WORDS STYLE:
Flashback
(Past words)
Thinking
[Den Den Mushi]
SHOUTING
TwIsTeD
Chapter 4
(I TRUSTED YOU YET AFTER EVERYTHING WE WEN'T THROUGH NOT MEAN ANYTHING TO YOU?!)
(*sniff* I'm sorry! *sniff*)
(You took everything from me, because of you, it's all gone…so I'll take everything from you, Lili!)
In that instant, his eye shot open as he was startled awake yet immediately came to realize that he was in a room of darkness except for a small light coming from the curtains. He slowly turns to look down to see Uta at his side, fully asleep and hugging him before he slowly gets out of bed as silently as he can so she can continue to sleep to make his way to the window to now be interrupted which was where he opened the flap of the curtains yet instead of the usual scene of a festival party what he saw was a city of different architecture, buildings destroyed, blood everywhere with bodies littering the streets before it starts to static and return to the usual festive city.
"It's getting worse, if these don't stop…I don't think I'll make it…" Thought the man who frowns from his headaches yet keeps it together and ran a hand through his hair before he heard a knock at the door and turned to see something slipped under it, an envelope which his eye narrowed.
"Good morning." Spoke Gild Tesoro who sat on a table located on a balcony connected to the side of the hotel where people can dine and watch the view. It wasn't just him but also Douglas sat at the table, leading to Naruto sitting with them creating a sort of triangle.
"You don't look well?" He notes the expression the young man has but he simply looks away.
"Ignore it." His gaze meets his. "Is everything set?"
"Of course, all that needs to be done is Uta sing as the final contestant, once she does so everything will fall into place." He takes a sip of his orange juice but this didn't sit right with the largest of the three.
"Why not have her sing first, it is a waste of time if she were to sing last." Yet the richest man on the ship wagged his finger.
"We want to have everything go swimmingly, if Uta goes first it would seem odd plus I want all the pirates in one spot, once Uta sings as the last one she will no doubt have the most attention." It was after he said that he directed his gaze at Bullet.
"We have warlords and commanders of the Yonko's attending along with the worst generation, are you positive you can handle this?" This merely got the man to smile, showing how eager he was before cracking his knuckles.
"Of course-" He was cut off as they heard shouting and looked down to see one floating clown being held by his clothes by a pirate with a cigar on the ground.
"Buggy, have you forgotten you haven't paid last month's bill."
"Come on, can't we do this somewhere else rather than out in the open?"
It was seeing this that Douglas face palmed, sitting back now annoyed at the scene.
"He never changes." That was all the man said before he smiled again. "But it won't matter once he too is dead."
"Quite cruel, wanting to kill your former comrade."
"We were never comrades."
As Douglas and Gild talked while Naruto simply watched before he sat back, starting to zone out, that was until he felt it before abruptly sitting up which got their attention.
"Is something the matter?" The question hung in the air, watching the young man turn his attention towards ground where the warlord and ex-Warlord just were but now greeted by the sight of none other than the Straw Hats exiting, Luffy in the lead next to Boa Hancock who seemed to be hugging him much to Usopp, Brook, and Sanji's jealousy, it wasn't just them but also Nami, Robin, Franky, and Chopper who were talking to Boa's sisters. It was with this sight that Gild stood up, turning away from them with a wave.
"Remember our deal you two, even during all the chaos." He mutters while he walks away from them just as Douglas stands up and turns to Naruto.
"I'm going to wake her up now, hurry up and finish eating." He told Naruto before he too started walking away, leaving him by himself he leaned back into his chair with his hands moving to his head as he felt the headache returning once again, his thoughts on the Straw Hat.
"What is with that hat, I can't put my finger on it..." As he thought that, he finally heard a new voice.
(RADIANCE~~)
As he heard that voice, his eyes widened just as a chill went down his back and the scar over his right eye burned. He looked up fast to find a man he didn't recognize yet felt familiar, he was a tall and quite muscular man. Despite the countless wounds it didn't seem to deter him one bit as he held a fierce unwavering grin that went nicely with his curved black mustache and his intense eyes.
(END!)
At that moment he saw the sword that was already brought up and before he knew it it was brought down right through his face and more specifically his eye, what happened next was utter, shackles rattling as he was electrocuted but far worse than before as he couldn't even tell he was screaming he couldn't anymore, finally stopped with him falling backward and darkness consuming his vision while hearing voices fast approaching until nothing.
(PLEASE SAVE KUMACHI!)
As he recalled that voice, the image appears again of a crying child he saw before that reminded him of Bonney, running up to what appears to be him and grabbing his ragged clothing.
(Why should I, what's the point...I lost everything, my family, my home...my heart...every year, I'm only released from my prison just to be tortured and then sealed again...so many years locked down here, with only the company of my beasts keeping me sane...why do you want to release someone like me?)
(BECAUSE I NEED YOU...please, I don't want to lose anyone I care about again...)
After saying that, she procured something from her pocket, a rust-covered kunai, and presented it to him.
(WHERE-...where... did you get that, wait...why do I hear fighting above?)
Slowly a hand outstretched to the weapon, revealing a shackle on the arm but it froze inches from taking the weapon as the figure seems to turn away towards the darkness.
(You're just a child...why are you doing this for me?)
(I want to free all the slaves, I want to save Kumachi and my brother...please...don't abandon us.)
As she spoke those words, he turned away from the darkness to face a crying child with her head bowed and crying her eyes out before she stopped upon feeling a hand rest atop her head and could only look up tearfully as the kunai was taken, the rust falling off it like paper, a dark-red glow emanating from it and with it, a black smoke like substance could be seen along with having a red outline to it.
(I'll help you save the ones you care about but even with this...I won't be able to free myself.)
(W-What, then how are-)
(There is a way...if I do this I can free myself momentarily now that I have my weapon but with it, I can only tell you this, I will save Kumachi but in return, you must run as far as possible or you'll be caught up in my wrath...understand?)
(YES!)
(Then it's time, to let the Drums of Subjugation ring once more...)
It was with that, 'both' eyes shot open as he sat up but what he found was he had a gathering on the balcony.
"He's awake!" Chopper said he was kneeling next to him while the Straw Hat pirates were looking down at him in either worry or confusion, they were gathered around him in a circle and he sat up noticing that it wasn't just the Straw hats but also Boa looking over him with narrowed eyes but not just her but also Zoro who watched with suspicion along with Robin. Luffy was the only one who was staring at him with no reaction as he was looking around at something else.
"I passed out...?" He reached up to brush his hair in confusion.
"Yeah, we heard your scream and came in a hurry...um..." As Nami said it, she had a complicated look on her face that Naruto noticed.
"What, something wrong-" He stopped mid-sentence and raised a hand, touching his now open eyelid and soon realizing the scar was gone as he touched his face.
"Wait, the scars gone?" Muttered the confused man before he stood up with the others giving him space.
"How long was I-"
"NARUTO!"
He turns just as he is tackled by Uta yet he stands his ground and catches her in his arms, the girl looking at him tearfully before she grabs his face while Naruto looks past her to see Douglas standing nearby.
"Douglas said he saw you in pain and I quickly got dressed as fast as I could, what happened to you scar-wait your eye, it's open now?!" As she spoke those words, she was looking closely at the fact unlike his other eye this one was red with a slitted pupil, the pirates looked at each other with Zoro and Robin not sure what to make of this scene while Luffy continued to eat his stick of meat.
"I'm ok Uta, my headache has subsided and I feel fine-"
"I think you should lie down for the rest of the day." Chopper offered, looking up at him with clear worry. "From what Nami told us and what happened you seemed to be in a lot of pain?"
His words only gained a shake of the head.
"I'm fine but thank you for your concern." He takes Uta by the hand. "Uta has a competition to prepare for-"
"Now hold it!" Sanji grabbed the blonde by his shoulder tightly. "Didn't you see how worried Uta was, you shouldn't just brush off our-"
"Calm down."
"What did you just say to me- Sanji stopped mid-sentence when he locked eyes with the blonde now having an opened right eye, despite having a smile his eyes told a different story.
"Thank you for your worry but we don't have the time to chat, I need to help Uta prepare..." With that said he merely bushes his hand away and starts to run with Uta. "Chat with you all, later!"
"Wait, I don't think you should be running!" Chopper yelled back yet got no response as the two disappeared into the building with Douglas just turning away and following after them, leading to all the Straw Hats looking at each other.
"Damn, I'm starting to hate that guy..." Mutters Sanji while Luffy stands in silence, only realizing just now that he hadn't even continued eating his meat upon snapping out of his daze.
"Huh, what happened to those drums?" Muttered the Straw Hats captain to see Luffy looking around in confusion before taking a bite out of his meat.
"Everything fine?" Asked Franky, the group seeing despite eating his meat he was not focused on it but something else.
"Couldn't hear anything you guys were really saying, just some Drums...?" When the group heard that, they were all now confused.
"Drums?"
"You didn't hear it? It just kept getting louder and louder for some reason?" He took another bite of his meat. "I never heard it before but it felt familiar?"
"Luffy are you ok," Asker Chopper, gaining his attention. "you've been acting very strange since we got here?"
Their Captain just smiles brightly and reassuringly at Chopper as she scratches the back of his head and bites another chunk out of the meat.
"Oh I'm fine, maybe just hungry." Despite those words, they didn't appear to buy it, especially Zoro and Robin as they think over everything that's been happening, somehow it seems it's related to Naruto but not sure how. Yet unknown to them, a calamity will soon begin...
As Boa watched this scene she couldn't shake a feeling, that she was forgetting something very important.
COUNTDOWN TOWARDS DESTRUCTION: 10 HOURS
Author Message: Wanted to get at least two story chapters out today, even if they're short I wanted to update the stories.