27 months after the end of the campaign
(part 1)
"Captain, are you ok?"
William looked up. He was sitting on the railing at the edge of the deck. He was wearing jeans and a hoodie. The hoodie was black and had an odd design on it. It was a horizontal oval shape with two arms coming out from each side. The arms were just short lines with circles at the end. There was a smiley face in the center of the oval made up of just two dots and a line for the smile. Above the design were the numbers one, two, and three, separated by small dots. The design was white. His sword sheath was on his back, and his holster and bag were still on him. He had an unlit cigarette and was twirling it between his fingers.
"I'm fine." He said passively.
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah."
"Would you like some 14 hp?" He said. William looked at him and gave a small smile.
"Healie, go find Lyssa or something."
"I sent him to find you!" came a voice behind him. He flicked the cigarette into the ocean and stood up to look back. He turned around and saw the group behind him. Front in center, hand on her hips, beaming with a smile was Lyssa. Her frizzy ginger hair had gotten longer in the last year. Where it had once only just grazed her shoulders, it now fell around halfway down her back. She wore a smaller pair of goggles than she had previously. She wore a cropped white t-shirt that said 'Earth girls can't party' on it in bright blue. She wasn't wearing her usual brown leather work gloves or elbow pads. She wore baggy cargo pants that looked too big for her. The belt struggled to keep them up, though she had suspenders holding them up, too. She had the ends of the pants tucked into black rainboots. In her waistline, she had her pistol proudly brandished. Verona stood next to her. His hair was done into a ponytail like William's, though it was much more pronounced due to how long it was. He was wearing his standard goggles, not the ones with his mother's old laser eyes. He still had the heavy mask with tubes to a chest plate to help him breathe, though he wasn't carrying the arsenal he had last time. He wore a tight, black, sleeveless shirt with his sizeable purple coat over his shoulders. He held his rebuilt Little Timmy rifle in his hands.
"Well, you didn't have to bother," William said, walking over normally.
"William," came another voice from around the corner, "where's the ship again?"
The princess of Tarako and her lover were walking towards them. Pearl was wearing baggy pants that were cuffed halfway down her shins. She had black dress shoes on. She wore a white blouse that hung loosely from her body, a few bracelets on both hands, and large leather belts. Her horns were still proudly protruding from her head, and her fangs peeked out from her mouth whenever she spoke. Next to her was Cyril; he had his hair done up in a small ponytail and looked slightly nervous. He had a blue t-shirt with a surfboard design in the center. He had modified it so that the sleeve would be removed for his water arm. He had white swim trunks on with small blue dragon designs all over them. He wore dark green flip-flops. He looked like a tourist going to the beach, that is, if one chose to ignore the sizeable golden trident he was holding and resting on his shoulder.
"Somewhere in the West Blue, some contacts that Hemlock knows," William said. Pearl smiled and walked towards him. She stood inches from his face, eyes closed with a composed smile plastered on her face.
"Nice gambling ring you have there." She said sweetly, looking at the thin gold band on his pointer finger.
"Pretty, ain't it?" William answers, playing dumb.
"Looks like your brother's, my brother-in-law's, wedding band that was stolen about a year ago."
"One thing I can say about Trevor is that he has excellent taste. I'm glad he could have a nicer ceremony a few months after he got it legally registered first."
"Yes, it was such a long ceremony, an even longer reception, too."
"Invitation must have been lost in the mail; glad it all went well."
"It did; the World Government got off our backs, and things are looking up."
"I knew they would be."
There was a short silence between the two before Pearl shrugged and stepped back to stand next to Cyril. The prolonged silence spread to the rest of the room, and there was some clear discomfort.
"Is no one going to say it?" Pearl said, looking at her nails, trying to sound uninterested. "If no one will, I can."
"What are you talking about?" Lyssa asked. Pearl scowled at her and looked at Verona, who, if he had any reaction, was hiding it very well.
"How come Ragnar isn't here?" She asked, arms crossed.
"I didn't invite him," William said carefully. Verona cleared his throat awkwardly, and Lyssa looked away guilty. Cyril's eyes widened, and Healie's hands covered his face. Pearl kept her arms crossed and stared at William. He was about to speak when someone came from behind them.
"Hey guys, why are you moping around like a bunch of idiots?" Doxie asked, smiling. She was also wearing a hoodie, though hers was light tan with a Jolly Roger of the Devil's Luck pirates on it. She wore black trousers and small brown boots. Her hair was down. Everyone's eyes shifted to her. Pearl smiled absently. Cyril gave her a small wave, Verona nodded, and Lyssa tried to do the same, but it came out more like a bow.
"Doxie, go find Hemlock will you? These guys are still worried about the island, their seat assignment, snacks, etc."
"Fucking tossers, we're going on a big trip, and you want to worry about semantics!?" She shook her head with mock disappointment and went to look for Hemlock. Once she was out of earshot, William let his critical eyes wander across the group.
"Ragnar…Is sick, he has a problem." William said finally.
"So we're going to just abandon him? After everything we went through together?!"
"Well, what would you have me do?" William responded.
"We could help him! This trip could be a great detox. Two weeks with no possible way of getting blue blood could help him kick it."
"There would be Blue blood," Verona said suddenly. Pearl spun around to look at him; her eyes said she knew what he was talking about but didn't want to hear him say it.
"He would never." She said sternly.
"Can you guarantee it to me?" William said, stepping closer to her, "Will you take responsibility if his withdrawals get bad enough that he does what we're all thinking."
"I wouldn't have to because he wouldn't! Doxie's a part of the crew! He would never hurt us."
"I saw with my own eyes what happens when Blue Blood consumes you. Blake almost killed you! If you had reacted even a second later, you'd be dead."
"Ragnar isn't as bad-"
"Have you seen him recently?" he asked the group. No one responded, "I'm sorry, guys."
"This is a real fucked up thing you're doing here."
"Ragnar never went off the stuff; he's still on it now. Do you think he could go two weeks without a hit?"
"Well…" Pearl said quietly, "Nobody gets better right away; it is a process; he could have brought-"
"After everything that happened, you suggest I allow Ragnar to take Blue Blood here? In front of Hemlock? In front of me?"
"No, I'm just saying-"
"I killed Blake, Pearl!" William yelled, "Me! I killed him! Because of that shit!"
"Okay, Okay, I know. I'm just saying that distancing ourselves from him is not exactly helping him either!"
"Look, I may not always think things through; I love to gamble, but not on this." He said, defeated, "Ragnar is important to me, but I must put my daughter's safety first."
Pearl looked equally defeated; she wanted to try to keep talking, but the words weren't formulated properly. The truth was, she didn't know what to do. She was a mother now, too. Her mind raced when William said his last sentence. If her son had blue blood, she wondered if she would react the same way. Probably would. Hell, if her son had Blue Blood, she might have never spoken to Ragnar again. It was a terrible sentiment but the truth. When Koby was born, the idea of her urges overpowering her and making her hurt the child flashed into her head. It was not a realistic fear. Pearl, even when she was not suppressing her cannibalism at all, never lost control and attacked innocent people. The withdrawals were painful, but she had never attacked even a passerby for non-lethal maiming. Yet the thought sent her spiraling. She would thrash in bed at night when the ideas infected her brain. Cyril would calm her down. The calming blue stillness of his water would always put her in a safe place, and she would sleep again. The thoughts went away eventually. She wasn't sure why. She was now positive that she was just in a self-hatred episode that let her believe the worst possible things about her were true. She overcame it. She knew she'd never do something like that no matter what happened. She, in her heart of hearts, would like to believe the same about Ragnar. She wasn't sure if she could, though. He already looked older when he came to see Koby's birth. He would talk the same way, but his veins were starting to bulge and glow a vibrant blue. When Ragnar was on it, he could not control himself, which scared her. Ragnar had always been her friend. Her drinking buddy who enjoyed rare steak like her. A dependable fighter who had her back and knew she had his. He was so strong-willed and full of conviction and drive. He was a beast who could walk his path and think like a man. Yet, the blue blood made her see herself in him. When he grew big, and a blue monster would attack whatever was before him, she saw the worst parts of herself. Pearl had always believed she would kill those closest to her if she lost herself to the dragon. She instead learned to tame the beast, while Ragnar lost himself to the Blue Blood. As she looked at William, reality crashed into her. His face was pained, and his eyes were watery. In her mind, she understood why he was doing it, yet she felt hurt. She turned from him so as not to have to see him.
"Just promise me we'll see him when we get back." She said, practically pleading like a scared child.
"We'll all go." William responded, his tone so beaten and tired it was almost as though he was asking her for permission, "Pearl, I know you think we're abandoning him, but we aren't. We've all had hurdles; we saw you through yours. I know it f-feels like you're abandoning Ragnar even after he stood by you, but I promise we'll find a way."
"...Thank you." She said genuinely.
The crew reached the dock, and a few deckhands lowered the anchor quickly, making efforts to tie down the ship on the pier. Hemlock barked orders at them while she instructed the bridge to be moved into place. She completed the trio of William and Doxie, wearing a light green hoodie with a cartoon snake front and center. Her hair was in a high ponytail, and she wore tight black jeans. Her usual belt with knives remained attached. When the remnants of the Devil's luck pirates approached her, she couldn't help but notice a tad bit of a heavy atmosphere. Doxie seemed oblivious, but until further notice, that was preferable. The crew walked on the dock and towards land when they saw a group approaching them. Leading the pack was an average-sized woman. She had black hair and an angry face. She was glaring at the group, but she walked cautiously. She wore black pants with a red belt and immense black boots. She had a cropped red sleeveless shirt. It exposed her toned stomach and muscular arms. She had tan brown skin and reptilian-like eyes. Hemlock smiled when she saw her and approached her with her arms outstretched.
"Malice, darling, how are you?" She said. Malice stopped and shot her arm out so the girls behind her wouldn't move up. Upon closer inspection, William could tell that the girl was probably decently strong for someone her age. She was maybe 18, though it was much more likely that she was 17. She didn't respond.
"Are things going well?" Hemlock asked, now cautious.
"Things changed." Malice said, equally as cautiously. The crew looked at each other, confused. Hemlock smiled slightly and approached her.
"What do you mean?" She asked.
"The Menu sent a representative, and he brought men. We didn't have the firepower to protect the eastside."
"You lost my ship!?" Lyssa barked, charging past Verona and beside Hemlock, hands on her hips and angry. Malice turned and growled at her, touching her sword as a light warning. Verona loudly reloaded his rifle and aimed straight at her, a warning of his own. The girls behind Malice shuffled around nervously.
"Let's all calm down," Hemlock said, turning to Verona and motioning him to put down his gun. Verona kept it held up high. Hemlock looked at William, his eyes shot open, and he nervously turned and told Verona it'd be fine. Malice took her hand off her sword, too.
"Listen, why don't we just go and exterminate that little punk, and we can get on our way?"
"The Seven Sisters do not accept charity from their rivals," Malice said definitely. Hemlock scoffed.
"How will you drive them out when you couldn't keep them out, little girl?"
"We will figure it out." Her face was red from being insulted.
"Well, then, you violate our contract." She said quietly, "I want everything returned to my hand this instant."
Malice stepped back, shocked. She drew her sword.
"Come on, now." With an awkward smile, William said, "You know you don't want to do that."
Malice steadied herself. Devil horns sprouted from her forehead, and flames engulfed her blade. Suddenly, a giant wave of fire soared into the air with a roar. Malice flinched when she felt its intensity. Hemlock smiled smugly and moved to the side while Pearl approached, grinning wildly—black smoke pouring out of her mouth. The sisters looked terrified as they saw her horns. Wings sprouted from Pearl's back, much larger than Malice's. William started sweating profusely.
"Pearl, come on, let's all calm down." William looked at the sisters and then frantically turned to Malice: "Look at these girls. Are any of them over 15 years old?! That one is sleeping!"
Malice seemed to come to her senses and quickly put the sword away, retracting her wings and horns.
"That's better," William said, taking a deep breath, "Listen, I don't care about this place, but we're getting on that ship with or without your help."
"Oh, they better help," Hemlock sneered, "I paid good money to house the ship here and have you watch it. We'll have words if Lyssa finds even a bolt out of place."
Malice looked crossed but nodded and walked away, leaving her sisters stunned as they saw her walk away.
"I've never seen Malice concede like that," A little girl with short white hair said.
"Smart girl," Pearl said, crossing her arms, now upset she didn't get to fight what she believed was another dragon.
"Hello, girls; looks like we will be working with you."
"A pleasure." Said a rather large girl. William jumped when she stepped forward. For being so large, she blended into the crowd well. William looked at her face and was taken aback by how juvenile it was. A giant bandage covered her petite nose, and her cheekbones were pronounced. Her eyes were hazel green, and her eyelashes were long. William was perplexed; if he had just looked at her face, he would have had to guess she was 13 years old, yet it was hard to stomach when he had to look up to make eye contact. He'd say she was six feet tall if he had to place it. She wore a white t-shirt with sweat stains around the collar and giant orange overalls. She wore black leather rain boots and a vibrant yellow vest over her shoulders. Her hair was shoulder-length and looked wild. She looked at him and gave him a toothy grin. William smiled sheepishly and waved. She stood back to shuffle behind her sister when she stumbled on an uneven plank on the doc. Her eyes shot open, and she flailed her arms as she fell backward. The youngest girl managed to duck out of the way before getting crushed. William laughed loudly as the girl's face went red.
"You ok? Miss?" He said, stretching his hand to help her out.
"Ninny," She replied, annoyed, and used his arm to get up.
"Ninny!" another sister hissed. "Don't tell him your name; what if we become enemies?!" When she said this, the girl hid behind another girl; William glanced at her. She wore a simple navy blue one-piece dress and long light blue hair. She was one of the younger ones on the crew. Although she was relatively small, she still looked around 11 years old.
"But Demure, they know big sis's name," Ninny responded.
"Ninny!" The girl shrieked, "Now they know my name!"
"Oh, come on, you two! Stop being so tense! They're Hemlock's friends! They can't be bad!" Another sister said confidently; she looked around 14 years old and looked the most normal out of all of them. She had a frilly white top with long sleeves and sunflower patterns on the sleeves. She wore a long blue skirt that went to her ankles and had an infectious smile. She had perfectly pearly white teeth and bright blue eyes. Her hair was shoulder-length, and she had a golden mess of curls that shone like the sun. She had a flower crown made of white flowers sitting on her head.
"My name is Joy!" She beamed at the two of them. William raised an eyebrow but still gave her a performative bow. She giggled and curtseyed to match him.
"What kind of name is Joy?" Doxie asked, butting in after being relegated to the background.
"It's a beautiful name. My mom and dad gave it to me because they were so happy when they found out they were having me!"
"Beautiful, my name is Doxie; it means jack shit because my parents were insane."
"Him?" Joy asked, pointing at William confused.
"No, he's my foster father; after helping me kill both of them, I guess he felt responsible."
"Hah, as if." William scoffed, catching her off guard, putting her in a headlock, and aggressively ruffling her hair while she struggled to escape his grip, "I took you in because I liked you a lot, kid."
She broke free, blushing. She punched him in the arm while she fixed her hair.
"Wow, how nice, our parents are all dead too." She chirped. Doxie smirked and slapped her on the back.
"That's what I'm talking about, girlie! Family is what you make of it."
An awkward laugh rang out.
"Hey, who's the sleepy one?" She asked while she scanned the group. The sleepy one was a little girl standing perfectly still while loudly snoring. She was only in purple silk pajamas and white slippers. She had fluffy purple hair partially obscured by a white sleeping cap. Her head wasn't hanging or anything.
"That's Kip; she's the baby of the group. She won't be coming with us into combat. Demure and Nurse won't be coming either."
"You have to be at least ten to fight?" Hemlock scoffed.
"13!" Ninny interjected, "I just started going into battle with Joy, Malice, Malady!"
Hemlock's expression became cloudy as she approached Malady. She crossed her arms and pointed with her chin for her to lead the way. Malady glared at her but motioned for her to follow her. William smirked and addressed Joy but spoke loud enough for everyone to hear.
"That's Verona, Lyssa, Pearl, Cyril, Healie, and Gravy."
William stopped and looked back to see a smiling gravy holding a basket that radiated heat and smelt of heaven.
"Hi, guys." He chirped.
"Gravy!" Pearl and William called in unison. They both jumped on him and hugged his giant frame. He laughed and hugged them back.
"Gravy! I missed you." Pearl said happily, "You have to come back with us. Cyril can barely boil water; all I can do is char meat!"
"Oh no, I couldn't-"
"You tell her, Gravy! He will triumphantly return to the new and improved candles to cook for all the kids and faculty!"
Doxie perked up when she heard this and immediately dashed over and hugged him. Gravy awkwardly chuckled and ran a hand through his thinning hair.
"Sorry guys, but I'm pretty busy with the restaurant; I'm considering franchising."
"And you deserve it, too." William interjected, "Good for you, Gravy. Spread your cooking around; it'll make everyone happier!"
Gravy blushed and chuckled at his comments. They got off him and dusted off their clothes. They quickly followed Malady and Hemlock as they moved toward the town. William closed in on Hemlock. She glanced at Malady, then back to Hemlock. Malady had dark-tanned skin that was similar to Malice's. Her hair was a sizeable wave of lush green curls that looked like smoke flowing from her head. She had a gas mask that looked too big fastened over her mouth with two tubes to a large green tank on her back. She wore an oversized black coat and a long black skirt that reached the floor. Her top was a cropped jacket with green tubes intercepting in a metal plate in the front. She looked 15 years old at the oldest. She unsettled William; he couldn't place it, but he reminded him of someone. William saw Hemlock's annoyed face and smiled.
"What's up, Hemmy? " he asked, teasing, "afraid this girl is copying your style."
Hemlock turned to look at him, eyebrow raised, with disgust.
"I mean the green and the poison-"
"Don't flatter the child," Hemlock responded, loud enough for Malady to hear. She couldn't pull off my style if she tried; she looks like a bootleg version of a certain Vice-Admiral we used to know."
Malady stopped in her tracks and spun to face them.
"Vice-Admiral?" She sneered, on alert.
"Insane man named Arzen; William's boys killed him twice," Hemlock said, bored.
"Yeah, Cyril killed him once, and Verona him again later." William nodded.
"Don't be fooled. I have a feeling he'll turn up again. A man like that doesn't seem like he will stay dead for long."
"You have killed marines?" Malady asked.
"Dozens." William said, eyebrow raised, "Everything from the grunts to captains, commodores, rear admirals, and a vice-admiral, too."
Malady gave them an approving nod and ditched any hostility she may have harbored.
"Ever encounter a marine with black armor?" Malice said. They had caught up to her and heard the latter half of their conversation.
"Not a marine," William said.
"If you do ever see a marine with pale skin and lifeless eyes wearing black armor, do the world a favor and cut his head off."
"Killing Marines isn't worth the trouble." He said, glancing at Hemlock.
"This one is worth killing; he slaughtered dozens of civilians in Tarako. You'll know when he's around; he'll smell like caramelized sugar."
"What about Tarako?" Pearl said, having now caught up with the group.
"It doesn't concern you-" Malice began before she got a good look at her face. The smoke had obscured her face before, but now Pearl just stood there confused, her head tilted to the side and horns out.
"Are you the princess?" Malice exclaimed. Pearl blinked a few times and nodded. Malice's face soured, and she stepped to Pearl, who didn't understand what was going on but did understand what Malice was trying to do. Pearl morphed her hand into a giant brown claw, and her horns glowed a faint pink as her eyes became more reptilian.
"Your brother is a traitor." She hissed at her. Pearl looked confused. "After everything the Marines did to our country, he's just going to get into bed with one of them to curry favor with the World Government?!"
"Back up," Pearl said dangerously.
"I bet you were ready to let those scumbags back in with open arms the minute the opportunity presented itself. What did you do? Nothing! Some weapon"
Pearl shoved Malice backward, and despite being shorter than her, the push almost sent Malice off her feet.
"What did I do?!" Pearl hissed. "I killed the bastard of a king! I killed the pirate running the slave trade out of the Kingdom! I killed the marine protecting him! I killed the pirate's top buyer!"
"Did you kill the Black Knight!?"
"Who the fuck is the Black Knight!?"
"A marine who cut down dozens of people! People in Tarako who opposed your father! He cut them down like dogs!"
"He was following my father's orders! He's dead! I held his heart in my hands!"
"You invited them back in—you and your brother! I'm glad Mother never took us back to Tarako. It'd be depressing to see just how much nothing changes!"
Pearl lunged forward and closed the distance. Malice swung her flaming sword, but Pearl caught it in mid-air. As she held it, she planted her other hand over Malice's face and used her body weight to drag her to the floor. Malice screamed and released a wave of fire. A good amount of Pearl's skin was now covered in her fire-resistant scales, and she felt some pain but didn't let it show. Malady and Joy rushed forward to attack Pearl, but both were engulfed in large water bubbles. Malady's bubble fell to the floor, and he used the pressure to keep her pinned. Joy thrashed wildly as she drowned while not being able to swim in a bubble inches above the ground. Cyril quickly made an air pocket in the bubble for her head; Joy stopped drowning but still couldn't maneuver. Pearl yanked the sword from Malice's grip and used her now free hand to grip her neck. She removed the hand on her face to expose Malice struggling wildly. Pearl used her now free hand to throw a powerful punch on her face. The impact sent her head against the dock floor and broke the wood plank behind it. Malice was still conscious, but her nose was bleeding, and she was more frantic than mad now. Ninny looked frozen in place, unsure of what to do. Nurse screamed for them to stop, and Demure cried loudly. Pearl heard this and sighed. She let go of Malice's neck and stood up. Cyril quickly undid his water spheres, and the two sisters rapidly stood up, ready for combat. Malice also stood up quickly, though she stumbled and was not in a great spot.
"The weak don't get to dictate how others should stand against power." Pearl said, arms crossed, "I wasn't strong enough to stop my father as a little girl; I do apologize for that. But you talk as if you're not about to lose your island to a bunch of small-time West Blue hoods; only the strong can protect the weak. I may not like Trevor very much, but he'll protect my kingdom better than I can; anything after that is just semantics."
"What happens when a higher-up decides that Tarako's citizens would make great pack mules for the holy land." Malice said, slurring her speech and stumbling.
"Hopefully, I'll be strong enough to burn it all down then," Pearl said proudly, "Besides, I won't be alone."
She looked at William, who hadn't said anything during the fight. He just nodded at her.
"You should do the same."
"Stupid." Malice huffed, "I don't need anyone else to protect my sisters…But I guess I do need to get stronger."
The group dynamic got heavy once they started heading to the Eastside. The little girl, who couldn't have been more than 12, hastily rushed to treat Malice. She wrapped bandages around her neck to stop the bleeding from Pearl's claws. She also used smaller bandages to close the cuts on her face from Pearl's fist. Joy was the only one not affected, who excitedly chatted up Cyril about how he did that with his water.
William got next to Pearl as they walked and nudged her to get her attention.
"I was serious about that, you know." He said, "If a celestial dragon wanted to take some citizens from Tarako, I'd cut off Trevor's head and help you out."
"I know," Pearl said, though she sounded unsure.
"I know you're upset about Ragnar, and I know I should be a better friend, but I don't know how to deal with this. He's so far gone, I can't kill the blue blood in his veins and call it a day."
"I-If I ever got like that, uncontrollable, would you-"
"You can non-lethally take someone out, Pearl. I'd stop you, and then I'd try to help you."
"I never thought Ragnar would lose himself like this."
"...I'll tell you what: We'll hold an intervention when we return. Doxie will stay behind, and I'll come up with something to tell her."
"I think that'd be helpful."
"It better be. I saw him recently, and his stores of Blue blood are running low. It won't last more than a few months."
"You don't think he'd-"
"No, Ragnar wouldn't do that; he just needs help."
"Right, Right. When we get back, we'll go and see him."
Pearl nodded and smiled at William.
"You know, I didn't mean to say that you were abandoning him, I know that you visit him more than we do."
"He's going to get better."
"Who's gonna get better?" Doxie asked, butting into their hushed conversation.
"William, at getting presents," Pearl answered without hesitation. It took her one look at his face to know he was about to panic and say the dumbest thing imaginable. Doxie's eyes widened as she heard this, and she quickly squeezed in between them.
"It's been two years; what you got?" She asked. William sighed in relief that Doxie didn't register and ran a hand through his hair.
"Technically, one year official."
"Details Details, what you get her?"
"I can't tell you, you'll tell Hemlock."
"Is that how little faith you have in me?! I haven't told you what Hemlock got you!"
Williams's eyes zeroed in on Doxie. She realized what she had said and gave a nervous smile. William reached into his pocket and pulled out a small key.
"You know what this is?"
"Your gift?"
"No, it's the key to the room where Hemlock hides the pineapple juice."
"She gave it to you!?"
"No, I stole it. If you didn't drink a whole barrel last time, maybe I wouldn't have to steal it."
"You got a key, so what?"
"You want it?"
"...no"
"Well, then I could give it back to Hemlock."
"Wait! I can't tell you what it is. Hemlock made me promise! She'll take my poison privileges!"
William put the key in his palm and closed his hand into a fist. He opened it to show it to Doxie, but the key disappeared. Doxie's shot open, and she scowled at him.
"Think about it." He whistled as he returned to the front with Hemlock and Malice.
The island's east side was less developed than the west side; heavy vegetation overlooks the beach where two large ships were docked. One looked heavily damaged; its sails were partially burned, and the mast leaned over at an angle. Men were hanging from the deck with cables, trying to patch holes in the hull. There were about 20 men on the beach shore, unloading crates and supplies while building bonfires and putting up tents. The captain lay sleeping in a hammock.
"I think there are probably 3 to 6 men there who can fight; the rest are just hired sailors." Malice said.
"OK," Hemlock said, turning to the group, "we're not involved in the little scuffle between these families, so non-lethal damage only."
The former members of the Devil's Luck crew all nodded. William signaled for the group to move out, and they stealthily weaved their way closer and closer to the ships. William rolled his roulette and got the Yuki Yuki no mi. He raised his hand, bringing a blizzard to the warm climate. The men loading boxes immediately looked at the falling snow, confused. A group of five men approached, all wearing matching red and white striped uniforms and red caps. They spoke in unison and barked to spread out and be on the lookout. A red bird dove down from the sky and morphs into a human woman. She was five feet tall and held a little rifle in her arms; she looked horrified.
"What are we going to do?" She said in a panic.
"Calm down, Robin." One of the Five Guys said.
"Yeah, Robin, don't be fucking stupid." Added another of them said.
"Robin, seriously, why are you even here?" The third repeated.
"Robin, it's probably one of those little kids we fought yesterday." The fourth guessed.
"Robin, are you terrified of some random little girls?" The fifth teased.
"Just don't leave, let's stick together!" She said, trembling.
"Well, you can stick close to me!" One said.
"Robin doesn't want to be next to you, but next to me!"
"Robin is going to stand by her future lover!"
"Robin, which one of us are you choosing!? I confessed a week ago!"
"So did I, but ignore that for now; I'll protect you!"
They heard a loud clap, and the six whirled around to see a large man standing there. He was oversized and overweight, wearing a tight red shirt with a dirty apron tied around his waist. He appeared to be in his mid-forties and had receding brown hair.
"Sir Dennis!" They all said in unison.
"Form a perimeter, " he said gruffly, pulling out a large pistol and pulling back the hammer. The group of five guys spread out while Robin ran behind Dennis as if to cover his back, but she was just hiding. A fiery pillar of fire reigned down below them from the nearby tree. They saw it coming and were able to brace themselves for the impact. Dennis and Robin remained unhurt but were on high alert. Ninny charged from behind the bushes and swung at the nearest guy in red. Her fist collided with his stomach; he fell on one knee, clutching his stomach. Ninny also fell back, clutching her hand in pain. She looked down and saw the guy glaring at her with large cracks moving up his chin from his torso. She didn't have time to process, though, because she was suddenly hit with a bag full of what felt like peanuts. Another guy was bashing her with the bag while another loaded a slingshot. He pointed it right at her and fired; she put up her hands to shield her face. The peanuts glided through her finger and hit her in the nose. It didn't hurt, but it exploded in her face. It wasn't a large explosion but it took her off her feet. The guy with the bag of peanuts ran at her, making it as if to hit her with the bag of peanuts. Suddenly, a gas canister flew through the air and shot him in the face. He dropped the bag of peanuts as his nose had burst like a dam with blood. The canister fell to the floor and continued to roll toward the group. It exploded, and a thick and gooey substance launched out of it instead of gas. It hit the guy with the slingshot in the face, and his muffled scream could be heard from all across the island. The guy dropped his slingshot in a panic and clawed at his face, even punching himself a few times to try and remove it. Robin started screaming almost as loudly and fired into the vegetation wildly. Malice ignited her flames and burned away all of their covers instantly. She charged at Dennis, passing by the guys who were still up. That was a big mistake. The guy with a bloody nose grabbed the sack of peanuts and chucked it at her. It wasn't strong enough to knock her down, but strong enough to make her stumble. Robin, seeing this, unloaded into Malice, hitting her with five bullets. Malice grunted and fell to her knees, shielding her head with her arms and shoulders. Malady ran out of two large vials with needles at the top ends. She stabbed the guy with a bloody nose in the chest as he was now defenseless. He screeched as he pushed her back. The metal canister protruded from his chest, the liquid inside coursing into his blood. He quickly yanked it out, but it was too late. Blood was now pouring out of his mouth and eyes; he couched and fell to the floor. Malady ran up to stab him with the other one when an exploding peanut went off just to the right of her face. The impact sent her crashing to the floor and almost broke off her mask. Robin came trotting up, scared and pointed the rifle right in Malady's face. She was about to fire when suddenly a hand grabbed the barrel. She looked up to see a short girl with pink hair and horns. She bent the barrel to a nearly 90-degree angle. Robin sputtered as she tried to comprehend what had just happened.
"You guys are weak; you are telling me these fucking clowns are giving you so much trouble," Doxie said as she also strolled out of hiding, knife in hand. Pearl looked at Robin; she let go of the barrel and put the hand on her hip. She held up her other hand, wiggling her fingers; her hand then transformed into a giant brown claw with bone claws. Robin shrieked and tripped over her own feet as she stumbled back. One of the guys who had not gotten hurt ran at Pearl with two small bags of peanuts in each hand. As he ran, Pearl spewed a powerful stream of fire onto him. He was going too fast to change his trajectory so suddenly, so he dropped his bags to cover his face. His body was engulfed in flames, and he fell to the floor and started flailing and kicking, hoping the sand would put him out. A wave of water fell on him, putting him out as he moaned in pain and tried to stay still.
"Pearl." Cyril whispered in her ear, "We're not supposed to kill them."
Pearl's eyes went wide with realization, and her face went red. She let out a nervous chuckle and slowly turned to look behind her. Hemlock was walking behind her; she had her face buried in her hand and was shaking her head. Pearl turned her hand back to normal and started to scratch the back of her head.
"I mean, he'll live." She said guilty. Hemlock raised an eyebrow and turned to Cyril.
"Cyril, sweetie, please make sure your girl doesn't kill these goons; we're only here to retrieve our property."
"MAD G!" came a voice. Pearl turned to look; it was Dennis. He had his hands up, though his pistol was still in his right hand.
"You've heard of me?" Pearl asked, beaming with pride, though she tried to hide it.
"We do not quarrel with members of the famed Devil's Luck pirate crew; you say you wish to reclaim property?"
"We paid the sisters to protect a ship made of metal," Hemlock responded carefully.
"Boss, we can't!" One five guy said.
"She just torched our brother!" The only other one who was in any condition to speak said.
"Shut up, naives!" He hissed at the two of them.
"Famed Devil's Luck crew, eh?" Came William's voice, who was suddenly standing between Pearl and Hemlock. He was very prideful and made no effort to conceal it.
"I beg you use your wise judgment to see that you and I are not enemies, Captain. We simply want the island; we found your ship of metal, but on the sacred word of Chef Rordon Gamsey, we have not touched it."
"Well, perhaps an arrangement can be made," William said happily.
"Just allow us to dispose of these insolent children." He said, lowering his hands and moving toward Malice, who was still breathing heavily and trying to fight through the pain of five bullet wounds. Pearl looked up to William, who wasn't expecting that response. He looked at Hemlock as if to ask if it mattered. Pearl whirled to look at Hemlock; she looked uneasy. Pearl shook her head subtly at Hemlock. She sighed. She nodded at William. William whistled loudly, and suddenly, Dennis flew off his feet and crashed to the floor. He had a giant bullet wound in his shoulder. He looked at them, stunned. William shrugged at him sheepishly.
"I'm sorry, food man," Hemlock said, "part of our contract was that we would help defend the island if we came under threat."
"I'll double whatever-" He started before William finished the job Verona had started and sliced his arm off with his sword. Dennis screamed and held his bloody stump. One of the guys started yelling and cursing as he found Doxie on his back. Doxie had grown quite a bit, so staying on someone's back was more challenging. She stabbed him with her dagger in the chest rapidly. He clawed at her arm and tried to hit her legs wrapped around his stomach. It didn't take very long for the poison on Doxie's blades to do their part and send him to the floor.
"Doxie." Hemlock sighed.
"No, No, No, he's not dead!" Doxie protested, "It's just the paralyzing poison, and I avoided any major organs!"
Hemlock rolled her eyes; she put her fingers against the man's neck, confirmed he had a pulse, and relented. The guy with slime on his face had suffocated by this point, and the one with the bloody nose was in no condition to move. That just left one guy who stood paralyzed in fear. He opened his mouth to say anything, but suddenly, something grabbed his legs. He felt a cold and wet sensation over his ankles, and he looked down to see a tentacle-like mass of water wrapped around his legs. Suddenly, it jerked him in the air and slammed him against a tree trunk. His back made an impact first, bent too much to be natural. He dropped to the floor, yelling that he couldn't feel his legs. Cyril seemed shocked by this development.
"I didn't think he'd be that weak," he almost whispered as the newly paralyzed man cried for his mother. William and Doxie both looked at him with their mouths agape. Cyril tried not to look at them. Pearl took a running start and jumped onto Cyril, pulling him down so their faces lined up. She was beaming and smiling proudly. She kissed him on the cheek and excitingly jerked him around with her arm slung around his neck.
"That's my man." She chirped gleefully, giggling as Cyril blushed and sputtered that they were among other people. Robin quickly transformed into a bird and was about to fly away when Hemlock dashed and grabbed her mid-air. She held onto her bird body as she struggled to break free. Dennis was still in awe; he clutched his arm and tried to think of something to say. William saw and smiled at him before kicking him in the face, knocking him out cold. Healie, Lyssa, and Gravy emerged from the shrubs they had moved to, and Verona climbed down the tree where he had been hiding. William motioned to Healie to bring up the downed sisters. He walked over, made his usual quips about 14 hp, and mainly administered aid to Malice. As she stood up, she saw the scene before her and grunted. She walked over to the paralyzed guy and swiftly cut his head off. She gave final stabs to the badly burned guy, the one who had suffocated, the poisoned one, and the one with stab wounds in the chest.
"Hey, what the fuck?!" Doxie exclaimed, "After I was so careful not to kill that waste man!"
"It's their land, Doxie. They can do as they wish." Hemlock said; she held out her hand to give Malice Robin. Malice looked at it and motioned for Malady to grab it while not killing it. She walked to Dennis and stabbed him through the kneck. After she had disposed of the soldiers, she looked up at Hemlock.
"Why did you help us? Our contract didn't say you had to help us." Malice said.
"The correct thing to say would be thank you," William said, crossing his arms. Malice glared at him.
"Luckily for you," Hemlock said, ignoring William, "I like children, so hurry up and get strong so you won't have your sister's getting wiped out by the most pathetic gang of losers in the west blue."
The gang left it at that and went to find the ship. Hemlock already knew where it was, so there was no need for the sisters to go, but a few followed anyway. Joy went, annoyed that Pearl had saved Malady when she was getting ready to do so, but she let it go and chatted with Lyssa about random things. Demure also went; she claimed it was to look after Ninny, who was still slightly injured, but she was just curious about these strangers. The ship was hidden in a ring of trees that was just big enough to fit the vessel. It was hidden from the sea and had a clear overhead to leave quickly.
"Let's go!" William said happily, opening the hatch and rushing to find a seat. Doxie charged after him.
"Come on, wearing these clothes makes me feel ridiculous," she yelled as she looked for a seat. Everyone shuffled in, and as Hemlock was about to enter, Demure approached her. She looked shy and blushed heavily.
"Thank you for saving Ninny and Malice." She said with a deep bow. Hemlock smiled and ruffled her hair.
"If you ever get sick of fighting, you know where to reach me." She said. As Hemlock turned around to board the ship, Demure stared at it, confused.
"I've never seen a ship like this before. Where are you going?"
Without looking at her, Hemlock stopped and pointed a finger into the sky. Demure looked confused, but Hemlock got in and closed the hatch behind her.