Chapter XXXIX: Meeting the Dark King

Rayleigh tucked his flask away. With a content smile, he stood up and stretched the best he could in his confinement. Eyes turned to him as he popped his neck. Most of the other captives had lost faith that they would ever make it out. To see a man so calm in the face of a fate worse than death was unfathomable.

Then, with a lack of grace, he gripped the metal around his neck and pulled it forward. Many of those watching cringed or turned away, unable to watch the sight. Some thought he had lost his mind, some thought him ignorantly bold, but others thought he would rather die a man than live as a slave. A sickening burst echoed through the chamber, flooding the chilled air with warmth. Some kept their eyes averted, but some let theirs trail back to the grim scene, but they were not greeted with the sight of death. Instead, Rayleigh stood there unscathed, rubbing his wrists as if mildly uncomfortable with how tight his chains had been. In the center of the hall, at just a mildly safe distance, was the charred and mangled remains of his chains. Whether it was the blast or the grasp of the man that left them twisted, none could tell.

"How?" Someone asked. It hardly mattered who it was, as everyone beholding the sight thought the same word.

"The ability to not give a fuck," Rayleigh quipped. Though he quickly added, "But I wouldn't recommend anyone else trying it themselves. If you'll give me a moment, I'll help everyone out." Rather unphased by the locked cell door, Rayleigh made his way out of his cell in a manner that displayed for any still unsure that he was here of his own volition. And now he had decided that time was up.

One by one, Rayleigh released his fellow prisoners from their chains. Even with the eyes of those around him returning to witness him, it was difficult to spot exactly what allowed him to perform such an act. It was simply too fast for them to process, even after watching it at least thirty times as he left the chamber void of prisoners.

"There, that should do it," Rayleigh said with a satisfied grin. "Now, all that's left is to —"

"I told you!" The door at one side of the chamber slammed open. "That bastard is up to it again!"

The newly freed captives scattered, rushing for the door on the other side that led outside. The man who had entered the room charged forward, broom in hand. He waved it around in a frenzied motion, as if he was trying to shoo out a wild cat. Rayleigh lightly jogged, crossing through the panicked crowd back out to Sabaody. The man who had pursued him was left in a deserted room. With a frustrated cry, he threw the broom onto the ground.

"Damn him!" He shouted, turning and pointing a finger. "I swear, whoever is the next person to bring him in, it's your ass explaining to the celestial dragons why we don't have anyone to sell."


"Why are we still doing this?" Mercury muttered, watching the White Fang scurrying about. They were busy loading crates of dust into vehicles, supposedly destined to be snuck up to the arena. Watching a faunus drop a crate of highly volatile dust onto his foot before crumpling at the pain left him dubious.

"Because Cinder said so." Roman's answer was as bland as it was irritating. He leaned in a detached manner, but one that still felt practiced. Mercury wouldn't doubt that Roman was the sort of man to practice posing in front of the mirror.

"She's not going to be happy when she finds out about the tournament." Mercury grumbled, almost to himself. Already he could hear the banshee-like fit that would be thrown over the entire situation.

Waltzing over to him, Roman gave Mercury a surprisingly serious look. "Look, let me give you some advice: find someone else to blame. Hey, don't look at me like that! You and I both know that she will be mad if we interrupt her scheming right now. So, damned if we do, damned if we don't. Unless —" Roman waved a hand broadly in the direction of the working faunus. "We're not the ones she takes her anger out on."

"So, you're sending them to work, knowing damn well that it's pointless, and you're just going to throw them under the bus in the end?"

"We can either be the target of her wrath, or we can be the ones delivering it for her."

Mercury mulled over the man's words. That felt awfully simple for a plan that involved escaping Cinder's inevitable anger. He was certain that she would hunt her vexations to the end of Remnant, all to crush them beneath her heel. All the same, it was more favorable than being the one to deliver the news.

"Fine, have it your way," Mercury went back to making sure his legs weren't malfunctioning anymore. His initial repair of them had not worked well, the joints having gone haywire — that had not been fun. Having a device not working and having his own prosthetic legs forcing him to run a marathon while slamming him into the warehouse walls were very different experiences.


Ruby sat on a bench, looking over the crude drawings she had made. Rough drafts never looked the best — then again, she hardly ever made many drafts before jumping into a project. It was much easier to figure things out as she went than stare at a bunch of lines so disconnected from the real thing. That being said, the concept she was sketching out was a tad more complicated than she was willing to plot out in her head.

The function involved two of the dials she had gotten in Skypiea, seated in the center of a larger mace. In theory, a button press would activate them both, launching out two smaller maces from the sides.

Next to Ruby, Penny sat observing the passersby. She wore a cheerful look, nodding her head as if listening to some music no one else could hear. "That technology is very strange," she commented offhandedly.

"Almost everything out here seems to be," Ruby opined. "I mean, they used snails as phones before they got scrolls sent over here."

"On forums, they say much the same about scrolls. There's already a sub weddit concerning the topic," supplied Penny matter-of-factly. "A user BlazeIt9696 has called scrolls 'mid' and that the snails at least had mouths."

"Right," Ruby mumbled. "Because their creepy mouths make them so much better."

Ruby would have said more, but a bit of scuffling across the street drew their attention. Two men had bumped into one another to a far too extreme reaction. By the time Ruby was observing the scene, one of the men had gotten to his knees to beg for forgiveness.

The man lording over the other looked quite pathetic. His face resembled a toad, and his stomach was barely contained in his lavish white robes. He was even wearing one of the bubbles floating around the island over his head. While it might be rude to say, he reminded Ruby of an invader from space from one of those cheesy sci-fi movies.

"What's going on over there?" Ruby turned to discuss with Penny, only to find the seat next to her was vacant. "Penny? Where did you — oh no."

Ruby groaned seeing her friend having already bounded up to the scene, forcing herself in when it wasn't necessary. "These actions are a bit out of proportion," Penny commented. "He has given an apology, so you should accept it."

Gasps rippled through the now growing crowd. Ruby shuffled in her seat from embarrassment. Why couldn't Penny just let them have their own squabble? Her demeanor changed when the lavish man reached into his pocket and Ruby spotted a glint of metal. The golden gun was barely in his hand when Ruby activated her semblance, quickly dragging Penny out of the way. The pistol went off with a pitiful bang, but the bullet only hit empty ground. The lavish man looked up and down as if unable to process what had just happened.

"Petals?" His croaking voice rang in the silence. Then he began grinning and hopping childishly about. "I made them disappear. I made them disappear." With that, he continued on his way, having forgotten the man that had run into him.

"Are you crazy?" A woman hissed. "That was a celestial dragon! What made you think that was a good idea?"

"He looked as though he needed help," Penny said bluntly. "I did not feel that anymore berating was necessary. Also, I did not see any dragon present. Has it already left?"

The woman, looking almost offended by Penny's question, was about to respond when a pair of strong hands pulled both Penny and Ruby into a small place between stores. They quickly wrenched themselves free and prepared for a fight, but the face of a new woman, one with long pink hair, looked more annoyed than anything else.

"Are you two dumbasses trying to cause a scene here? No one in their right mind would speak to a celestial dragon that way." The woman tapped her foot with her arms crossed, clearly waiting for some sort of response.

"Was there really a dragon here? From what I have read, they should be hard to miss." Penny cocked her head with a puzzled expression.

"Very funny," said the woman rolling her eyes. "There's no way you don't know." A beat of silence passed, and a dreadful realization dawned in her eyes. "Fucking hell, you really don't know. Look, the celestial dragons are just people, but they think they're better than anyone else. Unlike most self-absorbed assholes, the government supports this — violently. If you so much as harmed a hair on one of their heads, you'd have an admiral on your hands."

Getting away from the woman was rather easy, as she ended up marching off on her own. When she was out of earshot, Ruby whispered to Penny, "I don't like what this means. It just isn't right for them to get to act this way."

"That sounds almost as if they can do whatever they want," Penny speculated. "It would not be so easy to push against such a force."

Ruby's gaze hardened. "We're pirates — already enemies of the marines. It might be hard, but it's the right thing to do."


"So, Ozpin's devil fruit led him to you?" Sengoku noted, absentmindedly going through paperwork. Oscar nodded meekly, somewhat intimidated by the man's presence. Ever since he arrived, he had felt out of place. The base itself was imposing, towering high above him and making him feel small. Coupled with the numerous uniformed soldiers, readied weapons, and barren waters around him, he felt utterly isolated.

"Devil fruit?" Oscar questioned, not too familiar with the term. Ozpin might have said it before, but it was difficult to remember all of these new things being shoved at him.

Sengoku grunted, as if he wasn't the least surprised by this revelation. "He didn't tell you? Well, it would be best if I let him do it himself." He collected some papers and slid them forward. "Here; have these signed and returned by tomorrow afternoon. You're a bit young for enlisting, but Ozpin makes it special circumstances. Just please, don't let him be a bad influence on you."

Oscar took the stack of papers, which were fairly thick. He began leaving the room just in time for a pale looking marine to enter the room. He caught the tail end of a report about some admiral threatening to melt entire families for interrupting his 'gaming sesh.' Oscar happily excused himself.

Now alone — albeit with Ozpin's presence — Oscar began flipping through the papers he was given. What he saw made his heart sink. Beyond the jargon that was a bit too thick for him to understand, he made out what was a long, and significant commitment. There wasn't much he could say about his state of mind when he first left. Part of him felt that he had gone crazy, and he had let it excuse himself departing the normal. There was, after all, something exhilarating about adventure that he couldn't deny. However, this was not what he was promised. Through everything that Ozpin had told him, never once did becoming a soldier for years to come arise.

"What did he mean by a devil fruit?" Oscar asked.

"They are fruits that grant the one who eats it great power at the cost of their ability to swim. Sengoku and the marines are not privy to the truth of my powers, so that is what I have told them."

Standing in front of a large window, Oscar stared over the sparkling sea. "Do I really have to become a marine?"

"Yes; it is vital," Ozpin stoically replied. Oscar furrowed his brow and gripped the paper tighter.

"What if I don't want to? Did you ever ask me what I wanted?"

"I dread this always, but it is what fate has dealt us. I no more chose you than you chose to have me."

"You know what?" Oscar breathed deeply. "I think Sengoku was right, I should listen to what he had to say."

He began exiting the base, walking down a flight of stairs as Ozpin responded, "I am glad you see the importance of this. What in particular stuck out to you?"

Reaching the pier, Oscar dropped the papers into the water. "That you're a bad influence."

"Oscar," Ozpin spoke, his voice very nearly patronizing. "I am not sure what you are thinking, but I implore you to reconsider. There is far more than you realize at stake."

Oscar opted to untie a smaller, manageable boat. "Oh, trust me, I realize that. What you don't seem to realize is that someone else can take care of that. I'll be fine without the weight of the world or whatever it is on my shoulders, thank you."

As Oscar pushed off the pier, Ozpin's voice grew more irritated. "And now you are stealing a boat. Are you prepared to face those consequences?"

Oscar shrugged. "At this point, I think I'm losing my mind, so I can't really care anymore."

The entire sea laid open for him, ready to be explored. The chains that had threatened to hold him down were being torn apart by the waters, and he couldn't be more content. Then, against the sound of the wood gently rocking, he heard the sound of hooves against the deck.


The sun was nearly sinking in the sky when Blake and Jaune ran into Nora, and Ren and Cardin shortly after. Cardin had bags draped all around him, and he didn't look too pleased about it. Nora, on the other hand, looked very pleased, and Jaune didn't miss the slight grin on Ren's face. Nora rushed over to them, already chattering before she arrived. Jaune wisely stepped around to greet Ren and Cardin. He ignored Blake's glare from leaving her to deal with Nora.

"So, what were you two doing, huh?" Nora asked loudly.

"There was a theme park, and Jaune insisted on going," Blake answered, stepping back to reclaim her personal space.

Nora gasped dramatically, grasping Blakes shoulders so she had no chance to escape. "You two went to a theme park together? Alone?" Jaune wasn't too sure what Nora was trying to get at. Who else would he have gone with? He wouldn't just leave Blake alone. However, Blake suddenly looked like she would rather be anywhere but in Nora's grasp.

Nora wiggled her eyebrows, leaning in. "Did he win you a prize? Did you take the Ferris wheel and get stuck at the top? Did you get a smoothie with two straws?"

Blake forcefully pushed Nora back, her face reddening. Despite the push, Nora looked far from upset. "Nothing like that," Blake hissed. Her eyes darted toward Jaune and back to Nora. "Get that out of your head, it's not like that."

"Not like those books you read?"

Blake audibly choked. "W-what? What are you talking about?"

At this point, Nora's grin looked almost sinister. "Oh, you know. Like the one where the captain finds himself alone with his first mate, and he takes her —" Blake violently slammed her hands against Nora's mouth. While Nora continued to try and speak, her words were too muffled to understand.

"Don't you dare," snapped Blake. Nora simply shrugged, as if it didn't matter one way or another to her.

"When will I ever begin to understand girls?" Jaune murmured to Ren, having watched the entire spectacle.

Ren, with his eyes on Nora, replied, "I am not the best person to ask that."

Moving on to a different topic, Jaune said, "Well, I admit that we got a bit distracted because of me, so I don't really know how we're supposed to get past those mountains."

"We actually heard something about that," Cardin spoke up. "A guy in one of the stores mentioned that we could find someone that could help us using these bubbles."

"We were following some directions they gave us." Ren produced a scrawled note from his sleeve. "We're not that far now, so it shouldn't take us too much longer to get there."

"Yeah, if we're not too delayed," Jaune added, looking over to Blake and Nora.

The faunus girl suddenly looked like her hair was standing on end. "Did you just lick me?" Her hands jolted back, and she wiped them off on her pants.

Nora looked entirely unapologetic. "I mean, your hands were still covering my mouth. What did you expect me to do?" Blake narrowed her eyes, but ultimately let it go. Nora's expression said that she had won whatever feud they were having.


Rayleigh waltzed back into the small bar that he knew well. Shakky was behind the counter, cleaning glasses that were likely already spotless. As her eyes trailed up to spot him, even the tuft of smoke dancing off her cigarette seemed to smile.

"Had another adventure?" She asked, returning the glass to the others.

Rayleigh sat down on one of the stools, contentment on his features. "It wasn't so bad this time. They had a greenhorn pushing me around; he thought he was tougher than he actually was. Did they send you the money?"

Shakky smirked, snatching an envelope from under the bar and setting it in front of Rayleigh. "They did. You're worth 200,000 berries."

Rayleigh stared for a moment before chuckling. At least his poker debt would be paid off. Really, he hadn't had such poor luck since the last time Roger spoke with him. Now that was a man who seemed to bring luck with him everywhere he went. Or maybe he just made it. Either way, it didn't last.

A soft knocking stole him from his reverie. Padding over to the door, he opened it to several faces he had never seen before.

"Are you, uh, able to help our ship cross those mountains?" The blond boy in the front asked.

"The Red Line," a girl beside him clarified.

Rayleigh stroked the white tuft of hair on his chin. "I'm sure I could. Why not come inside to discuss it?"

The introductions were swift, but Rayleigh caught most of their character from them. Especially the girl who introduced herself as Nora — who was certainly not a pirate. It was hard to keep his smile down as they tried to quiet her and avoid outing their secret.

Once Shakky had served them each a drink, Rayleigh began his explanation. "The way to cross the Red Line is underneath it. You won't find any strait that will take you through them, and even if you found a way to the top of them, you would have to deal with Mariejois."

"Mariejois?" The black-haired girl, Blake, repeated.

Jaune, whom Rayleigh believed to be their captain, spoke up. "So, we need to upgrade our ship to go underwater? Damn, that will take a while. We'll ask Penny about that when we meet back up." In all honesty, Rayleigh hadn't expected that response. Not too many that sailed to Sabaody would speak so easily about alterations to their ship, as if it could happen overnight.

However, he knew that wasn't needed. "There's a much faster method that won't keep you marooned for so long. The bubbles you've seen on this island come from the sap of the trees that make up the archipelago. People like me can coat your ship in it, letting you sail down into the ocean."

"That's possible?" Jaune asked excitedly.

Rayleigh nodded. "It's my job, so it won't be free. It will take some time as well. So, just let me know where your ship is, and I'll have it taken care of."

"How much?" Ren interjected, not wanting to get far without knowing the price.

Rayleigh stroked his chin. "Well, that really depends on the size of your ship. I'll have to look at it to get any idea. I won't charge you for looking at it though."


Raven, the strongest warrior in the Branwen tribe who had slain countless foes and would never hesitate to give the same fate to others, sat lounging in a chair by the pool. She nursed a margarita, sipping it from a red bendy straw. Sunglasses and a floppy, wide brimmed hat shielded her face while she relaxed. This, as per her words, was her vigil keeping watch over the waters.

Her tribe had grown in a way she could not have predicted. The ship's original crew got along with her tribe surprisingly well. Especially the cleaning crew, who had already started a daily free-for-all arena in the bingo room. They were vicious. At least they had respected her authority — or that had come through demonstration. When a particularly gutsy group of individuals tried to usurp her, she pushed the four of them into the same life vest and tossed them overboard. Whatever fate they befell was their own doing, as was life when the strongest ruled.

This larger group had become, she would begrudgingly admit, fun to raid with. Each island they stopped at brought new challenges with new loot to take back with them. It was almost never the same experience twice, and that was something she could appreciate. It kept her on her toes, something she desperately needed with the long interludes between stops.

Encounters with other pirates were always her favorite. Half the ships they encountered were prone to falling apart when their ship rammed the hull. Then there was the thrill of boarding and causing chaos on the enemy ship. Her crew had grown quite creative — she once saw a man strangled with a towel animal.

In the end, the best part of it all was how far away she felt from her.


Neptune grumbled as he drew another card. There was humiliation and then there was being beaten by a dog in competitive solitaire. Neo, whom he was working with, looked nearly murderous. All Neptune could say was at least that glare wasn't pointed at him — Sun couldn't say the same, and he looked like he almost wanted to forfeit.

As Zwei placed down an ace of hearts in defense, Neptune glanced up at hearing the sound of a ship passing through close waters. At first glance, he nearly jumped to his feet. The design of marine ships had grown to be quite familiar, but there was one detail that slowed his panic. Both the hull and the masts were painted a stark white. Standing at the helm was none other than Whitley Schnee.

"Well, it looks like they made it here too," Neptune brought it to the others' attention. The moment Zwei and Sun turned their heads, Neo quickly swapped some of the cards in her hand. Neptune said nothing about it.


AN:

This chapter took longer to get out than it should have…I didn't like the ending to it that I had originally written since it felt like I was forcing it out of myself just to make the chapter a bit longer. I redid it — or rather, I deleted what I had and rewrote something entirely different. I'm much happier with how it is now.

Anyways, next chapter: Drumroll Please