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| - As the Marines and Slaughter Pirates began their struggle, with the fate of the villagers on the line, back on the beach, Chris was still struggling to get himself out of the sand. At least he was capable of getting his feet on the ground, so as to push himself out by force. But even still, the sand was thick and heavy. He may have been able to best a sea king by sheer force, but sand was a totally different problem. Chris (muffled by the sand): M-MM!! MM-MM-MM!! Despite being unable to speak properly, Chris was thinking out one new plan after another. Chris began dragging his feet against the sand. In his defense, the idea was sound enough to work, as he was displacing a good amount of sand with each kick. But the time it would have taken him to get out would be too troublesome. Especially considering the danger looming just up ahead of him. Chris tried once again to free himself, and so his legs began flailing around in a wild manner. Down the dirt path, a bloodied, weary figure began stumbling his way to the beach. When he saw Chris kicking away at the sand, it seemed to have grabbed his attention. Steadily making his way down to the young pirate, he walked alongside Chris cautiously. His white clothes, if although stained red with blood, indicated he was one of the Marines from the village. Thin Marine Seaman First Class: He's still stuck down there...? Having come all the way down here for one reason or another, it seemed the Seaman had wanted Chris for something. Wasting no time, he made his presence perfectly clear. Thin Seaman First Class: Pirate!! This is one of the Marines you met yesterday!! Can you hear me?!! The kicking stopped as suddenly as it had been previously explosive. Chris began yelling for help, despite the sand still tampering with his speech. Chris: MM!! MM-MM-MM-MM-MM!! Thin Seaman First Class: Relax!! Relax!! I'm here to help! The Seaman, ignoring his painful wounds, began clawing the sand away from Chris as the boy stayed motionless for the safety of the Marine. Thin Seaman First Class: You see, my crewmates and I came across some bloodthirsty pirates calling themselves the Slaughter Pirates! They're terrorizing the village close by! And we...! Well... We tried to stop them, but...! The Marines words trailed off, with sorrow quickly replacing his formerly anxious tone. Thin Seaman First Class: They're... They're just too tough for us... The Ensign alone is trying his hardest against their captain. Chris remained quiet; only listening to what appeared to be a sympathetic explanation as to why the Marine was helping him. Thin Seaman First Class: But you! We saw you in action yesterday! We know what you're capable of! You may not think it, because we're supposed to be enemies, but the Ensign is brave, strong, and smart! I know he'd do the same thing as me if he were here! Chris was now nearly uncovered. Just a little more was needed to free him. Thin Seaman First Class: So please! Pirate! Just this once! Help us defeat those Slaughter Pirates!! With his tearful vow encouraging him, the Marine finally removed the last pile of sand. Chris' body relaxed, but his rear was still facing the Seaman. The Seaman rested on his knees, and looked on at the now free Chris. Hoping Chris wouldn't be so petty as to refuse a request like this. Thin Seaman First Class (desperately; fighting back tears): Please... They're my friends... Chris slowly rose to an erect stance, and dusted his clothes off. He responded in his deeper, more serious tone of voice. He talked slowly, as if to let these words sink in for the Marine who helped him. Chris: You say they're your friends, huh? And you helped me out of the sand... Thanks. Chris, with a steely gaze in his eyes, looked down the path ahead of him. He seemed to be entering a 'thousand yard stare' of sorts. Chris: Just relax for now. Your job's done. He then cracked the joints in his knuckles; limbering himself up for something to come. Chris: And let me handle those so called pirates. The Seaman let out a calming sigh of relief. Compared to the Slaughter Pirates, Chris seemed to have some standards. He even showed signs of true compassion. As the Seaman stared in awe, Chris made his way down the path without a single world spoken. Watching Chris walk away, something struck the Marine. Thin Seaman First Class: Hey, kid!! Do you even know your way to the village?! Chris continued walking without even turning around. Chris: Don't worry, i'll get there. I promise. That was the last the Marine heard or saw of Chris. From that point on, the fate of the village and the Marines' lives was in his hands. Back at the village, the area looked like it came straight out of a crime scene. In fact, that could have been taken literally, as it was criminals whom had done the misdeed. Villagers cringed and held their mouths in shock as they saw the bloody piles of bodies layed out around them. The Marines were horribly injured and down on the ground, while the pirates, with their smug attitude, mocked the Marines for their apparent 'weakness.' Slaughter Captain: See that, people?! That's the kind of men you're putting your trust in! Justice?! If they can't defend a village, then what makes them think they can even protect that silly ideal of theirs?! Splahahahahahaha! As the Slaughter Pirates enjoyed their victory, the Marines struggled to go on. The Ensign, having fought the captain personally, felt especially insulted by those remarks. He grunted not only from the pain, but from the indignation. Marine Ensign (weakly): You shut up, scum... This managed to put a pause on the pirates' cheers. They looked on, dumbfounded, as the Marines tried to summon what was left of their strength back into their bodies. Ensign: Justice is nothing to laugh at... Ungh...! Slaughter Captain: Of course it is. Otherwise, it wouldn't be so funny! Ensign (annoyed): I SAID SHUT UP! Slaughter Captain (surprised): Huh...? Ensign: Without justice... There'd be chaos... These kind, loving people... Would live in fear of you everyday... Slaughter Captain: So? That's just the way I like it. The weak will die off, and the strong will survive. That's the natural order of things. And that's why you're down there and i'm still up here. Ensign: But the world... Needs order... To survive... Don't you see that...? The captain paused for a minute to digest that thought. After some thinking, he came up with a quick reply. As he began to talk, he gripped his large meat cleaver, in order to finally put an end to the Ensign once and for all. Slaughter Captain: Then it'll be MY order! As Slaughter Pirate captain, and the Pirate King!! I'll make sure EVERYONE does as I tell them to!! And for my first order of business... I'll eliminate you!! The Ensign, seeing the sharp blade fall directly at him, grabbed a hold of his saber to block the hit. Ensign: ...!! The sound of blades striking each other was heard. But when the Ensign opened his eyes, he noticed it wasn't his blade. But rather, a brown double-edged longsword that had slammed into the Slaughter Pirate captain's cleaver. Ensign (confused): Huh...? Slaughter Captain (confused): And who are you?! Protruding from the sword was a muscular arm. Or rather, the sword protruded from the arm. Instead of a right arm and right hand, it was a sharp, deadly weapon. Its wielder stood in front of the Ensign, scowling angrily at the pirate captain ahead of him. Chris (annoyed): I'm Jolly D. Chris. A pirate captain. Slaughter Captain: HUH?! The muscles in Chris' right arm bulged in response. With one aggressive shove, Chris pushed the enemy pirate back by about a foot. The Slaughter Pirate captain looked amazed. Not only did this young man come from almost nowhere, but he had called himself a pirate and even managed to block a strike from the captain, let along push him! His men were even more surprised than their captain. Slaughter Pirate 1: DID YOU SEE THAT?!! THE CAPTAIN GOT BRUSHED ASIDE!! Slaughter Pirate 2: BUT NO ONE CAN STAND UP TO THE CAPTAIN'S CLEAVER LIKE THAT!! Slaughter Pirate 3: HE MUST BE THE STRONGEST PIRATE IN ALL OF SOUTH BLUE!! Chris (confused): "South Blue"...? Ignoring the still reeling Slaughter captain, Chris turned around to look directly at the Ensign behind him. Chris (irritable): You said this was Water 7... The Ensign appeared scared. He had been defeated by Chris before, and even now, Chris treated the man who had beaten him as if he were nothing. His worry was understandable, to say the least. Ensign (nervous): F-F-Funny thing ab-bout that...! Chris: I'm listening... Ensign: W-W-We were j-joking! R-Right men...?! Any Marine still awake at the time nodded their heads enthusiastically. They may not have had the will to fight anymore, but something had to be said about their will to live. Chris (curiously): "Joking"...? Chris (angry): YOU JERK!! YOU'RE NO FRIEND OF MINE!! Ensign (regretful): Yes, yes!! I'm sorry!! We all are!! I promise we'll make it up to you!! Just please save us and the people in this village!! Chris looked up and saw the frightened and angry villagers, herded together like livestock. The mere sight of this seemed to bother Chris. He turned back around to face the recovering Slaughter Pirate captain. Chris (annoyed): So you treat people like toys and make them unhappy, and you call yourself a pirate? Considering Chris' question as sheer foolishness, the captain managed to walk back by a few inches to answer him with his more worldly, experienced viewpoint. Slaughter Captain: I could say the same thing to you, boy. Just calling yourself a pirate and going out to sea doesn't make you a true pirate. True pirates do whatever they please, and take whatever they want. That's how we do things, kid. We don't play make-believe with wooden swords like yours... The captain's eyes drifted over at Chris' sword-arm, and noticed that it was in fact attached to Chris' body. Slaughter Captain (shocked): THE HELL ARE YOU?!! Chris (calmly, but irritable): I guess I forgot to mention. I'm a clay man. This is a solid sword of clay I made out of my arm. Nice craftsmanship, if I do say so myself. Slaughter Pirate 1: HE'S A FREAK!! A TOTAL MONSTER!! Slaughter Pirate 2: WE'RE SCREWED!! Slaughter Captain: Hehehe... "Monster"? No... I've heard stories about people like you, kid. Stories about the Devil Fruit, and how each of them hands out a unique power to whoever eats them. Seems you just proved their existance to me. Chris: That's right... Chris' sword melted into wet, thick goo, and started re-molding itself into a normal human arm and hand. Chris: I ate the Clay Clay Fruit. So I use clay to get around. Like making swords to beat ugly creeps like you. Ensign: Wait!! But I thought you said your clay couldn't be reversible once you hardened it!! Chris: That was only true for anything that's left contact with my body. So long as it's still attached to me, I can melt it back down. Ensign (surprised yet nearly speechless): What an odd power... As the two talked, the Slaughter Pirate captain grew angry over Chris' remark. Slaughter Captain: Grrrr...!! "Ugly"?! I'll make you eat those words, boy!! The Slaughter captain swiped his cleaver down vertically upon Chris. Everyone aside from Chris and the pirates gasped in horror. Even the Marine Ensign couldn't help but feel worried for the boy. Ensign: CHRIS, NO!! DODGE IT!! Chris didn't dodge at all. He just stood there, and allowed the captain to carve him into two. The captain grinned at the grisly sight he had made, and many of the bystanders averted their gaze in disgust. Slaughter Captain: SPLAHAHAHAHAHAHA!! SOME GOOD THAT FRUIT OF YOURS DID YOU, BOY!! I TOLD YOU ALL I CAN'T BE STOPPED!! SPLAHAHAHAHAHAHA!! The Slaughter Pirates all began to laugh their heads off alongside their captain. Of course it was foolish to challenge them. They were a mighty rookie crew in the South Blue, making a name for themselves with each pillaging and crime against the authorities. And furthermore, their captain believed himself to be destined to be Pirate King. No one could stand before him and live to tell the tale. But then, why? Why was he just punched in the jaw by some fist that shouldn't be there? Slaughter Captain: AUGH!!! The captain went flying into his own men, knocking them to the ground in a cloud of dust. The ones who were still standing could only look on in horror. This had now gone froma dream come true, to a nightmare. Slaughter Pirates (surprised): CAPTAIN~!!! Standing where a dead Chris should have been, were two halves of the same person. Clay goo slid down the sides of the slash, while Chris stared angrily in his defiance. Everyone else couldn't believe their eyes from this point on. Chris (angry): DON'T YOU DARE MOCK ME!!! Ensign (nearly speechless): It... It's like what happened before... Petty Officer (amazed): Like when I shot him... Chris, unaware of the attention he was getting from the others, began to rejoin his two split apart halves into one again. The goo took on Chris' will, and flew into the other's half, effectively recreating Chris' body as if it had never been injured at all. Chris: I don't just control and create clay. I BECOME it. My whole body's made of clay, so no man-made weapon could ever harm me. I'm invincible. The villagers, and even some Marines felt their jaws drop in amazement. As if straight from Heaven, this young, brave hero of a boy came and put the pirates in their place. Who knew of all people, it'd be another pirate to do it? The little girl from earlier shouted happily to cheer Chris on. Little Girl: GO MUD-MAN!! BEAT THAT UGLY MAN UP!! The other villagers began to chant in unison soon afterward. Villagers: MUD. MAN! MUD. MAN! MUD. MAN! MUD. MAN! Shocked beyond all belief, the Marines couldn't imagine what they were seeing. A whole town full of peaceful, hard-working villagers had started to root for a pirate to save them. Of course, they had no choice in the matter, but it was still the act itself that counted. The Ensign smirked. He wasn't sure what to make of the situation anymore, but all he knew was that he wanted Chris to win. Orders from HQ be damned. Ensign: SHOW 'EM WHAT JUSTICE IS ALL ABOUT, CHRIS!! Chris, without turning to look at the Ensign, flashed him a thumb's up in approval. Chris himself couldn't help but smirk a little when he heard the Marine supporting him. Perhaps he had made a friend after all. His supposed new friend, the Ensign, returned Chris' thumb's up with his own. His men, the Seamen and Petty Officer, followed him in performing the action. Slaughter Captain (annoyed): Grrr...!! Being supported from behind by his men, the Slaughter Pirate captain began returning to confront Chris. Hearing the shouts of support for the clay man, he attempted to put an end to things himself. Slaughter Captain: SHUT YOUR TRAPS, ALL OF YOU!! OR I'LL BUTCHER YOU ALL!! That effectively made the villagers quiet, but it also had an unintentional side-effect. Chris: OH NO YOU WON'T!! Chris charged after the Slaughter captain, and, transforming his right hand into a single handcuff, clasped the now solid cuff around the captain's throat. Chris: CLAY CLAY LOCKDOWN! Now with a good grip on the Slaughter Pirates' captain, Chris threw him down to the ground with a heavy push. The captain's head made a serious impact against the earth, and blood spilled out from his mouth. Slaughter Captain: Ack!! With the captain pinned and his men too scared to move, Chris had the pirates where he wanted them. He stared sternly at the captain, as if to intimidate him into submission. Chris: Some true pirate you are... Slaughter Captain: What... Did you say? Chris: You're right. True pirates do whatever they want, and live by their own codes. We do everything based on our whims, with no one else's moral codes to slow us down. Slaughter Captain: ... Chris: But that's where I stop agreeing with you. We're free, ugly. Free as the wind, free as the waves, and as free as we allow ourselves to be. But that's all. When you use that freedom to limit the freedom of others... Slaughter Captain: ...? Chris: IT PISSES ME OFF!! Chris, before allowing the captain to respond, used his left fist to violently pummel the captain's face into a bloody mess, without even allowing him to defend himself. This honestly shocked many of the bystanders watching him, and even appalled some of them too. The savior of the village was certainly not against using low blows to get his way. Slaughter Pirates (angry and worried): CAPTAIN!!! One threatening, hate-filled stare from Chris was enough to put them in line for good. Once Chris was satisfied with what he had done, he released the captain from the headlock, and simply laid his unconscious body on the ground before him. Chris: You're done here. Leave this island, and rethink what being a pirate means to you. ...Oh, and don't forget ugly here. Chris used his right leg to casually kick the Slaughter Pirate captain to his men, who, for the most part, caught him. As the pirates looked amongst each other in confusion, Chris took this as a new opportunity. To ensure the pirates left for good, he transformed his right arm into a large mass of liquid clay. It was nearly twice as big, if not three times larger than Chris' own body. It sagged with droplets of clay all over it. This justifiably frightened the pirates, who prayed they weren't going to be hurt. ...Their prayers went unanswered. Chris: NOW GET LOST~!!! With a mighty, impressive swing of his arm, Chris punched the pirates, captain and all, with his clay fist. The force of the impact was enough to send them flying clear off the island, and out to sea. They had flown so far, that they seemed to be shrinking into the horizon ahead. Smirking proudly, Chris molded his arm back to normal. Silence followed soon after, with no one other than Chris believing what they had seen. When everyone had finally accepted this as reality, that the pirates were gone, and no one had died, a large, roaring round of applause rewarded Chris for all his efforts. Male Villager: MUD MAN SAVED US~!!! Female Villager: HERE'S TO MUD MAN!!! Chris looked behind himself to see the villagers cheer loudly for him. A silly, childish grin was all Chris could reply with. The Marines, and in particular, the Ensign, stared at Chris in admiration. They knew it was wrong. They shouldn't have been happy for a pirate, nor should they have rooted for him. But he wasn't a typical pirate. He was simply extraordinary. The Marines smiled warmly as they kept admiring their ally. With the threat finally over, and peace restored to the small South Blue island village, everyone could finally return to their daily lives. Grateful to the Marines to had come to help them, the villagers treated the wounded, and asked for nothing in return. Likewise, Chris attracted a large amount of admirers from the village. Children idolized him and wanted to play with his clay body. Some of the younger but mature girls thought of him as cute even, which made their boyfriends jealous. Chris, blissfully unaware of his status as a hero, went along with the fun, and became close friends with nearly everyone in the entire village. When he finally had some time to himself, he had managed to walk down to the village's entrance. Not speaking a word of his impulsive action, the villagers grew curious and followed him there. Still being silent, Chris quickly went to work at building a clay sculpture of his own likeness made from his own clay. When finished, which took only a few minutes with his skills, the villagers' jaws dropped in astoundment. Male Villager: YOU MADE A STATUE OF YOURSELF?! Chris grinned cheerfully and chuckled at the reaction he had gotten. Chris (amused): Heeheeheeheehee!! Yeah! That way, every pirate in the South Blue knows this island is my territory now! Villagers (shocked): YOU'RE MARKING OUR HOME AS YOUR PROPERTY?!! Chris laughed even harder when he saw the comical reaction of the villagers. Chris: Tootootootootootoo!! Pirates do that all the time! I may not have a crew or ship, but I may as well have my first island! Besides, this way, no one will ever be stupid enough to attack you ever again. The villagers stared at Chris in surprise. Was his supposed childish selfishness and pirate-like attitude just a ruse? Did he actually form a plan to protect the island? Or was this just a quick-fix plan he had made on the fly just now? Only Chris knew the answer, and he wouldn't share. He just laughed. Chris (amused): Tootootootootootootootootoo!!! Ingenious, huh?!! The villagers smiled as they looked up at the clay effigy. From now on, they could live in peace, and always remember the day a pirate saved them from other pirates. Chris, done with what he wanted to do, walked straight back into town to check up on the Marines he had helped. When he had returned, he saw that the Ensign was now allowed to walk outside for the time being. Either his wounds weren't as bad as previously thought, or he was tougher than he let on. Chris (happily): Marine!! Hey! The Ensign looked to see Chris calling out to him. Now no longer caring about status or titles, and only seeing Chris for who he truly was, the Marine genuinely returned the smile with his own. Marine Ensign: Jolly D. Chris. Hey to you too! Chris: Looks like you're feeling better! Good. Ensign: Thanks to you, pirate. And the name's Justin, by the way. Chris (grinning): Alright then, Justin. Justin: You're quite the young man. To think we'd meet the person who could defeat a band of pirates by himself, even after finding him in the mouth of a sea king in the Florian Triangle. Chris: Are we still gonna bring that up...? Justin: Heh, sorry. But it seems everyone here, including myself and my men, owe you a debt of gratitude. Out of respect, I can't quite turn you in to Headquarters you know, so it seems you have nothing left to worry about here. Chris (cluelessly): I had something to worry about? Justin: Oh, um...! Nope, nothing at all! Just a slip of the tongue! Hehehehehe.... Chris: You're a weird one... After a little small talk between the two, Justin and Chris began to discuss their next set of plans. Justin was going to return to his base and report that Chris had left Pleasure Island a while ago; which wasn't exactly lying in this case. As for Chris, it was obvious what was on his mind. Water 7, a shipwright, and a pirate ship of his own. Justin: So what are you going to do about your ship? It's not like you have one to sail with anymore. Chris: Yes I do. We came to this island on it. Justin: Wait... THAT'S MY SHIP, YOU JERK!! Chris began picking his nose again, as if to show he just didn't care. Chris: I believe you said you owed me one, right? Justin (annoyed and dissapointed): You're still as rotten as they come though... Chris: Oh, come on. Think of it this way. You'll be trading your big old, slow ship to me for a small new, fast one here. Justin: Hmmm... You have a point the-... STOP SWINDLING ME!! Unable to convince Chris to change his mind, and not wanting to get his ear talked off for 'failing a mission,' Justin sighed in defeat and agreed to Chris' terms. He and his men would take the opportunity to take a non-paying 'vacation' in the village for now, until they could get a new ship to sail them back home. And meanwhile, Chris could use their Marine vessel to sail to Water 7. It was a win-win scenario for the two of them. Shaking on their deal, and not wanting to waste any more time, Chris began to head back for the ship he 'swindled' off of the Marines. Along the way, he was given food and drinks as gifts of gratitude from the villagers, to help support him along his next journey. Once he finally reached the Marine ship, he had already made preparations to set sail. The sails were lowered, the rudder was turned, and the anchors were lifted. Chris was now going back out to sea alone, as he had done before. Standing along the shore, a large crowd of villagers and Marines stood to see him off. The villagers waved Chris a fond farewell while wishing him the best of luck. The Marines honorably saluted the valiant pirate. Chris however, grinned once more and waved goodbye to his new territory in the South Blue. Chris (grinning happily): I promise to see you all again, someday!! Take care~!! Villagers: THANK YOU, CHRIS!!! BEST OF LUCK IN YOUR UPCOMING ADVENTURES!!! With all said and done, and as the island drifted away out of sight, Chris ran to the bow of the ship, where his old sea king ship, Angry Demon, had once fell. He grinned his biggest grin as he watched the horizon inch closer towards him, as he made his way back into the Grand Line. The sea of dreams and adventure. Chris: TO WATER 7~!!!
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