Chapter 9: The Devil Hunters
Disclaimer: I still do not own One Piece, but not through lack of trying…
Previously:
The pirates recently arrive in Mock Town on the island of Jaya, and have a very unpleasant stay.
While Luffy and the others are away, Vivi is approached by three men, who are seeking the Sand Sand fruit. The Sand Sand fruit that she has already eaten, and that will only reincarnate again when she dies…
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Tashigi jammed the speaker of the transponder snail to her ear, trying to listen to the report despite the noise of the men doing drills in the background. The battleship was cutting through the waves like a leviathan, all the while the marines scattered around the deck. Every cannon had been loaded and readied. Every blade was sharpened and every rifle was cleaned.
This time, Smoker would not allow the pirates to escape. The deadline was getting closer. A date had already been set for Smoker's and Tashigi's court-martial, and it didn't look hopeful. A Vice-Admiral was already heading from Headquarters to capture Monkey D. Luffy personally. The only way that their career would survive is if the pirates did not.
The captain was on the prow of the ship, practising his rock-balancing with his brow furled in concentration. Captain Hina was at the other side, running the men through their drills. After a few minutes, Tashigi hung up the transponder snail and rushed over to Smoker's side.
"Captain!" Tashigi called. "There's news! The Straw Hat pirates have been spotted on Mock Town, on the island of Jaya."
He nodded, not looking away from his rocks. "We're close," he said eventually. "I had hoped to catch them before Jaya, but it seems they've slipped past us. Never mind, we can be in Mock Town by nightfall and cut them off in the harbour. Pass the orders onto the helmsmen."
Tashigi hurried off. As she left, Hina sat down carefully next to Smoker. "You know there's going to be a riot if we bring a Marine battleship into a pirate town," she said with concern.
"We don't have a choice," Smoker countered, but he was worried too. The situation was rapidly falling out of his control.
Tashigi ran back to his side quickly. "Course has been set, sir!" She confirmed. "We've got a good wind behind us too."
Smoker cleared his throat. "Lieutenant, has there been any word of the Straw Hat's new epithet?" He asked with a frown.
She shook her head. "No, sir."
"Hmm…" The captain grunted. "Damn Headquarters, it takes them ages to do anything."
Tashigi hesitated. "Although there was one other bit of information," Tashigi said finally. "But I'm not sure about it. Apparently, someone else was spotted in Mock Town. A man named Dan Marcus…"
Instantly, Smoker's gaze darkened. "That bastard…" he growled under his breath.
Tashigi looked confused. Next to him, Hina looked just as annoyed. "Who, sir? I tried to search for him, but I couldn't find a bounty or anything."
"That's because he's not a pirate," Smoker explained sourly. "He's a Devil fruit hunter." He practically spat the words out. "He sells Devil fruits to everyone, primarily the Marines, and in return we have to turn a blind eye to his more… violent tendencies."
She frowned. "Is he dangerous?"
"Dangerous?" Smoker scoffed. "The man is an utter psychopath."
The pirates walked through the town in silence, with Luffy leading the way and trying very hard not to turn around. The inhabitants of Mock Town gave them a wide berth, and the moonless night was gravely silent as they exited the town back towards the Going Merry.
They were just passing through the forests of Jaya, when finally Nami could take it no more.
"Luffy…" She asked quietly. "What was that man talking about?"
The captain didn't respond straight away. The rest of the crew was quiet, but completely focused on Luffy's answer.
"It's not important," he replied finally. It was the best answer he could come up with. Truth was, what he was feeling was hard to put into words.
Nami hesitated, choosing her next question carefully. "Luffy… ever since Alabasta… have you been feeling alright?"
He simply shrugged, careful not to meet her eyes.
Nami looked like she wanted to ask more questions. Her eyes darted around the others uneasily. She had never even imagined Luffy killing a man, even one like Bellamy, so easily. Still, Robin placed a hand on her shoulder, gently advising her not to ask anything more.
They barely made it another dozen steps when suddenly a shrill shriek split the air. They all recognised the voice and the direction.
"That's Vivi!" Sanji shouted with panic, and instantly started running.
Luffy was faster.
"What are you doing?" Vivi screamed, trying to thrash against her captor. The Seastone handcuffs were on tight, and Marcus' grip was iron.
"Don't struggle now, beautiful," Marcus said, almost soothingly, while lifting her body roughly over his shoulder. She kicked as hard as she could, but he didn't seem to care. "Let's not make it any worse than it has to be."
Behind her, Berrit was busy making quick work of Usopp and Chopper. The large man was phenomenally strong and hit hard. Vivi heard the frenzied quacking as Carue tried to charge Berrit, followed by a dull thud and the sound of Carue dropping to the ground.
Isaac looked mildly annoyed with the situation, but didn't say anything.
Vivi's heart was racing. Her vision started to blur. She started screaming, but nobody seemed to care. Marcus was whistling happily even as he carried her away over his shoulder, twirling his knife absent-mindedly.
Through her fuzzy vision, Vivi glimpsed the limp bodies of her friends, yet they were quickly swallowed by the darkness. She was squirming and thrashing madly. She tried to even twist and bite Marcus' ear off. Her heart was pounding furiously, the dread seeped into her bones.
"Vivi!" A thunderous voice shrieked, and her heart fluttered. She saw a rapidly approaching figure flying across the ground, leaving a dust trail behind him.
"Luffy !" Vivi shouted in pure relief. Marcus stopped walking, but didn't look even slightly concerned. Luffy was running furiously towards them, and getting closer quickly.
"Who's this joker?" He asked finally, glancing towards Isaac.
"Monkey D. Luffy, aka 'Straw Hat' Luffy," Isaac answered in a bored drawl. "Although he does seem to be missing a straw hat. A pirate, worth 200 million."
Marcus simply scoffed. His grip on Vivi didn't slacken one bit.
"What are you doing with Vivi?" Luffy bellowed, not slowing down one bit. He was instantly so angry his eyes were practically glowing red.
"Listen, kid!" Marcus called out dismissively. Luffy was getting much closer now, and not stopping. "I've got no business with you! I'm just taking beautiful here and then I'll be on my—"
That was the last thing he managed to say before suddenly Luffy's fist collided with his face. The impact caused a small shockwave. Marcus' body blurred before he flew backwards, smashing through nearby trees.
"Vivi!" Luffy instantly had his arms around her, catching her as she fell from Marcus' grasp. "Are you alright? Who are these guys?"
The princess just hugged him tightly, gasping for air too deeply to do anything other than hold him and stammer uselessly. Luffy held her closely, but his eyes focused intently on Isaac and Berrit.
Neither of them sighed even slightly shocked by Marcus' sudden disappearance. As a matter of fact, Berrit was sniggering to himself, while Isaac was rubbing his eyes with exasperation.
"We're Devil fruit hunters," Isaac explained slowly. All former civility was gone. "We're after the Sand Sand fruit. We're going to take the princess here to some deserted island, slit her throat, and then catch the Devil fruit as it reincarnates." There wasn't a hint of emotion in his voice. "And you, Monkey D. Luffy, have just made the stupidest and most painful mistake of your life."
Luffy looked between the two of them uncertainly, but neither of them were making a move. "Vivi," he said in a hushed voice. "Run in that direction; the others will be coming shortly. I'll stay here and take care of these two—"
There was a sudden crash from the nearby trees. The collapsed tree trunks shoved out of the way. Isaac was looking at Luffy almost pityingly.
"That's it!" An enraged voice screamed. Marcus emerged from darkness, pushing a huge tree trunk to the side with one hand. He was angry, but otherwise looked completely unharmed. "Don't you have any manners? What sort of man punches a guy when he's talking?"
His clothes were dirty and covered in twigs, but there wasn't even a mark of his skin from Luffy's vicious punch. Marcus' eyes glinted in darkness.
"Vivi, run," Luffy whispered, before letting an unwilling Vivi go. Marcus was walking forward slowly, not seemingly in any rush. In an instant, Luffy was charging through the air. His muscles bulging and his arm pulled back in a furious arc, like a gun ready to explode…
Yet there was no impact. Luffy's fist just stopped inches away from Marcus' smirking face, while the pain jarred his arm.
"Is that it?" Marcus said sceptically. "Is this seriously what 200 million is worth? The Marines are just throwing money away nowadays."
Luffy recoiled in shock, clutching his fist. His knuckles were bleeding heavily, even though they never collided with anything. Every nerve in his hand was screaming in pain.
"What the—" Luffy exclaimed in agony. Marcus just kept on smirking. The insanity in his eyes was glowing brightly now.
"I hunt Logias for a living," Marcus explained with a sociopathic grin. "Did you really expect me not to have a seriously powerful Devil fruit?"
He was giggling now, a mad little chuckle as he slowly lifted his hand.
"Allow me to show you what real power is…" he muttered, just before he punched forward.
It shouldn't have been a powerful blow. It was barely more than a casual swipe. His hand was moving slowly, and his fist didn't even get anywhere near Luffy. Still, as soon as Marcus' arm extended, the air around him seemed to shimmer.
Suddenly, everything exploded, and Luffy flew backwards like a rag doll. Even the ground exploded from the shockwave. Luffy's body disappeared into the distance and collided in the forest with a dull thud.
Marcus was already starting to slowly walk after him. "You two take care of beautiful here," he ordered to Berrit and Isaac. He was smiling like a maniac consistently. "I'm going to go have some fun."
Isaac sighed disappointedly, but not particularly surprised. Marcus disappeared into the woods, leaving Vivi looking around the scene with absolute horror.
Berrit was standing above her now, with Isaac by her side. The Seastone cuffs were still tight around her wrists.
"Now then, princess," Isaac said kindly. "Let's not make this any more difficult than necessary. Why don't you just come with us, and…"
His voice trailed off as he glanced at the group that was running towards them. Sanji was leading the charge, looking so furious he was practically on fire, but Zoro was right behind him.
"Well, this is just goddamn brilliant," Berrit grouched, cracking his knuckles and preparing for a fight. "Things are never goddamn simple, are they?"
Luffy landed into the forest so hard that he crashed through several trees, skidding across the ground, and caused a small crater through the bramble. Around him, several birds erupted from the branches with a weird chirping noise.
Luffy knew that he had broken bones, but, weirdly, he couldn't feel any pain. That hadn't been a punch. It felt like his body had been repeatedly brutalised by a dozen sledgehammers in the span of a second. His head was spinning so quickly it was hard to focus on anything.
What the hell was that guy? Luffy thought in a frenzied panic, what sort of power did he have?
In the darkness, Luffy could hear whistling. It was a weirdly upbeat, jovial tune that spilt through the night, followed by the sound of footsteps. Luffy's body screamed in agony as he tried to move. His muscles felt like they had been torn to shreds. Finally, he managed to stand up, panting for breath as he pulled both of the knives on his belt.
I should be stronger than this, he thought grimly, I would be stronger if I still had the Gum Gum fruit…
"Are you still alive, pirate?" Marcus' voice called, as casual as if he were walking in the park. "Come on, I expected more than this."
The man came into view. His eyes seemed to glint in the darkness. Luffy didn't even hesitate, and responded by flinging one of his blades straight at Marcus' face.
The knife didn't even get close. Marcus never even flinched. Instead, as soon as the knife approached him, it seemed to hit an invisible barrier and drop to the ground. The metal blade shattered into pieces.
"As if," Marcus sounded bored. He just kept on walking to Luffy, his hands in his pockets.
Luffy's teeth gritted. This man was going to kill Vivi. He refused to let that happen. With every ounce of strength he had, Luffy turned around and wrapped his arms around a nearby tree trunk, screaming with the exertion. After a futile struggle, the massive tree broke with a colossal groan and lifted out of the ground in a shower of dirt, leaves and brambles. Marcus didn't even look impressed as Luffy heaved it upwards and slammed the tonnes of wood directly on to Marcus' head.
The tree hit the ground so hard that the earth shook. Luffy panted with satisfaction, but that was short-lived. There was sudden creaking of wood being splintered, before half the tree seemed to burst open. Marcus casually stepped out of debris in a shower of wood chips. His tattered clothes were even more filthy, but the man never looked hurt at all.
The shock left Luffy momentarily paralysed, and then Marcus darted forward with surprising speed. In an instant, Marcus' hand was around Luffy's throat. Luffy tried to strike with his second knife, but Marcus simply grabbed his wrist.
There was a sickening crack as Marcus tightened his grip on Luffy's wrist slightly. The knife dropped to the ground. Luffy started screaming.
"You know, I just realised something," Marcus said, conversationally. "I never introduced myself, did I? How incredibly rude of me."
He tightened his grip around Luffy's neck slightly. "I was born Dan Marcus, but I have another name as well," he smirked. "They call me 'The Demonic'…"
With that, he kicked upwards and his foot collided with Luffy's stomach. The air around him started to shimmer. Suddenly, everything exploded and Luffy was rocketing backwards, shooting through the forest. Luffy crashed straight through three trees before barrelling into a house on the outskirts of Mock Town. Blood splattered the ground.
Marcus was whistling again as started walking after Luffy.
Zoro and Sanji led the charge, forcing Isaac and Berrit backwards away from Vivi and the ship. Nami instantly ran to Vivi side and tried to use the sword to force off the Seastone handcuffs, while Robin stood at the back, observing the duo cautiously.
Five seconds later, Usopp and Chopper recovered and joined the fight. Usopp was beaten and bruised but had a surprisingly monstrous amount of stamina, and the sniper quickly loaded up explosive rounds into his slingshot. Chopper recovered quickly as well, staying in his Heavy point form, but he had a rumble ball close to hand.
The seven pirates surrounded the two Devil fruit hunters threateningly. Neither of them looked particularly worried.
"Well, this is unfair," Isaac said finally, casually removing his glasses. He had weirdly bright blue eyes. "Seven against two seems like very poor sportsmanship. Can't we just discuss this like gentleman?"
No one answered. Zoro's swords seemed to growl angrily. Sanji was almost bursting with rage. Isaac just stood completely calmly, yet his eyes appeared to glow softly.
"I guess that's a no, then?" Isaac muttered. "Still, look at this from our perspective - we're just trying to do our jobs. I mean, the Sand Sand fruit belonged to us originally. We're well within our right to take back our property."
At that, Sanji finally snapped. The chef spun around and launched forward with an arcing kick, but someone he ended up going in the wrong direction. Sanji ended up kicking towards Zoro, which seemed to surprise both of them.
"What the hell are you doing?" Zoro growled, narrowly avoiding the attack.
"I…" Sanji seemed confused. "I don't know! I was trying to kick him!"
At the same time, Chopper transformed into his Walk Point and charged, his reindeer horns glinting. However, Chopper galloped in the complete wrong direction, almost colliding headfirst into a nearby tree.
"What's going on here?" Nami exclaimed, but she was suddenly blinking a lot. She was feeling very dizzy suddenly.
Usopp tried to fire off an explosive round, but as soon as he realised it he realised that he was aiming at the wrong place. He blinked several times, but everything seemed… wrong.
Isaac never even flinched. He stood completely calm. His eyes were practically pulsing now.
"It's him…" Robin realised finally. She was blinking a lot too, and swaying uncertainly. "He's got some sort of power…"
Sanji looked around nervously. He was trying to feel around his surroundings, but tripping a lot. It was like all of his perceptions had been inverted. Sanji stared at Isaac, or at least, he stared at where he thought Isaac was. "You…" The chef growled. "Are you… hypnotising us?"
Isaac just smiled. "Hypnotising?" He mused. His eyes shimmered eerily. "Are you kidding? I can't do creepy stuff like that."
He started to walk forward slowly. Sanji tried to stop him, but ended up hitting nothing but air.
"This is the power of the Daze Daze fruit," Isaac said with an arrogant grin. "Right now, I'm simply… altering your senses a bit. I'm affecting your depth perception, your hand-eye coordination, your sense of direction."
Usopp loaded up another round. Isaac looked at the sniper doubtfully. "Are you sure you want to do that?" He said with a raised eyebrow. "After all, how can you be sure at what you're actually aiming at? You might hit any of your friends…."
The sniper hesitated uncertainly. The dizziness was stronger now, and everything just seemed wrong. Usopp's hand shook with doubt.
"Now, then…" Isaac continued, looking down at Vivi. "I don't want to fight. That is why we're simply going to take the princess here and lea—"
Suddenly, he was interrupted by a slashing noise. Zoro was charging at him, the three blades cutting through the air. The attack took Isaac completely by surprise, and he barely managed to dodge backwards…
"How…?" Isaac gasped, forced to retreat under Zoro's furious onslaught. "But I'm in your head! I've completely blocked your sense of direction!"
"Then the jokes on you," Zoro growled, throwing his blades in a furious slash. "… I don't have a sense of direction! "
Isaac looked shocked, yet Zoro was relentless. The slender man had to run backwards to avoid the flashing blades. Behind him, Berrit was just laughing at his companion's situation.
"Unbelievable… that moss head's lack of direction is actually good something," Sanji deadpanned. The chef was stumbling around trying to find his bearings, but he lost all sense of where anything was. He couldn't join the fight when there was a chance he might hit one of the women.
Meanwhile, Nami managed trying to pry off Vivi's handcuffs with her blade. Fortunately, they hadn't been put on tightly, and they were moving. Her slender hands were slipping through the handcuffs slowly.
"Luffy's in trouble!" Vivi hissed in a worried voice. "He's facing the third one alone, and that guy was strong!"
"It's alright," Nami soothed. "We'll take care of these guys, and then go help him."
Finally, the handcuffs opened enough for Vivi to pull her hands out. "I'm going to help him now!" Vivi insisted, before running off into the woods.
"Vivi!" Nami tried to run after her, but Isaac's power was still affecting her. Nami tripped over a root and landed face first in the mud.
"I'll go after her," Robin shouted loudly, quickly running after the princess. Robin was dizzy as well, but she was using her abilities to create a line of hands across the ground to support herself as she ran after Vivi into the forest.
The large man, Berrit, seemed to find this funny. "Oi! Isaac! Our goddamn target is getting away!" He laughed.
"I'm a bit busy!" Isaac grunted. For all he was defenceless against Zoro's blades, he was doing a very good job in dodging the attack. Zoro was quickly getting irritated.
If anything, Sanji was even more annoyed. The dizziness was completely incapacitating him. "Marimo!" The chef demanded. "Hurry up and beat that guy so I can fight! The ladies need me!"
"I'm trying!" Zoro snapped, before snarling at Isaac. "Fight, you coward!"
Isaac simply laughed. "The truth is…" He admitted sheepishly. "That I'm not really that good at the physical side of fighting."
Suddenly, a large shadow towered over Zoro. "But that's alright…" Berrit grinned, joining in for the first time. "Because I'm really goddamn good at it!"
Zoro tried to avoid it, but the large man was fast. Berrit's hand shot out and lightly touched against Zoro's shoulder.
In an instant, Zoro collapsed to the ground. It felt like he had just been hit over the head with a large hammer. His body crumpled and folded over. His teeth gritted while blood filled up his mouth.
"My power is a lot less subtle than his," Berrit laughed. "I ate the goddamn Stomp Stomp fruit. I am a Stomper Man! Everything I touch gets goddamn stomped on!"
Berrit's heavy boot hit Zoro squarely in the chest, but it was followed by an even worse impact. Suddenly, the swordsman was slammed into the ground and landed in a Zoro-sized crater.
Usopp and Chopper screamed in shock. Berrit cracked knuckles, while Isaac straightened his tie.
"I'll stop them from fighting back," Isaac explained simply, his eyes pulsing eerily. "You stomp on them. Got it?"
"As if you needed to ask…" Berrit grinned.
Marcus kept on whistling. Even as he continued to fling Luffy around Mock Town, crashing through buildings, Marcus just kept on strolling and whistling.
A house exploded in a shower of wooden splinters and rubble. Luffy's limp body crashed through the rubble with breakneck force, before shooting out the other side and skidding across the road like a ragdoll fired from a cannon. He was bleeding from so many cuts that it was a wonder he even had any skin left. The pain was so intense he could feel it in his bones. His muscles screamed in agony, but Luffy pushed himself to his feet with pure force of will.
"Are you seriously worth 200 million?" Marcus asked sceptically, walking casually towards Luffy with his hands in his pockets. Around them, the citizens of Mock Town were fleeing for their lives, but Marcus didn't seem to care. A huge trail of rubble had been carved through the town from their one-sided fight.
Marcus never even had a scratch on him. He never dodged, but Luffy's punch had yet to even make contact. Luffy's knuckles were numb from his attempts. The Devil fruit hunter had a really strange ability…
The pirate gritted his teeth, panting heavily, while slowly levering off Smoker's jitte from across his back. Luffy gripped the handle firmly, while his muscles tensed and his breath became calm. He had to end this now. This man was dangerous, and Luffy would not allow him to hurt Vivi.
You will not hurt my friends, Luffy thought firmly, a blazing anger igniting his stomach, driving away the pain. They are precious to me!
With every ounce of strength he had left, Luffy's body exploded into action. His feet slammed against the ground so hard he left a trail of dust, and suddenly he was bursting straight towards Marcus, swinging the jitte around in circles. A millisecond before impact, Luffy darted towards the side. With his other hand, Luffy grabbed a large piece of stone rubble and flung it towards his opponent.
Marcus didn't even flinch. As soon as the projectile came within two feet of his body, it shattered into dust. It was enough of a distraction for Luffy to get behind him, using both hands to swing the jitte downwards with jaw-shattering speed.
Around him, the air was shimmering. Luffy could feel the jitte vibrating so hard it threatened to pulverize the bones in his hand, yet with a wordless scream of fury Luffy pushed onwards. A glint of annoyance flashed across Marcus' face.
"Seastone…" He growled irritably. "Cute."
The Devil fruit hunter was forced to dodge backwards, and Luffy felt a flash of victory. This was the first time that Marcus had actually shown concern for this fight. Luffy pressed onwards, bringing the jitte around in a lightning fast swipe towards Marcus' face.
"Still, that's the thing with Seastone…" Marcus smirked. Around him, the air was shimmering so hard it looked like it was sparkling orange. "… It only makes a difference if it actually touches you."
The jitte stopped instantly, as if it collided with a brick wall. Luffy screamed with pain as the impact felt like it crushed his hands. Almost lazily, Marcus reached out and grabbed the jitte, staying away from the Seastone tip, and casually tightened his grip. The jitte vibrated furiously for a second, before it shattered into a cloud of metal dust. The Seastone tip fell to the ground.
"Oops," Marcus teased. Luffy was left holding a useless handle, but there was too much momentum behind him and he couldn't get away fast enough. Marcus followed through with a sweeping kick, colliding against Luffy's chest.
The impact exploded like a ton of dynamite. The shockwave shattered every nearby pane of glass. Luffy was sent flying backwards, smashing through an entire row of houses.
Marcus just laughed. He started whistling again before following the trail of destruction left by Luffy's body.
He barely made it a dozen steps, before suddenly Luffy exploded from the debris, his fist smashing towards Marcus' head. Luffy's clothes were tattered into shreds. His body was covered in blood, while his face was twisted in animalistic fury.
"Ok, you get points for persistence," Marcus admitted. Luffy's arm stopped against the shimmering shield surrounding Marcus' body, and Marcus lazily swatted Luffy to the ground. Marcus looked vaguely confused. "You know, I was pretty sure that I broke every bone in your knuckles. How are you still capable of punching me?"
Luffy was left motionless on the ground. Marcus sighed, crouching down next to him. He placed his foot over his chest, pinning Luffy to the ground. Absentmindedly, Marcus picked up a nearby stone, holding it flat in the palm of his hand.
"Look, it's like this," Marcus explained, motioning at the stone. "Imagine all those molecules, right? Molecules everywhere. My power causes all those molecules to vibrate. And when they vibrate, the object falls to pieces very quickly."
In the palm of his hand, the air surrounding the stone started to shimmer. The next second, the stone was cracking into pieces and turning into dust, floating away into nothingness.
"That's my power," he explained happily. "I can shred anything. I ate the Shred Shred fruit. I am a Shredder man."
Luffy couldn't even resist as Marcus casually placed his hand over his chest. There was a maniacal smile on Marcus' face as he continued. "I can shred any attack that comes near me. I can magnify any of my attacks with my ability. I can turn anything into nothing." He extended his finger slowly. The air was shimmering. "Watch this."
Marcus pressed down his finger against Luffy's chest. There was a sickening crunch. Luffy screamed in pain. "That's one rib broken!" Marcus shouted gleefully. He moved his finger slightly. There was another crack. "Two ribs broken! Do you want to see how many we can break before you finally die?"
His voice was filed with pure psychopathic joy and insanity. Luffy was screaming and coughing up blood. Still, Luffy refused to give up. Luffy's hand extended and grabbed the remaining blade from his belt, and flashed the knife upwards in a murderous strike.
Marcus was standing too closely for his power to shred the knife in time. The Devil fruit hunter was forced to dodge out the way, but the knife still scraped against his cheek, drawing blood.
Luffy pulled himself up slowly. His body was screaming with agony, but Luffy didn't even care. He clutched his knife firmly, staring at the blood on the blade.
"So you can be hurt," Luffy muttered finally, gripping his blade firmly. His voice was hoarse from the blood in his mouth. "I've just got to get close to you. And if you can hurt, then you can die."
Marcus chuckled. He ran a finger across the cut on his cheek, before licking the blood on his finger. "Yep, that's right," Marcus laughed. "But anyone who gets close, gets shredded."
Around them, it looked like a bombshell had hit the town. The buildings were pulverised. The sounds of footsteps were fading, as it seemed like the entire town had evacuated. It was dark and there were pitch black clouds approaching over the horizon, but Luffy was completely focused on Marcus.
Suddenly, a tense shout split the standoff. "Luffy!" A voice called, and Luffy recognised it straight away.
"Vivi!" Luffy shouted back with sudden concern. "Get away from here! He's after you!"
The approaching footsteps were clearly audible. Vivi appeared at the end of the street, running towards Luffy. Both men turned to stare at her.
"Ah! Beautiful!" Marcus shouted happily, walking towards Vivi. "You know, I was going to look for you after I was done with him."
Luffy exploded with rage. "Don't you dare hurt her!" He bellowed angrily, swinging his leg at Marcus in a vicious kick. Marcus didn't even turn around, but Luffy was sent crashing backwards from a wave of the Shred Shred ability.
Vivi shouted in shock, firing both of her Peacock Slashers at Marcus in a blur of speed. The spinning disks were deflected harmlessly. Grunting, Vivi focused on her Devil fruit abilities, and summoned a blade of sand bursting from a swing of her arm.
The air shimmered and it seemed like every single grain of sand dispersed as it approached Marcus. With a surge of speed, Marcus rushed forward with an uppercut that exploded the air around her. Vivi had time to prepare, but the impact still sent her crashing to the ground.
"That… hurt?" She gasped, staring at the blood from numerous cuts across her arms. She wasn't adept with her powers yet, but she was sure that she should have phased through that punch.
"Surprised?" Marcus smirked. "My abilities work on a molecular scale. Not even Logia can avoid them."
He stared downwards at her. "You could end this all now," he teased. "All you have to do is come with us. We'll leave all your friends alone, I promise. Otherwise, they're all going to die because of you."
She was left motionless. Marcus' smirk widened. He was laughing even as he brought his fist downwards straight at her.
Instantly, soft hands appeared around Vivi and dragged her backwards. Marcus' fist collided against the ground, pulverizing stone into dust. Nico Robin emerged from the darkness, her hands crossed in front of her chest as she stared with anger.
"Two beautifuls!" Marcus chuckled madly, cracking his knuckles. "Today is my lucky day! Perhaps I can't kill the Sand Sand fruit here, but I have no problem in ripping off—"
His voice was cut off by a ton of rubble crashing down on him. Luffy was screaming wordlessly from behind, every vein bulging as he threw a house straight at Marcus. The Devil fruit hunter disappeared in a pile of debris.
"Robin! Get Vivi out of here!" Luffy shouted loudly. He was bleeding so heavily it was a wonder he was still moving. "I'll hold him off."
Vivi gasped as she saw the state of his body. It looked like Luffy had fallen into a meat shredder. "Luffy! You're…" Her voice choked. "… You can't beat him alone."
"I can hold him off," Luffy growled. "Get away from here."
"But—"
"No." His tone was uncharacteristically sharp. "He's after you. Run away, get to the ship and start sailing. If you're gone, then they'll leave."
"What about you?" Vivi asked breathlessly. Behind her, the rubble of the house was starting to shift.
"We'll meet up later," Luffy promised, turning around to face Marcus. "But you've got to leave right now."
Calmly, Robin placed her hand on Vivi's shoulder and started to pull her backwards. Luffy was already staggering away. The sound of laughter was echoing from the rubble. Vivi gulped, trying to fight back, but Robin's grip was firm.
"Yet we can't just leave him-" She protested.
"Follow your captain's orders," Robin said firmly, in a tone that left no room for argument. For the first time, Vivi stared at the older woman. For all her body was calmer, her eyes were just as worried. Vivi relented, and the two of them turned to run out of the town.
Marcus was laughing as he emerged from the debris. He stared at the running women with unconcealed glee. "Did you really think I would just let you get away?" He growled, starting to run after them. He barely made it two steps before Luffy crashed into him, sending them both scattering to the ground.
"I'm your opponent! " Luffy roared, tackling Marcus down. "You will not touch them."
It was agonisingly painful just being so close to Marcus, yet Luffy forced his way through the shimmering air with pure determination. Marcus was left shocked as suddenly Luffy was on top of him, and the pirate's hands were wrapping around Marcus' neck.
Luffy's arms were trembling from the effort. Cuts emerged across his skin as he arms were being slowly shredded, but Luffy's grip was like iron as he tightened his fingers around Marcus' windpipe.
Marcus was gasping for breath, but still trying to laugh even as Luffy strangled him. With Marcus hands, he punched against Luffy's chest. Each blow felt like a cannon blast. Luffy managed to endure five of them before he finally collapsed.
Marcus pulled himself up, rubbing at his bruised neck. He was laughing. "You've definitely got persistence" He admitted. His eyes glinted gleefully. "I can get beautiful later. Let's see how long you can survive against me."
Luffy was struggling to breath with broken ribs. His bones felt like they had been ground into dust. It was difficult to even raise his arms.
I used to be stronger than this, Luffy thought with shock. He used to be stronger than this. It felt like every punch was half as strong as they had been when he was Rubberman. He couldn't take a blow like he used to be able to. Without the Gum Gum fruit, Luffy was weaker, slower, and more fragile. If Luffy still had his Devil fruit, then this fight would have been different.
I should be stronger than this… Luffy struggled to stand up straight. His eyes were unblinkingly focused on Marcus' grin. He was fighting stronger opponents and while he was weaker. All of that training, and he still wasn't strong enough. He couldn't afford to be weak anymore. Crocodile had proven that. I have too much that I need to protect…
Luffy's hands curled into fists so tightly that his fingernails drew blood from his palm.
I WILL GET STRONGER THAN THIS!
The fury, the outrage, and the determination boiled through his body. Suddenly, his arms were trembling from rage. A wordless scream of anger burst from his lips, and the next second he was charging against Marcus furiously.
There was no instinct of self-preservation left. There was no more pain. All Luffy wanted to do was punch that smile out of Marcus' face.
Marcus was laughing even more feverishly. Luffy's fists collided against the shimmering shield relentlessly. Each impact caused a small shockwave, but Luffy didn't even pause.
"Don't you get it?" Marcus laughed. He was standing completely still. "You can't hurt me like this. Every punch doesn't hit me, but you're hurting yourself each time. You're the only one that's feeling the impact."
Luffy gritted his teeth, but kept on hitting. The blood was scattering across the ground. His fists were completely numb, but he didn't care. Luffy would keep on hitting until his hands were stumps, and then he would start punching again. His fists kept on colliding with invisible wall surrounding Marcus. There was no hesitation, and no mercy in his blows. If anything, his pace just kept on increasing.
Around him, the air was shimmering furiously. At first it was shimmering orange, but it gradually intensified until it was glowing bright red. Luffy could swear that the distance between his fists and Marcus' body was slowly decreasing.
Marcus frowned. "How are you still alive?" He asked finally. Marcus was slowly taking steps backwards now, but Luffy's onslaught was relentless. "You should have turned every bone in your body to dust by now…"
Luffy didn't respond. In ten seconds, he had already punched Marcus a few hundred times. His muscles were burning. He was powered by more than flesh and blood. A flicker of doubt crossed Marcus' face, and Luffy screamed as he threw everything he had into his final punch. He hit so hard that he broke the sound barrier, creating a shockwave that rippled across the entire island…
For half a second, Luffy's fist turned pitch black.
The shield broke. His knuckles collided against Marcus' jaw and the force was tremendous. Marcus didn't even have time to react as suddenly his body collapsed and the punch took him off his feet. The air whooshed as his body flew backwards, leaving a crater in the centre of the town. The punch was so devastating it threw up a mushroom cloud of dust.
The determination in Luffy never subsided. His knuckles were dripping blood, but he didn't care. He was beyond pain now. He staggered forward, thinking of nothing more than to see through. He wanted to see him dead.
Gasping for breath, Marcus pulled himself off the ground. His body was bleeding and bruised. His jaw felt broken. Everything was spinning from concussion, but slowly the Devil fruit hunter managed to focus on Luffy.
"How did you…?" Marcus gasped, feeling his jaw. His body was trembling. "How could…?"
Slowly, Marcus' face split open in a huge grin, stretching from ear to ear. His teeth were white and vicious in the moonlight. The psychopathic laughter echoed through the night.
Around him, the air wasn't shimmering anymore. It was glowing blood-red in the darkness. With every step, the ground cracked and disintegrated into dust.
Marcus was laughing so furiously he could barely speak. "THIS IS GOING TO BE FUN!" He bellowed loudly, before charging at Luffy.
At the Going Merry, things were going badly. Isaac and Berrit proved to be an effective team. Perhaps they could be defeated separately, but together they were very difficult opponents.
Isaac's eyes were kept on pulsing bright blue. It was enough to make anyone dizzy and disoriented. Zoro was the only one who could still fight despite it, yet even he was feeling the effects. Sanji was trying, but he ended completely missing with every attack. Isaac just kept on flitting around the battle, drawing a flintlock pistol and firing it at the weak and defenceless.
Berrit was the opposite. The large man was big and strong, yet surprisingly quick, and he used his power to devastate his opponents. His punches and kicks were reinforced by the Stomp Stomp fruit, and he only needed to touch you before a huge force came slamming down from above.
Sanji was barely managing to survive Berrit. The chef was practically incapacitated by the Daze Daze fruit, and his kicks kept on missing. The dizziness was so severe Sanji nearly dropped to the ground every time he raised his leg. Berrit took the weak kicks easily, and returned with bone-cracking stomps courtesy of his power.
Zoro was the only one that could follow Isaac, but the slender man refused to face him in a fair fight. Instead, Isaac flitted across the ground away from Zoro's swords, while the swordsman narrowly managed to deflect each bullet. Isaac would routinely aim for one of the other pirates, forcing Zoro to dash to their aid, all the while fighting against the dizziness. Zoro had already taken a bullet to the shoulder and another one across his arm, and he was panting heavily while Isaac wore him down.
Perhaps the swordsman could have cornered Isaac if they'd been fighting alone, yet Berrit kept on coming to Isaac's aid whenever he was in trouble.
Chopper had already been taken down by a few heavy blows from Berrit. Nami had pulled the doctor aboard the Going Merry to get him out of the way. Vivi and Robin had went after Luffy, and Carue had followed squealing to bring Vivi back. Sanji and Zoro were both facing losing fights against the Devil fruit hunters.
Usopp was left just as helpless. His slingshot was in hand, and the sniper was firing and reloading with lightning speed. Still, so far his projectiles had been fired in every direction except towards the enemy. The dizziness, lack of orientation and coordination were playing havoc with his sharpshooting abilities.
"Watch out!" Usopp stammered, unleashing another projectile that was sent flying into the sea. He tried to correct his aim, but he had no hand-eye coordination. "You better run! I have eight thousand men heading over here right now!"
Nobody seemed to pay him any regard. Zoro grunted as he took another bullet to the chest. Usopp's explosive round hit uselessly off the ground. "Did I say eight thousand?" Usopp shrieked. "I meant eight million! You better run away quick!"
He growled with frustration as no one even glanced towards him. Sanji took another heavy blow from Berrit. It had been years since Usopp had felt so helpless. "I am Captain Usopp! Brave Warrior of the Seas!" Usopp shouted loudly, his eyes blurring up with tears as he loaded another round. "I will not let you hurt my friends!"
There was a grunt as Isaac narrowly avoided the metal star launched at him. Usopp wiped his eyes and blinked. "Wait a minute…" Usopp realised. "That nearly hit…"
A memory came back to him; one of Isaac removing his glasses before using his powers. Suddenly, Usopp figured it out.
At once, Usopp closed his eyes tightly, before launching a salvo of explosive rounds towards Isaac. They scattered across the ground, interrupting the fight between Zoro and Isaac.
"Usopp!" Zoro snarled, narrowly avoiding the flames. "What the hell are you doing?!"
Usopp didn't respond. His eyes flickered open, very quickly, just long enough to get a broad idea of where Isaac was, before he closed them and blindly launched another explosive salvo. Isaac frowned as he had to cartwheel to avoid the projectiles.
"He needs eye contact to use his power!" Usopp shouted triumphantly, pointing at Isaac. Usopp couldn't aim when his eyes were closed, but at least he never missed as badly as he used to. "When your eyes are open, he messes with your perceptions to make you miss every attack! If you close your eyes, he can't affect you!"
Isaac looked annoyed. Sanji smirked. "Is that so…?" The chef muttered, before closing his eyes.
Suddenly, the dizziness was gone. This time, the chef jumped upwards, spinning his leg around in a wide arc with flashing speed. Berrit couldn't dodge in time, and the force sent the large man backwards.
"Goddamn it… !" Berrit wheezed, pulling himself up. He had never taken one of Sanji's kicks before. The chef was standing coolly, already lighting a cigarette with his eyes closed.
"So all I have to do is beat you with my eyes shut?" Sanji mused. "I can do that."
With Usopp's blind onslaught behind him, Zoro was getting closer. Isaac was having trouble dodging in time, letting Zoro get close enough to inflict three shallow slashes across Isaac's chest before he rolled.
"Curse it!" Isaac growled, looking annoyed as he inspected the gashes across his suit. "This was tailor-made! Handcrafted stitching! Don't you have any respect for art?"
Zoro responded only with another attack, this time cutting off Isaac's tie, slashing open one of his boots, and cutting his flintlock in half. Things became desperate as Isaac was forced backwards.
Sanji was facing Berrit more equally now too. Berrit was lumbering and loud, and Sanji could still predict his attacks from sound alone. Even with his eyes closed, Sanji was putting up a good fight.
Usopp blind barrage of projectiles scattered around the ground. He launched everything from explosive rounds, metal shells to rubber bands. The Devil fruit hunters were driven further and further back.
"Mwahahah!" Usopp laughed, his arms blurring as he fired. The projectiles streamed from him, fast as a machine gun. "I am Captain Usopp! Don't you forget it!"
"Will you watch we're you're shooting?" Sanji snarled as a rubber band bounced off his head.
"Never!"
There was a loud quacking from the woods as Carue came charging forward. Vivi and Robin were on his back, holding on tightly as the duck thundered towards the ship.
"Vivi!" Nami called with relief, from the deck of the Going Merry. "Where's Luffy?"
"Holding the other one back," Vivi replied sourly. "Get the ship ready, we've got to go now!"
Nami looked confused. "But… Luffy?"
"That third one is really strong," Robin replied simply, jumping off Carue. For once, the duck never minded her presence. "We've got to go and lead him away, and meet up with Luffy later."
The navigator looked like she wanted to protest, but there was a dark glance in Robin's eyes that warned her not to. Quickly, the girls charged up the gangway, with Robin using her powers to unfurl the sails and raise the anchor at the same time.
"The Sand Sand fruit is getting away!" Isaac called with frustration, narrowly dodging Zoro's blades. "Do something."
"Goddamn…" Berrit grumbled, running around a blind Sanji and towards the Going Merry. He didn't make it very far as suddenly a small object collided against his face, before exploding with gas.
Usopp stood with a triumphant smile on his face. "Usopp's…" The sniper proclaimed. "… Stink Bomb!"
The smell was rancid, especially to Berrit's hypersensitive nose. The large man groaned with disgust, clutching his nose helplessly, yet Usopp followed it through with two rotten eggs smashing against his face. With Berrit incapacitated, Sanji responded with bone-cracking kick to Berrit's side, sending him rolling away.
"Berrit!" Isaac called with surprise, his lip twisting in distaste. He turned to Zoro angrily. "That's it! It's time you see the real power of the Daze Daze fruit…"
The glow from Isaac's eyes started to intensify. They were shining bright blue, and Zoro started to feel worried. Isaac took out a second flintlock from behind his back, while Zoro's movements became sluggish. Slowly, Zoro felt his strength disappear and his arms became heavy…
Then, a canister landed on the ground next to Isaac, which started to hiss with thick white smoke. It was followed by a second one, and then a third, until all visibly disappeared.
"He's not going to see a thing!" Usopp called happily, from outside of the smoke cloud. "Usopp's… Smoke Bomb!"
As soon as the smoke blocked out Isaac's eyes, Zoro's strength returned. The swordsman sighed with relief, and Isaac had already disappeared in the thick smog.
"Zoro! Sanji! Quickly! Get on-board!" Nami's voice ordered loudly. Zoro hesitated; he wanted to finish Isaac once and for all while he was helpless, but there was no way of even finding him in the large smoke cloud. After a couple of seconds, Zoro relented and followed the sound of Nami's voice out of the smoke.
"Zoro!" Nami called angrily, once he emerged from the cloud. "You're going in the complete wrong direction!"
Zoro growled before he turned around and ran towards the ship. The Going Merry was already sailing off, and Robin had to use her powers to pull him up. Once he was safely on deck, Zoro collapsed as he gingerly nursed his bullet wounds.
"Those guys were annoying…" Zoro grumbled.
Next to him, Sanji was nursing his neck from Berrit's repeated stomps. "That skinny one has a really troublesome power."
"And the big one hits really hard," Zoro agreed.
Already, the on the beach were becoming small. Isaac was staggering out of the smoke cloud, nursing his tattered suit, while Berrit was climbing up and wiping egg off his face. There were strong winds forming, and the Going Merry was sailing away quickly.
Not that mattered how fast the Going Merry was going. Devil fruit users couldn't swim, so as soon as they were on the water there was no way for the pair to follow.
Usopp was standing at the back of the ship, happily jeering at the pair standing on the beach. "I am the great Captain Usopp! Great Adventurer of the Sea and Conqueror of Devils!" The sniper screamed cheerfully. Like every coward, he was much more confident when he was running away. "Don't you forget it! You were lucky to escape with your lives! If I meet you again, I won't be so merciful!"
Back on the beach, Berrit and Isaac stared gloomily at the retreating ship, neither one of them caring to talk.
Finally, Isaac glanced upwards at the dark clouds and fierce winds, before commenting, "There's a storm coming over the island," he mused. "We better find Marcus and get to our ship."
Berrit nodded but didn't move. Isaac glanced at his companion sympathetically. "This isn't over," he reassured. "They won't be able to hide from us, and they sure as hell can't outrun us. I'll bet we'll catch up to them before they even get out of the bay."
"Oh, I know," Berrit agreed, cracking his knuckles. "And when we do, I'm going to pulverize the bones of that goddamn sniper into goddamn dust…"
"How could you leave him there like that?" Nami accused angrily, pointing at Vivi and Robin. "Why didn't you stay and help?"
Vivi bit her lip, but didn't respond. "It was his choice," Robin replied simply, but didn't voice her own concerns.
"So you just abandoned him?" Nami growled, trying to fight the worry that was almost suffocating through her.
Robin didn't respond. She just stood by the rail, looking out over the dark outline of the island as the ship chopped through the waves.
"That guy was really strong…" Vivi admitted weakly, looking at the scrapes across her arms from his attack.
"Then you should have stayed and helped!" Nami fumed. "The three of you together would have had a much better chance!"
For once, Sanji never even tried to approach the ladies. Zoro stood at the prow of the Going Merry, near the figurehead, watching carefully as they turned around the corner of the island.
"Why would you leave that idiot alone?" Nami ranted, pacing uneasily. "You know what he's like, you should have stayed and helped. Dragged him back if you needed to, but never just…"
"He was trying to protect us," Robin said quietly.
"Protect us? We can protect ourselves, but he's the one who was hurt. Why does he always have to be so stubborn constantly, it just drives me…"
At the back of the ship, Usopp stood starting upwards and the sky. It was getting very dark, and the winds were picking up. "Umm… Guys?" Usopp called weakly, although he was mostly ignored. "There's a really weird cloud over the island…"
Nami just kept on ranting and pacing nervously. Her hands were twitching at the sword on her waist and her Clima-Tact on the other side. Neither Robin nor Vivi made eye contact. Sanji was at the helm, and the Going Merry was twisting around the bay.
Zoro stood motionlessly at the prow, but he frowned as the other side of the island came into view.
"I know I get lost quite often," he admitted slowly, staring off at the coast. "… But I'm pretty sure that there used to be a town there…"
Slowly, everyone turned to stare at the coast. The scene was highlighted by burning torches and fires that erupted over the debris. It looked like something from an apocalypse.
Nami placed her hands over her mouth. "Luffy…" She gasped.
They all remembered what Mock Town had looked like when they had arrived. That had all vanished. There wasn't even a building still standing up, but instead the whole town had transformed into a pile of rubble and debris. Even the landscape had been radically altered by gouges and craters carved into the ground. The trees were collapsed, and every building had been absolutely pulverised.
If it wasn't for the pier, which was still mostly intact, yet deserted, they would have thought they'd arrived at the wrong town.
"Bring the ship in!" Vivi yelled forcefully, bending so far over the railing she looked like she might fall in. "Luffy!"
Berrit and Isaac looked over the debris that was previously Mock Town. Numerous fires had burst out across the rubble. The 'town' was deserted. All the citizens had fled into the forest, while all the pirates had fled out into the bay.
"Well…" Isaac muttered eventually. "It looks like Marcus really went all out…"
Berrit nodded silently. After a moment's hesitation, they both started walking into the town, over the wood and rubble that coated the ground. They had a very profitable business as Devil fruit hunters, but the downside was that they had to deal with Marcus'… tendencies.
A couple of minutes later, by the port, they found Marcus sitting calmly on a pile of rubble and staring out into the sea with a serene smile on his face.
He turned as he heard them approach. "Oh! Hey guys!" Marcus exclaimed happily. "What took you so long?"
It was a long time before Berrit or Isaac responded. Marcus' clothes were tattered and he was bleeding heavily. There were several cuts across his body, and a large and particularly nasty head wound. His nose looked like it had been broken, and he was nursing his jaw tenderly. There were also dark bruises across his neck that looked like finger marks.
And Marcus was smiling brightly. He was in a very good mood, and that was never a good thing.
"We were busy…" Isaac replied weakly. "And we… accidently let the Sand Sand fruit get away…"
Isaac had been worried about some sort of violent outburst. After all, Marcus' mood swings were infamously unpredictable. Instead, the man just shrugged.
"Ah, doesn't matter," Marcus grinned, already walking away. "I've got it covered."
Berrit and Isaac followed a several steps behind. Marcus walked to a pile of debris, and casually kicked a large boulder out of the way. The body of Monkey D. Luffy was scattered across the ground, surrounded by a very large amount of blood.
If it wasn't for Luffy's ragged breathing, he could have quite easily passed for dead. As it was, it looked like a medical miracle that he was still alive. His skin looked like it had practically been flayed off. His knuckles, in particular, looked almost shattered. His joints were twisted in a way that could only mean broken bones.
"I had a really fun time," Marcus said as if in explanation. He was still smiling even as he grabbed Luffy by the ankle and started to drag him across the ground. The pirate was so weak he couldn't even fight back.
Marcus hauled Luffy down to the docks, and walked on to the pier. The wood was wet and smooth, and Luffy could only stare at the water beneath the planks as he was dragged face down.
Finally, they reached the edge of the pier. Marcus dropped Luffy's leg and roughly pulled the pirates limp body upwards. Berrit and Isaac followed quietly.
"Do you remember what I did to that stone?" Marcus asked gleefully. He slowly pressed his hand over Luffy's heading, tightly gripping his skull. "Well, I'm going to do the exact same thing to your head. I come to break your skull into pieces. I'm going to liquefy your brain. And I'm going to do it slowly, so that you get to feel every sensation."
Luffy couldn't even react. His body wasn't responding. Instead, he could only stare, looking on into the bay, until finally his eyes managed to focus on a ship sailing close to the shore. Luffy's heart raced as he recognised that ship.
"Hello beautiful!" Marcus shouted cheerfully, waving at the Going Merry. They were so close now that Luffy could see all his friends on-board. He tried to move, but he couldn't. Marcus was gripping him too tightly.
"Luffy!" A shrill voice screamed from the Going Merry. Vivi, Luffy thought weakly, no…
Marcus looked like was enjoying himself. "Let's make this easy, beautiful," the Devil fruit hunter promised. "I'm going to kill your captain. It's going to be painful, and you're going to watch me kill him right in front of you!"
There were shouts of panic from the Going Merry, all frenzied and indistinguishable. Luffy kept on stirring weakly, but Marcus held him tightly. Isaac and Berrit stood close behind him, ready for a fight.
"Or…" Marcus continued, taking great pleasure in the situation. "You come here, and you surrender. In return, the captain goes free, and the princess comes with us! How's that for a bargain?"
There wasn't even a moment's hesitation. "Bring the ship in," Vivi ordered firmly. Her voice was quiet, but clearly audible.
"Vivi…" Nami muttered uncertainly.
"Bring the ship in."
Marcus was laughing. Luffy was struggling more. He wanted to fight, he wanted to punch him, but his arms just weren't working. All he could do was squirm helpless as he watched.
No, Vivi… Luffy begged silently, Don't do it… He's going to kill you…
He's going to kill you all…
Finally, Luffy found his voice. "Vivi!" He gasped hoarsely. "Don't! Just run!"
The panic and confusion on the Going Merry increased, but they kept on sailing towards the shore. Marcus lightly hit Luffy over the head, but he was enjoying himself too much to stop Luffy from talking.
"Get away from here, Vivi!" Luffy screamed. "He's going to kill you! Run!"
The Going Merry never turned. He could hear the screaming and frenzied shouting, but Luffy's heart was beating too much to make out the words.
I will not watch my friends die, Luffy thought furiously, still trying to struggle. Marcus was forced to use both hand to stop him, and plant his foot on Luffy's back to keep him motionless. I will not be the reason my friends die…
The ship was close now. Dangerously close. The tears were swelling up in Luffy's eyes.
"Don't you dare!" Luffy shrieked loudly. "I will never forgive you if you come back for me! "
There was a moment's stunned silence. Nobody dared to move.
After a half a second, Marcus started laughing. He was laughing harder and more raucously than he had ever done in years.
"Well, look at the brave captain!" Marcus squealed joyfully. "Everyone! Watch the brave captain who's willing to sacrifice himself for his crew!"
Marcus slowly put his hands across Luffy's head. The air started to shimmer. "And now… !" Marcus continued with a psychopathic smile. "You get to watch the brave captain die!"
Then the pain started. It was like nothing that Luffy had ever felt before. Involuntarily, a hoarse shriek escaped from his mouth. His head felt like it was about to explode. Marcus just kept on laughing. The agonising pain in between his ears drowned out every other feeling. There was nothing but pain.
Except for his friends. Luffy could hear his friends quite clearly. Somehow, the sound of his friends screaming was worse than anything he had ever heard.
He was going to die. Again. Despite everything, he had still let all his friends down. He wanted to struggle and to fight, but there was nothing he could. His arms weren't working. He could barely even move.
There's nothing I can do… he thought weakly, staring at the wooden pier while the pain in his skull just kept on increasing.
There's nothing I can do…?
…
"I can swim…" Luffy growled suddenly through gritted teeth, before he slammed his head down against the wooden planks with bone-crunching force.
The wood buckled as if it was made of paper. The next second, they all dropped through the pier and splashed into the cold, salty water.
Next time: Sky Island!