to know 'who' I am but instead, you want to know 'what' I am and why I'm that way?" I try to understand, tilting my head slightly.

"Who you are, what you are, why you're the way you are. It's all the same really…" and then, without warning, out of the darkness, a steel throwing star flashed forwards, aiming straight at my throat. Luckily, I'm ready for him this time and, in addition, I'm growing tired of this guy and his blabbing. Quickly, I fling forwards my two rubber arms which pass into the darkness. As they plunge into the black, the sound of humming once again rises up from the shadows.

"OH NO YOU DON'T" I yell, impatiently and rapidly punching the air, each time stretching out my arms faster and faster, following the noise of the humming. The humming grows louder as my attacks speed up but I try my best to keep up with my hidden adversary.

And that is when he made his first big mistake.

In order to dodge my rubber fists, my mysterious friend had to pass over the windows to the side of me, near the front of the warehouse. As he went downwards, I caught a good look at his silhouetted form and knew that then was the time to strike. Without any hesitation, I kicked out with my left leg, which stretched out straight towards my opponent. I didn't need the loud cracking sound to tell me I've made an impact.

A loud crashing echoes out from the corner of the room and a voice cries out as the mysterious Metal Monarch crashes face first into the floor. To add to my growing sense of pride at this victory, I presume that when Monarch fell he must have hit something hard and though I couldn't see what it was in the dark, the small thudding sounds which followed revealed that he must have bumped into one of the shelves and currently, the stock that is stored there is raining down on top of his head.

I give a wide grin, allowing myself to land with a soft tap on the warehouse floor, before I once more began my search for Monarch.

I doesn't take long, however, as I soon spot a pile of cardboard boxes in the night that have fallen on Monarch. Speaking of Monarch, now that he's lying in the moonlight, instead of hiding like a pansy up near the roof, I can finally make out his costume…and I'm a bit surprised with what I see really…

I'd expected to get a look at some professional hitman staring me down, scar over his face, weapons packed all over his body from all the throwing stars this guy had been tossing at me. Heck, I'd at least settle for some competent armour, like Waxwork had, or even another one of the beast men like Lucci.

Instead, I'm greeted by the sight of a guy who looks only half dressed for combat. A pair of faded blue jeans for pants, a black bikers jacket for a coat and remained partially zipped up and a mask that covered all of the man's face but his mouth, where a wide grin is currently perched. He looks more like some circus reject than a super villain.

"Then again" I reminded myself in my head "looks can indeed be deceiving"

Weirdly enough, Monarch didn't seem too irritated that I'd just brought him down to the floor and instead, was giggling like someone was tickling him.

"Oh, you've no idea how long I've been waiting for this confrontation" he says with a laugh, still making no effort to stand up, even going as far as to make himself more comfortable where he is sitting "you've got quite the punch"

"You've been waiting for me?" I ask, cautiously approaching and looking at my new foe in his pile of cardboard boxes "what are you, my new super villain stalker?"

"Call me whatever you like" the man shouts with a laugh, heaving himself off the floor "I've already told you, names don't matter to me Scarlet"

"Oh great!" I exclaim with a roll of my eyes "what do the other superheroes get? Adoring fan-girls and hot super villain babes in cat suits. What do I get? A thug in leather! Life is so unfair…"

"Well, now you've hurt my feelings!" Monarch moaned from where he sat.
"Ah where are my manners?" I ask myself with a scratch of my chin "...oh that's right, I threw them out the window the second I spotted you robbing this place"

"Maybe we should throw you out there too then" the man in the skull helmet replies, standing to his feet "you two can have a nice reunion outside in the dirt"
"Oh~" I sing with a grin "I've got to say usually you super villain types aren't as chatty and good with the banter. You're different though. I think I'm going to like kicking your ass"

"Well that makes two of us then!" Monarch announces with a chuckle, before springing out of the cardboard boxes with a smirk. As he emerges from the boxes, he flings a shuriken in my direction. I easily dodge the metal star and dash forwards, punching at Monarch's head…or where his head should be as the masked man steps to the left and catches my hand with his fist. I throw forwards my other fist but this is stopped as well by Monarch's second hand.

"Okay, maybe I'm giving you a bit too much credit" he taunts me a chuckle "I REALLY would have expected you to be a whole lot more subtle than this"
"I don't exactly do subtle" I admit with a growl.
"So I can see" Monarch says with a grin "but I'm afraid you've battled yourself into a corner right now" At this, my eyes widen.

"What do you mean?" I ask with a growl.

"Can't you tell?" Monarch laughs "right now I'm blocking both of your arms, meaning that you can't hope to block any of my attacks now"
"Yeah, only there's a gaping hole in your strategy buddy" I reply with a grin "you may be blocking my arms from defending myself…but you're doing it with YOUR arms! How do you expect to attack me genius?"

"I have my ways" the masked man whispers. Immediately, I realise that something is wrong but I didn't know just how right I was. Suddenly, without warning, I feel a sharp object plunge straight into my left shoulder blade and I cry out loudly. The pain rings out from my back. Quickly realising that I needed to retreat, I kick at Monarch's leg and his grip weakens enough for me to slip away. Monarch staggers backwards because of my kick but never the less, looks quite pleased with himself.

Whilst he's distracted with his recovery, I grasp hold of the item lodged in my back and roughly tug the sharp object out of my body with a groan. The item hadn't cut as deep as I thought it would be but I can still feel a lot of pain from my shoulder. With a grunt, I bring the object that had inflicted such pain on to me forwards and I'm quite surprised to find myself looking at Monarch's throwing star. Quickly, I glance behind myself hoping to spot the person who attacked me. However, as I turn around, no-one's there and Monarch has started laughing again.

"Where's your friend?" I ask, turning to face my opponent with a glare. Monarch laughs louder in response to my question.

"Really? You REALLY think there's someone else in here?" he questions and I can almost see the smile behind his mask as he does so "I have given you WAY too much credit!" In a fit of sudden anger, I grip the ninja star tightly in my hand and flick it forwards towards Monarch. Of course, it's only meant to either distract him or injure his arm so I can take him down…only it turns out Monarch's more of a threat than I ever thought.

As the metal star soars straight at its target, Monarch holds up his palm and instantly, the shuriken stopped in its tracks, spinning in place. At this, my eyes widen.

"What the…how…how are you…"
"You're not the only one in this city with super powers my friend" Monarch replies, before pushing his palm towards the shuriken. As he does so, the metal throwing star flies straight towards me. Luckily, I'm now aware of Monarch's power, so I'm able to dodge the star before it cuts into my chest…only for Monarch to bring his hand towards himself, tugging the shuriken backwards, almost as if it was on a string, so that it slashes straight over my right hand palm.

I growl at the sudden pain and grab my hand, nursing the wound with my other hand. Monarch isn't finished quite yet, however, and continues to dictate the movement of the shuriken, causing it dance from left to right, constantly trying to slash at me. Despite my injured hand, however, I still manage to dodge the attacks, sliding around as I dodge the shuriken.

"Oh this is so amusing" Monarch comments with a laugh, watching quite happily as I dodge the piece of metal he is somehow manipulating "the great hero, the Scarlet Wind, reduced to a dancing idiot"

"Hey, you're just jealous because my dancing moves are so good" I say with a grin.

"Oh no, you've worked out my secret" Monarch jokes with a surprising amount of menace in his voice "I suppose that means I can't let you live now. Not to be a bore Scarlet, this little game of ours has been fun, but all good things must come to an end…so I suppose it's time that I started getting serious" at this threat, I brace myself for another attack as Monarch's hands dip into his jean pocket.

However, we are interrupted by a fairly loud and familiar sound.

A police siren calls out into the night.

For a moment, both I and Monarch freeze, glancing upwards as the sound of sirens hit our ears. Monarch stiffens up at the sound but quickly relaxes and once more lets out a laugh.

"What do you know? Looks like we're out of time" he comments with a chuckle "I'm afraid our little fight is over now"

"What?" I ask in confusion, but Monarch just shrugs in reply.

"You know what they say. Two's a company, three's a crowd and fourteen is way too many" Monarch laughs, gesturing to the flashing blue and red lights out of the window "party's over now, so I best grab my coat and leave…"

"What on earth would let you think that I'm going to let you get out of here?" I bark, leaping forwards to strike Monarch. However, as I do so, Monarch flicks his wrist and with a loud humming sound, a white metal board comes soaring out of the shadows nearby. I spot the approaching hover board and step backwards just in time to avoid being whacked by the rear end of the device.

As I dodge the hit, however, Monarch has already jumped from where he was standing and is now riding the hover board. As the board lurches from the sudden weight, however, Monarch appears to remain perfectly stationary, as if his feet and the board have suddenly become glued to the board.

"We'll definitely be seeing each other around Scarlet" he yells over the humming engine, before the hover board began to gain momentum, heading towards the giant metal door. As Monarch charges straight towards the door, he pushes his hand forward. As he flexes his palm forwards, the metal warehouse door easily pops out of place and flops down on the floor with an almighty clang.

My eyes widen at Monarch's display of power, but I can't afford to dwell on that fact for long. With my instincts suddenly taking over, I start running through the now open door after Monarch. Just as the hover board begins to ascend, I stretch my right arm forwards and, luckily enough, I manage to get a firm grip on the smooth surface. I've got to hand it to Bon.

His outfits aren't only stylish but very practical. Unfortunately, the speed of Monarch's hover board increases dramatically as it begins to fly upwards and, considering I've got such a good grip on it, I get pulled up after it. My feet leave the ground before I can react and in a matter of moments, I'm suspended high above the warehouse below. Immediately changing my opinion on Bon's craftsmanship of my gloves, due to a sudden wave of vertigo, I manage to give a small whistle of appreciation at the view.

"Man, they weren't kidding when they said the sky's the limits…" I joke before looking upwards at Monarch, who is somehow managing to ride the board vertically straight up. He turns back and seems to glare at me for a second, before a twitch of a smile returns to his face again.

"Persistent, aren't you my little elastic friend?" he taunts "you know I would really like it if you'd let go of my prototype jet board"
"And I would really like it if I got a private jet for Christmas, but you and I are both out of luck regarding that" I joke, grinning in response to his irritation. Monarch remains silent for one second before sighing loudly.

"What part of time out don't you get? I'll play with you some other day. As for right now though, I have places to go, things to do and I would appreciate it oh so much if you'd let go, so I can fly normally without being hampered by your dead weight" he explains, looking down at me with a glare.

"Oh no, you're not getting away. I've got a spotless record man. Every super villain I've fought so far I've beaten" I announce proudly "What on earth makes you think I'd let you go?"

"It's called gravity" Monarch replies, stomping his right foot backwards onto my hand. As it stomps down, my grip starts to slip and I let out a loud groan. Monarch continues talking regardless however "everyone on this planet is bound to obey the laws of nature. It's people like us who are exceptions to the rules…well, most of them, considering you can't fly"

"This isn't over" I shout, ignoring his ranting "I'm not letting you go"
"Oh, but it is and you are" Monarch says with a laugh "Our inevitable clash will have to be postponed I'm afraid. After all, I've got a lot of plans in mind for you and it wouldn't be fun if you died on our first meeting…despite how easy it would be. Maybe next time, we can finish this Scarlet" with one final stamp, my grip on the hover board completely shatters. For a moment, the winds seem to carry me upwards still but I soon realise I'm slowing down, where as Monarch is speeding away upwards, out of reach. Monarch's dark eyes gaze into my own and his laughter echoes in my mind.

"Until then, try to stay alive. Say hello to the ground for me" Monarch's last taunt calls out from above. That is the last thing that properly clicks into my head at that moment, however. It's all happening so fast. One second, I'm reaching out for Monarch's jet board as it soars away. The next, I'm falling downwards, plummeting faster and faster.

The wind is lapping at my face as I race downwards. Quickly readjusting myself in mid air with a spin to the side, I'm able to look down…at the courtyard area to the warehouse below that I'm quickly racing towards. I look around quickly. No buildings near enough that I can stretch too. I can't stop or slow my fall that way. I gulp loudly as I rush faster downwards.

I'm only a few seconds from the ground now. The Scarlet Wind becoming nothing more than a red smear on the floor? I didn't like that idea at all. I needed some sort of way to shield myself from the impact, some kind of insulation…

Insulation?
OF COURSE! I'M A RUBBER MAN, I'M NOTHING BUT INSULATION!

In a quick burst of genius, I take a deep breath, allowing the air pushing against my face to fill up my lungs. As I do so, my stomach starts to expand, until finally I resemble a large round ball…

Almost like a balloon…

It's the best I can do on short notice but I guess it will be enough to soften my landing.

Finally, I hit the floor. As I do so, my round belly bounces me back upwards…only for a sick feeling to rise from my chest. I attempt to hold in the feeling but am unsuccessful. I think I'm going to puke…but it's actually something more than that. As the feeling rises up my windpipe and exits my mouth, all of the air I've stored up in my lungs is forcefully ejected in a violent fashion. I deflate mid-bounce in my balloon state but luckily, the gust of air that shoots from my mouth slows my fall to a simple belly flop…onto a concrete floor.

Okay so my plan doesn't work perfectly, but it works a lot better than having me hitting the floor and going splat. I let out a groan as I collide with the ground (even if I do so a whole lot softer than I originally suspected).

"Monarch says hi…" I grunt into the floor. The floor remains silent in refusal to answer my call back to Monarch's request. Slowly, I push myself off the floor, only to flop on my back with an irritated moan. My muscles feel sore and my whole body is crying out in pain but apart from that, everything feels perfect...

Perfect except for the chance that I've just let Monarch get away that is…

Focus on the positives Luffy, the positives. You're still alive after all…and that's a start…

Unfortunately, Lady Luck seems to enjoy using me as her personal dart board, so my good luck doesn't last long…

At long last, the police cars I've been waiting for rush into the area, breaking down the barbed wire gates in the process. With a groan, I push myself off the floor and into a standing position. My head is still ringing like I've just fallen to the floor from a hundred feet in the air…which now I think about it is probably the case or at least a reasonable comparison. Never the less, I fight through my dazed state and look to the police officers piling out of their cars with a grin.

"Oh man, am I glad to see you guys! Look, there's not much time so we have to move quickly, the thief who was just breaking into this place…" my explanation is interrupted as the officers all point their pistols towards me. For a moment, I stand completely still, before blinking in confusion.

"Er…what are you guys doing?"
"Don't move a muscle!" one of the police officers calls angrily "you're under arrest" Apparently, this announcement did not sit well with one member of the police present.
"Captain Smoker instructed us to detain the vigilante until his arrival" a blue haired female police officer instructs the others, pushing her glasses up her nose with one finger as she glares at me. From the reaction the other officers give (lowering their weapons slightly) the woman appears to be the superior officer present.
"But Lieutenant Tashigi, we have the Scarlet Wind in our sights" another of the officers protests "The Chief said…"

"That if anyone spots Scarlet they're to arrest him on sight" the woman known as Tashigi repeats, before glaring at the man who she interrupted "but we take our orders from Captain Smoker and he's told us to keep the mutant here until he arrives"
"Mutant?" I ask, attracting the Lieutenant's attention "I take offense to that comment! I prefer to be called normality challenged!" apparently, Tashigi doesn't have much of a sense of humour, remaining stone faced despite my remark.

"Quiet criminal" she commands. I blink once more, my eyebrow rising slightly at my new nickname.

"Criminal? Seriously? We're doing this thing again? Look, I'm on your side!" I insist with open arms. Tashigi doesn't listen however and aims forward with her pistol, straight at my head.

"Move one inch and I'll shoot you right between your eyes" she threatens with a growl. I sigh at Tashigi and begin scratching my forehead.

"Look, I know you must be new to this whole thing (aiming a gun at me isn't really a smart idea, seeing as bullets don't really work on me) but like I said, I'm on your side! I'm not some criminal, I'm a superhero!"

"You're a vigilante" she corrects me "you're an insolent kid taking the law into your own hands!"

"Oh, don't give me the old 'you're breaking the law' speech, will ya?" I plead with a groan "been there, done that, bought the t-shirt"

"The reports were correct" Tashigi grumbles under her breath "he never does shut up"

"Look, I don't have time for this!" I interrupt with a sigh "the thief who was messing around here has just flown off on his hover board!" seeing the confused expression on her face, I growl in annoyance "I know it sounds weird but you're having a conversation with a rubber man, no is not the time to be logical! He's getting away! Maybe you should be focusing your efforts on the guy who's actually been committing crimes instead of focusing on me! I haven't done anything wrong!"

At that moment, a loud bang sounds out behind me and I turn around to see two more police officers come out of the warehouse.

"We searched the building like you asked Lieutenant" one of them shouts "we found a dead security guard inside. It looks like he somehow managed to trigger the alarm before he was killed"
"Not done anything wrong, huh?" Tashigi asks, refocusing her attention on me.

"I AM NOT A MURDERER!" I yell in reply, a feeling of guilt appearing in my stomach at the announced death. If I'd been a little quicker…maybe… "it was the thief who killed him!"

"The thief who conveniently disappears the second we arrive!" Tashigi questions with a laugh "yeah, I don't buy it. You're coming down to the station with us" I growl loudly at Tashigi's uncooperative nature. How stubborn can one police Lieutenant be?

"Look, I DIDN'T KILL HIM!" I insist with a growl "I'M INNOCENT HERE!"

"Tell that to the police officers who are just getting out of the hospital after that little summer rampage you pulled" Tashigi counters. Once more, the guilt in my stomach starts to bubble at the mention of my past experiences as a superhero.

"Okay, well I'm at least innocent of THIS PARTICULAR CRIME!" I argue, sweat racing down my face and a sick feeling rising in my throat "I've made mistakes and I know you've all got an axe to grind with me" several of the police officers exchange glances of disgust at my words "BUT TRUST ME, I WOULD NEVER KILL ANYONE!"

"You expect ME to trust YOU?" Tashigi asks with an insulted snarl "I heard you were a wise-cracker but I thought your jokes would actually be funny"
"I don't have time for this, Monarch's getting away!" I announce boldly, slinging my right arm upwards towards a nearby street lamp.

Tashigi simply responds by pulling the trigger of her pistol. Despite knowing the bullet won't hurt me, I still move out of the way of the shot, leaning to the right…and I'm rather glad I did. Instead of recognising the golden shine of a bullet soaring through the smoke and the ash at me, I see a thin black dart shoot out and stick into the ground nearby. My eyes widen at this discovery.

"This pistol is a dart gun" Tashigi explains simply "each dart is loaded with enough to tranquiliser to knock out a horse" I grimace at the sight of the dart, shuddering in my place. Great, more pointed edged weapons. Why was everyone so keen to exploit my weakness to sharp objects? Couldn't for once someone try to beat me with something less threatening, like suction cups or something like that?

"Okay, if you've got that, why are you not using it on me?" I ask, carefully watching the dart gun in her hands just in case she chooses to shoot at me again.

"My captain as ordered that if I spot you I'm to detain you until his arrival" Tashigi explains "he wants to meet with you personally"
"Big fan I take it…"

"Oh, you wish" Tashigi retorts "as soon as he gets…"

"TASHIGI! STAND DOWN!" a voice suddenly yells from afar and the luitenant jumps at the shout, before grinning with joy.

"Well, speak of the devil, looks like your time is up" Tashigi announces happily, before taking a few steps backwards. At first, I'm a little confused about this but all soon becomes apparent as I look over to the destroyed barbed wire gate entrance to the compound. There, strolling towards me, is a tall man with pale gray hair.

Surprisingly, the police captain isn't wearing the traditional police uniform. Instead, he is wearing an open white jacket, revealing a well defined set of muscles on his chest. In his mouth, he has not just one but two cigars sticking out, blowing smoke in all directions.

His parents must have been physic to name him 'Smoker' considering how quickly he must have picked up the habit. The gray haired man strolls over towards me, gripping a jutte strapped to his back. It seems like he's getting ready to fight with me. At the thought, my left shoulder suddenly starts aching, reminding me of how Monarch's shuriken cut into my shoulder earlier. I had been able to move fine before, but now my shoulder has had enough of all of this pain. It seems like every time I get into these super villain fights, I always end up severely battered, beaten and bruised.

Before, I used to get my fair share of injuries but I've noticed that as the number of super villains I've thought has increased, so has the amount of pain I've been feeling. Hospitals should really introduce special super hero discounts. It would definitely make my job a lot easier. Then again, that was a thought for later. All that mattered right now was that as much as I wanted to, I couldn't fight anyone in this state…and if I did, I certainly didn't want to fight with the police.

Not only does this Smoker guy look sort of tough, even if he is just your average police captain and doesn't have the ability to shoot lasers from his eyes…at least as far as I know, but any more scuffles with the police would only worsen my reputation amongst their ranks. I have to get out of here, right now. If I stay here and fight, things can only get worse. As Smoker approaches, he brandishes his jutte forwards, pointing it straight at my head.

"I'm afraid it's over for you now Crimson Squall, I'm taking you in!" he announces boldly. I can't help but snigger at his butchered attempt at my name.

"Crimson Squall? Really? That name is so last summer" I taunt, remembering the names the papers used to call me before I decided to officially take up the mantle of a superhero "it's the Scarlet Wind now buddy. You better remember that, because then you'll know exactly what to scream in rage as I make my daring escape"

"Your bravado may help you against the other members of the force but you won't stand a chance against me" Smoker calmly comments as he picks up speed in his walk. He's now only a few meters from me. I sigh in irritation.

"Look old man, I don't want to…" before the word fight can be uttered from my mouth, Smoker makes his move. I really should have seen it coming but since my arm is still stretched outwards, holding onto a street lamp, I can't dodge effectively. Because of that, I take the full force of Smoker's jutte smacking me in the face. I stagger slightly to the left and, on instinct, let go of the lamp post.

My right arm returns back to its normal length, more quickly than I could ever expected. In fact, it moves so fast that it doesn't stop at my side. The rebounding force of my arm returning to its normal length coupled with Smoker's attack means that my right arm shoots straight into Smoker's face. I hadn't been expecting Smoker to attack me but I definitely never expected that my elastic arm would do that. Smoker appears to be surprised too as the blow is enough to knock him to the floor.

Of course, the police captain recovers quickly into a kneeling position. I step away from the man as he wipes his bloody lip on his jacket's sleeve. As I move, I grip the side of my head where Smoker attacked and wince. My vision blurs for a second but luckily, I recover my sight pretty quickly, finally noticing Smoker's position on the floor.

"Lucky shot…" he growled in a low tone.

"Exactly that!" I quickly exclaim, putting more distance between myself and Smoker, before turning to the other police officers, who seem even more enraged that I just attacked their captain "YOU JUST SAW THAT, ALL OF YOU! I DID NOT MEAN TO HIT HIM! IT WASN'T MY FAULT, IT WAS THE ELASTIC REBOUND OF MY ARM THAT DID THAT! I DID NOT WANT TO…none of you are listening to me, are you?" the steadfast faces on the officers confirm my worst fears. I'm guilty until proven innocent and with one little mistake, I've suddenly become their public enemy number one. I sigh loudly and stretch my arm backwards, towards the roof of the warehouse.

"Fine then, if you won't play fair, then we're playing a new game. It's called Catch me if you can" I yell to the crowd of police officers. Smoker, however, clearly isn't done with me quite yet and quickly leaps to his feet.

"You're not getting away" he shouts, charging to tackle me to the ground. Luckily, however, I've been waiting for this. As Smoker dashes at me, I release my grip on the warehouse's roof and instead, jump upwards. With my rubber legs, I get a little extra height to my jump, so much so that I'm able to practically jump over Smoker. Smoker notices what I'm doing just as I leap over him but I'm not about to let my opportunity for escape pass me by. I place both of my feet together in a split second before planting them firmly on Smoker's back.

As soon as I make contact, I jump off Smoker's back. My legs kick Smoker straight forwards, causing him to run head first into the open warehouse, considering the large iron shutter was torn off previously by Monarch's powers. I hear the police captain stumble to the floor but I don't have the time to stop and apologise. As soon as I make my move, everyone starts shooting at me. Despite Tashigi's darts, it appears that all of the police officers are shooting me with bullets. I guess cutbacks to the force mean that they only get one crazy bitch with a dartgun per team.

Thank Oda that's all though. If ALL of the police officers had her kind of gun, I'd be getting an extreme form of acupuncture right now. Luckily, all of the bullets that make contact with me instantly rebound, giving me enough time to stretch my arm over to another nearby streetlamp and from there, I rocket my way forwards into the night. As I soar over the chaotic scene below, I glance backwards and catch sight of Tashigi.

Surprisingly, instead of taking the time to shoot at me, she has instead rushed over to her captain and is currently helping him up. Her face seems really red as she pulls him up off the floor. I shrug. She must have a cold or something like that.

Smoker, however, is not as kind to her in return, shouting loudly about 'him getting away' or something like that. By the time Smoker looks up, I'm too far away to be easily followed. Tashigi readjusts herself and fires a dart into the air but it pointlessly falls short of her target. Despite the disappearing threat, I don't stop moving. Where I am heading? Straight home! I've had one hell of a night and I think I'm finally ready to get some sleep.

I've met up with Hancock tonight, failed horribly in keeping her safe from her dad all because she locked me up in her wardrobe and I was too dazed and stupid to do anything about it, discovered a new super villain stalker who wants me dead, failed badly at catching him and now, I've only just escaped from a band of police officers who are now convinced I'm the most evil thing in this city.

I would ask if anything else could go wrong now but I'm too afraid to ask the question because, knowing my luck, things WOULD get worse.

"Sabo…" I breathed in despair instead "everything is getting so complicated. What should I do?"

No answer comes but a cold wind scraping my back. I sigh loudly.

Some superhero I'm turning out to be. I guess my luck from the other day didn't hold up too well.

"You've done enough tonight Scarlet. Go get some rest"

The sudden voice in my head jolts me awake and I immediately stop in my tracks. Luckily, I'm standing on a building when I decide this. I pause for a moment, looking around. That voice sounded like…

"Bellemere?" I ask, hoping for some reply. Silence is the only form of response I get. Once more, I sigh loudly "look at yourself Luffy, you're going insane. JUST what this city needs…"

Then again…it has been one hectic night…sleep would definitely help with my current headache. With that thought, my resolve and focus return and I start moving once more, heading for home.

I think I've had enough excitement tonight to last me a lifetime.

To be continued in Chapter 3: Polarity Act 4

Until then, I'm Shadowonthewall6 and I hope you enjoyed this latest chapter of the Scarlet Wind.

Please review. Positive criticism is advised.