Chapter 70
While Frank relaxed on a remote island.. Frank's crew was attacked by a mysterious woman, whom had been revealed to be an assassin sent by Psycho to assassinate him. Captain Frank G Jr, continued to choke as she stared into Frank's eyes.
The woman was easily defeated but attempted to attack Frank when his back was turned. Something snapped into Frank before he killed her, so Frank spared her life.
Feeling disrespected, the assassin attempted to attack Frank when his back was turned, but was intercepted by Rationingu, who zapped in front of her, choking her.
"Ungrateful bitch! The captain just spared your life!" A crew member yelled out.
Renji put his hand up without turning to face the crew member.
"Oh, don't worry mate... She'll die, but how will she die is the question?" Frank asked with a twisted smile.
Branch lowered his head and shook it, his smile on his face. Rationingu stared up at the woman he was choking. The woman thought to herself.
"This kid literally zipped from being on the boat to choking me on the ramp in lightning speed! Their doctor is a wood human and their captain is insane!" She thought to herself.
The woman looked at Renji, Yamashiro, Yugami, Misuta, and Seyia.
"Those 5 look like more trouble as well... the rest of the crew just have insane numbers, nothing more than common foot soldiers... but even if I was SOMEHOW able to get out of this grip, I'd have them and their captain on my tail..." The woman continued to think
Frank broke her thoughts.
"Maybe we have Branch give torture her, maybe Yugami could controll her body and give us all a puppet show! Fee hee ha ha ha!" Frank laughed; the crew laughed with him.
"No no what if we have Misuta freeze these murderous hands of hers! Or freeze her feet and sail away and see how many tries it would take Seyia to get a headshot! Unfortunately for you young lady Seiya doesn't miss often! Fee hee ha ah ah ah ha ha!" Frank laughed.
"I like that idea." Seyia said with a hard smirk whille pulling out an arrow.
"Or... I have Rationingu fill your body with so much electricity your eyes pop out and your body fries slowly." Frank said softly while walking towards the woman, "You pick!"
The woman groaned, her hands still on Rationingu's grip. She bled from her mouth and one eye was closed from the pain of being choked.
"I SAID PICK ONE!" Frank rushed.
The woman's eyes shot open and her teeth sharpened! She bit down on Rationingu's hand forcing him to release his grip. Rationingu grabbed his hand angrily and looked back up at the woman and held a neutral face. The rest of the crew stared and Frank smiled.
"Well, I'll be Davy Jones' uncle..." Frank said.
The woman had transformed into a black panther. She growled at the pirate crew for a while and then spoke.
"You're going to let me leave right now! This hurts my pride more than I can say... but I admit defeat! I just want to leave. I know I can't beat any of you." The woman said.
"Let you leave!? So you can go back to your HQ and report what's happened? To make another attempt on my life once you've recovered? You attempted to take my life, lied to me, and hurt my shipwrights' hand all in the same day!? Then you disrespect my doctor by attempting to attack me after he saved your life. Your punishment is death young lady there's no way around it!" Frank yelled.
The woman growled and breathed heavy, still trying to catch her breath. Frank continued smiling. The woman turned quick and ran for the boat. But as she ran, she noticed someone standing by the boat, it was Rationingu. He stood with his face hidden by shadow, holding his bitten hand. The woman stopped and stared with shock.
Rationingu's body slowly sparked as he breathed in and out. His good had charged up electricity and he blast a straight shot of lighting directly at the panther! She was able to dodge quickly and looked back to see the lightning heading straight for Frank's boat. Frank smiled.
"Rationingu watch where you're shootin' will ya!?" Frank yelled.
He slowly brought up his left arm up across his chest. When the beam was close enough Frank smacked it into the air! The lightning triggered rain clouds and rain began to fall on the island. The woman, still in panther form, looked to and from Frank to Rationingu quickly with a worried and stressed expression.
"What... in the hell are these people!?" The woman yelled out.
A voice whispered in her ear.
"Your worst nightmare." Misuta said calmly.
The panther jumped back and got ready to attack.
"I can't kill them all... but I'll take one of them with me!" She thought to herself.
The woman pounced but was stabbed multiple times by long blades of ice and she fell to the wet ground below. She coughed up blood and held her body.
"What... what... what was that..." She asked, coughing up more blood.
Misuta smiled.
"Oh, just turned some rain into ice and sent it into your body." Misuta said.
The woman was really shocked now.
"I see now... they must be... highly experienced devil fruit users... I never stood a chance..." The woman said softly. Her eyes started to close slowly. "It's not surprising... dying like this... my whole life I've killed people... I didn't think about their family, their friends... just doing what I was told to do... killing for anything... sometimes for nothing. Now... I have to die on a deserted island with no family... no friends to mourn me... I'm... I'm glad... take my useless life away... I'm ready..." The woman thought to herself.
WHAM!
Out of nowhere the woman was kicked hard in the face by Frank G. Blood spewed from her mouth. When she landed Frank picked her up by the back of her head and kneed her body repeatedly. The crew watched. Yamashiro watched with horror.
"This is what it means to be on the seas, chef." Renji said.
Yamashiro looked over at Renji.
"People like her want us dead. The government wants us dead. Civilians from all over want us dead. What the captain is doing isn't torture. It's a message." Renji explained.
Yamashiro gulped and looked down then back up at Frank brutally beating the woman. The woman was a broken mess. Her eyes and expression were blacked out by shadow. Frank, with the woman's blood on his body stood over her with a smile. Lightning lit up the sky behind him, it was storming once more. Rationingu and Misuta walked up to the captain.
"Get back on the ship. We've spent enough time here." Frank said seriously.
The two looked at each other and walked back towards the ship. Frank continued to stare at the seemingly unresponsive woman.
"And I thought you had potential. Hawk puth!" Frank spat on the woman and turned to walk off.
As Frank got to the boat, he sensed something moving. It was the woman. Frank slowly turned around and looked back at her as rain now exploded on the ground.
"ARE YOU STILL UP WOMAN!?" Frank yelled to her.
The woman just stood.
Frank was confused.
"Branch! See what's up with her!" Frank ordered.
"Aye aye captain..." Branch said softly, slowly lowering and merging with the boat.
Branch slowly came out of the ground as a wooden statue and then burst out of the wood covering his body. The woman was standing as still as if she was sleeping standing up. Branch's smile just barely flinched as he noticed the woman was unconscious!
"Captain! It is clear to approach her..." Branch yelled out.
Frank made a confused face and walked deeper into the heavy rain. The rain fell so hard now it was impossible to see what Frank and Branch discovered, but the rest of the crew still waited, becoming completely drenched, but not moving until their captain was safely on board with them.
"I see." Frank said.
"Even with everything that's happened to her... she still decided to at least try to fight you one on one... I don't know whether to call her brave or stupid..." Branch said.
Frank smiled.
"The line between bravery and stupidity is very very thin my friend! Fee hee ha ha." Frank laughed.
"So what now captain? Do you want me to kill her?"
"No." Frank said.
Branch was surprised at this answer.
"Take her back to the boat and treat her injuries. We found ourselves a new member." Frank said.
Branch nodded.
"I know I know... I sound crazy... trying to recruit someone who tried to kill me twice." Frank said.
"Captain, you know I would never argue your decisions. Clearly there is something you see in her that we do not." Branch explained.
The rain continued to power down on the island and the crew continued to stare into the rain. Eventually, Frank and Branch showed up through the fog.
"YEAHHHHHH!" The crew yelled.
Renji noticed Branch carrying the woman and squinted. Frank looked at his crew and smiled.
"My loyal crew! You would all stay and get soaked rather than take shelter just to make sure I'm alright?" Frank asked.
"Of course, captain Frank! That's what we're supposed to do! Any orders!?" A crew member asked.
"What are we waiting for!? let's get this ship back on the seas and get back to DEATH HQ!" Frank yelled.
The crew cheered and everyone took their positions. As Branch got on the boat Renji looked at him.
"Don't look at me like that, vice-captain... The captain wanted her on board." Branch said.
"For what? She tried to kill him twice." Renji asked.
"She was still standing even in unconsciousness... that's what we found her doing. She tried to run, but with no way out she still decided to fight... even if she couldn't move on her own." Branch explained.
Renji was actually surprised.
"That pipsqueak?... I only know of one person to have done that... Whitebeard died on his feet... and even though he was our enemy I always respected him for it." Renji said.
Rain continued to fall.
"Maybe that's what the captain keeps giving her these chances for. He must respect her." Branch suggested.
Renji looked down then back up at Branch and nodded.
"Rationingu if you would please join me in my office to help take care of your hand sir?" Branch asked.
Rationingu followed Branch into the office, The woman still on Branch's shoulder.
Frank's boat lifted anchor and kept on its way to DEATH HQ. Yamashiro cooked in the kitchen, Yugami laid out on the deck and sun bathed, Misuta sat on the railings of the boat.
"Oi Misuta! Aren't you a devil fruit user? Get away from that railing before you fall in the ocean! You won't be able to swim!" A coated pirate worried.
Misuta smiled.
"I can swim just fine. My abilities aren't from a devil fruit. Besides, I think there was an admiral or former admiral I should say, that had ice abilities from a devil fruit." Misuta said.
"You refer to Kuzan, Misuta." Branch said.
"Yeah! Him..." Misuta replied.
Branch noticed the change of tone.
"Have a run in with him I presume?"
"Yeah, we fought before. It's how I ended up in that prison." Misuta said.
"Oh dear. If you're not stronger than an admiral then you're just extra baggage..." Branch said.
"No no no I'm stronger than him! He just caught me off guard that's all." Misuta said.
"Is that the truth?" A voice asked.
Misuta turned to see Renji walking towards him.
"Y-y-y-y-yeah! If I fought him again right now, I guarantee I'd win, or I'd die fighting!" Misuta said.
Renji "hmphed" and kept walking, reaching Frank G's quarters.
"The tongue is a powerful weapon Misuta, against your enemies... and yourself." Renji said, knocking on the captains' door and walking in.
Misuta stared in Renji's direction.
"You got any idea what he was trying to say?" Misuta asked.
Branch smiled.
"I pray you are never in the situation to find out Misuta sir." Branch said eerily.
Hours later...
The woman woke up in pain. Bandages all over her body. She slowly sat up and looked around even slower. She was in an actually decent looking room. The walls and floor were of course wooden, but there was a dresser with a big mirror on one side of the room. A study area, most likely for filling out log books or keeping up to date in a diary of some sort. A beautiful polar bear skin rug and lights hung around the room. The woman looked outside through the window immediately next to her. It was night time.
"How... long was I out? Where am I?" She asked.
She slowly turned and got off the bed. She slipped into some slippers that were conveniently placed next to her bed.
"Did someone... leave these here for me?" She asked.
She opened the door to the hallway and lights were lit all the way down the hall.
"Lights on a pirate ship? But how?... I see... I'm a prisoner on their ship. These lights must be powered by that one guy's abilities..." She said in a soft voice, "But if I'm a prisoner, who fixed me up? And gave me these slippers?"
To answer her questions, she knew she had to keep investigating. She went from room to room slowly opening doors to see who occupied them. Misuta, Yamashiro, and Yugami all shared a room as they were the newcomers and had yet to prove themselves powerful and trustworthy. Branch slept in his own room, his back to the door, thank goodness. She even crept slowly into Renji's room. She watched him as he slept for a moment.
"That guy... he's even scarier than the captain to me..." She said softly as she closed the door.
When the door shut all the way Renji opened up an eye. As the woman stood back up she heard a feint sound of metal colliding with metal.
"What the..." She said.
The woman walked out onto the deck of the boat, still hearing the sound. She looked around at the beautiful night sky. Stars filled the sky with the galaxy they currently resided in being visible as well, a phenomenon known to happen in completely clear nights in certain parts of the world.
The woman smiled as the cool breeze from the sea and the smell of ocean water filled her nostrils. She quickly noticed Rationingu working on the mast of the ship, hammering a metal plating around the base.
"So that's what that clanking was I was hearing..." She said to herself.
Rationingu looked up and at the woman then at his hand. The woman noticed.
"Hey... I'm... sorry about your hand. I just had to escape." The woman said.
Rationingu scoffed and kept hammering. The woman felt bad until a voice spoke up.
"He doesn't talk." The voice said.
The woman turned and would have freaked out if she wasn't already weak. Frank G stood right in front of her.
"Speaking of talking... sorry? You don't sound like the tough assassin you sounded like on that island!" Frank joked.
The woman gritted her teeth and looked to the side.
"The same people I was sent to kill beat me twice and healed me both times... I'm humbled." She said.
"Fee hee ha ha. I was humbled too once... in my younger years by a cocky fool and his damned brother. I understand how you feel young woman." Frank said.
"Why though..." The woman asked.
Frank looked at her.
"Why save me? Why save someone who tried to kill you twice? I'm just another assassin no different than anyone else I work or... worked with." The woman said softly.
Frank walked over to the side of the ship and put his hands on the railing and watched the sea.
"Are you not going to answer my question?" The woman asked.
"Your fight." Frank said abruptly.
The woman was taken back by the compliment.
"My...fight?" She asked.
"I walked away after attacking you thinking I had surely beaten you to death... but then... you got up." Frank said.
Even the woman herself was shocked!
"I got up?... I don't remember." She said.
"You were unconscious the entire time... I don't even know how that's possible... but Newgate died on his feet so I guess anything is possible! Fee hee ha ha ha!" Frank laughed.
The lady continued to stare at Frank.
"And..." Frank started.
The woman's eyes got wider, almost as if she knew he was going to say something thought provoking.
"In more ways than one..." Frank continued, "You remind me of someone I loved..."
The woman's eyes widened to their max and small tears formed. She wiped them away and continued staring at the captain.
"Cap...Frank... I think..." The woman was interrupted by an announcement.
"DEATH HQ AHOY!" A man in the crow's nest yelled out.
Frank looked up and slowly but surely DEATH HQ showed up. Frank looked at the woman.
"I just realized I never got your name?" Frank asked.
"My... my name?" The woman asked.
"Of course! If you're going to be a member of my crew I'll need your name." Frank said.
The woman looked down and thought about what Frank had just said, then smiled and looked back up.
"My name is Murabi Ari." Murabi said with a soft smile.
Frank smiled as well.
"Well then Murabi it's an honor to have you aboard my ship!" Frank said.
"Captain..." Murabi said softly, "Could you check out this bandage.
Frank made a weird look.
"Check out your bandage? I'm no doctor what do you need done to it." Frank asked.
"Just fix it for me. Please?" Murabi said.
Frank hesitantly leaned down to fix the bandage, Rationingu watched in case Murabi was up to something.
As soon as Frank got close enough, she pounced! Rationingu loaded up a lightning strike, but deactivated it and smirked. Murabi was hugging Frank. Frank stared off into the distance with his arms up to hug back but fought it subconciously. Murabi let a few tears fall.
"Thank you for saving me. Captain Frank." Murabi said softly, kissing the captain on his cheek and walking back to her room.
Frank just stared. Completely taken by surprise at the whole situation.
DEATH HQ
On a sandy beach a ways from the port of DEATH HQ a certain green-haired swordsman was making his way to DEATH HQ to look for his friend Robin.
"Robin please don't be dead!" Zoro said as he ran down the beach.
Frank G's boat was parked at the port of DEATH HQ and coated pirates were removing cargo from the ship. Zoro stopped a few hundred feet away from the port. It was night time so DEATH's main workers were most likely sleeping which means once Frank's crew were done unloading, he could slip in undetected.
"That is one huge ship... It looks familiar too for some reason, but that's not what I need to be worried about. I need to get in there and find Robin!" Zoro said out loud.
"Robin?" A voice asked, "Nico Robin?"
Zoro annoyingly turned around.
"Yeah. Who's asking?" Zoro said.
The moon was uncovered by clouds and Zoro's eyes slightly widened as he realized what he was looking at.
Frank G sat on a rock with one hand on his knee and his usual smile. Renji stood with his arms crossed, Branch still wore his permanent smile with his arms behind his back, Yugami was on one knee, Misuta stood with a carefree pose, arms behind his head, Yamashiro had a serious face but his eyes showed worry and intrigue as he looked at Zoro, Murabi stood by Frank's side with a hand on her hip and Rationingu zapped down into the beach in a pillar of lightning, he slowly rose his head to face his opposition with an agitated face and two lightning filled hands.
As Zoro sized them all up Frank spoke.
"If you're looking for Nico Robin you aint gonna find her down here." Frank said with an evil smile.