Here I am, back again with a decent sized chapter; I'm trying to keep it moving at a realistic speed and get as many perspectives as I can, but I'm going to try and keep it at two from now on.
Thank you for the favorites and follows, it makes me want to work on this even more. Shout out to TheArchsage, you got it spot on for the Devil Fruit.
After this chapter it'll most likely speed up a bit.
Violence, gore, and foul language.
…
(Garp Pov)
The waves rolled rhythmically alongside the ship as it cut through the ocean towards my destination, to the island of legend and myth. The sails ruffled slightly in the wind, the sun was shining brightly without a cloud in sight, the weather was perfect today.
My crew worked harmoniously, in complete sync as they made sure everything on deck was prim and proper. They raced each other down each end of the ship as they mopped the deck, a friendly rivalry seemed to grow in every corner of the ship.
A prideful grin crossed my lips.
"Coo, coo."
Turning my head towards the sound, I saw a News Coo flying down to me. Doing a loop-de-loop, the News Coo stopped in the air, hovering beside me. Craning its neck so it could reach into the bag it carries around its neck, it pulled out a bucket of breaded chicken wings and legs then gave it to me.
"Bwa-haha! Just what I wanted!"
Grabbing the bucket and taking a bite into one of the pieces, I groaned in satisfaction. Giving a thumbs up to the bird, I spoke with the food still in my mouth.
"Seasoned perfectly! And it's still hot! Thanks, News Coo!"
Preening at the response, it flapped its wings happily and did another flip in the air before taking off.
"You're wel-coo!", It responded.
Doing more and more flips as it went off to its next destination, the waves bobbed happily up and down; the sun itself seemed to be smiling down on me. Nothing could stop this feeling of satisfaction as I gazed to the sky above.
"Land ahoy!"
Hearing multiple of my Marines call out the same thing, I grabbed a drumstick that I already ate the meat off of and put it up to my eye. Looking through it like a spyglass, I could see my destination clearly in sight. The island I've sought out for all this time was very close!
In fact, we were right next to it!
Tossing the bone to the side, I saw that we were already against the sands of the famed Cracker Island. The island made entirely out of crackers! And rumor has it, not a single one gets stale regardless of how long they sit out.
An island of legends.
Jumping onto the beach of the island I reached down and took a handful of the 'sand'. Bringing it to my mouth and pouring some crumbs in, I realized that the rumors were true!
This wasn't sand, it was the breadcrumbs of finely ground crackers!
"Bwa-haha, this is fantastic!!"
Running over to the woods and checking out the trees, I put caution to the wind and took a great big chomp out of the tree's trunk. A satisfying crunch rung out as I easily bit through the cracker tree. It was expertly salted and baked to perfection!
Munching happily, I began to take bites out of everything in sight. The bushes, dirt, leaves, fruit, hell- even the animals were made of crackers!
Walking happily along through the island, I was stopped by my best friend, the man I've known ever since I began in the Navy- Sengoku.
"Here."
Speaking curt, he handed me a box of crackers, my favorite kind too. He almost never gives me stuff, so I always happily accept it when he does.
"Hey..." He looked away bashfully, "I've never wanted to admit it but... you've always been so much better than me, so much stronger than me."
Looking at me in the eye, he continued, "I've been holding that in for so long, it feels good to get that off my chest."
Clearing his throat, he smiled, "And that's not all! This entire island is now yours!" Reaching into his coat pocket he pulled out paper with the ownership on it declaring the island as mine.
Clapping him on the shoulder, I barked out a happy laugh.
"About time you admit it! Thank you." I gave him a brotherly nod, "Now come on, lets enjoy all the crackers on this island!"
Nodding to me, we began to devour everything in front of us. Our brotherly cracker feast didn't last long though, I quickly noticed two people heading toward us. I turned my head towards the two figures with my mouth still full. To my surprise, I saw both Luffy and Ace walking side by side.
Both of them were fully fitted in Marine recruit uniforms and saluted at me.
"We've changed our ways gramps! We're Marines now." Ace spoke out first, Luffy following shortly after, "Shishishi, yeah! Being the King of Pirates sounds great and all, but nothing beats spending time with you Grandpa!"
Tears welled up in my eyes and I rushed over to embrace them.
KNOCK* *KNOCK*
The words could barely come out through my sobs of happiness, "I knew you two would come around eventual-"
KNOCK* KNOCK* *KNOCK*
…
"Bhwuh!?"
Jolting in place, I pried my head off my desk, my arm raised to wipe my chin of the drool that covered my chin.
Sigh*
I should have known it was a dream, what's too good to be true is usually just that.
KNOCK* * KNO-*
"Yeah, I get it already! Come in!"
Opening the door before I finished speaking, the recruit wore a frantic look on his face as he saluted to me.
"Sir! Wetriedourbestatwakingyouupandholdingthemoff," The recruit gasped, "Buttheymanagedtoescaperegardless!!"
"Hold on lad, calm down and speak slowly so I can understand you."
"Th-the prisoners escaped!"
"They-WHAT!?"
Slamming my palms down on my desk and pushing myself up in one swift motion, I was already moving out the door to assess the situation by the time the recruit realized I was even moving at all.
Saluting once again and filing in right beside me as we strode through the halls in haste, he began relaying all that happened to me.
"S-so that's what happened sir, we did everything we could but with Morgan using the chore boy as a hostage and Krieg's devastating surprise attack on us, it was too much!"
My vision was focused purely on what was ahead of me, the words of the recruit were muffled out as I trudged forward. A frown once again crossed my features as I thought of the prisoner we just picked up.
That Kreig... From the moment I locked eyes with him I had a bad feeling about him deep in my gut. The look of defiance, the anger and hatred that was welled up in his eyes… That scene he caused brought back memories of the old pirating days and all that came with it.
Not to say those kinds of events don't happen now, but they're not nearly as frequent as they once were thankfully.
That look Kreig gave me when we locked eyes. Why did that look remind me of him?
I shook my head, clearing those thoughts for now.
"Casualties. How many?"
"Sir." He looked off into the distance and began rocking his head back and forth, probably counting in his head, "Nineteen injured, and twelve dead..." The strength of his salute swayed, and his arm sagged to his side as he spoke. I didn't reprimand him on the lack of respect, he must have been close to some of the people who died.
I know that feeling.
I know it all too well.
Turning my head to the side and looking at the blood stains on the floor and splattered against the wall, I scowled. I've let my men down. They must have been caught completely off guard to go down so easily.
But they were nothing but East Blue scum, how could my crew fall so short?
These are hardened Marines, men that I've handpicked to be on this ship. To say that I'll be doubling their training from this point on would be an understatement.
Even the strongest of people have bad days, they get relaxed and caught off guard at times. It happens to the best of us. But this is pathetic, this is a crew that I've been on the Grand Line with. How the hell did they fail to catch two pirates with bounties under 20 million Berries? Not to mention Morgan doesn't even have a bounty yet.
Bounties don't determine strength. I'm wise enough to know that.
Bounties determine what pirates are capable of. Nothing more, nothing less.
Without his crew and precious armor however, taking Krieg out should have been as easy as when we picked him up. And that Morgan shouldn't be far in strength compared to Krieg… Hmm.
I'm not just a pretty face, I know the implications of what went down. If that's the case then they are higher priority than I thought at first.
I'll discuss with my crew exactly where they went wrong, so we can improve our defensive capabilities. More than anything, as a Vice Admiral; it's my duty to teach them how to be better. All I can do is show them is how to act when it happens, how to keep composure and not to hesitate. To be prepared at all times, so that this will never happen again. How they act after that is up to them.
Regardless, I'll beat it into their skulls until they understand. I thought I already did, but it turns out that wasn't enough.
I laugh and laze around, but this lifestyle isn't a joke. It's a commitment.
I act the way I do because I have the power to back up my actions. Kuzan is a great, but sad example of this.
Me falling asleep does not account for their failure today, they should have been able to deal with them on their own. Either way, I won't be falling asleep again so carelessly with prisoners aboard.
Rounding the corner, I went further down the hall then made my way up to the deck to see how my men were doing. Making our way up the steps, I didn't see too much physical damage to the ship, but there were still injured men being supported by others as they made their way to the medical bay.
I could also see several bodies to the side, with a couple of recruits gathering their fallen comrades and adding to that forsaken pile.
I clenched my fist at that, and turned to the recruit beside me, "How long ago did this happen? And what direction did they head?"
Chief Petty Officer Jeorge answered instead, he most likely knew more than the recruit, so I let him speak.
"Just moments before you woke, Sir. They're just of in the distance south-west of our position, heading straight towards the uninhabited Shoka Island." He finished with another salute towards me, then stood at the ready for any orders.
"Then we head to intercept." My overcoat swayed on my shoulders as I turned around and headed back into my office. As I walked back, I spoke out loudly and to everyone in the vicinity, "Ready the cannonballs and get our riflemen at the ready. Be on your toes, I'll have a word with all of you after this is done and delt with."
"Aye Sir!" Every Marine shouted out in response. I could see the sweat on many of their brows as they thought of the implications.
"Someone prepare the Den Den Mushi; I have a call I need to make."
"Yes Sir." The recruit at my side rushed off ahead of me to perform his task; I took my time heading back to my chambers, reevaluating what I thought of the two former prisoners.
Morgan escaped by using his own son as a hostage and threatened to kill him... I knew from the beginning he didn't deserve the title of Captain, but to think he would be such a disgrace as both a person and as a Marine...
After all these years I've seen so many disappointments… it almost hurts to be hopeful with some people.
Then there's Krieg: 'the Ruler of the East Blue'. I had a feeling I should have dealt with his rat-tag band of heathens that he called an Armada a while back. But I was under the impression he would die the same day his fleet made it to the Grand Line. Based off the recent reports of his encounter with Dracule Mihawk, I was almost right.
I didn't expect him to show such grit and determination to survive the weather of Paradise and the might of a Warlord of the Sea, however. The strongest swordsmen in the world no less. Where were the rest of his crew when we found him though?
Well, that's the last time I'll be underestimating the Krieg Pirate's, or any pirates from now on. I'll show them the reason why I was given the title of Hero of the Marines!
"Bwa-haha!" If they thought they stood a chance before... Ha! They better pack their bags for a cozy one-man suite, 'cause I'm not holding back!
Stepping back into my office, the recruit saluted to me, then showed that everything was prepared for the call with the Den Den Mushi all hooked up and ready to make the call. Sending him outside, I sat down in my chair and breathed out a sigh as I reached over to input the number.
Purururururu! *
Right as I was about to punch the number in, the snail adopted Sengoku's face and began ringing out right in my face. Immaculate timing as always eh, Sengoku?
Answering the call, I leaned back into my chair and began picking my nose with my pinky, "What is it Sengoku? And I was just about to call you, too."
"That so? Well, I just got a request for backup from Tsuru. Turns out a bunch of hot-shot New World pirates decided to go back home and cause havoc in the South Blue, I need you to stop your patrol of the East Blue and get over there immediately."
"Oh, I've been doing okay, thanks for asking-"
Not in the mood to deal with my usual antics, he cut me off, "Listen Garp, we can catch up later." He spoke in a no-nonsense tone, "I can count on one hand how many times Tsuru has called me directly requesting backup. It's serious."
Running a hand through my hair, I sighed once again, "Yeah, yeah, I got it. I'll head right over."
"Thanks, Garp. I know you wanted to keep an eye on your grandson."
"You better be thankful!" I jokingly quipped, but my face grew serious shortly after, "Listen Sengoku, while I have you here, I'd like to report something. It was the reason I was about to call you."
Noticing my shift in tone, I could see the Den Den Mushi's impersonation of Sengoku straighten up and grow serious as well.
"What is it?"
"Don Krieg, the pirate worth 17 million Berries, I had an encounter with him on a small island and captured him. He escaped with my only other prisoner, former Captain Morgan, just earlier today."
Sengoku's eyes were sharp, and the snail nodded at me to continue.
"I found him in the woods, blood soaked and clearly malnourished standing above two villagers that he murdered without a shred of mercy. Without even thinking I released some of my Haoshoku Haki directly on him when we locked eyes, he withstood a strong amount of my Haki without passing out before he fell to the ground still conscious."
After a short pause, I continued, "The look that he gave me then was the exact same as when I fought him with..."
Not needing to hear any more, Sengoku interjected, "I see... And you're certain?"
"You doubt me?" I mocked irritation, "Yeah, I'm certain. I got a bad feeling about this Krieg fellow."
"... If you want I ca-"
"Don't bother, I'll go save Tsuru like the White Knight I am. Bwa-hahaha!"
"I know to trust it when you have a bad feeling. I'll send some people to scout the area, I'll increase his bounty too."
"Good. I just wanted to let you know in advance to keep an eye on this Krieg, hopefully we can nip him in the bud before he becomes too big a problem. He's supposedly heading towards Shoka Island."
"I'll send some of our finest his way. Anything else?"
"Nah, just that you got crumbs on your face!"
"Wuh-"
Hanging up on him, I left out a hearty chuckle, the snail even mimicked the crumbs on his face- And he was so serious the entire time too!
"Bwa-haha!"
Standing up immediately, I quickly made my way back onto the deck to change course to the South Blue. I didn't have time to round up my escapee's anymore, but it comes with the territory. A Marine's duty always comes first, you can't just go off doing your own thing without repercussions.
Learned that the hard way- "Bwa-hahahah!"
Throughout my many years of service, I've learned to take the time to laugh and enjoy the little things. Because if I don't, then nothing I've done will have been worth it.
The day I force a laugh is the day I retire.
Barking out my newfound orders to the dismay of all those who wanted revenge on those two, we set out towards South Blue. With practiced ease I hid my true feelings of the matter from my crew.
I wanted nothing more than to quench this feeling I had in my gut, but I couldn't help but get the feeling I'd be meeting Krieg again in the near future.
While we don't have the time to track the two bastards down, there's always enough time to pay respects to our fallen and to give them a proper sending off. There's been many a time like this; I just need to show the crew that duties come first, and mourning our fallen sometimes has to be on the way.
Not that I like it though.
Not one bit.
…
(Krieg Pov)
"GGRRROOOOOOAAAAHHHHHHH"
The force created just from his roar caught me off guard and knocked me backwards. Stumbling onto my ass, I clutched the rifle in my hands and got back up trying to regain composure. He loomed over me, amusement flickering in his eyes at my reaction to him.
Fuck. Fuck.
I wasn't expecting this at all, he isn't supposed to get a devil fruit- at least I don't think he does. He should have just blended back into the background like the worthless fucking mob character that he was.
Like seriously, what the FUCK.
Stuff's already happening that I have no control or knowledge over. It's so fucking frustrating!
I was at full height once again, and Morgan; that smug twat; was looming over me even while on all fours. Hastily pointing my rifle back at him, I took a wide stance and glared at him.
"Take one step motherfucker! I dare you!"
Morgan grinned in response and growled, a deep rumble that shook the very ground where I stood. The axe that he buried into the dirt during his roar effortlessly lifted out and he flicked his arm out diagonally.
Right next to me, dozens of bamboo stocks split in half and collapsed to the ground before I could react.
"And what the fuck could you ever do to me, you pathetic minnow? Haven't you realized you're doomed to die here on this uninhabited island?"
He lifted himself back onto his hind legs and spread his arms out as his kept talking, "I've ascended- can't you see? Zoan's are the most powerful of Devil Fruits: excelling in power-"
BANG*
Shooting him directly in the chest once again, this time the bullet not only struck true but stayed in him as well. I guess the reason it didn't affect him before was because of the power surge of just getting his Devil Fruit.
His eyes went white in shock and his mouth gaped open, probably unbelieving the fact that I interrupted his speech. I can't afford to let any chances go to waste at this point, one slip up and I'm dead.
Worst part is that Morgan knows that too.
Now I just need to make him think the opposite, easier said than done.
As cockily as I could, I tried to maintain my stance, "What's wrong dumbass? Sad I interrupted your pathetic monologue?"
A deep growl was all I received in response.
Pulling the trigger again as hard as I could, I couldn't stop the bead of sweat that ran down my brow when all that happened was a dull 'click'. Regaining his bearings, he let out roar of outrage and closed the distance between us.
Unable to step back in time, I was forced to block with the rifle. Clashing with his axe-hand I took the full brunt of the force behind the otherworldly strength he gained and tried pushing it to the side, if the rifle got chopped in two, I'd be in big trouble.
We were locked in place as we both put all we had into making the fight go in our favour, but I could feel my feet begin to skid in the dirt as I gradually lost ground. The rifle creaked and groaned under the pressure, before it suddenly broke down the centre, shit! The axe to dug into my left shoulder and carved thin straight line down into my chest and leg leaving a long slash down my body.
"Grraahhh!"
Groaning in pain, my mind was too hazy to see the backhanded swipe of his other arm. Impacting my side, I was flung off my feet and tore through every bamboo stock and tree that happened to be in my path. The broken pieces of the rifle were left behind in my wake.
Tumbling to the ground I carved a path into the dirt, my body rag dolled on the ground before coming to a stop when I hit a boulder with so much force it left a giant crack though it. I gasped for air; the wind ripped from my lungs.
My body felt warm, and when I looked down, I saw that it was just as bad as I thought it was. Fuck... That'll scar. My heart was beating so hard I thought it'd explode, but thankfully all the adrenaline coursing through my veins put most pain off to the side for now. My prison fit was gradually getting soaked with my blood.
Once again, I can't help but admire how tough bodies are in this world, the ability to take a hit and get back up is going to be my saving grace here. So long as I don't fuck up, then I got this.
Hearing the telltale heavy stomps and crunching of bamboo, I knew that Morgan was coming around to finish me off. Getting back up, I pitied myself if I survived this. I'm going to be in so much pain later.
I no longer have a weapon, so only brute strength and outsmarting this dumbass are my only options.
I took a deep breath, then breathed out slowly as I watched Morgan come closer. I won't have too many chances, so I have to make each one count.
I stood there and caught my breath, waiting for him to come to me as I glanced around and observed my surroundings. There was nothing for me to work with frankly, but if I'm lucky, I can lure him to the beach and get him close to water.
I eyed him up as he trampled his way over to me without a care for himself or his surroundings. Oh yeah, he'd totally be so conceited as to forget Devil Fruits one and only weakness. But if it all went well and good, I might not need to hit him with a sicko splash attack.
I swung my arms back and forth to test my movement, my wound didn't seem to impair me all that much, so I got into a running start preparing to meet him head on. I took a quick breath in and decided to ignore all the danger warnings in my head. Glaring ahead of me, I dashed towards the incoming figure of Morgan as fast as I physically could.
Undeterred by my sudden dash, Morgan just seemed to grin and hastened his approach.
Getting closer and closer, I waited until I saw the whites of his beady panda eyes before I acted. Sliding under the swipe of his axe, I pivoted on the ground and drove the strongest uppercut of my life into his stomach. I poured my everything into the blow.
"Guurkk!?" He cried out in surprise as the wind was torn from his lungs by the force of my blow. Not letting up, my left hand clenched and I threw it into his upper chest. Morgan's bare arm began to swing down to grab me, but I refused to give him an inch.
A quick jab to his inner arm temporarily stopped him in his tracks as I continued my assault.
Punch after punch erupted from my form as I attempted to raw dog a 'gum-gum gatling' with questionable success. Unable to keep the pressure as long as I wanted; Morgan grew more and more desperate and let the feral nature of his transformation take over, chomping down on my right shoulder as hard as he could.
"Grrrrhh!" I couldn't hold back the grunt of pain as his massive maw held me in a vise grip. My fingers clawed at his jaw attempting to pry his mouth open, but the slick metal reinforcements on his jaw made it hard to find anything to hold. All the spit drooling out of his mouth only made matters worse.
Muffled laughter came from his mouth, and I locked eyes with his. This is turning into so much more of a hassle than I hoped for. Beat him up: force him to join my crew, then fuck off. That's all this was supposed to be.
If only this dumb fuck would've just stayed down and never found that fruit!
This would've been so much easier if it went that way, it's too frustrating. It took every ounce of willpower I had not to take both my thumbs and plunge them into Morgans eyes. But I can't, even more than before he'll prove to be a decent disposable pawn with that fruit if he's on my side.
…
… Disposable pawn?
I shook my head; I can think of that shit later. Right now, I need to get a certain slobbering bitch off me. In the corner of my eye, I saw that he was awkwardly trying to bring his axe up to swing at me. Growing more and more fed up with this situation, my fingers dug into his gums in a desperate attempt for grip.
Finally latching on, I wasted no time prying his mouth open and yanked my shoulder out. I brought my foot up to his chest and kicked him off as far as I could so that I could catch my breath.
The rising and falling of my chest only seemed to aggravate the wounds on both my sides. Steading my breathing as best I could without it hurting, I noticed Morgan across the way panting heavily and clutching his chest where I punched and shot him.
Why the fuck isn't he done yet?
One hit.
One fucking punch or 'bazooka' or whatever the fuck, and he was blasting off again. But all that from me and all it got was what? Some broken ribs and a bit of a wheeze?
C'mon, man.
How much stronger do I need to get? Seriously. As annoying as it would be, a gamer system or some power level shit would be so useful right now. At least then I would have some semblance of a goal to work towards.
I know I need to get stronger, but I'll never know when I've reached my goal until it's too late.
I glared at the hunched over form of Morgan in front of me. Are Devil Fruits truly that powerful? Powerful enough to make some random roadblock of a mob character into a genuine threat?
I hate it.
I loathe the fact that I wasn't the one to find it.
But even more, deep down so far that I almost didn't want to let it out, was the urge of wanting to be powerful enough without a fruit. To be so strong, that not even the random bullshit of this world could stop me from moving forwards.
The urge to not just take the shortcut to be where I wanted was just as strong as my will to be there in the first place.
The strength to not be where I once was, starving and in fear of a Warlord. The strength to never fall, to never lose again.
To not be where I'm at right now, with the gaze of defeat lurking on me with each enemy I face.
I'm selfish. I don't want to grow with each and every strong opponent I fight against. I just want to destroy them and move on with my life. I want to be so strong, that there's peace in the fact that no one can fuck with me. But I know it will never be that simple. It'll never come too soon.
I'm just selfish.
And I won't let some washed out panda cunt have the better of me. My rage, my frustration, my inadequacies, I'll use every single thing I have as fuel to the inferno that's growing inside me. This feeling that I've been holding back all this time, I couldn't help but fall back onto it.
My glared intensified, and Morgan's panda head snapped up out of reflex.
Before even I realized it, I was in front of him with a grip on his shirts collar; a punch from my free hand careened down onto his face. I didn't stop to see what damage I inflicted however, adjusting my stance I lifted him into the air by just his shirt, and tossed him up.
Midair, I grabbed his stubby panda leg then began to swing in place. The shift in weight was almost too much at first, but anime physics took over and allowed me to spin like a top with that cunt in tow.
I didn't stop spinning until I felt like I would puke, only then I let him go- sending Morgan crashing through the trees and bamboo just as he did me.
I let out a breath as I cleared my spinning head. Shaking myself out of it, I followed the fallen bamboo stocks towards that piece of shit. Grabbing a sturdy looking piece of bamboo along the way as a weapon, I was surprised to see him stuck in a crater in the sand.
I guess shit like that was done in anime for a reason, huh?
Turns out it's actually effective.
Or at least it is on worthless cunts like Morgan.
Slowly getting up, he groaned before collapsing again, clutching his chest and the sand around him in an attempt to alleviate the pain.
"So. That's it?" I broke the silence of his groaning and panting, "Is that seriously all you fucking got?!"
All exhaustion disappeared as I looked at his struggling form. That's it? One fucking beatdown and he's reduced to this…
You've got to be fucking kidding me.
I sped over to him before he could catch his breath. Before he could even look at me a right hook drilled into his face forcing him back into the sand.
He almost cut me in half multiple times... He almost reduced me to the exact state that he's in right now, and all it took was a couple hits and he's completely spent?
That's it?
Ever since I've been here, I've taken nothing but blow after blow be it physically or otherwise, and two to three fucking taps is all this mother fucker can take!?
I've tried, I've done all I could but every single time the anger is impossible to control, impossible to hold back. The burning feeling inside me spread throughout my chest, and before I knew it, all pain was an afterthought.
So without foresight, I let it consume me once more.
SLAM!*
"AAAAaaaaHHHH!"
CRACK!*
"GGGGgggaaaahhhHHH!"
CRUNCH!*
If only I saw the look in my eyes at this time, then I could have tried to stop what I would become.
…
Punch after punch drilled into him, and before I knew it, there was nothing left but the broken mess of the former Marine in front of me. His transformation long since ended after the second punch, and it made it even easier to beat the ever-living shit out of him.
It was all too much for me to handle, all these emotions, all this hate. It was bound to overflow again eventually, and I couldn't help but feel that it would happen again.
It was indescribable truly; I've never had anger issues in my past life, and while Krieg definitely had them it was nothing compared to this level of just…
Hatred.
There was no better word for it.
A burning feeling of anger and hatred just seemed to consume me, it had an unsurmountable grip on me when my emotions overflowed.
I couldn't control it.
The memory of a head being crushed like a grape came to mind, and I couldn't help the optimistic thought of it only being a coincidence.
I flopped onto the ground, I was tired, but I knew I couldn't stay here long. Garp was probably on his way, and if he caught up then I knew I'd be fucked.
I took a few laboured breathes, the pain and the exhaustion from the fight taking its toll on me. I really need to learn how to hold back. No, I need to. If this keeps up, then I genuinely don't know what will happen to me; Krieg was a piece of shit, am I on a path that's even worse?
My original plan of getting Morgan onto my crew is now a bust after I've broken him, so I need to figure out where I'm going next. Morgan's dinghy is still good, so I at least have a way out of here.
Not to mention I need to get out of these blood-stained prison rags, and get these shackles off my wrists and ankles. It just feels disgusting, it's been far too long since I've been able to bathe, and I'm stuck with this shit I can't easily take off.
I can clean myself in the ocean later, and due to my memories I have an idea or two with where I should go next. But, when even am I right now? With how quick paced One Piece is in general, the Strawhat's could already be heading to the Grand Line.
I hope not, but I'm worried.
I'm out of the loop right now, some crazy shit could have happened and I'm here just-
I took a deep breath. I don't have the capacity to worry about this shit right now. I just need to pick a path, and hope it works out. It's all I can do right now. I need to focus on what's happing now, not shit that could have happened.
I need to stick with what I know.
What's even next after my arc canonically? Alrong… Loguetown, then… Tch. I couldn't help the distain from showing. Luffy literally got through to the Grand Line with plot armor and luck.
All the work and preparation I did, and he gets through with a navigator who's nothing but a candle in the wind. Even I can read a fucking map. I liked her before sure, but all she's got going for her is her looks.
Not to mention I'm too old for her. Damn, if only I could have my way with her…
…
FUCK!
My shitty middle aged old man mind is taking over my thoughts- fuck!
I don't want to deal with this shit right now, man. I can't even.
I would never pull any shit like that.
I let out a slight grunt as I got up, ready to get off this fucking island. I'm sick and tired of his shithole. There wasn't anything for me to grab and take with me, so I began to make my way around the island to find the other dinghy.
I was shocked, however, to see the slow and shallow rise and fall of Morgans chest as I walked by him. I stopped in place, and a grin crossed my face.
Huh. Well, I guess this whole fiasco wasn't all for nothing after all.
It seems there's more than one piece on my side of the board.
Whether other said 'piece' likes it or not.
…
Hope you didn't expect Garp and Sengoku to kiss in that dream, lol.
All jokes aside, that was the longest fight scene I've ever written, hope you liked it.
I wanted to treat Garp as a character with as much depth as possible while not being too OOC, having a serious and methodic demeanor underneath his usual joking and rebellious shell.
Things with Krieg are finally shaping out to how I envisioned him so long ago, and he'll only continue to develop from here. I'm excited to see where this all pans out, each plotline and idea I have for this story just seems to evolve into something else and I can't wait to see where it goes.
Will Krieg succumb to his anger issues? Will he scratch up enough money for a decent therapist?
Coffee will be drank.
Tables could be tipped.
Until next time.