CHAPTER 8 - Master of the Ark: Part 2
Giant waves slammed upon the ship's hull from the side, wrecking imbalance aboard. The zombies were persistent, showing no forms of emotion. On the other side, Law and his crew awaited an answer from Dr. Hogback.
"Very well." Moria's right-hand man had no choice but to comply with their demands. His enemies seemed the only ones capable of permitting and rescuing his boss in the storm.
"Are you sure about this, Tora-o?" Zoro asked.
"Yeah. The defeat of Moria and his gang is the least of our concern. But we'll need this crew against Jack."
"Don't tell me, you are going back to fight that pirate?" Shinobu was startled.
Law didn't reply. Shinobu knew that she was correct.
"I'm in. We'll need to face Kaido soon enough, and this might prove an advantage." Zoro said.
"You both are insane." Shinobu remarked.
Meanwhile, a few of the zombies brought Tomioka from the brig.
"Giyu!" Shinobu bellowed.
"Release him!" Hogback demanded.
Tomioka was conscious and was let loose from his binds. He received his blade and joined ranks with his allies.
"I wasn't expecting you all to follow me here." Tomioka mentioned.
"We couldn't leave you with the enemy." Shinobu said.
"We need the ship." Zoro mentioned, "So prepare for a mutiny."
"This isn't our ship. This is an invasion." Law reminded.
"Alright, we have agreed to your first demand. Now I must emphasise on the fact to save the Master."
"Wait!" a loud and familiar voice. Everyone gazed at the rear of the ship and found the silhouette of a giant figure. The Master survived the harsh waters. And beside him was seen the sharpshooter, who had rescued the ship Captain his hook shot.
"Master!" Hogback was overjoyed.
"Room! Shambles!" Law made a quick move and swapped himself with the sharpshooter. With the Master back onboard, Law knew the truce seemed at an end.
Everyone was shocked to find the man holding his sword next to Moria's neck.
"One move and he's dead." Law remarked.
"What the hell?" Moria was baffled.
"He will be held prisoner, and bestow the command of his zombies to us." Law stated his second demand.
"Very well!" Hogback agreed. He couldn't take the terror of Trafalgar Law anymore.
"Dr. Hogback!" Moria was furious about the deal.
Law pricked his neck with a small cut. Blood brew out of the wound.
"No words." he declared. Moria was annoyed yet terrified about his situation. He decided to keep his mouth shut. To their utter surprise, Law was glad to realise that the ship carried sea prism stone chains on deck. Hogback was hesitant. He ordered one of the zombies to retrieve the same. Moria was tied to the mast with Sea Prism chains. The zombies retained their shadows but were forced to step back.
Law was confident. He knew that he had made an impression of terror. Amidst a horde of nasty warriors, he singlehandedly managed to draw the enemy into the truce and make Moria submit, as a bonus. Dr. Hogback was beyond baffled. His mind was renowned as a doctor but struggled as a tactician. He really hoped Perona or Absalom were present.
"So what's the plan now?" Zoro asked Law, "You want to find Jack?"
"Not yet. I believe Jack would've brought an armada of troops with the number of his men we had seen back on the island. Our goal's to find a way back to the New World." Law said, "And before that, Giyu-ya and Kocho-ya shall need to get out of this mess. We need to drop them at a safer port."
"Trafalgar! I believe you are desperate in search of a way back?" Moria asked bounded to the mast.
Law caught his attention.
"This ship has the resources to get back to the New World."
"Speak." Law demanded.
"Kishishi... It'll be the last thing we'd do." Moria mocked.
"What do we do? There might be a map." Zoro asked.
"I'll take the secret to a watery grave if I'd have to. It's all inside here." Moria pointed to his head.
"We'll worry about that later." Law said, ignoring Moria, "Kocho-ya. Your map."
Shinobu took out her map and handed it to Law.
"We had departed from here. It's one of the largest ports in the country." Shinobu pointed upon the location of Tokyo on the island of Honshu.
"It'd expect security on the waters surrounding the large port. We'll have to land on a different shore." Law looked upon Shinobu and Tomioka. He looked for their opinion.
"We'll handle it." Tomioka replied, "And we appreciate your aid."
"Alright then, we have a heading." Law declared.
Despite being an enemy on the ship, the zombies began moving around and manned their stations. They considered the Surgeon of Death as a de facto leader after Moria was restrained. Law was believed a formidable enemy and couldn't be defeated with simple logic. Dr. Hogback knew better than the rest, joining the crowd, and acting on behalf of the truce until he found some opportunity. The storm developed for the worse and drove the ship beyond control. One of the observer zombies shouted from atop the mast.
"Maelstrom!"
The ship went off her course during the takeover event. It was caught well within an enormous whirlpool, showing no hope of an escape unless the sails caught wind against the tides. But the winds turned against the seafarers making things worse for the ship and her men.
"We cannot escape this." Tomioka said, observing the magnitude of the large whirlpool.
"A Coup de Burst would've been really helpful right now." Zoro said, "Oars! Off to the oars!"
It wasn't a bad idea, as it was the only possibility. And the others seemed to agree. Most of the zombies took to their oars and paddled along with Zoro and Tomioka.
"Will we make it?" Shinobu asked.
"I don't know. We can only hope for the paddles." Law replied.
He believed that there was a chance with the brute force present onboard. But the ship turned for the worse when a cannonball hit straight on the port side. Water poured in.
"My ship!" Moria bellowed.
"Patch the damage!" Dr. Hogback shouted.
Law found the most unsettling site. Jack and his crew were at a safe distance taking aim upon a possibly doomed ship. Kaido's henchman had five ships at his disposal and seemed fully equipped with ammo.
"Fire back!" Law ordered.
"But the cannons shall be inaccurate and ineffective from this position." said a zombie cannoneer.
"Doesn't matter. The cannons shall slow them down. Send all the men to their stations. This ship won't last long without retort." Law explained.
The cannoneer went downstairs along with a horde of zombies and prepared the guns.
"Jack, you stupid bastard!" Moria recognised the ship.
"This whirlpool is outrageous." Law remarked, looking back upon their natural trouble.
"Can you use your powers like before?" Shinobu asked.
"I would've done it if I could've." Law said, "We will need to trust the job to the paddlers. As for us, we should stop Jack from getting in our way."
Shinobu agreed and rushed to the port side of the ship with Law. Cannons poured in from Jack's armada.
"Room!" Law stopped the shots cutting down the cannonballs. Shinobu aided him on the other side with the help of Zoro's Kitetsu. The weapons on their ship were ready to fire. The cannoneers let loose their share of cannonballs against Jack's armada. The troops in-charge of the oars managed to make a difference against the formidable vortex pulling the ship full portside against the malevolent current.
A difficult battle went on the turbulent seas, and everyone was putting everything against the odds. They observed that Jack and his ships were falling behind from their retort of cannon fire. But little did they realise that the whirlpool posed a much bigger threat than its relentless currents.
"What is that?" One of the zombies bellowed, looking overhead.
Large limbs shadowed the ship from a towering height.
"What in the world?" Shinobu couldn't believe her eyes.
"We need to stop that thing!" Zoro dropped his oars.
"Kraken!" Moria shouted, "Trafalgar, let me out of these chains. I will not die like this."
The sea monster was well-suited against the weather and showed no mercy as it bashed its tentacles upon the ship. Everyone was thrown back from the surprise attack. The limbs grabbed the ship and began pulling it down underneath the waves.
"Someone do something!" Dr. Hogback shouted in vain.
Everyone had been preoccupied against the odds and could've done little to counter the moment. The sea monster was fast, and it didn't take long to drown the ship into its abyss.
TO BE CONTINUED...