Chapter 15: Welcome to Little Garden
I do not own One Piece! That will always belong to Eiichiro Oda! I only own my Ocs.
With the aid of the archaeopteryx, Jinbei was steering Wavecutter toward the direction of where the missing Saws were. Everyone shared the same thought: that their friends were safe and Longtooth protected them as Blade said he would.
Tarlong was restless, and no smoking would help; besides, he was almost out of his favorite cigars. He checked on Garth, seeking some advice or plain talk. Garth had one backpack on his bed, going through old bounties they had yet to go after.
"Garth, why are you going through those?" Tarl said the moment he entered. Garth had a troubled look as he held out six bounty posters. Tarlong took them, and his eyes widened. "Are you fucking serious?"
Garth nodded as he signed to his brother. "Going by that one description that Ryder and Riptide gave. That was her who attacked us. So we know the bar just got raised."
Tarl's teeth gritted more as he stared at the wanted posters of the Black Hunter Pirates. "We have no choice but to tell the others."
Garth looked at his brother with great worry. "Do we even stand a chance fighting them?"
"That's not my call, but our nephew's," Tarl said. "Still, we need to tell them,"
The brothers headed for the dining room where Riptide and the others gathered, minus Jimbei, who was steering the warship. Tarl placed the posters in the middle of the table, looking as grim as possible.
"We're against some deadly assassins," he said.
"Assassins? I swear they're pirates," Ryder said.
"Well, this group is both depending on the mood of their leader," Tarl said, tapping the top poster. "This guy is no joke."
Everyone looked at the bounty posters before them.
Oroku Sancho: 110,000,000 Beri
Mbenga: 87,000,000 Beri
Pockle: 67,000,000 Beri
Haberkorn: 46,000, 000 Beri
Pele: 36,000,000 Beri
"That's her!" Ryder said, tapping Pele's poster.
"She uses hypnosis and is Oroku's Chief of Staff," Tarl said.
It was then Jimbei entered and made his way towards the table. The whale shark spied the wanted posters, and his eyes widened at one. "Mbenga!" he said, picking up the wanted poster.
"You know this guy, uncle?" Riptide said.
"Yes," Jimbei said. "He was part of the Sun Pirates."
"What?!" Tarl was shocked. "He was part of the Sun Pirates?!"
"What can you tell us about him?" Marcus said.
"Like Arlong and me, he grew up in the Fishman District," Jimbei said. "He was the leader of the Jet Black Gang, a criminal gang that worked within the District and was a massive nuisance to Arlong. Those two clashed countless times, and I or Fisher Tiger knocked them out."
"So with him being part of Sun Pirates was no doubt hell for Father," Long said, to which Riptide frowned a little.
"Their fighting only increased," Jimbei said.
"So this Mbenga is more dangerous than Arlong?" Nami said.
"Very, especially when he hits his berserk mode," Jimbei said. "There's no stopping him."
"Wait," Marcus said. "You've seen him lose control?"
Jimbei nodded. "He and Arlong got out of hand during a battle with the navy and Mbenga—he went on a rampage, hurting some of his fellow Sun Pirates. Arlong almost lost an arm during the rampage, and we're lucky Fisher Tiger could subdue him. Arlong's hatred for Mbenga grew worse after that."
Marcus frowned as he glanced at Riptide.
"Sofu?" Riptide said, feeling uneasy.
"He's like Riptide and me, but he doesn't have control," the old mako said.
"Are ye sayin dat dis Mbenga have da Hidden Fury?" Blade said.
"That's what I'm thinking, and if he has no control, then he's very dangerous," Marcus said. "He's a damn rogue when his Hidden Fury takes over, and it seems to be triggered more by his berserk mode."
"Then we need to take the bastard out and fast before he hits berserker mode," Van said.
Tarl shook his head. "He's only part of the threat," he said as he tapped Oroku's wanted poster. "This guy is the actual threat. We've never crossed paths with him, but from what we heard about him, he's cruel, devious, and highly ruthless. This man is pure evil and has no humanity left within him."
"A real monster, then?" Grinder said.
Tarl nodded. Marcus picked up Oroku's poster and studied it before he spotted something.
"Blade, look here and tell me, you see what I see," he said.
Blade joined him. "Wat am ah supposed ta be seein?"
The metal nose saw shark looked at the corner of the picture that Marcus tapped. "Wat?! Is dat?!"
"Yeah, Oroku had to be stupid enough to take him on."
"Who?" Riptide inquired.
Marcus placed the paper down and pointed to the dark-haired man, barely visible in the corner. Even Nami leaned in, eyes studying the image.
"No way!" she exclaimed. "That's Draco!"
"Who?" Long asked, looking at his mother.
"Malchoir D. Draco," Nami said. "He considers himself your godfather when it came to you, Riptide, and Destiny."
"Godfather?!" Marcus said. "Why that ass!"
Nami was surprised to see Marcus riled, as was Blade.
"Somethin' happen' dat night when Lilly found ye, didn't it?"
"I don't want to talk about it," Marcus growled as he unconsciously rubbed his throat.
Nami glanced at Blade; both knew something had happened.
"Dad, didn't you mention that his Draco had been on Unity Island?" Tarl said.
"Yes, there was that hole in part of the temple's wall," Chizzara said. "Lady Shella said it was a reminder."
Marcus sighed as he looked at Blade. "Ye might as well tell dem," Blade said.
"It was long ago when I was engaged to be married to Lilly," Marcus said. "Some damn pirate found his way to Unity and decided to attack the temple; he heard some crazy story about an ancient treasure there."
"There wasn't, was there?" Grinder asked.
"Nah, dere be nothin' dere, but dis fool believed dere was," Blade said. "Draco, Longtooth, and ah went ta da temple to help, especially since some da younger Protectors in training were tricked into dinkin' dat de were supposed ta defend da temple."
"Tricked?" Thor said. "How?"
"That little shit Overbite lied to them, and they almost got killed because of him," Marcus said. "None of us knew the real truth about Draco until that Plesiosaur appeared."
"Plesiosaur?!" Nami looked at Marcus. "Ganzack attacked the island?!"
"Ye know of dis pirate?" Blade said.
"Yes, Luffy, Zoro, and I dealt with him once," Nami said. "I was sure that dynamite killed that dinosaur of his."
"Either it didn't, or he had another," Grinder said.
"So what happened?" Riptide asked.
"Draco," Blade said. "Be a Devil Fruit user, and his zoan part took control. Ah never seen a dragon, but wat we witnessed was enough ta scare us all. Da battle was ugly, and den da next we be knowin' was Draco was in da sea. Marcus was da one who saved 'is life."
"I wish I could remember what scared that Plesiosaur off," Marcus said. "That bloody beast was terrified."
"So you think Draco took care of Oroku?" Chizzara asked.
"I bet my life he did," Marcus said.
"Still, we have no proof if he did," Tarlong said.
"Either way, we need to rescue our Nakama," Riptide said.
Silent nods followed as everyone worried for Destiny and the others.
~~.~~.~~
Neeta ran until her sides started to hurt before she stopped to get her breath. The Kuda had no idea where to go, and looking for two giants shouldn't be this hard. She looked fearfully around as she heard roars and screams all around her. Never had she been so scared as she was now. She knew nothing of Little Garden except for what Destiny had mentioned.
"How am I supposed to find these guys?" she muttered. "They're giants."
"Where the hell is that freak?!"
Neeta looked around, having heard the shouting, and suddenly, she was yanked back into the thick foliage. A hand closed her mouth as a voice whispered, "Don't make a sound."
Neeta heard more shouts as they grew closer, and then they passed by. Neeta felt the hand move away, and she turned to look at who had saved her. The man stood 6'3" with short, dark spike hair, a green stripe down the center, and a dark soul patch. He wore tan-colored tactical pants with a black double buckle ribbed weave nylon belt, a green ribbed tank top A-shirt under a beige blue fleece zip-up line flannel hooded jacket. He wore a pair of worn dark brown pull-on hiking boots. Tucked snuggly between the belt and the waist of his pants was a strange-looking dirk, 22.4" long and 5.9" wide with a height of 2.1" that was with the colors of green and gold. What made it strange was the black flute that had been somehow forged into the blade with the mouthpiece as part of the guard and the three-finger buttons built within the black handle.
"Who are you?" Neeta asked.
"Sorry," the man ran a hand through his hair. "My name is Jason Thomas, but my friends call me Jason or Jas. Who are you?"
Neeta looked at him. "I'm called Neeta and trying to two giants that live here."
"Why?" Jason asked.
Neeta sighed, telling Jason everything that had happened, and she was surprised at how upset he became.
"We have to rescue your friends and stop these fiends," he said.
"How are we supposed to do that?" Neeta asked. "We're outnumbered; the only chance is finding those giants."
"Don't worry," Jason said. "If they're here, we'll find them."
"How?" Neeta asked.
Jason placed his thumb and forefinger against the corners of his mouth, letting out a loud and sharp whistle before looking skyward. Moments passed, and soon, a bird that was as bright as burning flames swooped down. Neeta had never seen such a thing as the bird landed on a branch above them.
The bird was 22 inches long, and with the wings open, the wingspan was 50 inches, and like a peacock, it had long tail feathers. Two long and thin feathers were above the bird's red eyes, with three similar feathers from the smaller tailfeathers.
"Neeta, this is Razorwing," Jason said. "Razor, this is Neeta."
"Odd-looking Fishwoman if you want my opinion," Razorwing said.
Neeta was shocked. "It talks?!"
"It?! I am no it?" Razorwing said, puffing his feathers up.
"Easy, buddy," Jason said, raising a hand. "You're undoubtedly the first Phoenix hawk she's ever seen."
"A Phoenix hawk?" Neeta said. "Is it related to the mythical Phoenix?"
"Completely different from a Phoenix," Jason said. "Razor's kind is way different. They're extreme in the sky, hunting small creatures to protect themselves from larger creatures such as dragons or other raptors."
"He can take on a dragon?!" Neeta was more shocked.
Jason nodded. "Yes, and those feathers are extremely tough and light, allowing them to survive fire or lava pools. Their beaks and talons are sharp enough to cut through iron. They're also so smart that they learn to speak with humans and other races."
"I'm surprised the World Government doesn't have them," Neeta said.
"There's a reason for that," Jason said. Phoenix hawks only exist from where I come from."
"Which is where?" Neeta said.
"I rather not say," Jason said.
Razorwing clacked his beak. "He doesn't want to admit that he comes from a long line of dragon slayers."
Neeta looked at Jason, her thoughts going to Itachi. "You're a threat to us then," she said.
Jason looked at her in shock. "I'm not! I'm not like those in my family," he said. "I despise that they hunt dragons. If they don't kill them, they force them to become watchdogs for something that failed."
"Failed?" Neeta stared at him.
Jason sighed, running a hand through his hair. "My father and some elders wanted to create a race of smaller dragons that were almost humanoid. It failed after the island the nests were at had been attacked, eggs destroyed, and hatchling killed or half eaten."
Having heard this, Neeta's eyes widened; this had to be Itachi's hatching ground. "Was this island guarded by three dragons, who were brothers?"
This perked up Razorwing's interest. "Yes, but how did you know of this?"
"There was a survivor, and he's with us," Neeta said.
"Wait," Jason said. "A hatchling survived?"
Neeta nodded. "Yes, Itachi. He was raised among my kind, believing he was a Kuda when he was a dragon."
Jason became excited. "This is good news, especially for Kevin."
"Kevin?"
"Mr. Bleeding heart and dumbest dragon to ever breathe," snorted Razorwing.
"Razor!" Jason said.
"What? It's true." The Phoenix hawk said, opening his wings to their fullest. "It was his fault for what happened."
"It's not his fault for having a good and kind heart," Jason argued. "I rather him over those two brothers of his, and you know they're no good."
Razorwing stiffened some, clacking his beak in frustration. "Point taken and noted," he said. "Those two are nastier than the nastiest Sea King. I'm surprised that Kevin even survived that brutal attack."
"Well, my father never should have ordered it," Jason said, clearly bothered by it.
"What happened?" Neeta asked.
Jason sighed. "I will tell you what happened."
~~Flashback~~
"An entire generation lost due to that stupid beast!"
Jason heard his father's angry yell, but he remained well out of sight of his father's rage. He still overheard everything being said. The leader of the dragon slayers entered his lodge, followed by the clan elders.
"Was it wise to have his brethren carry out the punishment?" Asked an elder.
"Well, that one seems a tad slow in the head. And lacks the fierceness of his brothers," said another of the elders. "Better to end that life than spare it."
"Yes," said another elder. "Whoever heard of a golden dragon who preferred smelling flowers and playing with children, kittens, and puppies? I even saw him protect a random bird's nest during a storm."
"Which would explain how he failed to guard our plan for dragon warriors," muttered another elder. "I advised all of you about placing a few Phoenix hawks there. If we had, we would not have lost every nest. No, you decided on that dragon who is no better than young Jas—"
The elder didn't finish speaking, for a sick, wet sound and something was hitting the floor. Jason dared to take a peek and saw the elder lying on the floor, blood pooling around him. His father stood over the unfortunate man, resting his spiked mace on his shoulder, blood dripping from the spikes.
"You killed him," Jason said, horrified.
"So what if I did?" his father said, glaring at him.
"It's wrong! You had no right to do that!" Jason said.
His father turned to face him, his expression darkening. "Wrong?! How is that wrong?!"
"There was a better way to handle this than taking a man's life," Jason said.
"What is this nonsense you're talking about? You're a dragon slayer and—"
"I refuse to be like you! I will not hunt nor slaughter such unique creatures for whatever reason you think we should!"
"You little traitor!" His father roared. "You're no son of mine!"
He raised his weapon again, preparing to end the life of the boy before him, when there was a shriek, and the leader of the dragon hunters was engulfed in fire. He screamed as he crumbled to the floor, forcing the elders to flee from the building. Jason looked up as his father's Phoenix hawk hovered above him, his entire body aflame, eyes full of rage. The lodge was fully engulfed, but Jason walked out unscathed, with his father's Phoenix hawk at his side.
~~End of Flashback~~
"He belonged to your father?" Neeta said, looking at Razorwing.
"He did at one time, but my father's cruelty was what made him do what he did," Jason said. "Phoenix hawks are known for protecting their partners, but my father's dark heart caused Razor's rebellion."
"Choosing to protect you," Neeta said.
"I don't understand why he would," the man said. "I'd rather solve problems without any conflict."
"You should meet my captain," Neeta said. "I think you two would get along."
~~.~~.~~
"Island ahead!" Marcus shouted from the sail's rigging.
Riptide looked at the archaeopteryx as she landed on the railing, clearly tired. "You did good. You should go and rest," he said, stroking the feathered head.
The archaeopteryx looked at Riptide. He wasn't like the others she had been with before; he praised her very kindly. The prehistoric bird carefully climbed onto Riptide's back, nestling her head under his jaw.
"She's liking you," Marcus said as he joined his grandson.
"I thought she liked Butch," Riptide said, glancing back midship where the Spinosaurus lay on the deck.
"She still might, but I think she's taking a liking to you more," Marcus said. "I can only assume that those who had her were not kind." The archaeopteryx gave a slight snarl as she agreed with him. "If that's the case, it's only fair that we should look after better than they did. Take her to the kitchen. I'm sure you and Long can find something for her to eat."
"I'm not sure if Long will want any company," Riptide said. Marcus said nothing but gave his grandson a stern look, causing him to swallow nervously. "I could be wrong, though."
~~In the Kitchen~~
Long wasn't handling things well as he tried to focus his mind on cooking and failing. He was used to having Neeta at his side, and now she wasn't. "Damn it!" he screamed, knocking empty pans, bowls, and utensils from the counter.
"If Uncle Sanji saw you do that just now."
The cook refused to look at his brother. "I'm not in the mood for jokes, Rip."
"I wasn't joking," Riptide said as he stood near the doorway. "He would have a fit over you acting like this. We both know how Uncle Sanji is."
"Why are you here?" Long growled.
"She's hungry."
"What?" Long shifted his attention as the archaeopteryx went from Riptide's back to landing on the counter, chirping hungrily at him. "You're serious?"
"Hey, she's the one telling you," Riptide said.
"Do you have any idea what she eats?"
"No, but I bet Aunt Robin would," Riptide said. "I would assume meat or fish going by those teeth."
"Well, I'm not going to feed some damn bird!"
The archaeopteryx cried with fright and flew up to the rafters in the dining hall. She peered down, clearly terrified.
"Hey," Riptide said. "There was no need for that!"
"Go to hell!" Long snapped. "Why should I do anything?!"
"You're not the only one who's hurting right now, Long," Riptide said. "Skie and our sister are prisoners, along with our friends!"
"And who's fault is it that they are?!" Long screamed at him. "Whose fault that my Neeta is a damn prisoner?!"
"Are you saying that this is my fault?" Riptide said, stunned that his brother accused him of such a thing.
"You know it is!" Long screamed. "You're so stupid, needing to be right about everything!"
"Long, have you lost your mind?" Riptide said. "You're not making any sense!"
"Why are we out here in the Grand Line?!" his brother demanded. "You never really had a reason to want to go anywhere; happy living in Cocoyashi Village! Why did we even leave?! Why?!"
"Long, you know why we left," Riptide said. "Mother had been kidnapped, and we couldn't abandon her. Yes, we saved her, went to Unity Island where we found Sofu, but we found more family and friends along the way."
"You didn't answer the question as to why we're here!" Long yelled as he grew more agitated. "You aren't answering my question!"
Riptide had never seen his brother like this before. Long was always quiet, laidback, and good-natured, but this side was frightening.
'Pup, do you—'
'NO! He's my brother, I'll handle this!'
"You want the truth?" Riptide said.
"Yes!"
"Bruton and the others from the shark clan before they left—they asked me to help free their island," Riptide said. "They asked me the night I was adopted into the clan."
"Liar!"
"What?!"
"You want to find him and kill him!"
"Who are you talking about, Lil brother?" Riptide was confused as hell.
"Father!" Long screamed as he glared at him. "You said you would find him and kill him! We know he is no longer a prisoner!"
"Long, for all we know, he could be dead."
"You said he wasn't! You said you knew he wasn't dead!"
Riptide shook his head. "Do you know how time has passed now, Lil brother? If Father somehow made it to the Grand Line, he's alone. Why Kuroobi and the others didn't take him with them is something I don't understand. For all we know, he could be dead."
"Only because you want him dead!" Long screamed as he suddenly attacked his brother, sending them crashing to the floor. "You want him dead! You hate him because he's our father!"
"I hate him because of what he did to our mother and countless other innocent lives!" Riptide shouted, struggling to hold off his brother. "How the hell can you ignore that fact?! He murdered our grandmother in front of Mother and Aunt Nojiko when they were little! Are you so damn blind that you'll ignore that truth?!"
Unknown to the brothers, their shouting had grown in volume, and it wasn't long before their mother and uncles entered the dining hall. Tarlong pulled Long off of Riptide and held him in a fierce bear hug as Garth helped Riptide sit up.
"What the hell is going on here?!" Nami demanded, looking from one son to the other. "Why the hell are you two fighting each other?!"
"I wasn't fighting," Riptide said as he moved to his right arm, which was still in the sling. "Long—I think he needs some air."
"Come on, kid," Tarlong said, keeping Long close to him. "Let's go do that."
Long struggled to escape, but his uncle's grip was like a vice, and they left the room. Garth helped Riptide to a chair as Nami frowned before she went to the freezer to get ice.
"What happened?" she said as she brought out an ice bag stored in the kitchen.
"I don't know," Riptide said. "Sofu asked me to bring Arch—"
"Arch?" Nami said as she joined him at the table.
Riptide pointed to the archaeopteryx still hiding in the rafters. "Sofu said to feed her and Long—he just suddenly lost it. Mother, he knocked the pots, bowls, and other utensils to the floor."
"Lucky Sanji isn't here," Nami said. "Here, place this on your face."
"I'm fine," Riptide said.
Garth gestured to the side of his face, which was somehow bruised. "How did you get the shiner?"
Riptide gingerly touched his face. "Owie…"
'Somehow, your brother managed to hit you, pup.'
'Chief, I don't want to hear right now.'
'Sorry.'
Nami placed the ice bag on his bruised face. "What happened after that?"
Riptide winced from the cold. "He just went nuts—talking about how this was my fault, about Father, and—"
"Arlong? What him?" Nami said.
"I think Long wants him to be part of our lives," Riptide said.
Nami groaned. "I thought he would finally understand when it came to—"
"Mother, Long….he can't accept the truth when it comes to Father," Riptide said. "He wants us to be a family, you and Father together."
"Well, that will never happen," Nami said. "Nothing will ever change how I feel about Arlong, and Long needs to learn to accept that."
"Are you going to tell him that?"
"What?" Nami looked at her oldest.
"Are you going to look Long in the eye and tell him it will never happen?" Riptide said. "I can't believe I'm even saying this, but it would break Long and maybe even kill him."
"What are you saying, Rip?"
"Long, like Destiny and me, we saw parents with their children when we lived in Cocoyashi," Riptide said. "Long saw the love and happiness when it came to having both a mother and father. It's something he's been wanting for so long that maybe I can finally understand how he's feeling. Yeah, Father is a damn rotten bastard, but was he like this? Did Father ever want something besides Sofu raising him?"
"Sadly, Arlong did when he was a child," Nami thought as she remembered their time on Fishman Island, learning about the history of the Fishman race, the tragedies that happened, Hody's twisted attempts to try to gain control, and the absolute truth of the forming of the Sun Pirates. "Once we rescue your sister and the others, we must sit and talk about things."
Riptide looked at his mother in sudden worry. What did she mean by that?
~~.~~.~~
"Tarl, what are you doing with Long?" Marcus said the moment his oldest son stepped out onto the deck.
"Long had a slight meltdown, and Riptide thought some fresh air would help him," Tarlong said.
"Is Riptide hurt?" Marcus asked.
"A little battered, but otherwise, he's fine," Tarlong said, tightening his grip on Long, who started to fight some. "Unlike this one. Keep going, and I'll cool you off."
"Tarl, let me handle the boy," Marcus said. "Let the others know we'll land on that island soon."
"Island?" Tarlong said.
"What island?!" Long said.
"That one," Marcus pointed to the island growing slowly in the distance. "Our archaeopteryx friend brought us here."
Then, a massive boulder fell from the sky, and thanks to Jimbei's skills, Wavecutter avoided being hit.
"What the hell was that?!" Tarlong said.
"BROGGY!DORRY!"
Even from the distance of the warship, everyone heard the bellowing voice that erupted from the island's depths.
~~.~~.~~
"What the hell was that?!" Neeta said, cringing at the voice that boomed so loudly that every prehistoric creature that flew took to the air.
"I don't know, but I'm guessing that it's not friendly," Jason said as Razorwing landed on the ground by him.
~~.~~.~~
"What the fuck was that?" Longtooth said as he chained up against a tree.
Mbenga frowned. "That would be Ankilar," the Fishman said.
"Ankilar?" Destiny said. "What's an Ankilar?"
"Not a what, but a who," Peele said. "And he sounds pissed off. Again."
This chapter was a little emotional for me as many of us know that in November of 2022, we lost a great actor and martial artist, Jason David Frank, best known for his role as Tommy Oliver in the Power Rangers television franchise. Jason was a hero to many of us who grew up watching the Power Rangers, and my OC Jason Thomas is my tribute to a man who inspired so many throughout his life.
So remember to Read and Review.