Chapter Four:
A Once Great Anime Artist
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Sunlight poured through the open window, gleaming upon the shame-stricken face of an axolotl.
No, not just an axolotl, a man.
A man who'd lost everything, and was once respected by so many people around the island nation of Japan and other regions across the world, even when he was faced with scorn by others in his old hometown.
His name was Axol, and he was the son of a kind businessman. In his earlier days, Axol grew up in the city of Inkopolis, the home of the Inklings, and discovered his love for anime while watching cartoons and Japanese monster movies. As time passed, his passion for anime grew, landing the young axolotl in hot water with the many Inklings who hated anime.
Axol remembered the day he forged Inkweaver, which helped him bring anime characters to life and make new friends, and he recalled when he moved to Japan, hoping to find his calling. And it was in Japan where Axol followed his dream, becoming one of the top anime artists.
If only he'd known then, if only he'd known what would become of him years later.
On that fateful day, he'd been stripped of his Inkweaver, forced to watch a madman do terrible things with it, and, in those darkest hours, Axol was rendered helpless.
He wasn't the greatest of anime artists anymore without his Inkweaver, which now sat in the hands of Francis, just as the magic anime pen's former wielder was a prisoner on the island.
The axolotl, wearing a white-colored outfit that reminded one of a straightjacket, sat upon the bench in his cell, with his ankle chained to the wall, thinking of the days before everything went downhill with the occasional tear rolling down his face.
During these moments, Axol dreaded his next meeting with Francis, and rightfully so.
In the years since that crazed nerd brought Anime Island to life and turned the world into an anime empire, Francis had taken pleasure in summoning Axol to his throne room and proceeding to brainwash him into doing court jester-associated acts.
With Inkweaver's power, no less.
And, as if the brainwashed court jester acts weren't enough, Axol had to deal with one of Francis' waifus aggressively flirting with him. Sometimes, it was a replica of Yoko Littner that the chameleon would use. And, on some days, the waifu that Francis would set upon Axol would be the beautiful pirate queen Boa Hancock.
The anime-loving axolotl recalled fondly when he used Inkweaver when alone to summon anime waifus, to make out with them, to make love to them, with Boa Hancock being among the many females he'd summoned during those special sessions.
Here, on Francis' island, it didn't feel right. Axol felt like the chameleon was turning one of his most pleasant memories into a painful one, making the former Inkweaver-wielder's life filled with pain even more.
And Axol had gone through enough pain in his life beforehand.
He'd been mocked for his love of anime by the Inklings, and he'd gone through many a breakup with the most gorgeous of women that he'd ever dated. And, at one point, Axol got into a mess with people in the Yakuza, who murdered a very gorgeous anime girl he was in love with. And finally, there was the mess he was in.
In these moments, with his heavy heart thumping intensely, the axolotl wished Francis had the decency to let a prisoner like him have an anime beauty to provide some company and relief in such somber times.
The formerly renowned anime artist thought about Meggy's situation, and grimaced when he recalled the sound of her screaming as Francis violated her.
Saiko would occasionally come by with food for the axolotl, and to help Axol clean up, and it was hard for the Inkopolis-born anime fan to look at the pink-haired anime girl in her anime queen/slave girl attire.
Just then, Axol heard a click, and looked up, right as the door swung open and Francis walked in, smiling cruelly as he stared at Inkweaver's former wielder, followed by the pink-haired One Piece beauty Rebecca, clad in her skimpy gladiator outfit, as she carried a tray of food.
"Good day to you, Axol-san..." Francis hissed.
"What's up, Francis?" Axol retorted, his voice filled with slight frustration.
"Aww, lighten up..." The chameleon taunted, "You should be thankful that I'm letting you live to see my anime kingdom, and you're lucky to eat every day with food provided by my waifus."
"I'd be thankful... if I was allowed to have some company in any of the women you're enslaving." Axol said in a half-bitter tone.
Francis laughed, and the axolotl shivered as he listened to the nerdy chameleon's vile laughter. Axol noticed that Rebecca, whose hands were carrying the tray as delicately as possible, was a little uneasy by the sound of her "master" laughing so maniacally. After a moment, Francis composed himself, and flashed Axol a little smirk.
"You desire company from a waifu, eh?" Francis inquired, "Very well. Since I'm feeling... generous today, I'll let you spend five minutes with Rebecca. That'll be quite the fan service for an anime boy like you. FIVE MINUTES WITH REBECCA! NO MORE NO LESS! She's MY waifu! MINE! And if you... behave, I'll send Nico-Robin to keep you "company" tonight."
Francis departed the cell, and shut the door, leaving Axol alone with Rebecca. The shapely "gladiator" moved towards the axolotl's bench, and offered him the tray, which contained some steamed carrots and peas.
Axol's stomach rumbled a moment later, and Rebecca offered him a fork as she smiled apologetically to the disgraced anime artist.
"Don't worry too hard." Rebecca said to the axolotl, "You know how particular Francis is about who gets to have a waifu on the island..." Her smile wavered, "...and while he does value beauty and love, it's debatable if he's really a romantic guy, especially when love and lust are very different from each other."
"I know the difference." Axol munched on a couple carrot pieces and swallowed them, "And, Rebecca? You're very, very nice... You... You were one of my favorite One Piece characters. I liked you so much, I summoned a replica of you with Inkweaver, and... we spent half-an-hour watching your gladiator episode together and making love on the couch."
He was starting to eat some peas when Rebecca leaned over, and hugged him while leaning her head against his chest. Axol smiled, and stroked Rebecca's head gently. He ate the rest of his meal, and set aside the tray before holding the anime girl's hand.
Rebecca looked into the axolotl's eyes, and let out a light sigh as she saw the sweet smile on his face. She scooched closer to him, and looped her arm around his neck gently.
"You're one lonely man..." Rebecca said, "...and no nice man deserves to be alone..."
She sat up on his lap with her arms around his neck, and wiped a tear from Axol's cheek. As Rebecca and the axolotl locked eyes, the One Piece waifu saw the aura of kindness in the manga artist's soul, and, with a tender smile, she leaned closer and kissed Axol as he cupped her womanly hips before a pair of Francis' Boo guards floated in to take Rebecca away.
In those moments, the axolotl felt a sense of relief, provided by the kiss shared between him and one of his favorite anime girls. Even in damnation, moments of paradise were a blessing, if one like Axol had hope and was lucky.
But that was that, for now.