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| - D’Artagnan jerked awake, covered in a freezing cold sweat, the coverings falling off his shirtless form. He immediately leaned forward, placing his head on his knees. “Dammit...” he muttered to himself. “How the hell did it turn out like this?” “SSSIIIDDD!!!” came the voice of the green-haired pirate boy who was lounging lazily on the deck of his ship, the Shooting Star, “how long till the next island?” The blue-haired navigator walked out on deck, checking the Log Pose he had continuously strapped to his wrist. “Hmm...” he looked up at the sky now, “within an hour or so, actually.” “Thank god,” Stormy Buchanan, their doctor said as she walked up on deck, “we’ve been running low on supplies, both medical and edible...” “Gao,” Gopher, their Shroomian cook, agreed, hopping up next to her on the railing. “I’LL BE HAPPY TO GO BUY THE NEW SUPPLIES WITH YOU, STORMY-CHWAN!” Sid cried happily, his body wiggling back and forth like an amoeba, his eyes replaced with large hearts of the cartoonish variety. “Ciaosususu!” Knave laughed, standing up and staring off into the distance, trying to discern the island’s position with his sight alone, “I can smell it!” “Smell what?” Stormy asked, walking up beside him. Knave grinned. “Adventure, of course!” Don Cazzuto, the leader of the mighty and proud Cazzuto Family which reigned over the small South Blue island, set down the tanker of rum with a sigh, allowing his eyes to close slightly in pleasure. It truly WAS good to be on top. The door to his chambers creaked open, and his right-hand man, Ice John, stepped in. Ice John was a very thin and tall, almost-snake looking man, and he wore a dark teal-colored jogging suit with a gold trim that complemented his similarly colored hair. The mafioso took a deep bow as he stood in front of his boss. “Speak,” the Don said, his voice a deep basso. “Don Cazzuto-sama...” Ice John began, “it seems that some of our scouts spotted what they believe is a pirate ship heading towards our shores. Should we send out an advance guard?” “Hmm...” the boss thought for a moment, “not yet. We’ll deal with them until they cause trouble, but until them, treat them as guests. They ARE fellow criminals after all. And besides, who knows, they might make good henchmen.” “A gentleman as always, sir,” Ice John complimented. “You flatter me,” the Don returned, “now, see to it that none of the men cause them any trouble.” “Of course, Don Cazzuto-sama.” “Hey.... guys?” Sid asked, his eyes narrowed suspiciously. “Hmm?” Knave turned to face his navigator, “what’s up?” “Does this port seem.... suspiciously empty?” And indeed the dock where they had landed was empty. In fact, it seemed as if no one had actually walked on the pier for a good many years. The only sign that it could possibly be habitated was the clear lack of dust if such a fact were true. “Nah,” Knave replied offhandedly, “it’s just your imagination.” He picked his nose in a carefree manner. “I dunno, Knave,” Stormy commented, “this seems suspicious to me as well...” “Gao, gao!” Gopher confirmed, waving his hands up and down. “Aww, come on guys,” Knave laughed, “what’s the worst that could happen?” “Well,” Stormy replied, “we could get ambush-” “WELCOME!” came thousands of voices, as men and women seemed to materialize from nowhere onto the pier, heading quickly towards the pirates, “WELCOME! WELCOME!” “Hah!” Knave laughed, “I told you guys that nothing was going to happen!” “Well, something did happen...” Sid countered, “but something good...” “Compliments from the local boss of this town, Don Cazzuto!” said a young man who had stepped out from the crowd surrounding them, carrying a small parcel that turned out to be full of fruit and other eatables. Gopher let out a ‘Gao!’ of happiness as he quickly seized it and began to run back towards the ship. “Boss, huh?” Knave asked, his eyes shining like stars, “so if I beat him up I’m the strongest?” “Don’t you dare!” Sid and Stormy both yelled at him, causing their captain to sulk in the corner. “Besides,” one of the people in the crowd piped up, “it’s not like someone such as you could even hope to defeat the boss!” “What was that?!” Knave growled, seizing the person by the collar and yanking them towards him, “wanna go, punk?!” “WE SAID NOT TO TRY IT!” Sid and Stormy cried again, collectively kicking the marimo lad up into the air, “WE DON’T WANT TO GET INTO TROUBLE RIGHT AWAY!” “It’s alright, it’s alright,” the man who Knave had threatened, laughing while pulling himself up, “it’s been awhile since we had visitors like you, so we decided to throw a bit of a party.” “And besides,” one of the women in the crowd whispered to another (Sid’s ears perked up involuntarily at hearing a female voice), “I heard that mercenary that they hired is even stronger than Don Cazzuto-sama.” “Hush!” her male companion replied, “just get back to welcoming them!” And the two promptly moved to the front, continuing the praise of the newcomers. Ice John stood near the back, sweatdropping awkwardly as he watched his subordinates welcome the pirates. I asked them to not be hostile, he thought, but this is a bit overboard. Suddenly, he realized something. Looking around, he could not detect his quarry, and returned to watching his henchmen make fools of themselves. Where the hell did that financier go? “And those are the latest financial reports,” D’Artagnan concluded, snapping everything back together in his briefcase, “I highly suggest you spend a little less money on all that sake, sir.” Don Cazzuto laughed. “Never afraid to speak your mind, neh, D’Artagnan-chan? No matter, that’s what I hired you for. Now, it seems that some new arrivals have shown up. You can go greet them with the others if you’d like.” “Thanks,” the financier said, hanging the suitcase over his shoulder as he walked out, “but no thanks.” The boss shrugged, slightly put out. “Do as you wish, then. It’s the least I can do for your services.” Damn it, damn it, damn it! D’Artagnan swore at himself as he walked through the streets of the island’s main town, I gotta find a way to get out of here! His fist clenched, and he scowled. But if I do.... Of course I had to say yes, D’Artagnan thought, clenching his fist harder, what the hell else was I supposed to do?! And now I’m stuck here. He sighed, relaxing his hand. What the hell am I supposed to-? Several of the men who had greeted the pirates at the port crashed into the house right in front of him, directly across from a small alleyway. A green haired boy wearing a long white scarf ran up, panting and clearly fuming mad. “Stupid assholes!” he cried, “that’ll teach you to mock my strength again!” “What the hell are you doing?” the Majin asked, sweatdropping as the boy turned to face him. “Oh, yo!” the boy said, sheepishly rubbing the back of his head, “sorry ‘bout that. Some assholes were mocking me back at the docks, so when my crew sent my flying I was able to meet back up with them again and give them what for!” “Crew... you’re a pirate?” D’Artagnan asked. “Yep yep!” Knave replied, flashing a peace sign at the Majin, “I’m Dhahaka D. Knave, and I’m gonna find the One Piece and change the-” “Hey!” The two whipped around, seeing another henchman, this time with several significantly bigger minions behind him. “You’re the one who beat up my men, weren’t you?!” the henchman growled, pointing at Knave. “Well, about that,” Knave replied innocently, “they were kinda pissing me off, so I hope you don’t mind. Unless you wanted to beat ‘em up, in which case-” “Just shut up! Men, get him!” The two larger minions quickly pulled up rather unpleasent-looking knives, then charged at Knave. The marimo lad grinned, then looked up at them, smiling with something that could only be described as battle lust. “Come at me!” he yelled. Taking the bait, the two mini-giants swung their knives in the air, and Knave leaped upwards, the knives missing his feet by only a few inches. Knave then lifted up both his hands. “Naga Naga no...” he enchanted. As he spoke, his hands were surrounded with a white, flame-like substance, “...Double Takedown!” As he said this, his hands shot forward, seizing the two of them by the face. They cried out as the flame-like energy began to apparently burn them. Knave then twisted in midair, swinging them above his head, then smashed them into the ground, knocking them out instantly! “Ahhh....” the henchman gasped, his finger still pointing at Knave, though it was now quivering quite a bit, “ahh... ahh...” “Ciaosususu!” Knave laughed, the energy dissolving as he dusted off his hands, “now THAT was a bit more fun! You wanna go a round?” He looked inquisitively at the remaining henchman. “AAAAHHH!!” the henchman cried, turning around and running for his life, tears streaming down his face, “DON CAZZUTO-SAMA! BARON-TAICHOU! PLEASE, PLEASE HELP ME!” “Ahh, shit!” D’Artagnan cried, dropping the suitcase and taking off down the alleyway from whence Knave had come, “gotta get out of here!” “Why?” Knave asked, running alongside him. “WHY ARE YOU FOLLOWING ME?!” “Hahhh,” Stormy sighed, rubbing her forehead as a migraine began to set in, “dammit. We lost Knave again.” “STORMY-CHWAN!” Sid cried, doing his little dance thing again as he moved next to her, “IF YOU WANT ME TO-” “No, no, it’s fine,” the doctor replied offhandedly, seemingly not noticing the navigator sulk in the corner while the chef consoled him as best he could, “we just need to find him as soon as we replenish supplies...” She looked upwards at the sky. “I just have no idea where he could be...” “Yoush ah nish pershon!” Knave said happily, his mouth full of food. “Thanks, but...” D’Artagnan replied as he lifted up an umbrella to stem the small flood of half-chewed food that Knave’s speaking was throwing at him, “I’d be happy if you could please just finish eating, and hopefully stay quiet while doing so.” “Osh. Shorry!” the marimo lad chirped happily, before thankfully complying with the Majin’s demands, returning to his meal with as much silence as he could muster. However, considering that this was Knave were are speaking of, his idea of quiet can be compared to dull roar of noise, and that was just from him consuming nourishment. In what seemed like seconds to the passerby, the pirate captain had finished up the small meal, and now leaned back in his chair, rubbing his stomach happily and letting out a sigh of contentment. “Ahhh...” he said, then proceeded to slam his head into the table, breaking clean through it, “thank you!” “It’s no problem,” D’Artagnan said, rubbing the back of his head in an almost embarrased fashion, “just PLEASE stop destroying everything you touch. It’ll get us caught in an instant.” “Oh...” the marimo lad thought for a moment, then quietly picked up the bit of table he had knocked away, and tried to place it back in the space that it had once occupied. However, the landing on the floor had managed to chip off part of it, so the fit was questionable at best. However, Knave seemed satisfied, and happily gave a thumbs up to the man seated across from him. “All better!” “Good enough!” D’Artagnan said, returning the gesture. “Now,” Knave said, “join my crew!” Ice John practically exploded through the door into the Don’s quarters, sweating and obviously a bit terrified at the prospect of the news he had to deliver. “Don Cazzuto-sama...” he began. “Hmm?” the Don asked, “what is it now?” “We’ve.... we’ve...” his right-hand man stammered, “we’ve lost the pirates who arrived. A-nd... well, you see....” “Spit it out!” Don Cazzuto cried, flinging his glass of rum to the wall right behind Ice John, who flinched as a few glass shards flew past his ear. “W-well, sir...” he said, “Carmine’s entire squad was taken out... and we believe it was by their captain...” The Don fell silent, his hand on his chin. However, anyone who had served with him for any reasonable time would have known at a glance the immense fury that he had begun emanating. After a few moments of apparently thinking, he slapped a small button on the side of his throne. “BARON!” he barked. A hidden door to the side of the throne opened, and a tall, muscular man stepped out. He had short-cropped brown hair and a face that was marred with a large, Y-shaped scar. He wore a simple outfit composed of silver-colored metal armor plates. His piercing red eyes looked at the Don. “Yeah, boss?” he asked. “You heard the conversation, I suppose?” the Don asked, clenching his fist tightly. “Of course,” the mercenary replied. “Then go and eliminate the pirates,” Cazzuto said, “and I don’t want to see even a SPECK of blood when you’re done.” “As you wish,” Baron said, grinning savagely as he walked out the main door. Ice John stayed, still sweating heavily inside. “And you,” the Don said, pointing at him, “mobilize the troops. I want them found in case they’re clever enough to fool Baron’s nose.” “Yes, Don Cazzuto-sama,” Ice John said, and wasted no time in exiting the room. When the door closed, the room was flooded with darkness. “Dependable man, that Baron,” the Don said, relaxed, then, after a few moments, stood up again, “a bit TOO dependable...” “No.” “Awwww,” Knave said unhappily, as he sulked in the corner, “why not?!” “Because you’re a pirate, and I don’t trust pirates,” D’Artagnan replied, “so I don’t trust you either. And besides, I’m happy here.” “Liar,” Knave said simply, looking up to face the Majin, who chuckled. “Got me there,” the financier replied, “but at least I’m free here. I can do whatever I want as long I do the work they tell me to do.” “Doesn’t sound like freedom to me,” Knave said, now leaning back against the wall, his arms crossed behind his head, “sounds more like slaberry to me.” “I think you mean slavery.” “Slavery, huh? Damn, I hoped there was pie involved...” “How do you even functi-” “There he is!” The two whipped around, to see a large group of Don Cazzuto’s men aiming rifles at them. The man in the lead spoke again, “We’ve found you, filthy pirate- wait, is that... the financier with him?!” “He’s turned traitor!” one of the others called out, “he probably brought those pirates here to kill the Don!” “Don’t be ridiculous!” D’Artagnan yelled at them, “I wouldn’t-” “Fire!” the obviously too paranoid leader cried, and the group opened fire. Knave’s hand grabbed the Majin’s shoulders, and promptly threw him into the air. As the financier cried out and swore at the marimo lad, the pirate captain grinned, then whipped his hand through the air, leaving a trail of the white-flame energy that destroyed the bullets as they neared him. The marimo lad then charged forward, using a nearby crate as a springboard, and launched himself into the air. He quickly did a small front flip, then extended his hands towards the minions below. “Naga Naga no Rapid Fire!” Small bits of the energy flew out of his hands and peppered the minions, leaving small burn marks. However, the gangsters simply laughed at this supposedly simple attack, and aimed at the boy again. However, Knave grinned, and clenched both his hands together. “Naga Naga no...” he began, “Delayed Reaction!” Suddenly, the spots where the heat flecks had hit the minions exploded with more of the white energy, this time doing proper damage. Those who weren’t KOed instantly dropped to the ground in pain, frantically nursing their wounds. Knave landed down on the other side of them, laughing uproariously. “Ciaosusususu!” he chuckled, “that was even more fun than the last time.” He turned to face D’Artagnan, who was struggling to remove himself from an inconvenient garbage dumpster where he had landed. “This is a really fun isla- HEY! LOOK OUT!” A minion had somehow managed to work his way around the buildings next to them, and had appeared behind the Majin. Unlike the others, this one carried a blade, and was swinging it as hard as he could at the financier’s neck. At Knave’s words, however, the Majin reacted quickly. “DAHAMA!” D’Artagnan cried out, as he slammed his palms into the side of the dumpster. He then swung his left leg with such a force that it break straight through the side of the dumpster, and continued in an upward arc, smashing against the side of the minion’s face and acquainting his head quite intimately with the wall next to them, leaving a crater! As the Majin finished pulling the rest of his body out of the plastic trap in which it had been stuck, he looked up to see Knave staring at him in boyish amazement. “What?” he asked, raising an eyebrow. “THAT WAS AWESOME!” Knave exploded, his hands rapidly shaking up and down, nay, his whole body vibrated with excitement, “HOW’D YOU LEARN TO FIGHT LIKE THAT?!” “Fight like... Oh! That was Enchantment,” the financier said sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head, “it’s the main fighting style of my people, the Majin.” “So all the people on this island are those Majin things?” “No, these are ‘ordinary’ people. The Majin come from a place called Sahara Island.” “So why aren’t you with them?” D’Artagnan sighed. “Well.... we’re divided into castes. I was born into the merchant caste, and as long as I could remember I couldn’t.... quite fit. I didn’t like everyone being one way their entire life, of being born with most of their life all decided for them. So, me and a couple of my friends decided to run for it, a few years back.” “So where are they now?” “They... didn’t make it. I was the only one to get off the island, on a random ship I found. I promised to come back, though, once I had fulfilled my dream.” “Dream?” “You’re looking for the legendary treasure, the One Piece, right?” “Of course!” “Well, I’m looking for it too, in a way. It’s the ultimate treasure right? Well, I believe that, with enough wealth and money, you can truly free yourself. And if the One Piece is the ultimate treasure, than I can totally free myself in one go! All I need to do is get to the end of the Grand Line!” “Then why’d you stop?” “Because-” “I threatened him,” came a deep voice. Knave whipped around, only to be hit with a punch to the fist that sent him smashing into a nearby wall. Baron grinned, staring down at D’Artagnan. “Come on, Little Majin,” he chuckled, “let’s go home.” “What the hell?!” Sid asked as he delivered another blow to the side of a minion’s face, knocking him out, “why are they attacking us all of sudden?!” “I don’t know!” Stormy responded, as she fired several will-o-wisp-like, purple and pink colored orbs from her palms in a rapid fashion, “All I know is that we have to keep them from killing us, AND FIND KNAVE ON TOP OF ALL OF THAT!” “Gao!” Gopher contributed, the small ‘wings’ on his back fluttering like mad as one of his arm inflated to the size and shape of a human, then using it to deliver a punch to the stomach of one of the henchmen. As the last of the minions around them fell, Ice John leaped down from a nearby roof, the air around him rapidly cooling. “You’re better than I thought,” he said, “so it looks like I’ll have to deal with you mys-” Sid’s fist plowed into his face, sending the right-hand man crashing through several buildings. “THAT FIGHTING STYLE IS BEING REWRITTEN!” he howled as he did so. “Guhh...” Ice John whined a few blocks away, his eyes having gone completely blank as he slipped into unconsciousnees. “Alright!” Sid said, turning to his crew, “now, let’s find our captain, and then we can get off this crazy-” A small explosion of dust and various parts of buildings flew up into the air only a few blocks away from them. The Marimos stared at it, watching with suprisingly calm expressions as it slowly dispersed, the bits of house falling to the ground. “There he is,” they said in unision, sweatdropping. Several seconds earlier... “Gruh!” Knave gasped as he pulled himself out of the wreckage. He reacted quickly, the white flame energy wrapping around his hands once more, as he charged at Baron, releasing a massive amount of punches at him. “Naga Naga no Heat Barrage!” the pirate called. The mercenary grinned, then shifted. His body transformed from that of a man into a strange, fur-covered beast, and then the punches struck him. Though he grunted, the transformation seemed to have given him an increased amount of endurance, as he easily shrugged off the damage. “Damn,” Knave swore, allowing the energy to fade away, “Zoan-type huh? I hate fighting you guys, the boost of strength you get is cheating!” “Don’t you get one too with that energy stuff though?” D’Artagnan asked, raising a hand meekly. “I’M ALLOWED TO CHEAT!” the captain barked. “Oh...” the Majin answered. “Enough talking!” Baron cried, moving even faster than he had before, appearing above Knave and swinging a fist down towards him. The marimo lad reacted faster, however, quickly countering with his own energy-enhanced punch. The collision of their two blows caused a massive explosion of the ground beneath and surrounding them, knocking them both back. “Tch,” Knave growled, pulling himself up again, “Oi! Art!” “My name’s D’Artagnan-” “It’s too hard and long to say so I’m changing it! You’re Art now!” “I don’t think that’s going to- OW!” Art cried as a massive sticker bearing his new name seemed to appear from nowhere, slapping him on the face. Rubbing the small wound it had given him, he turned his attention back to the pirate, “what do you want?” “Give me a hand with this guy! He’s being annoying!” “I can’t! I-” “He works for me,” Don Cazzuto said simply, appearing behind Art. “There they are!” the other Marimos cried with happiness as they found their captain, who was already covered in bruises from the brief battle with Baron. The crew quickly stopped, however, when they took notice of the fact that Knave was surrounded. In front of him, a strange animal thing, and behind him, a very large man and someone around his age. “S-so, do we intervene or not?” Stormy asked. “We wait for the Captain’s orders,” Sid confirmed, then raised his voice, “HEY, KNAVE!!” Their captain turned around, seeing them. He grinned hugely, then waved his hand in the air. “Oh, hey guys!” he called. “NEED ANY HELP?!” “Uhhh...” Knave turned back towards Art, then back towards his crew, “give me a second and I’ll tell you!” “ALRIGHT!” “So....” Knave said, turning to face the Don, “he works for you, huh?” “Yes.” The captain turned towards the Majin again. “Then quit,” he said simply. “IT’S NOT THAT SIMPLE!” Art cried, face faulting. When he pulled himself back up, he pointed at Baron again, “IF I EVEN DO ANYTHING THAT’S SLIGHTLY WRONG, HE’LL KILL EVERYONE IN TOWN!” “Then quit and help me beat him up,” Knave replied, unfazed by this revelation. At this the Majin paused, looking down at the ground, his fists clenched again. “Come on,” Knave continued, now grinning, “you wanted to be free right?” “I...” Art stammered. “Idiot,” Don Cazzuto interrupted, gripping Art’s shoulder tightly, “he’s already free.” “Liar!” Knave replied, pulling one of his eyelids down, and sticking his tongue out at the Don, “I don’t beliieevvee youuu~” “That son of a-” the Don growled, the veins on his face now showing up as his visibly resisted the urge to punch the brat who stood before him. However, he managed to regain his composure, and continued. “But he IS! All he has to do is do whatever I tell him to do, and in return, I let him do whatever I want! Isn’t that freedom, D’Artagnan-chan?” The Majin clenched his fist even tighter, thinking back... “No...” Art said slowly, allowing his hand to unclench. “What?” the Don asked, raising an eyebrow. Art reacted in an instant, his foot flying through the air and delivering a powerful kick to the Don’s chest! The mafia boss coughed, stumbling backwards. D’Artagnan faced him, now defiant. “THAT’S NOT REAL FREEDOM, DUMBASS!” “Ciaosususususu!” Knave laughed, “you got him good!” “You...” Don Cazzuto growled as he recovered, “I’ll kill you all!” “Oi!” Knave called, “Sid! Stormy! Gopher! You take care of this guy, will ya?” “Oh?” Sid responded, looking at the Don, then back at Knave, “Sure!” He flashed a thumbs up at his captain, who happily returned it. “Krahahahahahahahaha!” Baron laughed from behind them, marching towards them, his body shifting, gaining more human characteristics and shape, but still retaining his various animal features, “brave words, Majin! But it doesn’t change the fact that you cannot defeat me!” He laughed some more, as he lunged forward, aiming a punch at D’Artagnan. “Freedom?! What bullshit! You’ll be stuck here for the rest of your li-” “SHUT UP, ASSHOLE!” Knave’s fist, covered in the white-flame like energy, smashed into Baron’s face with enough force to send the mercenary reeling back, clutching his head! Knave took a step back, as a large aura of the energy covered him. “How... the hell can you do that stuff?” Art asked, staring slightly. “Naga Naga no Mi!” Knave answered, “I can give my body the properties of a shooting star!” “So all that white flame stuff was...?” “The heat and kinetic energy, I think!” “Oh.” Knave suddenly crouched slightly, allowing the aura of heat and kinetic energy to explode outwards with much greater force than before. And his appearance had changed slightly! His whole body seemed to glow with a heavenly light, and strange, almost-scale like white rock formations had grown around his face and on parts of his body, almost framing it. Knave straightened up again, glaring at Baron. “Hyper Mode...” he said, “I won’t let you laugh at my friend’s dream ever again!” “Insignificant trash!” Don Cazzuto howled, “MAGNUM PUNCH!” His fist lashed out, narrowly missing Sid as the navigator leaped out of the way. The blue-haired lad spun through the air, then straightened out. “Rankyaku Net!” he yelled, his legs whipping through the air as he released thousands of tempest kicks upon the opponent. Reacting quickly, the Don leaped backwards, and the air blades cut into the ground harmlessly. However, Gopher moved quickly as well, leaping into the air, one of his arms rapidly inflating. Cocking it back, he swung it forward with all his strength, aiming straight for the back of the Don’s head! “Gao!” the Shroomian cried. Don Cazzuto whipped around, raising both his arms into a block position and taking the hit. However, the force was enough to throw him back, his feet skidding on the ground before he managed to stop himself. Before he could recover fully, though, the next assault was already upon him! “Chemical Juggling...” Stormy called, lifting her hands up, “Circus Barrage!” A number of chemical orbs appeared on her hands and began launching themselves at incredible speeds of the Don. “MAGNUM GALAXY!” Don Cazzuto countered, releasing a barrage of punches that collided with the orbs, causing them to explode. The mafia boss almost immediatley recolored his hands and quickly regard his knuckles, which were now sizzling and giving off smoke. “Gahh...” he groaned, clenching his fists painfully, then lunging forward, another punch heading towards the doctor.... It struck Stormy, but.... went through?! The Don paused, puzzled, when suddenly, the Stormy in front of him dissolved into another puddle of chemicals, drenching his hand. “GAAAAHHH!!!” the Don cried, stumbling back and gripping the part of his arm right in front of the chemicals. “Chemical Juggling: Clone Clown!” Stormy said confidently, stepping out from a behind a building in which she had been hiding, “sorry, but you won’t be using that arm anymore.” “Damn you....” the Don mumbled, then shouted, “DAMN YOU ALL TO HELL!” “Oi,” came Sid’s voice, terrifyingly silent. The group looked at him, as he stood still, a black, murderous aura surrounding him. “Did you...” the navigator said, then looked up, his eyes filled with fury! “ATTEMPT TO HURT OUR GORGEOUS DOCTOR RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME?! I’LL KILL YOU!” A bright pink aura made of flames sprung up around him! Letting out a yell, he crouched down slightly, as the aura wrapped around him, then suddenly dispersed, revealing Sid now glowing with a brilliant pink aura. “HENKAI!” he cried. “What the hell’s Hen-” Don Cazzuto began before Sid’s fist smashed into his face, crushing his head guard and sending him smashing through a nearby building. As the Don pulled himself up, Sid charged again! “Tekkai Ken: Rapid Strike!” he yelled, releasing thousands of punches at once at the Mafia boss! “W-wait-” the Don attempted to continue, before being struck by these blows! He was unable to speak as blow after blow struck him, oddly staying in place as the punishment continued to rain down upon him. “Rankyaku: Absent!” Sid finally yelled, his leg whipping through the air and delivering a devastating kick to the Don’s abdomen! Unable to make a sound, Don Cazzuto was sent flying across the island, crashing through any buildings in his way, before skidding to a stop on the opposite shore of the island!! “Guhhh....” the Don groaned through his shattered headguard, his skull feeling as though it had been run over by a battleship. “And that’s what you get,” Sid said simply, as the pink aura faded from his body. “Naga Naga no...” Knave cried, leaping towards Baron, “GEAR CANNON!” His fist was quickly shrouded by heat and kinetic energy, and he threw the punch at Baron, who raised up both of his fur-covered arms to block! Knave’s fist collided, and the force was enough to push the mercenary back, but ultimately did little damage. “Heh,” Baron grunted, “nice try.” His foot lashed out, delivering a kick to Knave’s midsection, which sent him flying across the street, smashing into another house. As Knave began to pick himself up, Art charged forward, his foot flying through the air! “Khamsin Dira!” he cried. The mercenary reacted quickly, bringing his arms up once more to block. However, this time, Art twisted his foot as it landed, releasing a small burst of energy that pushed Baron back! The Zoan user grinned, lowering his arms. “Interesting...” he said, “stronger than before, Majin.... But-” His hand lashed out, catching D’Artagnan as he was still in midair and sending him crashing across the street, right next to Knave! “-not strong enough!” “This bastard...” Knave growled as he forced himself up, “he’s even taking attacks I’ve boosted with Hyper Mode! It’s like hitting a tank!” “Let me try one more thing!” Art said, then stepped forward, placing his right foot right in front of him. Suddenly, he twisted it, as if performing the previous technique, but this time, he did it to the ground! The area around him was instantly transformed into a small crater, as he continued to twist! Air quickly wrapped around his leg, then began spinning at an even greater pace! The Majin relented the pressure, lifting his leg up, now surrounded by a wall of cutting wind. “This is my technique,” he said simply, “Minsar!” Without another word his other foot dug deeply into the ground, then launched him forward with tremendous force, forcing the ground behind his heel to rise up slightly as he flew forward! He seemed to reach Baron in seconds, and whipped his right foot forward, delivering a devastating blow to the side of the brute’s head! “GNAAH!” Baron cried as incredible force struck him, while also... cutting?! He was thrown backwards, his body being painfully ‘dragged’ along the ground, digging it all up but cutting deep into his back as well. Forcing his body into action, the mercenary thrust his hands outward, then dug them into the ground, slowing his fight, and eventually bringing it to a stop. Panting, he let his feet touch the ground, coughing up small bits of blood and wiping his upper lip. “Damn...” he panted, “that was pretty damn good, kid. But.... still not enough.” “Shit!” Art snarled as he landed beside Knave again, Minstar still active, “even with all that we can’t take him down!” “Then,” Knave said, standing fully up and allowing his aura to wrap around him once again, “we launch one big attack at him! A combo!” Art looked at the marimo lad. “You sure you can handle it?” he asked, raising an eyebrow. Knave grinned. “‘Course I can! C’mon, trust me!” D’Artagnan grinned back. “Gotcha, captain.” Knave started for a second, then grinned even wider, before turning back towards the mercenary, who was pulling himself to his feet. “Then let’s do this!” he took a deep breath, then let his aura explode, at the very least doubling the amount he had before! His new Majin crewmate reacted in kind, the air around him being whipped into a frenzy by the rush of power he released! Knave lifted up his hand, allowing all of the heat and kinetic energy to wrap around his fist. Art lifted his leg up even higher, as the wind whipped around it and increased the power of the Minsar technique. “Naga Naga no...” Knave enchanted, lowering his fist. “Minsar.... Ougi....” Art added, lowering his leg to line up with Knave’s fist. Baron chuckled, in a slightly deranged manner, as he forced himself to his feet, his body beginning to transform again. “Okay, okay....” he panted, “you want to go all out?! Fine! I’ll show you.... mine!” He had reverted to his full transformation, a writhing mass of muscle and fur, with a head barely visible, poking out of it all. “Let’s go!” Knave and Art suddenly charged forward, the wind and heat and kinetic energy all meshing into one, both of them being rocketed forward in a massive tornado of pure destruction that launched itself at Baron with the force of a thousand angry spirits! Before the mercenary even had a chance to react it was upon him: smashing into his stomach, a massive shockwave exploding throughout his body, his head jerking back in some form of whiplash, vomiting blood at an impressive rate! “COMBINED SPIRIT AND HEART IMPACT!” The two who had initiated the technique were left behind then, as the beam of power continued to move forward, sending Baron flying into the sky, almost out of eyeshot! Then, the entire thing exploded in a massive influx of wind and heat, causing the entire sky to light up!!!! Then, silence reigned.... Baron, his eyes pure weight and practically sweating blood, fell from the heavens and splashed into the sea with oddly, barely a splash... The two victors stood in place for a good few minutes, panting heavily, staring up into the sky as it gradually returned to the state it had been in before they had launched such a mighty attack. Then, their eyes closed, and they dropped down to the ground, completely out of energy. Almost immediately afterwards, the other members of Knave’s crew came running up, Sid and Stormy in the lead, while Gopher bounced up and down right behind them. “OI!” Sid called, “YOU GUYS OKAY?!” Knave opened one eye, looking across at D’Artagnan. “Oi.... Art....” he panted, “you.... okay?” Art opened up one of his as well. “Yep.... hurts like hell.... though...” “Ciaosusu...susu...susu...” Knave laughed slowly, then took a deep breath, and shouted as loud as he could: “WEEEEEEE WWWWWWWWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONNNNNNNNN!!!!!!” The Shooting Star cast off of the port of the small island with little to no trouble. The townspeople had been incredibly thankful to the band of pirates that had rescued them from the occupation by the Cazzuto Family and their lackies, and had been more than happy to supply them with new food and supplies... as well as a new crewmate. D’Artagnan the Majin stood in the lookout position, his hand gripping the mast securely as he stared out at the island which he had called his home for a whole year. Smiling slightly, he closed his eyes, turning around to face the sea ahead, and opening them again. Sorry Aamir, he thought to himself, it’s gonna be a little bit longer before I come back than I thought. But.... I’m not alone anymore. I have friends I can rely on again. “Oi, Art!” came Knave’s voice. The first mate looked down at his captain, who was gesturing frantically towards the kitchen. “C’mon! Gopher’s got dinner ready, and Stormy says we can’t start until everyone’s here! Something about a Reverse Mountain I think!” The Majin nodded. “Alright!” he called, “I’m coming down!” Art leaped off the mast, the sea breeze pulling his hair back and sending his clothes waving around, as he headed down to join his nakama.
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