Chapter 2
[William Pew]
They searched through their surroundings, checking every fallen guard and staff member. None of them had their keys, however, and William would admit to starting to feel a little uneasy. They had to get out quickly, after all. Every second wasted was a second in which someone else could catch them, a second in which the passed out guards could wake up, a second in which something else equally as bad or worse could happen.
'Come on,' William thought to himself, growing more fidgety by the second as he continued checking his surroundings with his hands. Sound couldn't help him find keys, after all, and it was so very frustrating to know that maybe the keys were right in front of his face, but he couldn't see them. He shook his head then, trying to keep those thoughts away.
He needed to focus and-
He paused.
"They are celebrating," he muttered then, perking up his head as he followed the sounds.
"What?" questioned the mink as he stopped his search through one of the desks inside the office. From the sounds of it, at least.
"The other slaves, they are cheering down the corridor," he said, and there was a moment of silence from his feline companion.
"They are," Antonio agreed, the same curiosity that William was feeling bleeding into his tone.
"You think…?" the mink asked, trailing off.
"One way to find out, right?"
They moved through the corridor in between cells as fast as they could, following the sound of cheers. It was hard, at least for William, considering that there were guards and slaves alike on the ground, acting as tripping hazards. However, he didn't much care, even when he stumbled and the one time he almost hit his face on the rock floor. Mainly because he'd managed to catch something in between the relieved cries and ecstatic celebration.
The slaves had been given the keys.
[}-o-{]
[Saint Rosward]
"Sir! Please, let us assist you," said one of the dumb marines that tried to escort him out of the slave house. His voice grating on his nerves as his head throbbed in pain where that low life pirate dared to fall on top of him.
They should have never come to the lower world. It was one disaster after another. None of these peasants knew their place, as they dared to defy his authority. The authority of a god! Time and time again too. They would all pay. Rosward swore it. He would burn every single person in that damn archipelago for their disrespect.
He slowly stood on his own two feet with the help of the silk VIP couch rest next to him. He will have to burn those gloves once he gets back home. Who knows what kind of germs did peasant things like this have? He was utterly disgusted at having to endure sitting in such a low class throne, but he guessed it was the best these monkeys from below could manage. So, in his infinite mercy, he had allowed at least that.
He wasn't feeling as merciful when one of the medic marines tried to grab his arm to stabilize him. The nerve of these people and not knowing their places. Quickly grabbing one of the golden guns on his belt he aimed at the marine's head who looked shocked for a second before a bullet pierced his skull.
"Don't you dare touch me, you filthy peasant!" he screamed in rage.
In any other circumstances he would ask that idiot of Sengoku for this marine's file just so he could track whatever filthy island he'd spawned from and burn it to the ground with all their people for such a transgression, as was proper.
Alas, these weren't normal circumstances.
Rosward quickly hoisted his weapon again as the marines entertained themselves with the corpse of that dumb medic. He didn't quite understand why though. There were a lot of medics either way, so why should it matter? Didn't they see that he was in pain? Why weren't they helping him?! Is this how they repay him?!
Leaving that out of his mind he rushed towards his son, Charlos. Oh, poor Charlos, assaulted by that vile heretic monkey, daring to lay a hand on his handsome perfect face. He was laid next to his sister, who had also been attacked and knocked out too, while two dozen medics attended their wounds.
He pushed one of the medics to the side as he looked at his son in distress. Rosward couldn't believe all this had happened. They'd just descended because he'd been told there'd be a mermaid and a cat mink in the auction. He'd thought they'd be perfect for his son and daughter…
It was supposed to be a perfect family outing to buy some new toys and perhaps, if he was in the mood, buy one or two more pirate captains for his collection. Instead, all they got was getting assaulted for no reason by some hooligans. All this could have been avoided if not for the incompetence of these mortals. There were only a scant few of those monkeys! How were they able to escape both security and the Marine?
Heads were gonna roll, Rosward swore. He had half a mind to really have the whole archipelago burn to the ground as it was. It was a shame that some of his fellow gods liked the accursed, filthy place, but he could still make them pay dearly for what they'd done, all of them, the inhabitants of this… this…
He didn't even have a strong enough word to describe how much he despised the place.
"I want to get off of this thrice be damned place," Rosward hissed.
"Of course, sir," one of the marines closer to him replied instantly, posture stiff and fear in his eyes.
Good, at least one of these pathetic little things knew their place.
[}-o-{]
[William Pew]
He was still rubbing his neck as they finally stepped outside the slave house. Antonio and him had been the last two to get their collars off, but they'd done it in the end. Many of their fellow prisoners had already made a run for it, but that was fine. The commotion outside seemed to be there still and that meant they had some time yet.
Still, he paused with his first step through the door, hearing the fight be just that much more loud than expected. The sounds were normal enough but they seemed… stronger, bigger.
'Right, there was a giant,' he thought, wondering if that was him. It could very well be someone with a Devil Fruit power, after all. Hell, there were a number of other things that could mean. The world was filled with weird ass stuff, William knew.
He twitched as he heard the sound of shots being fired. They came from far away though, and William heard them hit the wall close by, but not too close. He felt something get stuck on his pants then, pulling him forward.
"Be careful, caballero," Antonio told him, as he continued pushing William forward. "The enemies are aware of our presence. Push forward, I shall cover your back and care for your safety in these trying times, for that is what I pro-" William heard another round of firing and the grunt of his mink companion as he intercepted the bullets with his weapon.
'Well, at least he's good with whatever weapon he's using,' he thought. People that could block bullets weren't all that common. They weren't precisely rare either, but at least it spoke well of his self-proclaimed protector. That wasn't even considering that he had to cover for William too, and that while maybe reaching the blind man's waist in height.
He might just have lucked out in the bodyguard lottery, he supposed.
It was certainly better than his general luck as of late, at least.
Regardless, William tried to run – or powerwalk, really – away from where they were towards safer places. However, people were onto them, obviously, be it the slave house's guards or marines. The sounds of battle plagued the place, there were weapons clashing, guns firing, shouts and screams and cries and…
And it was so disorienting…
"To your left, caballero! Straight towards the lines decimated by the giant. The number of marines is far lower there!" Antonio screamed at him. It sounded like he was fighting someone at the moment if the swish of his weapon and screams of pains of voices he didn't recognize were anything to go by.
He turned to his left as precisely as he could, trying his best to isolate the sounds of the aforementioned giant. It was difficult, everything was very loud… But they were just that much louder, so that helped. He stumbled a bit, having to let go of the wall to continue moving, which took away some of the stability that the solid surface to hold onto provided.
To make matters worse, William was now walking towards a battle in which a giant was taking part. Not that he didn't trust his new short, mink friend, but for someone that couldn't see? It was a little worrying to move in such a direction. What if he was hit by a blow from the giant? What if the guy stepped on him? What if a number of other things happened?
Then again, the other directions very likely were worse.
The whole situation sucked, basically.
"To the left a bit, amigo!"
William almost stumbled as he hurried to heed the call. For all he knew, the cat mink was telling him to dodge certain death. Certainly seemed to be the case, if the rush of air that passed him by was any indication.
He really was hating this, almost as much as he'd hated being shackled in the cell.
"Are there any pistols or rifles around?" he asked, his voice loud but not really reaching the level of a shout. He was pretty sure Antonio could hear him just fine, considering the cat ears.
"Right below you!" the mink answered, the sound of swords clashing against each other coming from his direction. "Back off, dragon dogs! Or you shall feel the edge of my blade!"
William all but let himself drop to the floor, his hand searching for the weapon Antonio had told him about. There was nothing there, however, and he frantically started checking his surroundings with his hands until- 'There!' he exclaimed in his mind as he found a corpse – or at least someone unconscious – and quickly found some bullets and the gunpowder. He just needed- 'There we go,' he thought, quickly grabbing the weapon once he found it.
It was a pistol and, by the feel of it, one he wasn't familiar with. However, a pistol was a pistol and he could probably use it. Crawling on the ground as he tried to figure out the ins and outs of the gun, William also kept an ear out. Antonio seemed to be fighting nearby. There was the giant to their right. The enemy were all around, but the most unattended side was William's front and left.
So, once he felt confident, he took the pistol and aimed forward.
Better to clear the path, he supposed.
When he heard a gunshot, he did his best to pinpoint the direction and fired. William grinned widely when he heard someone cry out somewhere ahead. 'Take that, fucking marines,' he thought vindictively. He might be blind, but at least he could still be a pain in the ass for the self-righteous bastards.
"There's more where that came from, bastards!" William shouted, loading another bullet into the flintlock. It wasn't the most efficient weapon, but it'd do. He was feeling on the top of the world, all of a sudden. He could do something, for once. Maybe he couldn't be accurate or anything, but he had a weapon, allies and a fighting chance. That was more than he'd had for the last few months.
So, if he died, at least he'd do it with a smile, after putting a few bullets inside World Government puppets.
[}-o-{]
[Saint Rosward]
He fumed impatiently as the marines carried his possessions back to his personal ship to be delivered to the Bondolas up the Red Line. More than one of the marines tried to convince him to forgo his things and hurry his way to safety back to Mary Geoise. Their corpses were already thrown to the seas and were in the process of being digested by whatever critter roamed those waters.
They'd be more useful like that than speaking nonsense at him.
As such Rosward was forced to wait as the soldiers carried enough furniture and trinkets to fill entire castles. Each of them was unique and opulent enough to buy one too, as was only fitting for the property of a god. He wondered why were the marines and their brethren allowed to live if they were going to be that incompetent though. Maybe they would work faster if he put slave collars around their necks. See if they dared to waste more of his precious time with a bomb attached to them.
He bit another one of the fruits that were offered to him by one of his concubines, he didn't really remember which one. Another held his glass of wine, and a third provided shade and breeze for him. It didn't matter how polluted the air might be. At least he had his bubble to prevent him from actually breathing the peasant's excuse of oxygen.
"Sir, I am sorry we weren't able to find Disco due to all the chaos, but rest assured that we will recover your son's and daughter's lost possessions in due haste. We are currently scouring the island for both the mermaid and the mink," one of his personal sevants informed him calmly. 'At least, they are more useful than the marines that let our property escape in the first place,' Rosward thought. Years of indoctrination to create these servants of high pedigree were showing their worth as the guard in black suite remained calm and collected. Millions of Berries were spent in their education and training to serve the Celestial Dragons.
It was something that Rosward could appreciate, at least. The time they had spent on that wasn't for nothing. As those thoughts filled his mind, he pulled his gun and shot the servant. The man never lost his composure or calm even as he died his face remained stoic and silent. A failure was a failure, either way, and it should be punished.
"Find them," he growled to the nearest marine, who swallowed thickly before saluting and leaving to do his duty. He better, or the next bullet would go to him… Or whoever told him that they'd failed, again.
His poor son and daughter were already inside the ship being treated with the best doctors the world had to offer. Rosward was planning to alleviate their suffering by delivering their new toys. He knew how cathartic letting your anger and frustration go on your slaves could be. A lesson he wished to impart to them.
Better that way. He was tired of seeing Charlos waste perfectly good mermaids to his tank of piranhas, even though he understood how amusing it was when they finally succumbed to exhaustion and the piranhas caught up to them. He was a kid once too, after all.
Yes, they were expensive. Nothing he couldn't afford. A dozen of them a month wouldn't even put a dent in his coffers. The real problem was something else, however. After all, since the World Government took the stupid decision of letting fish think they had rights, they had become harder to acquire in recent times. 'What has the world come to?' Rosward thought sadly as he saw the simple joys of his childhood be stripped away from the young.
Charlos and his generation would have it harder than everyone and he would do everything he could to support their childhood innocence.
The mink though, he and her daughter had other plans for. He would have been the perfect gladiator at the Celestial Arena. Most of the families already had their own champions of different races, and minks were all the rage lately since one of them managed to fell a giant.
And whenever there wasn't a fight to have the animal participate in, Shalria could just keep it around as a pet. She had said she wanted a cat, after all. Rosward was sure she'd like a mink much better.
As he waited though, and his mind came out of its musings, he felt his eye twitch. Maybe it was time he got rid of the current guards and found some higher quality servants. He knew that Vegapunk had just finished his last project. He will order some of them to be delivered to him. How were they called again?
Ah, yes, Pacifistas.
[}-o-{]
[Antonio Flags]
Antonio breathed heavily as he continued clearing the way of the random Marine grunts that did their damn best to deny them their freedom. His sword clashed against the sloppy overhead swing of one of the Marine's petty officers. It wasn't that they were particularly skilled, but quantity was a quality on its own and he wasn't in any conditions for long fights against multiple enemies, no matter how weak they were.
A shot rang in front of him followed shortly by a scream of pain. William lowered his gun and his face slightly, seeming concentrating on the sounds around him as he reloaded his weapon. If Antonio said that he wasn't at least a bit surprised at the man's marksmanship, he would be lying. He expected him to be a non-combatant, if not by his physique, then by the fact the man was completely blind.
Yet, he seemed to guide himself pretty well, even across a chaotic battlefield like this one. He was able to locate enemies with scary accuracy by sound alone, which was more than a little impressive. Especially because the condition seemed rather recent, judging by some of the man's quirks and also the state of the scarring over where his eyes should be.
Granted many of the shots didn't actually land on anyone, sometimes not even close, but they were enough to provide cover fire. Antonio would take that over some of the more… combat averse slaves around them. Although, he supposed it was mean to think that, considering many of them likely had been civilians before.
And yet, desperation seemed to motivate them and give them strength. Many of them had run away like headless chickens, sure, but some of them had stuck in a group. Interestingly, this small gathering of slaves seemed to be following William and Antonio himself, sloppily piling on top of every marine that got past the giant and the duo. It wasn't pretty, but it was effective, Antonio would give them that.
Quickly cutting through another marine, Antonio decided that it was better to leave the thinking for later when they weren't being besieged by enemies.
"We are almost there, caballero!" he exclaimed as elation and desperation revitalized his body. They were so close, it seemed like a few mere steps more and they would have broken through the enemy blockade. The giant was still dragging the attention of the stronger marines and cannons, thankfully. Leaving them mostly alone save for the scattered file and rank that tried to catch the slaves that left the establishment.
"There's more chaos to the left," Antonio heard William comment, his voice almost a whisper in the midst of so much noise, but still easily heard. After a moment, he noticed what the man was talking about. It was almost shocking, to know that the blind human could hear just as well, if not better than he did himself. Was that a side effect of the man's condition? "We should go the other way."
Ending his current opponent, Antonio led the way taking heed of his visually impaired companion's warning. Marines in front of them were reduced to a scant few by then. Nowhere enough to stop them, spread thin because of the slaves that had run away in all directions and by the fighting.
He heard commotion right behind them, shouts mixed with the unmistakable shaking slams of the giants stomps. Sparing a glance, sure enough the small group of slaves seemed to still be taking their lead. At that very moment they seemed to be disengaging from their fight against a significantly lower number of marines and chasing after them.
The giant swung an arm as big as a small building across the line of cannons which the Marines tried to aim at them, destroying most of them in the process before running after them again at an almost sedated pace. Even with some wounds in his body, he didn't look particularly tired. A pair of Marine captains laid flattened on, or rather in, the floor right inside large foot imprints making it sort of obvious what had happened to them.
Most of the remaining resistance having been taken care of, the rest of the slaves, fighters and civilians alike, who hadn't been killed or recaptured, slowly started converging together behind them. William and him leading, while the giant guarded their rear.
"Forward," William said, once more reloading his gun. Antonio honestly couldn't have put up with that. Such an unreliable weapon was a nightmare, in his opinion. Then again, it wasn't like his visually impaired companion who could go up close and personal with their enemies. "There's lots of noise from the sides."
Once more, Antonio found himself thankful for William's presence then and there. With the weakened, starved state in which he was and with all the fighting that was going on around, he barely could pay attention to what he was seeing, let alone sounds coming from further than right beside him. If he paid attention, however, after the blind man's words, he found that he could indeed hear what he mentioned.
"Onwards, my friends! Freedom is within our grasp!" He screamed between pants. Trying to gather whatever dredges of energy he had left in him. Nobody answered his scream with enthusiasm, making Antonio most definitely not pout. Those people clearly had no class.
"You tried," William commented with a weary smirk. At least one of them knew to recognize the wisdom in his words. Antonio took some solace on that as he blocked a blow from a very optimistic marine and took him out.
Yes, it wasn't him that was bad at speeches, it was everyone else that was too dim to acknowledge his skill. 'No, Antonio. Lest be it for me to think poorly of other people. That is not gentlemanly at all!' It must have been that errant gust of wind and the chaos that didn't let them hear his words… Yes, that must have been it.
"Lead the way, noble warrior," William said then, taking a few tentative steps forward. "Unless there's something I'm not hearing?" he added then, tilting his head in Antonio's direction.
"Just a bit more, caballero! Forward and we will be out of here!" Antonio responded as he continued to lead the group. With a last push forward the last line of defense was broken with only small token defiance from the remaining marines, reluctant to face a small mob of desperate slaves now that they all have gathered together. "Roararararara~! We did it!" He screamed with a laugh, the first one in a while. The rest of their group cheered with him, the fear and despair leaving them as the hope and freedom returned the lost light in their eyes.
The giant suddenly scooped them all together as he quickened his steps leaving behind the defeated marines. His stomps resounded with the joyous exclamations of his fellow ex-slaves and the cries of panic of the civilians as they made their way into Sabaody.
"We did it, Garchu!" he exclaimed. For the first time in a long time, things seemed to be looking up.
[} Chapter End {]
Adrian: Well, someone had fun writing the Celestial Dragon, I can tell you that.
Arc: They were fun to write. Almost as fun as Antonio. Poor guy kept rolling low charisma checks.
Adrian: And getting interrupted.
Arc: And that too. Not sure if there is anything else to add here. Adrian?
Adrian: Eh… Nothing that comes to mind. I hope you guys enjoyed the read though.
Discord Link: discord .gg/UTDransjJZ
