Chapter 1
The Man in the Crater
Maxwell groaned as he gently fell into the crater beneath him.
It was full of water and silt, plus some rather jagged rocks poking into his back. Yet, for all of his discomfort, Maxwell hastily tried to cup a hand and drink the water. They were nothing more than paltry drops though, so Maxwell flipped over and dunked his face straight into the pond.
He had been flying through the air for 3 days straight! His throat was dry, his lips were cracked, and his stomach was empty. He'll take what he could get!
It had been a shock to wake up several kilometres above the ocean. The sudden change in pressure from Kuma's paw had knocked him out cold. He had lost quite a bit of blood with his forearm gone.
Mordred, Minieve, had Salem tried to heal his body while he slept. However, progress was a slow and not at all optimal. The shock of losing a limb had radically shaken Maxwell's aura, making the usual spell matrix obsolete. He needed to be awake in order to fully heal his own injuries.
The blood magic he used to seal his forearm hadn't degraded at all. Most of his wounds were just scrapes and abrasions, but Maxwell didn't dare try to heal his arm. His missing arm was still sealed, but Max could still feel the jagged flesh beneath the crystallized cap. It still felt like pins and needles, and a vice grip trying to pierce his former wrist.
…But the worse sensation he felt was the sudden despair. Realizing he was alone again. Flying through the air towards some unknown destination. The only difference this time was that Maxwell can remember this flight…
Luffy… was gone.
His friends, were gone… AGAIN!
Maxwell had screamed, raged really, for losing his family for a third time in his life! The mage had cussed, blasphemed, and cried out to every mundane and divine entity he could curse!
His first family had abandoned him. Sent away and bared from ever returning. His second family had been lost to war. He may not have wanted to live in the Circle at first, but he grew to love the people there, mage and templar alike. And now his third family, the Straw-Hat Pirates, were scattered to the winds! They were utterly annihilated and Maxwell had no idea where they all could have went!
It took him an entire day to finally calm down. His magic flaring like a bonfire while he raged and sobbed.
…Thankfully, there was one hope Maxwell had of finding them, and that was with the vivre card. Shakky and Rayleigh had given them all a piece of that paper to find Rayleigh and the Sunny, after he was done coating the ship. And the vivre card was constantly active.
Ideally, he could use it to navigate his way back to Sabaodey… But where was he now?
The sound of clapping boots snapped Maxwell attention back to reality, lifting his face from the water.
It was the marines! A ring of infantrymen had surrounded him, each pointing a riffle right at him. They weren't in their usual uniform though. They were all in white suits with blue lapels, and crowned sailor hats. The only reason Maxwell even recognized them as marines were the seagull pins on their jackets!
Maxwell slowly took in his surroundings. He was in the middle of a city square, a crowd of people behind the marines, standing in all directions. They were all dressed up, wearing colorful dresses, holding food, and carrying trinkets. Children were being held back by their parents, baying them not to approach. And the stones he had been laying on were in fact marble, carved marble!
…He had just landed on a fountain, in the middle of a city square, on a day where Maxwell assumed they were having a festival. Oh, and the one who he assumed the marine commander was staring down, right at him. Looking down from the stage.
"And… Who. Are. You?" The king punctuated every word, displaying his displeasure.
"Nope, not a marine…" Maxwell shook his head and stood up, awkwardly. It wasn't graceful, having only one arm to push himself up. Still the mage bowed, if only out of curtesy. He wasn't sure whether he should run or talk with the marines here.
The crowd though whispered among themselves, watching Maxwell like some exotic animal.
"Holy crap…!" "Hey, isn't that the Magister?" "Hold on, he's missing a hand! Shouldn't we call a doctor?"
"Announce yourself!" the king demanded. "It is only proper since you interrupted our festival."
Maxwell swallowed realizing he was in the spotlight, so to speak. "My name is Maxwell, scion of House Trevelyan." He desperately tried to reassemble the old aristocratic expression he normally used attending Aunt Lucille's soirées. Use he truth but not the whole truth— "I just arrived from a terrible battle and—"
"Maxwell Trevelyan!" Dreak stepped forward from beside the king. "By order of the World Government, I am placing you under arrest for the crimes of piracy, destruction of public property, and insurrection against the World Government! Surrender!" Unlike most marines, Dreak didn't believe Maxwell could use actual magic. It had to be a Devil Fruit of some kind!
Excited whispers started to murmur across the square. What would happen? Maxwell looked between the king, the commander, and the navy soldiers. The king looked annoyed at Dreak's interference, but didn't stop him.
Max chose to address the marine in charge, "If I surrender, will I be taken to a doctor?" The mage held up his jagged stump to emphasize his injury.
Dreak grimaced looking at the crystal stump, "…Unfortunately, the marines have no surgeons on hand to treat your wounds. You will have to be incarcerated, then wait several days before an approved medical examiner can see you."
Maxwell grimaced. Not good. Chopper had explained the dangers of untreated wounds. How blood could become contaminated and flesh will rot if not treated properly. And he couldn't keep this blood cap forever.
"What?" Toma, the young man beside Dreak stepped up, "But sir, G-8 has—"
"Not now, Warrent Officer Toma!" Dreak barked at the young swordsman.
"If I may?" Both pirate and marine turned their heads as King Cello came up from behind Dreak. "What if Creamy Mist was to take custody of Mr. Maxwell here? He could stay in the castle, where my own physician can look at him."
"What!? But your majesty—!" Cello side-stepped the Lieutenant Commander and came off the platform, walking towards Maxwell.
The few people between Cello and the firing ring parted before the king. The marines, who still had their rifles aimed Max, shifted uncomfortably as the Royal approached.
Cello raised a hand, "At ease," dismissing the infantry. The marines slowly withdrew their weapons, looking between the king, their commander, and the pirate.
Dreak didn't saying anything, he just looked dumbfounded as the leader of a nation approached a pirate. The Magister was clearly in no shape to fight, not with the missing hand. But the sheer audacity of it stunned him.
"Am to understand you were recently in a fight?" Cello asked the pirate. "Your wound is evident, but I also recognize the pattern of this deformation." The crater, now looking at it, was in fact four separate craters, arranged like an animal paw print. Maxwell just happened to be in the largest of them, "And, Bartholomew Kuma, does not typically use blades."
Maxwell almost didn't speak. This royal was rather intuitive, unlike some nobles.
"…My crew bit off more than we could chew. Bartholomew Kuma didn't join the fight until the end though." Maxwell then eyed the marines, "As to why I'm here, instead of a marine base, I could not say..."
Why had Kuma done this? Why not kill them and collect the bounties on their heads? He was ordered to before. Why else would the Warlord show up again so soon after their last encounter!?
Cello narrowed his eyes, "And what would it take for you to get off my island?"
"WHAT!?" Dreak's eyes bulged.
Maxwell's eyes darted around quickly, scanning the king's intent, "…Besides a ship? Nothing. I would be—"
"PREY FOR THE NIGHTMARE!"
All of a sudden, a hooded man in black robes came running out of the crowd. He broke the line, holding a dagger high in the air, blade pointed downwards.
O O O
"What!? I didn't give the sig—Gah! Bastardos cultistas loco!" Helsing cursed as one of the cultists ran out of the crowd. She stretched out her hand and Helsing's weapon, Alucard, slithered into her hand. He was a hebi-weapon from Amazon Lily. A long golden serpent, without those ridiculous head caps adorning him though.
"Get back to the palace and keep your cover! It's the only way how we're ever going to get another chance again!"
"Yes ma'am!" Cal nods, but pauses briefly to look back at the woman, "But what about you, boss?"
"Well, after I'm finished tying up some loose ends, who knows?" The serpent stiffened into a golden staff, and she smirks, "I may even have a shot at the king."
Helsing then jumped into the crowd below.
O O O
Maxwell spins around, eyes widening as he sees the blade hovering above him. Reacting swiftly, he raise a hand in a half sign and unleashes a Fortifying Blast. The kinetic forces blows the assassin out of the air and back into the crowd, where more robed individuals run out.
"DEFEND THE KING!" Dreak cries out as he draws his saber. The marines tighten their circle, immediately surrounding Cello as people run from the square.
Maxwell however felt drained. That spell had never been that difficult to unleash before!
The assassins closed in, each holding a kris dagger in their hand. Maxwell couldn't see their faces. Weaved burlap veils covered their heads, meshing with the shadows of their hoods. Maxwell engerized his foci and let Salem, Mordred, and Mineive unload into the assailants.
Arcane bolts streamed out of the anchors! The assassins either defected the bolts with their daggers or changed course to get out of the way. Interestingly enough though, they didn't seem all that interested in the king… They were aiming for him!
Maxwell was able to bring down three to the arcane bolts, but one assassin got to close, dagger flashing! "Whoa!" Maxwell backpedaled, contorting his body to avoid being stabbed. He dodged several thrusts before he tripping over his own boots, breaking his concentration.
The assassin seemed to preen at Maxwell's misfortune, stopping to admire the foci clattering to the ground. However, before he could plunge his dagger down, a serpent caught the assassin's shoulder.
"ARGH!" It had come flying in like a javelin, fangs sinking into his robes. Maxwell's assailant fell down as the golden python coiled around his neck. Following the trajectory, Maxwell looked behind him to see a red headed woman smiling at him.
Her face was pale like alabaster stone, eyes like molten gold, her upper lip had been painted with blue lipstick. She wore a green leotard dress, lined with gold, under leather pants and calf high boots. Her long red hair was done up in a ponytail, but the long flowing locks still draped over the open red robes she wore. Helsing also wore a gold ponytail cuff, earrings, headband, and choker. Maxwell immediately looked nervous upon seeing her. She had an evil smirk on he face like she enjoyed inflicting pain.
The serpent returned to her hand, stiffening like a polearm, "Don't go dying just yet, handsome. I have some questions for you." Helsing then sped back into the action, going after another assassin that was attacking the king.
The marines held their positions, using their bayonets to stay the assassins. They worked in pairs, one aiming high, the other low. Any gaps in the formation were covered by Dreak and Toma.
Toma ran around the circle like a whirlwind. Steel flashed into the assailant's eyes, temporarily blinding them, before realizing they had been cut down with the same blade. Dreak stood next the king, covering their blind spot. Pistol ready and firing when Toma wasn't chopping heads
The last assassin tried to jump to break through the line. However, like a shepherd's crook, Helsing pulled the assassin back, the snakes fangs buried into his shoulder. He died, painfully as the venom coursed through his veins.
Cello looked at the woman, stunned to see her here, "Solona!"
The red-head smiled, "It's Helsing, your majesty," then threw her living polearm at Cello with an underhanded throw.
The serpent's maw widening as it flew to strike. However, before it could get too far, a bolt of lightning struck the python and drew the serpent backwards!
"What!?" Helsing looked up, seeing a ball of purple plasma floating in the air. She then looked behind to see Maxwell lowering his hand. He had cast a Static Cage spell.
"It's not that I'm ungrateful," Maxwell responded, looking up as he was bended over, "but I find that regicide is rarely the best course of action."
"Tch," Helsing scowled as her weapon slithered back up her leg. The marines, having failed to react earlier, immediately surrounded the outlaw, guns pointed at her.
Helsing slowly raised her hands. "This isn't over Cello! Change is coming to the Creamy Mist Archipelago, whether you like it or not! You can either fight it or get out of my way!" Her middle finger twirled, and a bag of powder snapped into her hand.
"ARREST HER—!" But before Dreak could shout, Helsing threw the packet onto the ground, and the bag exploded. Blue smoke erupted into cloud, obscuring all of their vision. The Static Cage didn't even react to her disappearance! Marines ran into smoke, trying to grab the outlaw, but Helsing was gone.
Cello looked around. The square was largely empty now. No one else was around beyond himself, the guards, and the king.
"Mr. Trevelyan, if you would please follow me." Maxwell's looked back at the king who was beckoning him to follow. What kind of mess had he stepped into now?