.: How do I explain this? I got sick the week of Thanksgiving and had no brain power to write, so I took a break that ended up being way longer than I expected. I've been playing a ton of the remastered Tomb Raider games in the meantime, hoping to finish the current batch before the next batch drops on Valentine's Day. Unfortunately, I suck at the games and it's taking me too long, so I got frustrated and came back to my computer with a fresh mind. I decided that to make this conflict hit closer to home I had to incorporate some backstory on the main antagonists for readers to get invested more. It's a lot of summarizing that hits a few years in one go, but I can't say I'm proud of the way it turned out. But it's over, and I'm allowed to revisit to make it better if I want to. For now, I just want this war to end so I can get back to my main storyline one of these days. :.

The Girl with A Half-Soul

Chapter 59:

The Wolf Woman: Valor

For the first time since the battle began, it was quiet. Explosions ceased, avalanches settled, and people were too nervous to speak. They halted their exodus to watch. Although they had never seen Cherokee in her awakened form before, they knew it was her. It was amazing yet haunting. Seeing her from a distance was good enough, too. Nobody wanted to get close.

Except for Rodencia. She showed no fear as she left them all and asserted herself. The Haki coating her hand protected her from getting cursed instantly. Despite having no part of her fight with the Admiral, something inhumane was about to occur, and she did not want to see it go that far. Adrian was done for; he pitifully lay at their feet while clinging to life by a thread. The devastating laceration Cherokee had gouged down his torso was still bleeding. His breathing was irregular. A handprint was branded on his throat. And his face was completely disfigured and bludgeoned. He was already on the path to death, but Cherokee did not care.

"Stop, Cherokee," Rodencia told her, keeping her wrist steady. "It's over."

The moon goddess refused to acknowledge her presence. There was no pulling away from her or heeding her intervention. She just continued to glare down at the man who was spiting her wishes. He needed to die. That was all her mind could focus on.

When a minute passed with nothing happening, Lakota and Kiyaya thought something was off as they watched from afar. They were able to hear what was being said, but other than that, they did not know what the holdup was about.

Rodencia narrowed her eyes when she finally felt Cherokee try to press down. She wanted to go through with Adrian's execution. The rat mink pulled upward to prevent it because it did not have to end this way. The Marines were cruel. That did not mean they needed to stoop to their level just to drive a message home. "Didn't you-teia hear me? You've won. You have to stop now–"

She was cut off midsentence. Without warning, Cherokee suddenly ripped away from her to thrust the blade straight through her. Rodencia flew backward without a yelp or response at all. In fact, the pain did not register at first. She knew she was attacked, but that was all.

Why did she do it? Cherokee felt like she was getting in the way. How dare a mere mink try to stop her? She had no idea what her people had gone through to get to this moment. All the suffering, persecution, and death could never compare to the peace the Mink Tribe lived in atop Zunesha. They simply could not fathom it. The Lun'aecho people earned this ransom. To try to take it was selfish.

Rodencia landed with an ungraceful slide. The second half of the blade stuck out from her back, and it did not appear to have passed through an area devoid of vital organs. Out of everyone, it was little Roderic who reacted to it the fastest. His cry shook Lakota and Kiyaya to their cores. When he wriggled free from the Lun'aecho woman, nobody stopped him from running to his mother. Suddenly, Lakota was angry.

She just turned on her own ally! he internally blighted.

"Cherokee!" he scolded. "Don't do this! Don't become like them. You know better!"

Rodencia laid on her side as she struggled to draw in breaths. Her son was next to her trying to figure out how to help her. But all of it was ignored by Cherokee. She kept her focus down on Adrian, stomping on the side of his skull once to keep him still. The bones covering her foot hooked into his scalp. Lakota tried getting through to her again, but it was no use. Her humanity had been abandoned. There was no reasoning to be had.

Another orb of pressurized miasma twisted in the center of her antlers. She leaned over his body. He had nowhere to escape. He was done for. The direct shot of her laser beam blasted him into oblivion. A large orange fireball rose into the sky to rattle everything in its vicinity.

Upon the instant death, Sosuke gasped from his position. His Observation Haki failed to account for his friend's presence anymore. It shocked him so much that he stayed completely still while the fallen transponder snail continued to ring incessantly.

"Pa-da-pa-da-pa-da-pa-da-pa-da-pa-da-pa-da…"

While he zoned out, he did not realize that the battlefield behind him began to stir. The effects from the Conqueror's Haki wave were wearing off. Lun'aecho warriors and minks tried separating their own from the Marines as quickly as possible. Ones who did not move were dragged, but ones waking up were urged to run to the mountains. Maybe the battle was over. Maybe they could spare the rest from dying. Nobody knew because their leaders were all silent in their ears. All kinds of people needed medical attention. It was difficult to tell which of the unconscious were dead until full evaluations could be done. Until further instruction was given, they wanted to standby.

The Admiral relinquished his moth characteristics as he walked away from the big, mangled body of Quintus that was left. He put up a good fight, but it was still futile against him. He did not have Sulong to fall back on anymore. It was simply a difference in power that bested him. Haki and electro were weaker than Haki and devil fruit powers, not to mention the years of fighting experience Sosuke had thanks to being a Marine. Being couped up in Zou did the minks little good in the long run.

Without looking back, he picked up the transponder snail and sprouted moth wings to fly over to where he last felt Adrian alive. Quintus softly drew in breaths as he watched. He held off the next biggest threat for the others' sake. Dying in the process was not his intention, but alas, that was what happened when someone challenged the Navy. The highest ranked Marines were forces to be reckoned with.

Regardless of his failure, he had hopes for Cherokee and Rodencia. They could work together to defeat the remaining Admiral. The fate of the Lun'aecho Tribe rested in good hands. Knowing that helped ease him as he drew his final breath. He came here to lend a hand in their war, and although he was not able to see it end with his own eyes, he was glad to have played a part in their crusade.

Departing from the battlefield were minks who noticed him. There was no mistaking his body mass. As they got closer, they recognized his flat tail and short brown fur. But when they got right up to him, they paused. He was all twisted up with broken limbs and oozing wounds. After a couple of anxiety-ridden breaths, one of them hurried to him. "Duke Quintus!"

The other looked away. He already saw nothing past the lifeless eyes. It was too late.

Now the issue of who was leading them hung in the balance. But the one who had been endowed the responsibility unofficially had no idea of what had occurred. She was down with a paralyzing sharp throbbing in her gut. Every beat of her heart caused it to hurt worse. She was cold. As she looked past Roderic, all she could see was her assailant holding the decapitated head of the Admiral high into the air. The victorious screech was full of satisfaction. For the first time ever, Cherokee felt as if she had partially avenged her people. But she was far from done. So much more was to come by her hand. It was a glorious sensation.

"M-Mommy," the little rat mink whimpered.

She turned her gaze to her son, who was trembling. The instinct to comfort him overcame her injuries as she rested a hand on his side. Then, suddenly, they were joined by Kiyaya, who quickly settled Lakota so he could tend to her. She glanced over her shoulder to make sure they were not the next targets in Cherokee's rampage.

Lakota was apprehensive with what to do first to help Rodencia. Every time he reached for the sword, he stopped himself. Pulling it out would accelerate her death, but leaving it was not the solution either. All he knew was that the bleeding had to be stopped, not to mention fixing what was internally damaged. Was an artery pierced? A vital organ? First impressions told him that her liver was perforated. And if that turned out to be true, then he was grossly underqualified to deal with this. She needed one of the mink doctors as soon as possible.

"I-I can't–" he stammered.

But then his Observation Haki field felt a new presence enter it. His attention jerked toward the air where they had come from. A single flap of the wings told him exactly who it was. Immediately, his anxiety spiked. They were about to get targeted by the other half of trouble.

Cherokee took notice of his approach, too. Unlike the rest of them, she welcomed confrontation, and she demonstrated it by holding Adrian's head up in his direction. It was like a warning but also a dare to try beating her now. She felt truly unstoppable.

But instead of taking the bait, Sosuke paused midflight. Seeing it with his own eyes gave him no choice but to accept the reality of the situation. One of the most powerful people he had ever met was really gone. Regardless of how it happened, he was sure it was not an easy fight. Adrian had to have fought with everything he could muster. Now it was up to him to finish this. But first, there was one thing he had to do.

He reached into his coat for the transponder snail that was still ringing. When he finally answered it, the Fleet Admiral breathed a sigh of relief. "Don't scare me like that," he greeted, remembering the incredibly bizarre explosion that sent deafening sonic booms all the way to the coast.

"Adrian's dead," Sosuke informed him plainly.

Around the Fleet Admiral, the Marines froze. It was impossible to think. Most of them did not personally know him, but Admiral Adrian was elegantly fearsome with his presence that obedience to his orders were dually followed.

Before the Fleet Admiral could get another word in, Sosuke hung up. He did not care what their next move was. It would be wrapped up within the hour anyway. Stuffing the transponder snail back into his jacket, he did not feel very motivated to get a move on. The quiet of his altitude gave him time to grieve a little bit.

Meanwhile, the Fleet Admiral was still in shock as grief also met him. He set down the transponder snail and scratched the bridge of his nose. "Prepare for battle," he solemnly ordered his men.

The ones closest to him sprang into action with everyone else following their lead. The hurried shuffling behind him allowed him to not have to turn. Who knew personally mentoring a young man would give him such visceral sorrow when he died in battle. It was almost like he lost a son, one of two he took under his wing as an arrogant teenager and matured into a true work of art.

He vividly remembered stepping in front of their new unit of wide-eyed recruits purely because Adrian's head of hair standing out among the rest. No amount of mockery could get him to cut it. Luckily, his devil fruit power contradicted his pretty-boy appearance. He quickly learned that his potential was astral and his motivation to be the best in the Navy fueled it.

If he was this upset about the loss, he could only imagine how Sosuke was handling it. His tone through the snail tried to mask his true feelings. They were rivals, friends, and bunk mates for the longest time. To constantly try to reach the echelon Adrian established made him feel like he was always the lesser pupil, but they were always equal because of that competitiveness. Suddenly, Sosuke found himself alone at the top of the mountain they were climbing. And it had to be truly lonely.

It was warm and sunny that day – truly a perfect one for the recruitment ceremony that took place at a base in the South Blue. Sosuke was a scrawny teenager with a thick pair of glasses reflecting the sunlight off the lenses from underneath the brim of his new MARINE hat. He stood a few rows back from the front in formation, watching as the then Vice Admiral crossed in front of them all. A little bit of sweat dripped from his brow. He questioned whether joining the Navy was the right move or not, but it guaranteed a career, so what did he have to lose?

Instead of greeting them all formally, the Vice Admiral paused as if something had distracted him. That was when he veered off track to inspect a recruit in the very front. It was hard to see from his perspective, but a strand of blonde hair was lifted from a sleeveless shoulder and an unknown comment was passed to him. The recruit in question stood rigid, not afraid of the ranked official in the slightest compared to the rest.

That was the first time Adrian was acknowledged by his future mentor, and although he was not met with praise, he was not flustered. Bootcamp was meant to break everyone down to build up strong soldiers. His luscious locks being well maintained may have pointed toward him being high maintenance, but he was willing to prove them wrong.

Sosuke suffered but endured through rigorous training. He was simply average when it came to physical tests such as running or strength. Looking back, it was all kind of a blur since his mind was in survival mode. He would wake up, try to make it to noon, remember to breathe, try to make it to the evening, and then crash or be subjected to even more training late into the night. His body acclimated to the exhausting routine as the weeks passed. Muscle tone presented the fruits of his labor without thinking about it.

He grew into a different person in a short amount of time, but one thing that bootcamp deprived him of was the opposite sex. Not much thought was behind it at first. He did not realize how much he used to pay attention to femininity until he walked into the base's courtyard one afternoon and saw the most gorgeous head of blonde hair reflecting sunshine. His feet suddenly changed course. Those flowing layers. That pristine polish. Were they merging male and female units for the final leg of bootcamp? Was this someone of a higher rank visiting? He wanted to find out what kind of blessing this was.

The grunt peered over her shoulder to behold a beautiful face. But when the head tipped back, he was instead met by a dude's face – one that was defined by hints of femininity. Those long eyelashes and unblemished pallid skin could not fool him. Instantly, his interest shattered and embarrassment set in. This was one of his recruit comrades.

He was the same one who got belittled by the Vice Admiral that very first day. Suddenly, he recognized the hair but realized he had never actually put a face with it. A name was missing, too. But that was because this recruit was in another league compared to Sosuke. Any training they did, this one scored in the highest of the highest percentile He was so far ahead when it came to speed, strength, and cognitive abilities that Sosuke had not seen him in weeks. No wonder he had forgotten that he existed.

But then he remembered why he was passing the courtyard in the first place. They had to report to a training session. He was on time, but yet this guy was not in any hurry. Was it arrogance? He was so good at anything and everything thrown at him that he feared no consequences? Sosuke looked into those golden eyes of his, seeing nothing but indifference. "Can I help you?" he asked with literal velvet in his voice.

"U-Uh," he stuttered. "T-Training."

"What about it?"

"You'll be late."

"Hm." He looked away with an amused smirk. "Perhaps."

The lack of urgency offended him. Yeah, this guy thought he was above consequences for lack of punctuality. Whatever. Sosuke said nothing else and continued his route.

Then he arrived, merging with the rest of his unit, and he immediately noticed that same head of blonde hair among the crowd. Baffled, Sosuke paused and watched as he slightly turned toward him to reveal those golden eyes. There was no such thing as being late when it was Adrian. Judging by this entire interaction, he guessed that Sosuke had no idea about his devil fruit powers. That would soon change.

Training that evening ended up as dueling with swords. The Navy did not force its soldiers to become master swordsmen, but most of them would fight with one at some point, so getting familiar with that kind of combat was vital. It was not Sosuke's favorite, but he wanted to be decent for convenience's sake.

Partners were switched every few minutes. The goal was not to hurt each other, but to still be competitive. Ones who enjoyed the exercise more definitely took it a little too seriously. By the time the last rotation happened, Sosuke was ready to be done. He was tired of his partners wanting to show off or be too aggressive for no reason. Imagine his sudden drop in motivation when he looked up to see Adrian approaching with a blade longer than his wingspan dragging the ground.

The sun had set. With the sky now a deep violet, the area they were in was lit up artificially. Adrian's figure appeared even more ghostly than during the day, like he was a creature of the night. He stopped in their marked square and just blankly stared. Was this planned? He had a bad feeling about this.

The signal to continue the final matchups came. Sosuke held up his blade that was provided to him, but he narrowed his eyes when Adrian held up the sword as if pulling it from a scabbard. The intricate details etched into the hilt were way too fancy for something the Navy would give a recruit. The thought of going up against a master swordsman irked him.

But then the dumbest thing happened. Adrian let go of it, and it floated! He blinked at the worst time because then it came flying at him. He lifted his own sword just in time to avoid having his head sliced off. The collision of the iron made some sparks fly. Then he pushed it away and watched it reconvene its stance over his shoulder. Adrian never stepped closer. Instead, he moved his fingers to manipulate it. Watching Sosuke struggle against an inanimate object amused him just as much as watching the previous partners.

This was how Sosuke found out about his devil fruit powers…all while Adrian smugly stood there not breaking a single sweat. For some reason, it was completely fine to cheat the system since no ranked official came to stop him. It had been this way the entire duration of bootcamp. Devil fruit powers were smiled upon, and Adrian was already so good at using his that he excelled in any obstacle in his way.

The signal to end the duel sounded, and Adrian's sword clashed violently against Sosuke's one final time. Sosuke could feel a severely uncomfortable shockwave rattle his bones. Then the sword flew back into Adrian's ready hand, and Sosuke crumpled to the ground. His breathing was labored, and his muscles were tired from that short five minutes.

Adrian walked past him. "You should work on that," he commented.

Sosuke's fists grabbed the dirt in anger and exasperation. It was not his fault that he lacked a devil fruit power that could do all the work for him. The nerve of that guy.

And it was certainly not the last time they were around each other. Somehow, when they graduated from bootcamp and were sent to their first assigned base anywhere around the entire world, Sosuke ended up being sent to the same one as Adrian. They went to the Grand Line with a handful of other Seaman Apprentices from around the world to potentially spend the next four years. They would go on assignments and consider the base their home until they were allowed to go back to their families for a short leave.

The base they were shipped to had a Vice Admiral in charge. It turned out to be the same one who oversaw their recruitment ceremony. He was someone who looked the part, but his most defining features were his red hair, and the tricorn hat he liked to wear. His name was Vice Admiral Token. He picked his unit members based on recommendations and the demand. Under his supervision, they would not only work, but they would go through proper combat training and navigate through a specialty that would give them a position somewhere within the complicated web of operations.

Sosuke did not really have a plan, nor did he know what avenues were available. He was not hugely concerned about it. Instead, he was a little distracted. It seemed like wherever he went, Adrian was there, too. And it felt intentional. Just like in bootcamp, he was better than the rest of them. Vice Admiral Token took notice of him again, but with praise this time. Despite being the same rank as him, Sosuke felt as if he had more respect from their upper officers. He started to feel jealousy daily.

Unfortunately, his personal narrative was that Adrian did not have to put in as much effort as the rest of them because of his powers. During a sleepless night, he was proven wrong. He slipped his glasses on and went for a walk around the base. That was when he stumbled across Adrian by himself. He was in uniform and practicing in one of their training courses when nobody was looking. Under the moonlight, he moved swiftly and gracefully with his long sword in hand.

So, he really could use a sword the old-fashioned way. He just liked showing off after all.

He eventually paused and straightened his posture. "If you're not here to work on your swordsmanship, then I suggest you go back to bed," he told Sosuke without facing him.

Sosuke got nervous at first because he thought he had come here silently, but then he rolled his eyes and came out from his hiding place. "I thought you liked to show off," he pestered.

"If you think not hindering myself to everyone else's mediocre standards is 'showing off,' then that's your fault."

Reminded of his jealousy, Sosuke scoffed. "Oh right. Because not having a rare devil fruit equals mediocrity."

"Devil fruits give people an advantage, yes, but devil fruit powers by themselves do not make great Marines."

"Easy for you to say."

"Then I suggest you get your own power if you're that insecure."

He grinded his teeth with annoyance. There was no comeback off the top of his head he could respond with. All he knew was that being a lucky bastard was a one in a million chance.

Despite that, he liked the idea of making Adrian eat his own words. They had an assignment coming up in a couple days that would deploy them for a few weeks. He could search for a devil fruit starting then. So, he left Adrian to his devices that time.

While out in the field for that assignment, Sosuke was not lucky to find himself a devil fruit, but he did noticeably put more effort into his training and schooling in the meantime. Late nights spent practicing something more that he struggled with earlier. Studying a subject more than he used to. Adrian caught him in the act a few times but did not bother him. In fact, he was a little amused by the outcome of their little disagreement. It was not often people took his advice to heart, but he was glad one seemed to have.

The next assignment that came ended with the same results. He continued to wait a little impatiently, swearing that the power he ended up with better be worth the hassle of losing his ability to swim. And he was so ready to put that bastard Adrian in his place. Just get a devil fruit power and show him just how much slacking he could get away with while staying above the others.

A whole gestational period passed before he finally found one. Almost in disbelief, he stuffed it out of sight and waited until they returned to the ship for the trip back to base. On a crowded deck, he made his move. Adrian was minding his own business when Sosuke confronted him with the devil fruit in his grasp. It was a dull yellow color that was kind of bean-shaped, but the swirls making up its bumpy texture made it obvious what it was.

At first, Adrian did not react to the reveal, but then he gently laughed. "Well, well," he said when facing him. "So you really can see into the future."

Confused, Sosuke blinked. But it only made Adrian laugh again. From his perspective, Sosuke's eyes were very magnified through his thick lenses. Seeing the future through those things was a joke he had told himself before.

Marines around them heard the comment and thought it was funny. Upon the added laughs, Sosuke's whole face burned. Why was he always beneath Adrian regardless of the circumstances? It ended now. He took the biggest bite possible out of the devil fruit. The bad taste made him want to spit it out, but he choked it down and even took another bite.

The witnesses around them both stopped and watched when they realized what was happening. Maybe it was a once in a lifetime event. But Adrian just waited for the big reveal.

Sosuke dropped what was left and tried to see if he felt different. He examined his hands and arms, wondering if his nerves were going to tingle or if he would be forced to exhibit his new abilities. Nothing happened.

Right when Adrian was about to give him a hint, Sosuke furrowed his brows, and it activated something. The peach fuzz on his face visibly thickened, and his eyes started to bug out of his sockets. It was unexpectedly repulsing to watch his human characteristics morph away. As Sosuke gasped from the uncomfortable sensation of his muscles contracting and flesh changing its texture, Adrian, along with the other Marines, looked on with disturbed expressions.

Sosuke's forehead sprouted antennae, eyes bulbed outward with nothing but pupils visible, and mouth turned into pincers. And just when it all came to a head, thinking it was over, his chitinous wings fluttered open from his back.

Horrified silence only lasted a couple seconds until someone stifled a laugh. Then, suddenly everyone was laughing. Sosuke had gotten ahold of a Bug Bug Fruit. Out of all the bugs he could have ended up with, he got the moth model. So…yeah.

Lame.

"What am I?" Sosuke asked while trying to check himself out.

"Hairy!" A Marine answered with a hand ruffling the intense fuzz around his head.

"An ugly son of a bitch," someone joked.

He tried twisting his torso to look at the wings. "No, seriously, what am I?"

"A creature of the night, like me," Adrian answered. "Except…not as impressive."

"Dude, you're a freaking moth," another Marine disclosed. "What kind of a power is that?"

"A moth?!" Sosuke rebuked with annoyance.

Everyone behind him got a clear view of the "eyes" on his wings that were the biggest indicator of what kind of flying insect he was. "Uh, yeah. Like straight out of a cocoon."

Sosuke felt around his face with appendages that did not appear fleshy anymore. His confidence in besting Adrian was zapped pretty quickly. Literally what did moths even do that was deadly or useful? His knowledge of them was next to nothing. All he could think about was how they flocked to artificial light sources during the night.

"You lost your ability to swim for that," a different Marine commented.

Another one started aggressively rubbing his palms together. "You'll show pirates who's boss no problem."

"Uh, that's a fly. Not a moth," someone corrected him.

"Oh, right. Wow, you really are useless."

Entertained by the irony of this entire endeavor, Adrian finally stepped closer. "I suppose this means I was right about devil fruits alone not making great Marines."

Sosuke could feel his blood boil. If this had any chance of going terribly wrong, he nailed it. Now Adrian smirked like a smug victor in their little quarrel. And all he could focus on was how he had endured nothing but condescension the whole time he had known him. If he wanted to earn some respect, he had to find another way to get it. Comparing devil fruits was a bust. And to be honest, he still did not fully understand what Adrian's powers were. But there was one way to find out.

His knuckles went straight for that perfect nose, and it actually caught him by surprise. An audible crack! sounded, and Adrian flinched before stumbling back. The lighthearted atmosphere abruptly came to a halt.

Adrian removed his hand from his face to find blood present. When he looked up, there was a follow-up punch coming his way. Instead of engaging, he just stepped aside to dodge.

But Sosuke did not fumble his reckless attempt. His months of training proved to not be wasted when he reverted for a direct kick to the back. Adrian was propelled forward onto his knees as the crowd reacted with shock.

Now Adrian was aggravated. Never mind the public humiliation. Sosuke was letting an insignificant feud go to his head. It was not worth getting physical over. At the same time, if he wanted to fuck around, then he would find out.

Sosuke paused when a pair of ominous bat wings erupted from his back. Golden irises glared at him from over his shoulder as he swiped his nose clean. This confirmed that the floating sword was not due to a Paramecia type, but rather a Zoan type. The Bat Bat Fruit – Model: Vampire. "Very well," Adrian accepted.

Before a brawl could ensue, Sosuke was caught with a hand around his throat and felt his body leave the deck. He got tossed away like a puppy from a bridge. His sight was filled with the swaying dark waves of the Grand Line, and the knowledge that he could no longer swim was one he did not want to assess. The instinct to flap his new wings caused his unfamiliar form to obey. It paid to at least have an ability to fly.

"I'll give you a chance to rethink," Adrian tried, effortlessly hovering.

Sosuke gave himself a chance to figure out how to smoothly glide through the air without accidentally taking a dive to his demise. Once he coordinated himself in the right direction, he saw a line of onlookers swarming the railing to watch. The gravity of the situation had yet to weigh on him. So, in response to Adrian, he simply soared at full speed at him.

The collision was fully felt even when Adrian braced for it. They ended up overtop the deck again, exchanging punches that were blocked or landed without much reaction. The soldiers beneath them did not know whether to stop them or let them get it out of their system. Unfortunately, the bridge got a full view of the fight. What was first thought of as an attack from outsiders was quickly debunked by the white uniforms.

That was when Adrian launched Sosuke right where the large windows were. Seats were emptied when the glass shattered, and Sosuke tumbled across the floor. Shocked that a scuffle was getting out of hand and spilling inside the ship, the higherups tried to take control by getting in the middle of them. But Adrian had entered the new opening to once again look down at his comrade. The sunlight beaming behind him made his dimmed face grimace deeper. It pissed him off even more than he already was.

In spite of the commands to stand down, Sosuke regained his footing and propelled himself with a powerful beat of his wings. Adrian did the same. They both yelled out with their dominant fists ready to continue the beatdown. The first combined hits literally shoved them apart from the sheer strength they exhibited, but they went straight back again and again. Their feet never touched the floor. All around them, the higherups were getting more and more ireful from the barbaric idiocy.

The only way to stop them was to get involved. Vice Admiral Token intercepted their newest exchange of punches by grabbing them by the wrists and leaping out the shattered window. Neither of them fought back. They actually looked like ragdolls that got splattered against the deck. The rest of the Marines backed away nervously as they groaned without hinting at getting back up.

Vice Admiral Token stood with the backs of their shirts making them dangle off the floor. He looked at them all sternly while stating: "Get back to work." The instant response of actions without words helped his temper not boil over. From there, he marched down below deck to an empty cabin and tossed the battered rivals inside.

Devil fruit powers had retracted by this point. What was left was swelling, incoming bruises, and bloodied noses. They looked up to see just how deep in shit they were.

"I'm going to take care of some business if you two can manage not to kill each other while I'm gone," Token chastised.

"Oh, please. We're not children," Adrian replied cynically.

A lack of amusement shown across his face since he was quite literally reprimanding fifteen-year-olds. But he would deal with them later. For now, he just shut the door and locked it.

Without skipping a beat, Sosuke hit him with a good old fashioned "You're a cockwart."

"Yes, fuck you."

And from then on, they were forced to be bunkmates. Token returned sometime later to go over their penalty. Certain privileges were being temporarily revoked, and their records were having the incident mentioned. If they hated being around each other now, that was too bad; it was about to be long-term. Even when they arrived back at the base, their punishment would continue to be carried out. For a few weeks, they would be treated as chore boys, which was the lowest of the Navy's ranks.

Great. The first order of business was to figure out who got which bunk. Neither of them cared. Adrian got top. Sosuke got bottom. Fine. Well, Sosuke regretted it at night when he was trying to sleep because Adrian decided to hang his head over the side. His hair fell almost to his bedding, and his golden eyes would glow. Soon he learned to bear his fangs to push the vampire persona further. It freaked Sosuke out more than once. God forbid he open his eyes a little when he was not facing the wall. One of these days, he would be petty enough to knock him off the bunk to teach him a lesson.

But that was the exact opposite of what was supposed to be the outcome of this punishment. Vice Admiral Token put them together so they would learn to tolerate each other at least. They had to wake up together, start their cleaning duties together, and then train together. The only thing close to alone time was showering before hitting the hay at the same time. But without even trying, they learned each other's routines. The one that Sosuke thought was Adrian's weirdest was how he wrapped his hair in a towel after a shower just like a woman would. Little did he know that Adrian caught him sniffing a pair of underwear to see if it was good for an extra day. So, really, it was merely a difference in personalities and habits.

The one supervising them was Token himself. He stayed domineering like a father disciplining his feuding sons. When they cleaned, he watched and critiqued their work. If they did not meet his standards, he made them start over. While they trained, he turned it into drills and pushed them past what they were used to. There was no room for cockiness or depreciation; however, there was time for competition. Every little thing became trying to outdo the other regardless of how minute it was. Who could mop most thoroughly the fasted? Who could glide the farthest without flapping their wings? Who could lift the heaviest weight? Little did they know that Token was taking notes the whole time.

The little bit of bickering at the beginning transformed into adequate teamwork throughout the day. Chores steadily got finished faster and faster and more and more detail oriented. Because of that, they had more energy for training. Token had them engage in sword fights, hand-to-hand combat, and shooting practice. Under his teachings, they were made into better, more disciplined Marines. It did not feel like a punishment after a while.

But when they regained privileges and were allowed to join up with the rest of the lackeys, it was clear that Token was intentional with his methods. Adrian suddenly was not leagues ahead because Sosuke was right next to him. The years he spent preparing for life in the Navy only took Sosuke a few months to match. Their rivalry was destined to continue.

As annoying as they pinned each other, their time spent together caused a brotherhood to bloom. It was hard to admit until they were deployed to an unruly country in the midst of a civil war.

With mines exploding and dirt going airborne, they were mixed in their battalion crawling and praying to make it to their objective in one piece. Sosuke remembered not wanting to open his eyes for most of it since his eyes would start stinging. He thought he would go deaf. The only thing keeping him calm was focusing on his diaphragm contracting with respirations.

What he did notice was how through the chaos, he still managed to know who exactly surrounded him. His eyes were not open, yet he was positive. Everyone had an aura specific to them. The one he grew most familiar with was Adrian's. In a sea full of raging currents, he was the calming tide.

He did not know it, but that was him actively using Observation Haki. The skill was unlocked thanks to Vice Admiral Token's training.

Upon arriving at the objective, Sosuke gripped his rifle and hurried to his feet. Their battalion was dispersing to engage in active combat that was meant to siege a fort. For a second, he completely forgot that he had the ability to cover ground faster. What reminded him was the flying sword that passed him at high speeds. It caught enemies in a whirlwind of violent but quick deaths. Adrian followed the path he made for himself and others by sprouting bat wings to fly. Sosuke felt his feet nearly trip over the uneven terrain. His lame but handy moth wings erupted from his back so he could do something similar.

The advantage of being higher was he had a view of everything. He could shoot targets precisely and even dodge incoming attacks. The disadvantage was that he became everyone's target. Adrian lessened the risks by acting faster and thinking ahead, so Sosuke mimicked the tactics.

Unlike normal moths that fluttered and bounced to get around, Sosuke learned to be direct like a falcon in his flying. One powerful beat of his wings could shoot him like a bullet, so he either kept them tucked or angled them to cut through any air resistance. Adrian noticed how he made himself a weapon because victims of his bodily melee did not get back up once he hit.

A run of the mill Marine would have sustained injuries from such harsh landings. But Sosuke learned to use Armament Haki to protect himself and increase the damage against whatever he hit. Again, this was thanks to Vice Admiral Token.

These were things Adrian had a grasp of, but the training sharpened the skills greatly. Now he was coating his blade in Haki and sensing a wider range than before. Maybe Sosuke was not exactly where he was, but he was so close behind that he could practically feel the breath on the back of his neck. He could not help but admire how much his hard work paid off.

In the middle of observing Sosuke, Adrian suddenly suffered a gunshot wound to the chest. Sosuke immediately felt the disturbance in Adrian's aura. When he looked, he just saw him crash land into the field. Their rivalry was at the back of his mind at that moment. He jumped into action by flying straight to him.

He was clutching his chest and trying to crawl to safety when he got to him. Getting to a medic was vital. He knew that. But he still took the time to turn him over to assess what the damage was. Adrian coughed blood and wheezed from a punctured lung. Every beat of his heart made the blood drool faster. Now Sosuke was actually terrified. "Don't do this to me, you sulky vampire bastard," he scolded while pressing his palm to the wound.

Adrian coughed again but with a laugh. "You care after all," he wheezed jokingly.

"Shut up."

"You're the first person to come rescue me."

"No, seriously, shut up. Talking will make the bleeding worse."

"That's the point." He lifted his fingers to manipulate the warm blood. Not only did it halt, but he started gathering the platelets tightly to begin healing himself.

At that point, Sosuke just scoffed. "That's the last time I try to save your pitiful life."

"I need a few minutes. Either drag me somewhere safe or protect me."

He rolled his eyes but backed up. "What's the magic word?"

"Hurry."

"No–"

He did not have time to finish the thought due to being showered by more bullets. Quickly spreading his wings, he shielded Adrian while using Haki to deflect what was trying to harm them.

"That works," Adrian commented.

"Hurry it up!"

Not that he was struggling, but he did not want to draw too much attention from cannons. Defending against bullets was easy compared to big explosions. Luckily, Adrian patched himself up enough, but he did feel a little woozy. "Do me another favor," he requested, rolling over with a stained uniform.

"Sorry, not interested."

"Just stay still." He moved too close for comfort, making Sosuke pull back. That feminine face and hair would never fool him. But there was something else he had in mind. Without asking for consent, he caressed the side of his face and exposed his neck to sink his fangs in.

The most unmanly yelp came out of Sosuke's mouth. Aside from the initial prick, he felt his lips suckle to extract what he needed to replenish what he used. He hated every second of it. His hands instinctively pushed him away until he finally let go. He saw a little dribble of blood getting wiped away from his mouth. He knew vampires sucked blood from victims, but having it done by a devil fruit user weirded him out.

"Did you just kiss me?!" he angrily interrogated.

"Oh. I thought you weren't into stuff like that."

"I-I-I'm not!"

Amused by the embarrassment, Adrian smiled and flipped him off. "You do taste good."

"Fuck you," Sosuke declared with a blush.

Instead of spurring more teasing, Adrian just summoned his sword back to himself and convinced Sosuke to storm the fort alongside him. He would still need medical treatment, but he was not dying anymore. That was the first time they implemented their newfound teamwork outside the base.

Their efforts helped end the civil war on that island. Vice Admiral Token awarded them both new rankings. In fact, they never had a pinning ceremony without each other standing side by side. They continued to bunk together and be mentored together, unlocking new horizons all the way to the rank of Admiral. Only five years had passed since they entered the Navy as recruits. And many times, over those years, Sosuke acted as a blood bank.

Adrian helped him discover what lengths his seemingly useless devil fruit could go. Zoan types were viewed as the weakest type of power one could acquire, but they found other ways to challenge that position. Climbing mountains together until they could reach the peak…but now that they made it, Sosuke looked beside him to see he was all alone. A deep ache settled inside him as he realized what that meant.

He stared down at Adrian's decapitated head. It was being offered as a challenge. Feel empty. Feel hopeless. Feel angry. Cherokee wanted to get a reaction and tempt him with a good time – because if even the incredible Admiral Adrian could not stop her, then who could?

Sosuke swooped down with as much speed and force he could summon. He purposely went over Cherokee to crash between her and the others. The ground trembled and a crater formed. When the dust cleared, he stood up, facing Kiyaya and Lakota. They appeared startled while Cherokee stood in confusion, turning toward them. "I must ask," he began, adjusting his glasses. "What the Hell am I about to face?"