The Fallen Dragon

by Draconian Enigma

Natsu loses his world and gets taken to an alternate version where he must recover and build new bonds with this world's Fairy Tail over time. Natsu is stronger, darker, smarter, but can still be a little bit of a goofball. Contains gore, violence, swearing and other mature themes so read at your own discretion. More information on my profile but beware of spoilers.

29. Fifteen Men On A Dead Man's Chest

6th February – 8:42AM

Natsu groaned softly as we awoke from a dreamless sleep. His left arm was pinned by a gentle weight and his bare chest was covered by a fan of silky blonde hair. He opened his eyes slowly shielding them from the sun coming in through the window with his free hand so they could adjust to the brightness. The gentle, almost non-existent rocking of the ship and sound of water crashing against the bow told him that they must have left port. A quick check of the watch strapped to his left wrist showed that they had been sailing for over an hour-and-a-half now. Natsu let out a gentle sigh and lowered his left arm slowly, as to not disturb the blonde snuggled at his side but with her back pressed up against him. They were both naked and only covered by a thin linin bedsheet from the waist down. This drew Natsu's eyes to the dips and rises of Lucy's fit body and he couldn't help but to place his hand on her side – just below her armpit – and glide his hand along her feminine curves until it came to rest on her hip.

"Mm~, your hand feels so rough~." Lucy murmured playfully, shocking the man and causing his hand to twitch against her but he settled down and started stroking her hip slowly, his callouses lightly scratching her skin.

"You were awake?" Natsu asked quietly. He rolled onto his side and slid his hand down and around her stomach, coming to rest just underneath her left breast. "I hope I didn't wake you."

"No, you didn't. But I was starting to get a little dozy." Lucy reassured the man and she rested her right hand over his, intertwining their fingers and giving his hand a gentle squeeze. "I've been awake for maybe half an hour. I just didn't want to move because it's so warm and comfortable here. Some snobbish noble was making a fuss out in the hall and it woke me up."

"Huh, I'm surprised it didn't wake me up…"

"You were sleeping like a rock." Lucy giggled softly and she turned her head slightly to look back at the man, a playful glimmer in her chocolate brown eye. "Well, as much as you can. You've always seemed like a light sleeper except when I'm in your arms. And unlike Nat, you don't snore, thankfully."

"Would it bother you if I did?" Natsu asked with a light-hearted chuckled. He carefully leaned over her, bringing their faces closer and coming in for a kiss.

Lucy met the man halfway, turning a little more and lifting her head slightly into the kiss. She closed her eyes slowly as the heat soaked into her lips and made them tingle, a feeling she had been getting addicted to ever since she first kissed him. The more they had become intimate, and the more she had woken Natsu's desires up, she noticed the faint hesitation gradually fade away from his affection and the man's love and passion fill its place. It stirred her own feelings for the man and she found herself answering with her own quickly growing, but still unspoken, love and passion. Her mind was still fuzzy as she drew back and looked into the man's warm gaze but it quickly clicked that she hadn't answered his question which made her laugh softly. "If you're going to ask me a question, don't kiss me before I have the chance to answer. My mind always goes blank when you kiss me, even more when you surprise me with a passionate one like you love doing."

"Heh, I'm not sorry." Natsu flashed the woman a quick grin before placing another gentle kiss on her lips then lying back down.

"And no, it wouldn't bother me." Lucy softly replied, slowly turning onto her other side so she could face the man. She released his hand but quickly slipped her left hand into his right and held it near his heart. "I've known Nat for years now and have shared rooms and beds with her countless times, so I'm used to her snoring. Though, it is definitely a more peaceful night when I'm with you."

After a couple of minutes of peaceful silence, Natsu spoke up once more, quietly asking, "So what was the deal with the noble?"

"I don't know, I was trying to push it from my mind and get back to sleep." Lucy sighed softly. She closed her eyes and curled slightly, bringing her head from Natsu's arm to his shoulder while sliding her left leg up and hooking it around his waist. His warmth was intoxicating and addictive, and it was slowly lulling her back to sleep. "She was complaining about something or other. Nat stuck her head outside and told her to shut up and go away, though in a more explicit way."

"She was awake?"

"Yeah. She came in afterwards because she sensed that I was rudely awoken and we had a little chat. She had been watching the passengers coming onto the ship when that woman had her spat."

Natsu shifted his attention to the suite and noticed that they were alone. "Huh, Natsumi and Lelyanna both aren't here. Did they tell you where they were going?"

"Grabbing breakfast and bringing it here. They only left maybe four or five minutes before you woke up so they could still be a little while longer." Lucy replied, gently murmuring against the man's chest. To stop herself from falling asleep again she moved on top of the man and slowly pushed herself up so she was straddling his lap. His hot morning wood pushed her labia apart and his heat began to soak into her core, tormenting her with pleasurable tingles. She slipped her fingers into her hair and flicked it out behind her, causing it to fan out before settling at her back as she stretched her arms out above her head with a deep groan.

"You know, you could've sat anywhere but you decided to sit there." Natsu remarked with a playful grin. "Are you trying to tell me something?"

"Well~, considering there is no Nat to come barging in on us and that I had a particularly erotic dream thanks to those novels that Nat found in your world," Lucy lowered her arms and rested her hands against the man's abs while giving him a seductive smile. "I figured we could get away with something if we make it quick." She slowly leaned down, bringing her face closer to his as her smile turned sly and she purred, "How about it~?"

"I'm not going to have much time to warm you up so it's going to be painful starting out." Natsu quietly cautioned as he slowly sat up but instead of being met with a kiss, he found himself chasing the woman upright as she sat up and raised herself off his lap.

"Don't worry, I'm expecting pain. And you don't have get me loosened up anyway, as much as I love it when you play with me." Lucy giggled softly. She slowly slid one of her hands up Natsu's chest while sliding her other down her body, taking Natsu's eyes with it as she reached down and grasped his hardened cock and slowly rubbed the tip back and forth between her sodden lower lips. "I woke up horny and annoyed and ended up fingering myself after Nat left our room. It took a lot of effort not to moan too loudly and wake you but the more I played with myself, the hornier I got. I felt like such a naughty girl, sneakily doing it next to you and trying not to get caught."

"Oh, you are a very naughty girl, Lucy. I can show you, if you like." Natsu whispered huskily as he cupped her cheek with his left hand and leaned in, giving her a heated kiss while his right hand came to rest on her sensitive left tit and began kneading it gently.

"Natsu~." Lucy moaned softly into the pinkette's mouth. She desperately wanted him to squeeze and stroke her and even go down on her but her desire to have his penis inside her overpowered all other desires. So, she lined herself up with the man's cock and gently inserted the dick's head into herself. The warmth radiating from the member sent another shiver racing through her and she brought both arms up, wrapping them around Natsu's neck and pulling him into a deeper kiss as she slowly eased herself down on his lap. It was painful, though not as painful as she was expecting for her first time. A gentle whimper escaped her lips but she pushed on, taking the man deeper and deeper into her soaked cavern until she felt a gentle bump deep inside her which made her stop. She reached down to check how much was left and surprisingly, she could take almost all of his impressive manhood.

"Holy fuck!" Natsu grunted, just now remembering how tight his wife had been the first time they had sex one night when they got drunk before dating. He pulled back from the kiss and looked at her, noticing that she had tears trailing down her cheeks. With a brush of his hand, he gently wiped them away and caressed her cheek. He placed a kiss on her forehead and softly advised, "Don't force yourself to take any more right now, just find a way to sit comfortably."

"Okay." Lucy nodded lightly. She lifted her hips, groaning softly, and rested her feet on top of Natsu's thighs. As sat down atop them, she found that it took the pressure off her cervix and allowed her to comfortably get used to feeling the man inside her. "I can't believe just how hot you are. It's actually helping with the pain."

"Heh, thanks for the compliment." Natsu chuckled as he wrapped the woman up in his arms. A gentle giggle slipped into his ear and a pair of slender arms snaked around his neck.

"Well, yes. You are hot, but you also feel hot, like a heat-pack. Both inside and out. It's very soothing and kind of relaxing." Lucy lightly played with the man's hair, combing her fingers back and forth and scratching his scalp with her nails. She sat back slowly, placing her hands on his shoulders and offering the man a relaxed smile. "I think I'm ready."

"Alright." Natsu placed his hands on Lucy's hips and began bounced her slowly on his lap. Through force of habit, he adjusted his grip and angled her hips.

"Ah," Lucy gasped softly, tightening her grip on the man's shoulders. She was shocked at the spikes of pleasure coming from places she didn't know were sensitive and somehow, the man managed to hit each one with the perfect amount of pressure to cause her core to tingle with excitement and make her mind cloud over. "Oh~ Natsu~."

"You like that, don't ya?" Natsu flashed the woman a playful grin, exposing his fangs. It didn't take long for Lucy to get used to the motions and she started moving on her own, slowly picking up the pace. He watched as the lust creeped into her eyes, darkening her irises and giving them the appearance of rich, molten chocolate. "That's it, just like that."

"Mm, it feels amazing Natsu~, I love it." The blonde moaned breathily as she wrapped her arms around his neck once more and dove in for a deep, passionate kiss.

Natsu slid his hands up Lucy's side and to her bouncing breasts, grasping both and giving them a gentle squeeze. He pinched her nipples and softly rolled them between his fingers, earning a sharp gasp from Lucy as she tightened around him.

"This is unfair~, you know all my weak spots but I don't know any of yours beside the obvious one that's inside me." Lucy whined softly, feeling completely at the man's mercy even though she was the one riding him.

"I'm going easy on you. You'll learn them soon enough." Natsu chuckled lightly. He slowly laid back flat on the bed, bringing the woman with him and shocking her at the change in position. She looked adorably lost and he couldn't help but give her a teasing grin. "There are things that you'd get off on that would shock you."

"Maybe you should teach me some later." Lucy giggled softly and gave an experimental rock of her hips, testing the new position. She quickly began rolling her hips as she lifted them because it caused Natsu's hot shaft to rub against her clit as she slid up it. "Mm~ this one feels good too."

"I can, just as long as Natsumi doesn't barge in on us." Natsu kissed the woman, groaning against her soft lips as he felt her beginning to tighten around his cock, it felt like a python was wrapping around him. "Fuck me… I had forgotten just how tight you can go."

Lucy's heart fluttered softly as the man's groans of pleasure echoed in her ears and it spurred her on, her desire to hear more of it growing stronger each time. "Hehe, there's more to come, Natsu~." A thought popped into her mind and she lowered her grinning lips down to his ear, whispering, "In fact~, I want you to take me, Natsu. I want you to show me what it's like when you're in control. I want you to stop holding back for my sake."

"Are you sure?"

"Mhmm~." Lucy nodded quickly as she sat up on the man's lap and gave him a bright smile. "I know you probably wanted me to be in control so you wouldn't accidentally hurt me with your strength but I trust you, Natsu, and I want to prove it. So~, where do you want me?"

Natsu took in the sight of the bubbly blonde's busty body eagerly bouncing on his lap like a hyperactive rabbit and a playful smile tugged at his lips. "Alright. Go and push up against the wall, and stick that perfect arse out."

"Okay." Lucy slowly lifted her hips, rising up off the man's cock but once he fell out of her, she came to a stop with a surprised expression. "Oh… I feel so empty now, and cold…" She giggled softly and carefully stepped off the bed. Once she was at the wall, she leaned against it and arched her back a little to push her ass out and present it to the man. Lucy looked back at the man and grinned while wiggling her ass to entice him. "Come on, Natsu~, I'm sure Nat and Lelyanna are on their way back. We've got to hurry~."

Natsu chuckled lightly, grinning at the woman's eagerness as he climbed out of bed and walked over to her. She seemed to get more excited the closer the came and the moment he placed his hands on her hips, she visibly quivered and goosebumps rose on her skin. "Fuck it, if they come back and she barges in here then I'll just tie her up and go back to fucking you. Don't worry about holding back your moans."

Lucy's racing heart sped up a few beats as a bashful blush dusted her cheeks, though her eyes sparkled at the idea. She reached down between her thighs and grabbed Natsu's penis, guiding it back to her lower lips and practically shoving it back inside her. "Oh~ fuck me~, it feels bigger!"

"Yeah, you might not be the only one getting a kick out of the idea." Natsu laughed huskily. He groaned softly as he pushed his hips forward, driving himself deep into the tight woman, though his efforts were assisted by Lucy pushing her hips back against him and then grinding against his crotch once she had taken him in all the way to the base.

"Mm~, I think I just took it all~." Lucy moaned. She playfully grinned back at the man as she rolled her hips, rubbing her labia against the man's crotch. He was pressing against her cervix once again but aside from a faint discomfort, it felt amazing. "When you finish, I want you to be as deep as possible. I want to feel it shoot out deep inside me and pool within my core."

"That's something I would be more than happy to do for you, Lucy." Natsu grinned and kissed the blonde's cheek as he began thrusting his hips and like before, Lucy pushed her hips back to meet him each time he thrusted forward. Their pace quickly picked up and a wet slapping sound echoed around the room each time their hips crashed together.

"Oh Natsu~!" Lucy moaned loudly. A pressure was rapidly building within her core and her mind was filled with a thick fog. She felt Natsu kiss her neck, right where it met her shoulder, and the warmth gave her tingles but the kiss was followed by four sharp points pressing against her skin then suddenly sinking into her. The unexpected bite caused the pressure building within her to instantly release and stars danced across her vision. "Ah~ Fuck~!"

Grunting deeply at the sudden tightness, Natsu placed another kiss on her neck where he had bitten her. He hadn't drawn blood nor was it his intention to. The body had many erogenous zones, and it just so happens that Lucy's body became even more sensitive when heavily aroused, and he loved taking advantage of it – touching, teasing, licking, biting, he would do anything and everything to hear her sweet moans. He slid his hands up her sides, allowing his callouses to scrape against her skin until they came to rest against her tits. She was shaking and shivering, spasming from the orgasm rocking her body. "How was that?"

"S-shut up and do it again~!" Lucy demanded, shooting the man a horny glare over her shoulder then tilting her head to the other side to give him access to her neck. She moaned loudly when he bit her once more and another pulse raced through her body, driving her to even greater heights of pleasure that she could never achieve by herself. "Natsu~!"

It was getting hard to push into the woman due to her tightness, even though she so wet that liquid was seeping out from between them and trailing down her thighs. But this didn't stop either of them from crashing their hips together and filling the room with heavy, needy moans and the clapping of their skin. Natsu knew that Lucy wouldn't loosen up while she was stuck in the throes of her climax, and the only favour he was doing by continuing to thrust his hips was to give her more and more pleasure with no end in sight. He couldn't and wouldn't stop thanks to his addiction to this woman and after holding himself back for so long, one little taste of her was all it took to make that addiction come back in full.

"Fuck, Lucy~." Natsu moaned deeply, the pressure in his loins building rapidly. "Here it comes." With a harsh grunt, he slammed his hips forward as the dam burst and he flooded the Lucy's depths with hot semen.

"Ooooh~ YES!." Lucy cried out loudly. She squeezed her eyes shut and shuddered violently, her orgasmic high surging once more as the hot liquid began to pool within her core. "NATSU! It's So Hot~! Oh Gods! Fill Me~!"

Natsu shortened his thrusts, only moving a few centimetres back and forth. Groaning softly, he slowly lowered his hands and wrapped his arms around her stomach. He murmured into her ear, "Fuck I love you, Lucy."

Lucy blushed and bashfully looked over her shoulder, her eyes bright with happiness and full of warmth. She turned a little in his arms and gave the man a long but gentle kiss, only pulling back when the need to breathe became overwhelming. She smiled warmly at Natsu and whispered shyly, "I l-lo, lov… Ah, why is it so hard to say… I feel it but it's so hard to tell you, I just get so… you know..."

"I know that you're cute when you're flustered."

Whining softly at Natsu's devilish grin, Lucy closed her eyes and simply enjoyed his warmth that radiated both inside and out but after a few moments, she noticed just how sweaty they had become. "Should we jump into the shower?"

"We should probably do that separately; I doubt I'll be able to keep my hands off you." Natsu chuckled at the woman's suggestion and he tightened his arms slightly while he slowly pulled out of Lucy, causing her to groan and shiver. It looked like she was about to beg for it to be put back inside her but she slowly turned in his arms and threw her arms around his neck, pulling her body flush with his.

"I don't see a problem with that, Natsu." Lucy smiled seductively and she captured the man's lips in a passionate kiss. Unlike the first time he had pulled out of her, this time left her very warm inside thanks to the man's semen inside her womb. "I'd be up for round two."

"Don't get me wrong, I would love to keep making love to you too and hearing those sweet moans but Natsumi and Lelyanna are almost here."

"All the more reason to have it together, we can be done quicker."

"Yeah, that sounds reasonable and all, but it's never going to go that way, Lucy." Natsu laughed heartily. "Trust me. You might have been able to hold back before when we showered together after sharing the bed, but that won't be the case going forward. Not after this."

"I'm not going to take 'no' for an answer to this, Natsu~." Lucy giggled playfully and she tugged on the man's arm, pulling him towards and through the bedroom door. "We're just going to have to do our best to resist temptation."

"With a body like that, you might as well ask me for the world."

"Don't speak too soon," Lucy whispered, placing her finger over the man's lips with a coy smile. "You just might have done that already."

As they entered the bathroom, the door leading out to the hall swung open and Natsumi's loud boisterous voice rang through the suite. "Heeey Luce~, did ya get the party started without me~?"

"You missed it, sorry~." Lucy called out while closing the door. She playfully poked her tongue out at the closed door then pulled Natsu into the shower with a bright smile.

"I'll keep the food warm for you two. Just don't take forever in there."

"No promises~." The blonde purred, looking up at the man with lust-filled eyes. Her hands twitched as she reached out to touch his broad chest but she quickly controlled herself and turned around, turning the taps and starting the shower. Her self-control was tested when Natsu placed his warm hands on her hips, sending tingles up her spine. She started to bend over but she quickly took one of the hands and placed a vanilla scented soap bar in it then busied herself with her long hair.

While she was running shampoo through her hair, she felt a pair of soapy, strong hands rest upon her lower back and a strange sensation emanated from their touch. She felt it slip into her body and weave through her muscles, causing them to relax as the hands slowly moved up and down her back, massaging her as they went. "You're such a tease~."

"You should pay attention to what I'm doing." Natsu suggested firmly but he had a gentle smile. "This is the only way you'll have any impact on my muscles."

Lucy closed her eyes and stuck her head under the falling water. While she rinsed her hair, she focused on the man's touch, noticing that the gentle warmth she felt under her skin was from his magic as it soothed her muscles. She brought a hand down and slowly ran her fingertips up the man's thigh, copying what he was doing to her and sending her own magic into his leg. The dense muscles in the man's thigh twitched powerfully but with a minor adjustment to her flow of magic, they began to relax under her touch.

"That's it," Natsu whispered into the blonde's ear and he slid his soapy hands around to her front to wash her abdomen and hug her at the same time. "Good job."

"It helps that I can just copy what I feel you doing to me." Lucy replied softly, leaning back into the man's warm embrace. She glanced up at him to make sure she wouldn't splash him with hair product and carefully began to apply conditioner to her hair. His hands were doing more stroking than washing so she looked up once again, grinning playfully as she said, "Oi~. What happened to no touching~?"

"I lost the ability to resist temptation when I saw the water running down your body, it's breath-taking."

"Stop~," Lucy burst out in a fit of giggles and she lightly slapped one of the hands running along her stomach. "You're so corny~!"

"This is barely scratching the surface of corniness. In fact, that barely counts as corny."

While she let the conditioner sit in her hair, she ducked down through the man's arms and stepped around behind him. There was very little room to move in the shower so she gave the man a gentle push, urging him forward. Once she had space to work, she grabbed the soap and went to work on his back, tracing the numerous scars that littered it with her fingertips and pressing lightly to work the muscles beneath. "Hm, your body is heavily scarred yet I feel no evidence of damage beneath the skin…"

"I can only heal so quickly on my own. All the bones, muscles, and organs beneath those take priority anyway, so I'll still scar but it's only superficial damage. Wendy used to help expedite the healing process when she could but the battlefield was a dangerous place for mages and so she could only use her magic when we knew we'd be safe. That role now falls to Anna, though this world is far safer than my own."

"Even with monsters here?"

"We had our own monsters, Lucy. You're looking at one, remember?"

"Yes, but you're a big softy."

"Only around a few, Lucy, and only a select few of those can I feel relaxed enough to show the man you see now. Anna has seen a little bit of what I was like, but I can tell you now; I would make anything Natsumi has done in the past look like a child's playtime."

Lucy lowered her gaze slightly, spreading her fingers out as she ran her hands down the man's back. He had tensed up at the mention of his past, like he was preparing for a fight. But that fleeting Fight or Flight response faded seconds later and she felt him relax under her hands. She took a deep breath in through her nose and slowly released it before smiling up at the back of the man's head. "Okay. So, you're a big softy that has vicious fangs, and no hesitation to use them. Still doesn't change the fact that you're a big softy. You should let your playful side come out more, even if you're in the middle of a fight."

"And now you have first-hand experience with my 'vicious fangs'."

"Shush~, if you remind me of that then we will never get clean."

Finishing the shower as quickly as she could after taking in turns to wash their upper and lower bodies, as well as making Natsu kneel in front of her so she could wash his hair – though there had been plenty of kisses on her hips and the occasion teasing lick, Lucy stepped out of the shower and grabbed two of the four nearby towels. She handed one off to Natsu and began drying her body. A gentle tug on her hair made her look back and she smiled at the pinkette who had begun drying her long blonde hair with gentle strokes of the towel.

"Thanks." Lucy slowly turned and reached up with the towel, tossing it over his head and carefully drying his hair in return. She moved closer to the man, pressing her soft body against him to allow him to better access her long hair. It also didn't hurt that the cold air was nipping at her skin and that Natsu was the perfect cure. She slowly worked her way down his body, drying the stubborn droplets that clung to his tan skin or were trailing down his muscular frame. Lucy licked her hips subconsciously as she took in the sight, steadily becoming aroused once more the longer she laid eyes on Natsu.

"You look like you're going to devour me."

"Well~, I might just be thinking about putting a big hot sausage in my mouth, just a little bit." Lucy purred. She wrapped her towel around herself then got down on her knees, lightly grasping the man's cock in both hands and giving it long, slow strokes.

"You're going to have to wait until tonight or if we get some time to ourselves during the day." Natsu chuckled lightly. He hooked his hands under her arms and lifted her to her feet. Lucy looked a little displeased as she was pouting cutely at him. "Hey, don't give me that look. I'll return the favour and eat you out while you blow me when the time comes."

"Mm~, I'll try and wait, but the longer I look at you, the hornier I get." Lucy admitted with a giggle.

"How do you think I feel?" Natsu laughed and he gave the woman a gentle spank, earning a sharp gasp and a smouldering smile. "You don't have the senses I do so imagine how hard I have to restrain myself to not pin you down and have my way with you whenever I'm around you."

A bashful yet aroused blush dusted the blonde's cheeks as she looked up at the man with large brown eyes. "Maybe we could try that sometime soon."

Natsu wrapped his towel around his waist as he stepped out of the bathroom. Sparing a quick glance to the two women sat in the sitting room, he crossed to his bedroom while saying, "We'll be over there in a sec."

"Leave the door open so we can talk." Natsumi threw over her shoulder and took a sip of the coffee grasped between her hands.

The breakfast laid untouched on the coffee table between the two women, showing that they had been waiting for him and Lucy so they could eat together. Natsu passed through the open doorway and collected his clothing from the wardrobe. He spared a quick glance at the blonde who ditched her towel beside him and started dressing, though he was finding it tough to ignore her. "Lucy said you had been watching the passengers board?"

"Yeah, I wanted to get a feel for them. Probably going to go for a stroll after getting some food in me, I want to get a closer look at them."

"I was talking to the captain yesterday," Lelyanna spoke up, more so for Lucy's sake. "He said we'll have free reign of the ship, nowhere is off-limits for us. That permission has been passed around to the full crew it seems as the chefs in the nearby restaurant invited us into the kitchen, mainly because Nat said she could smell something delicious coming from it."

"Hey, I was hungry and breakfast on my mind, so of course I would notice it."

"Good, we'll be able to keep an eye on things and can react faster if our movements aren't restricted." Natsu finished up dressed, he had been quick but made sure not to appear sloppy, and he made his way out of the bedroom. He said down next to Natsumi and reached for the coffee that sat in front of him.

"I don't remember how you take yours so I just made it to my taste. I hope that's alright." Natsumi informed her counterpart and gave her own mug a very slight wiggle, sloshing the black liquid within.

"Even if it wasn't to my taste, it'd be far from the worst tasting thing I've drunk." Natsu lifted the mug to his lips and took a cautious sip. "Hm, not bad. Your taste is close to mine, just a little sweeter."

"So," Lucy joined the group in the sitting room, sitting down next to Lelyanna while she ran a brush through her hair. "What should we do today? We shouldn't have any trouble until tonight when we pass through the stretch of sea that those pirates have been lurking in."

"You're going to be working on learning Requip, Lucy." Natsu pointed to the woman with his mug. "Honestly, as much as I'd love to teach it to you, I think you should work with either Natsumi or Anna on that since we'd probably get distracted and you won't learn anything."

"Besides learning how to fuck like rabbits." Natsumi added, playfully smirking at the blonde. "So, how was it?"

Lucy sighed softly and stared at the teasing grin plastered on Natsumi's face. "How do you think it would feel when you sleep with a man who knows your own body better than you do and can use that knowledge to blow your mind?"

"Absolutely fucking great!"

"You have your answer." A renewed blush spread across Lucy's cheeks as she glanced down at her food. She brought the plate onto her lap, but before she began eating, she pointed to Lelyanna with her fork. "I'll work with Lelyanna to learn it. Nat's also going to be distracting but for a different reason."

"What? It's not like I'm going to pester you for all the juicy details about how he railed you and you loved it." Natsumi laughed loudly and hugged Natsu's arm, plunging it into her cleavage. "Alright, I guess I'll spend some time with the hotty. Maybe check out that indoor pool and sauna."

---

7th February – 5:42 PM

Knock knock

Natsu looked at the door as he stepped out of the bathroom, a towel wrapped around his waist. Since he was the closest to the door, he opened it without a second thought and came face to face to a short greenette woman dressed in the formal black-and-white uniform of the ship's crew.

"Pardon me…" The woman started as she turned her attention to the man in the open doorway but her words failed her when she realised that he was mostly naked and still had a slight sprinkling of water on his scarred body. "I, um, I, er…"

Natsu placed a finger under the woman's chin and lifted it so she looked him in the eyes. "I've seen you on the bridge. Do you have a message from the captain?"

"Er…" The pale elven woman's mind was still frozen in place and her knife-like ears quickly reddened thanks to the man's warm touch on her skin. She timidly – and with a touch of irritation – brought up one of her hands which were clad in white silk gloves and gently grasped the man's wrist, pulling his hand down and away from her. Her eyes darted down to two women, a blonde and pinkette, who had just poked their heads around the man's broad chest and eyed her with raised eyebrows. "C-Captain Barlow wanted to inform you all that we will be passing near the Capilian Archipelago in about two hours' time and would like for you to be on the bridge around that time. Someone will be sent if we reach it sooner."

Lucy stepped around Natsu and gently pushed him back with a hand on his chest, offering him a warm smile as she said, "You should go and get ready for dinner, Natsu, and let us handle this." The blonde spun back to the elf, her long, luxurious and regal red dress fanning out around her ankles as she took the man's place at the doorway. Looking thoroughly like a princess, she put on her brightest smile. "Don't mind Natsu, as you can see from his body, he's been in a lot of gruelling battles so he tends to forget about the sensitivities of different races. Well, more like he doesn't concern himself with them since there is no room for that crap on the battlefield."

"I won't take offense to his actions." The elf shook her head lightly and returned the blonde's smile with a small yet kind one of her own. "Though I was curious, what race is he? Humans don't have the kind of warmth I felt coming from his hand, nor fangs or the kind of presence that man has. Well, I guess it was both there and not there, his presence. He's not an incubus, is he?"

"In short, he's a human-demon hybrid. There's more to it but we aren't going to share those details to someone we've just met. He might or might not be an incubus, he's definitely hung like one." Natsumi interrupted, leaning against the right side of the doorframe and looking down at the short elf. Since she had been relaxing in their sitting room, she had only been wearing her shirt half-unbuttoned which showed off a substantial amount of cleavage, a skirt, and a pair of thigh-high black socks borrowed from Lucy. "Those two are heading out to one of the restaurants for dinner but the priestess and I will be here. Since she can talk telepathically with Natsu, you just have to warn us and we can warn them."

"I see." The elf stepped back and bowed her head politely. "I'll let the captain know of your plans so we can contact you when the time comes."

"Thank you." Lucy bowed her head and slowly closed the door. She turned to her best friend and her lips curled into a small teasing smile. "You sounded a little jealous there, Nat."

"I just don't like snooty elves. She said she won't take offence but I could sense otherwise." Natsumi walked back to the couches and threw herself down on the one she had vacated moments ago. "High and mighty bitches like that need a good and hard railing to break their minds and get them out of that fucking mindset."

"And into a 'fucking' mindset, I'm sure." Lelyanna glanced up from the medical journal on her lap. "Though I do agree, at least about the snootiness of some elves. They make my job hard because I need to have physical contact to heal people."

"I'm sure they'd just suck it up and let you do your thing anyway." Natsu said as he stepped out of the bedroom, fully dressed with his coat draped over his left arm. "Swallow their pride and shit like that."

"I still think swallowing something else would be better for them." Natsumi chuckled quietly to herself before rolling onto her side and looking up at the man. "Anyway, you heard the plan."

"Yeah, yeah." Natsu half-heartedly waved to Natsumi as he made his way to Lucy's side at the door. "Just pop into my head when they come and get you two, Anna."

"Will do."

Once out in the hall, Lucy wrapped her arms around Natsu's left and held it close. She found comfort in his warmth as it soaked into her chest. While they walked down the corridor, she looked up at the pinkette and smiled as she mused, "I wonder what the restaurant will be serving today?"

"The board by the reservation booth said something about three courses but I didn't give it more than a passing glance." Natsu replied, quickly adding, "Oh, and the reservation is in your name."

"That's alright, I know you don't like putting your name down on things whenever you can avoid it." Lucy remarked but she looked up at the man with kind eyes. "You know, there will come a time where your name becomes known to the general population, such is the nature of being in Fairy Tail. We're a famous guild, after all. Not to mention that Hisui holds the Grand Magic Games yearly…"

"Yeah, I guess you're right." Natsu murmured as he ran a resigned hand through his hair. "We had that too but it was postponed when the war began, never to run again."

"People will ask questions when it happens so I think it would be a good idea to make yourself public knowledge. Yeah, you and Nat basically share a name and have the same magic and all, but both of you look different enough that no one will think you're related or otherwise when they see you two together; your hair colours have different hues with hers being pinker, she's got olive undertones whereas you're bronzy, even your eyes are different shades of onyx green with yours being closer to black than hers. You two are different enough that you shouldn't have much to be concerned about. You've said that you don't have the dual-mode and other crap she integrated into her dragon magic…"

"Just the base magic, I had to rely on our curses instead."

"Alright then in that case, I think you should really lean into the demon or devil side of you. You don't have to be some big bad evil guy as a devil, you can be one of those chaotic ones who love to fuck around with everything – I think some of the kids in the guild call it Chaotic Good or Neutral on those table top games they play. Toy with people, offer bargains, ham it up, enjoy life to the fullest. You were given a second bite of the apple, bite off as much as you can fit in your mouth."

"Hm." Natsu silently thought about the blonde's words as they entered the restaurant and Lucy released his arm and left him with a kiss on the cheek as she went to talk with the man staffing the reception desk. He vaguely registered the man's shock when he laid eyes on the stunningly beautiful Heartfilia heiress but he tuned out their conversation. She was correct; it was inevitable that people found out about him since everyone gossips, it would be best if he began to openly differentiate himself from Natsumi as Lucy had suggested by emphasising the demon or devil side. If he ended up working with Hisui and the Nation's military in some capacity, his background would begin to surface to some degree, he couldn't prevent that unless he completely threw away the desire to see his nation survive and prosper that still burned strong within him, which he would never do so that was also out of his hands. He was brought out of his thoughts by a playful voice and a hand waving in front of his eyes.

"Yoohoo, Natsu~."

"Yes, Natsu here." Natsu replied quickly, earning a giggle from the blonde. He followed Lucy and the waiter to their table which was beside a window looking out to the portside of the ship. Unsurprisingly, Lucy was drawing the gazes of the patrons sat tables around the restaurant but Natsu ignored them as he pulled a chair out for her and sat down across from her with his coat neatly hung over the back of his chair.

"Here is your menus and the drink list," The waiter handed over the two lists and politely bowed his head. "Someone will be over shortly to take your order."

"Thank you." Lucy offered the man a kind smile but once he had returned to the reception booth, the blonde leaned a little closer to Natsu and whispered, "Is it okay to have a drink considering we might have to deal with pirates soon?"

"With your tolerance… don't drink too much." Natsu chuckled lightly. "But I can always burn off any alcohol in your system, I just need to be careful when I do it otherwise, I may end up cooking you inside out."

"Will a bottle of red shared between us be fine?" Lucy asked, her eyes glimmering with hope that a little bit of booze wouldn't get in the way of their job.

"Yeah. You'll probably get tipsy or a little more after two glasses so to be safe, you should stop at two and I'll just soak up the rest." The corners of Natsu's lips tugged up onto a gentle, reassuring smile as he gave his answer. He turned his attention to the menu in his hands and skimmed through it. Before long, they were approached by a waitress who took their order.

"You know, I'm surprised that the ship had a Midian restaurant on board." Lucy remarked casually as she gazed around the fancy restaurant. "I don't usually get the chance to go to places like this since Nat and Grace like Pubs and 'the rowdier the better', and Erza causes more harm than good when those two are involved… Wendy is good company but… well… it feels more special when I'm with you."

"Lucy, you're blushing." Natsu pointed out, lips spreading into light-hearted grin as he tapped his ear.

Lucy groaned softly and covered her reddened ears but her blush grew and her cheeks quickly became flushed. It gave her butterflies to see Natsu happy and the teasing glimmer in his eyes made her heart race and her mind wandered to the previous morning. She subconsciously rubbed her thighs together but quickly squeezed them together tightly when she realised what she was doing thanks to Natsu playfully quirking an eyebrow. Thankfully, she was spared the imminent teasing remark by the waitress placing their appetisers down on the table.

"Désolée de vous interrompre." The black-haired Midian woman said in a thick accent, offering them an amused smile before placing two wine glasses down and filling them with red wine. "I will leave ze bottle 'ere, Mademoiselle 'eartfilia, Monsieur Báleygr. Bon appétit."

"Merci." Lucy flashed the waitress a slightly bashful smile before returning her attention to the man across from her as the waitress bowed out. After a brief moment of silence, where she recentered herself, Lucy straightened up and sat with all the dignity befitting the status of her family. "Shall we?"

"Heh, don't have to ask me twice." Natsu chuckled quietly.

As they dined, Natsu kept half an eye on the window beside them, gazing out into the grey-toned world beyond. Aside from the occasional small talk between courses, they ate and sipped wine in a peaceful and comfortable silence. Just a few minutes after they were given their dessert, the black-haired waitress came back and leaned down with urgency in her eyes.

"Monsieur, Mademoiselle, I 'ave a message from ze capitaine." She informed them in a hushed voice. "Capitaine Barlow requested that you and your team meet 'im on ze bridge as soon as possible. We mentioned zat you 'ave just been given dessert and would likely want to finish it and ze capitaine said not to rush. We must be sailing into dangerous waters, no?"

"Mm, yeah." Natsu nodded slowly before turning his attention to Lucy. "I have your weapons on me but will you be fine fighting in that?"

"I've fought in worse." Lucy replied with a grateful smile.

"Oh, and don't worry about ze payment, ze food is complimentary for your team as thanks from ze crew. Just 'ead out ze door once you're done. Wouldn't want to make ze capitaine wait too long. Though, I do 'ave a request of our one; please don't pull out any weapons inside ze restaurant, you could frighten ze passengers."

After the woman had returned to her duties, Natsu looked out the window and narrowed his eyes at the distant islands. "That must be the beginning of the archipelago that we were told about."

"You can see… no, I shouldn't be surprised that you can see out in that pitch black void. You know, I envy Lelyanna sometimes, she's the only person who has seen what you can see."

"You're not missing out on much but I won't deny that it is handy. Check with Lelyanna to see if the ring fits on one of your fingers, then you can see for yourself."

"I may just do that." Lucy mused as she looked down at her crème caramel with a small pout, upset that she wouldn't get to savour the delicious dessert. She wolfed it down with as much dignity as she could afford then chased it down with the last of her second glass of wine. "All set?"

"One sec," Natsu closed his eyes and shifted his consciousness into Lelyanna, finding her walking to the bridge with Natsumi next to her. Returning to his own mind, he slowly opened his eyes and rose to his feet. "They're already one their way, let's move." Natsu placed his hand on his coat and it vanished in a flash of light while he pushed in the chair.

Lucy had a gentle blush dusting her cheeks as she followed the man out. Even though she was wearing heels and tipsy, she was so well practiced that not a single step landed badly. She looked up at the man as he summoned her firearms, keys, and whip with Requip and handed them over, a stone-cold expression set on his face. A bubbly giggle escaped her lips as she leaned in a little closer. "Have I told you how hot you are when you look like that?"

"Considering that I'm pretty sure you've admitted to liking dangerous men, that doesn't surprise me."

"Have I?" Lucy blinked slowly, staring at the man as she slowly donned the harness and belts that she had been given. Due to wearing a dress, her gear was a little different than what she was used to but she'd make due.

"Unless I'm getting confused, I'm sure you have."

"I mean, it's true. It's one of the reasons I like you." Lucy replied, groaning softly as she stretched her limbs. Her attention was drawn to the man's chest as a harness she hadn't seen before appeared on and she could see a large rifle attached to his back without any slings. While he was checking his pistol, she stepped around behind him and her eyes shot wide open at the sight of the largest rifle she had ever seen sat upon the harness' black, soft leather back. "Holy hell, that things as tall as I am! If I didn't know better, I'd think you were compensating for something…"

"Hmm?" Natsu glanced over his shoulder, looking at the stock of his SPSR then to the large brown eyes staring at it. "Ah, it's not something usually used against people. Figured since the only way onto our ship is by boat then this would be the best tool for the job. And if they can fly, well… then it will clip their wings."

"It certainly looks up to the task…" Lucy murmured. She quickly got over her shock and hurried past the man, running on the balls of her feet. But she was quickly swept off her feet and the hallway became a blur while she was safely held close to Natsu's chest. What had taken them minutes to cover before had only taken seconds and the blonde found herself on the bridge where Natsumi and Lelyanna were waiting.

"Right on time." Natsumi remarked, grinning wildly at the overwhelmed woman who was getting placed onto her shaky feet.

"You called, Captain?" Natsu asked as the strolled up to the dark elf who had a pipe in his hand and his eyes set on the pitch-black waters to the portside of the ship.

"Aye." Captain Barlow turned to the man and looked past him at the quietly gossiping girls. Deciding to let them chat, he turned his full attention to the man in front of him. "As you're aware, we're passing through dangerous waters owned by the pirates sailing under Charlotte Kilmore's flag – she's informally known as the Crimson Queen of Pirates, said to have turned the ocean red when she conquered the Capilian Archipelago in a bloody raid."

"How ominous." Natsu grunted, stepping past the captain to look out at the distant islands.

"Quite. And unfortunately for us, we can see anything out there. Even those of us that evolved better night-vision than others." Captain Barlow turned to face the window, pointing his smoking pipe out at the blackness beyond. "Hell, even a dark elf like myself can't see very far into that darkness. Of all the nights we had to sail past this place, it had to be a damned moonless one."

"Shit luck for us, considering it's not like we can just turn out lights out and run dark like the pirates out there."

"Yes," The elf sighed, his shoulders falling slightly. "Were I still commanding a warship, I could do the same. We'll just have to play the cards we have been dealt."

"Well, I do have a little bit of good news that could stack the deck in our favour." Natsu's lips curled into a faint smirk as he glanced at the man beside him. "To put it simply, my eyes aren't normal, so I can see what's going on out there. I can see the islands on the horizon and everything in between."

"Hm, that is some good news. But what are you going to do, I assume it has something to do with that obscenely large rifle on your back?"

"Depends on what comes our way, I won't know until I get a better look with my binoculars. I can take out anything light with my rifle but if we get captured warships coming after us… well that'll require a more personal touch."

"I'll let you set up however you see fit. You're free to engaged if you deem it necessary."

"Understood." Natsu stepped away from the captain and made his way out through the nearby door and onto the portside promenade. He removed his anti-materiel rifle from his back and leaned it against the railing before sitting atop the cold metal.

Looking through his binoculars, he observed the distant boats and ships. There were numerous boats that would fall under the coastal motor boat category, small and fast boats that would catch up to their ship in no time. They seemed to be assembling near a pair of warships which going by the size and armament, looked to be a pair of up-gunned destroyers. As he was writing down his observations, along with sketches of the vessels, he was joined by his team.

"See anything interesting?" Natsumi asked offhandedly as she sat on the railing, facing Natsu with a carefree grin.

"A surprising number of warships, probably deserters from some navy somewhere." Natsu glanced at the sensual woman but returned his attention to the pirates. "The range finder says its eighteen kilometres to the shore and these vessels are gathering about fourteen kilometres away from us."

"What about these warships?" Lelyanna asked quickly, squinting her eyes in an effort to try and make out something in the darkness. "What exactly are they?"

"Well, I don't know the terminology used here but I'm seeing some corvettes, destroyers, a cruiser or two and what looks to be a battleship docked in the port or maybe it's a dreadnaught, hard to say. But I don't think we have to worry about that one."

"Then what do we need to worry about?" Natsumi quickly followed up with her question but her answer came in the form of a pair of binoculars.

"Take a look between us and the port, fourteen kilometres away, like I said before."

"Hm…" Natsumi brought the binoculars to her eyes and blinked slowly, her grin sagged slightly in surprise but it came back even stronger within moments as she let out a bark of laughter. "Heh! This thing's brilliant. I kinda want one for myself."

"It's very useful, isn't it?" Lelyanna smiled, knowing what the woman was experiencing first-hand thanks to her own experience with Natsu's binoculars.

"Yeah. Anyway," Natsumi answered quickly, not taking her eyes off the vessels in the distance. "Those boats are going to be the main problem; I see a dozen prepared but there are likely more in reserve. Those are cheap and quick to make, so they probably have tonnes of them. And those destroyers aren't anything to scoff at either; torpedo tubes directed at the port and starboard sides and a massive fucking gun mounted on the bow turret, not a standard fit for those ships either so it was probably jury-rigged and could have shoddy mounts."

"How do you know all that?" Lelyanna asked curiously but almost immediately regretted asking.

"Let's just say that the warships aren't the only thing that gets filled with seamen." Natsumi replied, grinning slyly at the priestess. "Men tend to give you all the information you want if you fuck their brains out."

"Yeah, I was thinking that those destroyers seemed oddly armed." Natsu murmured. He was handed back his binoculars but he sent them away and picked up his rifle. "I want you three to take up positions on the lowest promenade and fend off any boarders. I'll take out the first wave of boats but once they're gone, I'm going after those ships to get them off our tail. I don't know the range of those guns, but I want to take them out before they get the order to fire on us."

"Alright, we'll head over and get ready." Natsumi hopped off the railing and dusted off the back of her skirt. She led the way back to the bridge but the door opened for them, held by Captain Barlow. "Thanks, Captain."

Natsu looked back as the dark elf approached him, looking like he had something to say. "Come to see the fireworks, Captain?"

"Just what kind of bullets does that thing fire?" Captain Barlow remarked but he shook his head. He took a puff from his pipe as he came to a stop beside the man and looked out into the darkness. "I came to inform you that we have notified the passengers about the developing situation. Hopefully, they'll stay out of the way but you can't be so sure sometimes."

Gazing through the rifle's scope, Natsu watched as the boats and ships changed heading and started to sail on a course to intercept them. "They've finally decided to move on us. A dozen boats and two destroyers coming to welcome us to the neighbourhood."

"Shut the door on them."

Natsu got to a knee behind the railing and rested his rifle on top of it. He kept his eye on the lead boat, watching it until it came into his range and then he shifted his aim to lead the shot.

With the pull of the trigger, the borderline-hypervelocity bullet raced out of the barrel and loudly cracked through the air, leaving an orangey trail in its wake. Travelling at approximately 1,500 metres a second, it only took a handful of seconds to cover the six to seven kilometres from their lightly pitching ship to the boat bobbing about in the water as it raced toward them.

The wooden hull of the leading motorboat was punctured by the anti-materiel bullet and it detonated in a vicious explosion of flaming shards of wood and bloody viscera. A few seconds later and the second boat – trailing a little behind and to the right of the lead in an inverted V formation – detonated in similar fashion.

"And there they go, scrambling like rats…" Natsu muttered, his eyes shifting left and right across the waters in front of him. The pirates had broken formation and were zig-zagging to avoid the incoming fire. He grunted and focused, calming himself which set his eyes ablaze with the flames of hell. The waves calmed and the boats crawled almost to a stop as his mind went into overdrive, his Reflex mutation kicking in to combat the erratic targets. With a small adjustment to his aim, he targeted the third boat out of twelve and pulled the trigger as it began turning. Unlike his first two targets, the time between the third, fourth and fifth boats became increasingly shorter, halving then halving again.

The dark night was illuminated with bright flashes and the gentle sounds of water were overpowered by booming explosions coming in quick secession. Boats six and seven showered the sea with splinters and severed limbs but the blasts were punctuated by a brief silence.

"Five left." The pinkette murmured as he dropped the magazine from his rifle and pulled the spare from the forward magazine holder in front of his right hand and slotting it into the receiver. With a pull of the cocking handle, he loaded a glowing round into the chamber and took aim.

Using the short break in fire, the boats had turned as hard as possible and were fleeing back towards the safety of their pirate-controlled ports.

"Gods be damned…" Captain Barlow gasped quietly; eyes wide as he stared at the burning wrecks, taking in the carnage that one man with an unusual rifle could bring upon his foes.

The eighth boat flashed as an explosion ripped it apart and was followed shortly by boats nine through twelve, filling the night with a barrage of sound that sent ears ringing and shook the windows of the ocean liner.

"Captain," Natsu slowly rose to his feet and sent his weapon, magazines, and ejected casings into his personal pocket dimension using Requip, replacing them with his M18 Shotgun and pouches containing its magazines attached to his harness. He calmly looked over his shoulder, focusing a single glowing red eye on the elven man. "I want you to change course, try and draw out the time that it will take for those ships to intercept us. I'm going to pay them a visit."

"Aye." Captain Barlow gave the man a single nod and started for the bridge. "Happy hunting."

Turning his attention back to the pair of incoming warships that seemed to be slowly gaining on them, Natsu stepped up onto the railing. He tilted forward and plummeted toward the water, zipping past passengers standing on the other promenades. He ignited jets of fire from his feet and levelled out just centimetres from hitting the water. With a surge of power, he rocketed forward, splitting the water into a wake and leaving a rooster tail trailing after him.

There was a ten-kilometre gap between the two warships and the ocean liner, which would likely put them in range of the main cannons or just entering it. Natsu eased the tight grip he had on his power and allowed his magic to swirl around him, creating a heat mirage that warped and distorted the light around him and caused the water beneath him to steam and form a wall of fog in his wake. The aura coalesced just off the tip of his head and created a protective cone that deflected the air around him and allowed him to increase his speed dramatically. Funnelling magic power into the flames at his feet, Natsu surged forward, breaching the sound barrier and sending a booming crack into the night.

Cones of tracer fire filled the space in front of Natsu, forcing him to fly up and over the bullets as both ships fired upon him with their machine-guns while their alarms blared, putting every last pirate on-board on high alert.

Travelling at supersonic speeds, it only took Natsu around thirty seconds to cover the distance between the ships. He shut off his flames just before reaching the ship, allowing his momentum carry him the rest of the distance. Bringing his right knee forward, he drove it through the skull of a machine-gunner and showering both himself and the two assistant gunners in a fine mist of blood and grey matter. He brought his hands up and grasped both men by the face, using his momentum to slam them head-first into the steel wall which left two large dents and a large spray of blood on the wall.

"Holy shit!"

Natsu shook the gore from his hands and took the shotgun from his back as he turned to the source of the shout. It came from the next gun crew down the ship who – in their shock – were fumbling with their revolvers. Two were human but the main gunner was a female Quin'ael with one of her horns a broken stub. The burly woman ripped the machine-gun from the deck, mount and all, and brought it to bear on the demon in front of her.

"DIE MOTHERFUCKER DIE!" The horned cow-woman roared, spit flying from her mouth. She held down the trigger and opened fire with the dual-mounted water-cooled machine-guns, sending a hail of copper-jacketed lead towards the red-eyed man.

Faced with an onslaught of gunfire, Natsu instinctively activated Reflex and launched forward, sprinting at full speed into the cone of fire. He slipped underneath the Quin'ael's aim and pushed closer, closing the short distance before the trio could react. With the sweep of his hand, he pushed the weapon aside and caused the stream of bullets to tear into the assistant gunner on the woman's right.

"FUCKING BASTARD." Letting out an enraged bellow, the Quin'ael brought her large left fist down like a hammer, aiming for the pink-haired pest that dared to board their ship by himself. But the man had already vanished and she felt the cold kiss of a gun barrel press against her back. A single heartbeat was all the time she was granted as flaming buckshot burst from her chest and obliterated her internal organs.

As the massive woman fell heavily to her knees, Natsu shifted his aim to the second assistant gunner and put a quick burst of automatic fire into him, blowing off bloody chunks and decimating the head and then finishing off the cow-woman with a shot to the back of the head. Since he found himself in a lull in combat, he took a quick look around.

Natsumi had been right, they were being intercepted by a pair of 'liberated' navy torpedo destroyers. The crew members that he could sense seemed too few for a ship of the size, even as small as it was. It was likely understaffed due to operating out of the nearby ports and so many of the stations didn't need to be filled but there were more than enough for boarding and overwhelming the crew and whatever guards might be onboard.

"I need to take out those guns before they can open fire…" Natsu murmured to himself. He took a knee, soaking his trouser leg with the blood pooling from the three dead bodies as he brought out his Anti-materiel rifle once more and took aim at the bow of the neighbouring ship. Through the scope, he could see the gun's operators loading a shell into the cannon's breach. "Fuck." He cursed quietly, taking aim at the shell itself.

In the blink of an eye, the bow of the ship lit up with a bright flash which was followed instantly by the loud and sharp thunderclap of the high-explosive shell detonating. As the smoke cleared, nothing remained of the gun or the crew manning it and a hole had been blown through the deck.

Shooting to his feet and charging forward, Natsu raced along the length of the ship. He skidded to a halt at the ship's bow and swept the muzzle his rifle around the corner, lining up a shot on the naval gun just as the order to fire came in through a voice pipe behind the gun crew. It was too dangerous to put one of his primed multipurpose rounds into the gun as it would risk sending the loaded shell toward the RMS Jade Queen.

"Fuck." Natsu cursed again as he drew his shotgun from his back. Holding it in one hand and bracing it against his shoulder, he unloaded a quick burst into the nine pirates crewing the weapon, aiming to kill or at least maim them enough to not get in his way. As the large rifle was only going to be a hinderance going forward, he sent it away and grasped the M18 Shotgun with both hands while he rushed past the naval gun's shroud and delivered an almighty kick to the six-inch barrel at the muzzle.

Gears groaned as the turret spun around but it soon butted up against the stops that prevented it from pointing back at the ship's superstructure.

"Oi Fucker! Get off my ship!" A gruff woman growled, drawing the pinkette's gaze as gunfire rained down on him.

"Great… a fucking talkative bitch." Natsu muttered as he darted behind the protective shroud of the turret, his ears ringing faintly from the thumps and pings of rounds smacking into the steel barrier. He braced himself against the gun breach and began to push, causing the gears and locks to groan and shudder. Deciding to try and delay the pirates, he remembered Lucy's words and raised his voice to call out, "How about we have a little parlay, you pirates love that kind of shit, don't ya?"

"We don't parlay with Navy Pigs." The pirate captain bellowed. "I'm being nice, giving ya a chance to get off my fucking ship alive but my patience is running thin. I'll give you to the count of three to get the fuck away or I'm sending my crew in to kill you and those fancy arse weapons won't do anything to save you."

"I'm not Navy, I'm just a Jaeger on a contract to protect the ship you're targeting." Natsu yelled. He felt the weapon shift slightly in his hands and grinned as he gave it a quick shove and a sharp ping echoed from the mechanism by his feet, he had broken the stops on the turret ring. "I'm just doing my job!"

"You doing your job is standing in the way of a hefty payday for me and my boys. How about this, you stand aside and we'll give you a cut of the takings."

"Hey, I thought you didn't want to parlay? Heh, sorry but the offer's already off the table." The man laughed. With one more shove, he swung the weapon's muzzle in line with the bridge and pulled the firing cable, giving the pirate captain no time to react before she and the rest of the crew on the bridge were blown to smithereens along with the bridge itself.

While he had given the ship a little off the top, it was still sailing full steam ahead thanks to the steam engines still running at their set speed, it was still a threat to the Jade Queen. Darting out from behind the gun-shield, Natsu leapt into the smouldering ruins of the bridge. The acrid stench of burning flesh filling his nostrils. It was a smell he was used to and it didn't disturb him in the slightest as he silently walked through the small fires in search for the way in. There was a pile of rubble piled up against the back wall and as Natsu pulled it away, it revealed a closed door leading into the ship.

"Bingo." Readying his shotgun, Natsu pulled open the door and made his way into the belly of the destroyer. Red emergency lighting sparsely illuminated the corridors, providing the bare minimum light.

"What the hell is going on?" A hushed voice faintly echoed through the narrow hallway, coming from a door ajar.

A second voice answered, "Fuck if I know, the Cap'n was shouting to someone, sounded like just one guy though."

Natsu readied a grenade as he neared the door. With a gentle push, he opened the door just enough to throw the grenade in. He was met with confused shouting but he just continued down the hall as an explosion ripped through the room behind him, closing the door with a thud.

The disturbance began to draw pirates out into the halls, some armed with cutlasses and others with rifles that had been cut down into carbines and some handguns.

"Who the fuck are you?" A one-eyed man in shabby clothing shouted in a high-pitched voice, flourishing his cutlass at the well-dressed pinkette. "Dem red eyes are pretty gnarly, might 'ave to take 'em for meself."

"You can have dem eyes, I want dem clothes!"

"Oi, does anyone else feel something off about this motherfucker?"

"Ah fuck!" Another man shouted as he came to a sudden realisation, practically pissing himself as he stared into the glowing eyes of the man who made no sound as he walked toward them. "It's a fucking devil!"

"What, like an incubus?" A woman called out; her voice full of hope.

"No, a motherfucking devil you horny bitch!"

"Oh?" Natsu raised an eyebrow and a thought flashed through his mind while Lucy's words echoed in his ears once more. Before his mental eye, he could see his seductive counterpart with phoenix-like wings sprouted from her back, made from her magic. Up until coming to this world, he had avoided any showy display of magic or his curses where possible since it would put a target on him but there was no such danger in this world. The habit had continued into this new world too but it was time to let it go. So, he decided to have some fun and create some wings, but instead of using his dragon slaying flames like Natsumi, he manipulated and moulded his demonic fire. It spewed from his back and formed into two large maroon devil wings which he scraped along the walls, burning deep gouges into the steel and causing molten metal to pool on the floor. His inhuman fangs glinted in the dim red light as he flashed the pirates a playfully sinister grin. "My eyes are off-limits but I think I can part with my clothes if you're willing to make a deal. I might even do a little roleplay as an Incubus, for the right price."

"Fucking kill that monster!" A bull-man roared, spit flying from his mouth as he pushed through the crowd of pirates and hefted a Maxima machine gun, lining it up with the devil. A bright orange flower bloomed from the muzzle as the burly oxen Quin'ael opened fire but the monster's body blurred and he felt hot liquid pour down his chest and a burning pain tore at him. Looking down, the man could see his bare chest open up and his intestines fall to the floor.

"I'll be taking this." Natsu tore the machine gun from the dying man's grip and turned back on its owner, finishing off the Quin'ael with a short burst of gunfire before sweeping the flashing muzzle across the pirates in front of him. As the final pirate fell face-first onto the pile of bodies, the grin dropped from Natsu's face with it and he stared at the bloody mess covering the floor and walls with uncaring eyes. A small presence entered his mind and he could almost feel it recoil at the sight before him. "Yes, Anna?"

'Just letting you know that we've engaged a second wave of boats. Lucy and I are still onboard the ship but Natsumi is flying around and setting the boats on fire.'

"Got it. I'm still working through the first ship." Natsu replied. He stepped onto the body of the Quin'ael and walked through the hallway, stepping on one body after another as he approached the bulkhead which was blocked by the mangled body of a dwarf. "Resistance is heavy albeit sparse. I'm going to take the engines offline to stop them pursuing us then I'll fly back and help with any stragglers. Are the passengers fine?"

'We've had bullets ping off the hull but so far no one has been hit. Natsumi hasn't let them get close enough to get accurate shots off, and the crew came along to usher people back inside and out of our way.'

"Good. I took out the forward-facing cannons so you shouldn't be any danger unless something hits that ship's engine or propellers." Natsu grasped the dead dwarf by his long, bejewelled beard and flung him aside. With his path now cleared, he pushed the thick door open and walked onwards, leaving a trail of bloody bootprints in his wake. "How are you holding up?"

'I was alright until I saw that mess… but I'm mostly used to it now, as much as it pains me to admit it. I'm going to let you get on with your work and deal with things on my end, see you soon.'

"People are going to think I'm crazy, talking to myself." A small, amused smirk tugged on Natsu's lips as his eyes drifted to a nearby map painted on the wall. He traced his path on the map with his finger and planned out his route. "Mm, I guess telepaths exist so I could be talking to one."

A door opened behind him with only the faintest of creaks and the soft click of a hammer getting pulled back carefully slipped through the gap. The pirate was careful to not let out a single peep and held their breath as they took aim. But the devil vanished from their sights and a long black object split their vision in two before it all faded to black.

Natsu pulled his Grosses Messer 'Geri' from the dog-man's head, letting the body fall through the doorway and into the corridor. He flicked the blood from the blade and sent it away using Requip. After one last look at the map, he headed down the hall and descended the nearby stairs. He didn't have far to travel since the ship was barely even a hundred metres long. Dismissing his wings, he pressed his back up against the wall beside the entrance to the Engine Room and placed a hand on the door. He slowly opened it while keeping his shotgun trained on the gap.

"Fuck off, cunt!" A man bellowed, followed by a few more that echoed his words, punctuated by the blasts of a few shotguns.

Natsu grunted, snarling as he pulled back from the door, avoiding the lead pellets that ricocheted off the steel door and nearly peppered his hand. As he readied another grenade, he called out to the pirates, a small grin tugging at his lips. "Oi, oi, oi! What the fuck mate, it's Frankie! Calm the fuck down!"

"Frankie? Why aren't you on the fucking bridge?"

"Because some fucker blew it the fuck up! I barely survived because the explosion knocked me into the hall. Cap'n's gone though, same with everyone else up there. It's a fucking mess, some fucking devil is tearing everyone to shreds!"

"Why the fuck is a devil here?"

"How the fuck should I know? I saw him butcher a fuck tonne of people but I managed to duck down here. You gotta let me in, mate. He could be here any minute now."

"Ah fuck, just give us a sec. We've got to move some shit to make a passage."

The scraping of wood on the steel floor was music to Natsu's ears. Somehow, he had managed to get the pirates to lower their guard.

'Fucking morons.' He pushed the door open a few centimetres more then threw the grenade through the gap. But instead of exploding with a hail of shrapnel, the grenade detonated with a loud bang and an extremely bright flash of light. Ears ringing, Natsu slammed his shoulder into the door and forced it wide open.

The six pirates who had holed up within the engine room were too disorientated to react, the bright flash had burned their retinas and the blast ruptured their eardrums. It wasn't until their bodies were riddled with steel balls coated in a cocktail of incendiary materials, did they realise their mistake.

As each pirate fell to their knees, Natsu made sure to finish them off with a shot to the face, blowing apart their heads and showering the boilers with gore.

Natsu kicked aside the boxes that had been hastily set up as a makeshift barricade and walked to the centre of the room, his eyes scanning around for a means of sabotaging the ship and not sinking it which could create a dangerous obstacle for other ships and wildlife. However, that wouldn't matter if the ship was towed back to port…

Natsu hummed in thought as he walked beside the four boilers, running a finger along the boiler walls and drawing a line with his Bomb Curse on each one. If he used a timed fuse on explosives set on the munitions stored in the ship's magazine then he might be able to do significant damage to the port itself or wherever they store the shells if they unload the magazine before the timer runs out. If he also managed to sink the ship in the port then it would be even better. Drumming his fingers against the last boiler, Natsu decided to make a quick detour before leaving the ship.

On his way out of the engine room, Natsu closed the door behind him and as he headed back down the corridor, he detonated the cursed line and flooded the engine room with scalding water and superheated steam, cooking the bodies he had left behind. Surprisingly, the ship's magazine wasn't guarded even though there were still pirates on the ship. Placing a hand on the floor, Natsu channelled his Bomb Curse and primed the room and all the munitions within with a timer set to end at midnight which should give the pirates enough time to recover the ship. A final tweak of the curse rendered the yellow lines completely transparent, hiding them from the naked eye.

"Alright. I gotta deal with the other ship now…" Natsu muttered. "Hm, I wonder if I can intimidate them into towing this ship back… Worth a shot."

Natsu made his way back to the bridge, walking through rivers of blood and stepping on bodies along the way. Before stepping out into the decimated bridge, he summoned his devil wings and looked over his shoulder. He stretched them out and began manipulating the wings like he had seen Natsumi and the succubae do. It took a little bit of fiddling but he managed to replicate how Natsumi used the flow of her magic to push against the air and fly with the wings.

Soaring fifty metres into the sky, the pinkette hovered over the stranded ship and locked his eyes on the last destroyer that was still hounding the Jade Queen. Since he had disabled the bow cannon, it had no way of immobilising the ship until it caught up and got an angle with the smaller cannons on the sides. The warship was still gaining on the ocean liner, he couldn't stand around – well, float around – and watch it any longer.

Diving down and shooting forward once again, Natsu skimmed along the water but this time with wings spread wide. Unlike the jets of fire that he normally used, the wings only emitted a faint glow and he was able to fly alongside the ship without being spotted. He pulled up just as he reached the bridge and landed at the back right, out of sight of the dozen pirates that were manning it.

"Who the fuck is blowing up those boats?" A bald man yelled as he strolled up to another pirate and ripped the binoculars out of his hands. Looking through it himself at the firefly buzzing around the ship ahead of them, torching anything that came too close. "A bitch with pink hair and flaming wings who breathes fire, it's that cunt from Fiore; Salamander. When I get my hands on her I'll rape her all of her fucking holes until she begs for death."

Natsu strolled forward nonchalantly and without a sound, bloody prints trailing after him. He sat down on a desk near the back of the room and crossed his legs, putting on his best pompous devil act. "I mean, you can try but she's not the kind of girl who is easily dominated."

"Who the fuck…?" The man repeated, turning quickly and drawing his cutlass. But when he found himself facing a devil, he faltered and the devil just smirked.

"Uh ah, calm down, calm down." Natsu gave the men a placating wave of his hand. "I'm here to parlay, would you care to make a deal with a devil?"

"Were you the one that took out our cannon and the Stormy Night?" The bald man asked, his eyes lowering to the man's blood-soaked clothes and the bloodied boots he was wearing.

"Hm, was that the ship's name? Then yes; they didn't want to parlay, so I killed them." Natsu followed the man's gaze down and gasped in mock surprise. "Oh dear, where are my manners, I forgot to clean up before coming here." He theatrically clicked his fingers and activated the charm on his clothing at the same time, completely cleaning them in an instant. "Now, where were we? Oh yes, the parlay. Would you like to hear my terms?"

"Captain?" An elven man with pale blue skin and webbing between his fingers glanced at the bald human.

"Go fuck yourself." The human growled. He took two steps forward with his cutlass raised high but on the third step, Natsu clicked his fingers and the human was vaporised by a sudden, vicious explosion which left a hole in the floor.

"Who's in charge now?" Natsu asked, looking around the bridge at the pirates. "Ah, who cares. These are my terms; stop chasing the ocean liner 'RMS Jade Queen' and don't even try to fire upon it, and tow the other destroyer back to port. If you agree to that, then I won't have to go through all the hassle of immobilising this ship and eliminating her crew, i.e. killing everyone here."

The remaining pirates looked between each other as the pink mist floated to the floor. The sea elf took charge, his sword clattering to the floor as he stepped forward.

"I never liked that bastard. Name's Vadan. Well, I guess that's Captain Vadan now."

"So, Captain Vadan." Natsu rose to his feet and stretched his wings before walking up to the elf like he owned the place. "My terms are simple; do you agree with them?"

"Yes. We'll disengage and head home with the other destroyer."

"Then shake my hand and seal the deal." Natsu held out his hand. As soon as Vadan had grasped it, the pinkette pulled the man in closer and bared his fangs. "Needless to say, if you renege on our deal then I'll annihilate you, your crew, and everyone in your little pirate cove so thoroughly that the archipelago will never be a risk to anyone ever again."

Vadan swallowed and nodded slowly. "I understand."

"Good. Very good." Natsu grinned as he released the man's hand and floated up off the floor. "Now if you don't mind, I've got a deck chair and bottle of brandy with my name on it back on that ship. Be good now." Leaving those parting words behind, Natsu shot through the broken front window and flew off toward the ocean liner. As he neared the ship, the orange light circling it zig-zagged and then bee-lined to him, cackling merrily.

"Now that's what I'm fucking talking about!" Natsumi called out gleefully. She collided with the man and wrapped her arms and legs around him, spinning both of them out of control. The dragon princess grinned wildly at the man's maroon devil wings. "They look so damn badass!"

"Come on, I need to report the outcome to Captain Barlow." Natsu forcefully put them back on track before they hit the water. To the pinkette's displeasure, Natsu gently pried her off him but he took her hand as he accelerated, making sure she didn't drift too far away from him. "I'm glad you like the wings though, you were the inspiration for it, after all."

"Sprinkled in with your own flair, I see." Natsumi chuckled. She released the man's hand and rolled over the top of him to move to his right side, flying so close that their wingtips were almost touching.

As they neared the stern of the ship, they flew higher and circled the ship, putting on a little air show for the passengers before touching down on the portside promenade where Natsu had initially engaged the pirates. As the two pinkettes entered the bridge, Captain Barlow turned to face them.

"How did it go?"

"Disabled one ship and convinced the other to tow it back. We shouldn't have any issues with them now." Natsu replied as he dispelled his wings and leaned against the navigation table. "I also left a little surprise in the ship's magazine that'll go off at midnight."

"Can they track it back to you?" Captain Barlow asked cautiously. He took a puff from his pipe and looked over to Lelyanna and Lucy as they entered the bridge. "Welcome back, ladies."

"Not concretely." Natsu shook his head. To demonstrate it, he grabbed a nearby pencil then coated it in his bomb curse which caused it to glow yellow before he removed the glow and held it out in his palm, detonating it with a sharp pop. "With how I use it, you can't see it if I don't want you to. And since it's a curse and not a physical explosive compound, it won't leave an explosive residue like Trinitrotoluene – TNT – or other similar compounds would. Of course, they still could infer that I did it since I was the only one seen on those ships."

"Alright, then what are we looking at, damage-wise?"

"Worst case is that the ship detonates before reaching port and sinks where it won't cause any harm, next is in port but with the ammo still inside, which will significantly damage the port. Then you have it happening mid-transfer, kills some pirates and damages the port. And finally, it blows up either in the storehouse or if the munitions got put into other ships. Not only will the ship sink in port but their storehouse or other ships go with it. There will be a massive chain reaction and hopefully it'll put them out of commission for a fair while."

"I see." The dark elf gave a quick nod of satisfaction before looking at the Jaegers, one after the other. "Well, thank you all for your service. You shouldn't be needed until we're closer to Alakitasia which is where the leviathan-class monsters had been reported. I believe that it's a migratory event so whether we come across them or not is up to fate, but we will call for you if you are needed. Until then, please enjoy the ship's facilities."

"You know where to find us." Natsumi called out cheerfully as she made a mad dash for the exit, seeming more than ready to kick her feet up and relax on a couch. She was followed out of the bridge by a giggling Lucy and Lelyanna who was shaking her head.

"Well, I guess that's my cue to leave too." Natsu pushed off the navigation table and made to leave to, offering a wave over his shoulder to the bridge crew.

---

Well, after quite a few rewrites, I finished the chapter. I hope you all have enjoyed it.

Thanks to Lucy, Natsu's starting to return to normal, though he will never be exactly the same man he was before his world ended. But he is improving steadily.

I'm likely going to go back to some of my earlier chapters for this story and give them the same treatment I gave The Agency. Recheck them for errors that would've slipped through the cracks (I'm guilty of not being overly cautious), bring them in line with information from the later chapters, and generally give them a new coat of polish. Like The Agency, these chapters will have (R) next to the chapter title to show that I have rewritten them to some degree. One of the reasons I'm doing this is that I've noticed a sharp decline in retention at chapter 4 "Coming Undone" where Natsu has a mental breakdown when he meets Erza for the first time after watching her die. I understand what I did could've been a turn-off, so I'm going to go back through that chapter and fix it up while trying to contain the same premise of a man seeing his dead childhood friend alive and well but to her, he is a stranger, one of the many faces in the city of Magnolia.

Again, thank you for reading, I hope you have enjoyed this chapter. I'll see you next time.

PS: If you're reading this after 30/05/24 but have read chapter 4 before this date, I've revisited it and rewrote a large amount of it and have uploaded it on this date. Feel free to return to that chapter and let me know what you think of Version 2 of Chapter 4: Coming Undone.