Reigniting Ice

Click, click, click. The rapid pitter patter of a computer keyboard echoed through a dark room, somewhere within Punk Hazard. The only light visible, being those of several screens that were aligned side by side. The typing increased aggressively, and the fingers that were causing these hands, belonging to a certain scientist, moved like a skilled pianist’s fingers playing a complicated Sonata.

"There’s not much time left, no there isn’t!" screamed the man as his typing pace dropped. He had continued typing, albeit with one hand, while he looked around the obscure lab for something, his free hand reaching to various gadgets which he quickly threw away like a kid with his old toys.

"Ah, I have found it!" Suddenly, he grabbed a Den Den Mushi, placing it next to his keyboard, as he continued to wander in the darkness, looking for something of relative importance, as it had caused him to act in such anxious manners. "ZAHAHA, it is here!" he declared once more, grabbing a wrinkled, almost torn piece of paper.

The scientist felt his entire body shake, as he grabbed the Den Den Mushi, specifically a Cameko and pressed its shell, its eyes flashing at the screen.

When day passes and night comes.

The Grim Reaper must collect his dues.

Whether he has to reach the cold or hot lands or perhaps both, does not matter.

If he does not, then his world might be turned upside down.

For even the Grim Reaper holds secrets that might drag him down.

He nervously dialed in a number into it, and pressed its shell once more. Send.

"I hope that’s the right one….I hope indeed." For the first time his voice had grown quiet, and he appeared to be relaxed, but not for long as he hurriedly shut down the screens by pressing a button on his keyboard. Quickly, he walked across the room, various objects clanging against his figure as he did so. The sound of a door creaking could be heard, before it was slammed with force. The scientist had left

The breeze was blowing slightly, the waters were calm. The Shinigami sailed at a slow pace, the Reaper Pirate's airship. It had it's thrusters damaged in the previous battle, as such, they required the use of the wind and it's paddles to sail forward.

Given the ruckus they caused on Negrsneg Island more than a week ago, they've been constantly under heavy Marine fire. Umori Kenshiro even had to disperse his crew, in various ships which were made to resemble their flagship, in order to confuse the enemy. This was due to the aid of one of his crew members. However, he didn't enjoy the idea of having his crew that divided, as he had done in the past, and suffered for it. He probably wouldn't be in the state he's in, caused by the unexpected appearance of a certain, blonde mercenary about a month ago.

Kenshiro was standing on the deck of his ship. Admiring the waves and letting the breeze massage his face. The black coat he normally wore was covering more of the left side of his body, hiding his left arm, and revealing more of his right one. He seemed like he had a lot on his mind. He opened his right palm, and stared at it, almost in disgust.

"I'm...so...weak!", he thought to himself in frustration. With that same right hand, he drew his sword, and with an underhanded grip, he slashed forward towards the sea, releasing a massively powerful slash that parted the water as it shot through.

"Tch...not enough." He said, now in his speaking voice. "This body, is much weaker than-"

"Birubirubirubiru!"

He was cut off by the sudden ringing of his personal den den mushi. However, it rang with a different tone, one set for when a message was received. Kenshiro withdrew his sword, and walked into his cabin. Picking up the snail phone, it answered in a strange code. "258C". Kenshiro raised his eyebrows, and went to one of his desk's drawers, and pulled out a notebook. He searched for those numbers, and there it was.

In the notebook he had written and marked with serial numbers several people with deals to be completed, among other things. Sometimes, the number was for him to search in his inventory, an item or something that would connect him to the person in question, which was the case for this one. He walked over to a large closet, and searched the item that connected him to the number. It was a glass cube, with a Vivre Card on the inside. It had the name Sherman written on it.

In that moment, his troublesome thoughts went away, as he felt this sudden message couldn't have come at a better time. An old colleague was making contact with him. The curiosity intrigued him.

"BOOM!"

The Shinigami was shaken abruptly, as Kenshiro grabbed hold of a wall, to keep his balance. The sound of cannon fire was heard.

"Captain!! It's the Marines! They caught up to us again!"

From outside, the crew's navigator, Kaname Dimaria yelled as she directed the few members of the crew for evasive action. Kenshiro walked outside, with the glass cube on his hand. "How many?"

"There! on our port side, three battleships."

Kenshiro handed the glass cube to Dimaria, much to her confusion. "I'm sick of this. Follow that Vivre Card. Set a course to ".

"B-But, what about the battleships, our weapons don't work properly!", exclaimed Dimaria, preocuppied at her captain's seemingly lack of interest at their predicament.

"What battleships?", he answered.

He walked forward, and from his body, his Avatar, Asura-Deva came forth in its full form. "I only have water and wind to supplement this, but I think it'll be enough."

A second later, he released part of Asauchi, another avatar, but it quickly merged into Asura-Deva, forming the even larger, more terrifying "Asurauchi". Asurauchi's left head absorbed water from the sea, the right head absorbed wind, and the middle one, was chargin up Kenshiro's own life energy. The three elements merged into one in the middle, compressing into a dense sphere, and with a powerful sonic boom, it released forward, parting the sea and air on its way as it reached the battleships. It was weaker than when he used the technique previously, against Cain D. Abel, and managed to bruise the powerful behemoth of a man, even though he had reinforced himself with dense Busoshoku and his devil fruit. Nonetheless, this one still carried with it devastating power, as the slightest contact with the first ship split it open in two.

Asurauchi tilted its heads, to do the same to the other two battleships, completely and utterly destroying them.

Dimaria ghasped, as she realized her captain had gotten even more used to the advanced applications of his devil fruit. "In just a short time, and even while weakened, he has managed to grow this much. You're terrifying, captain Kenny."

The avatar retreated to Kenshiro's body. He turned to face Dimaria. "Let's make haste, shall we?", he said to her with a smile.

"Y-Yes!"

He went to his cabin and sat down, and began reminiscing about the past.

It was around mid-day, when the Shinigami had reached the elusive island of Punk Hazard, about a day and a half later. Dimaria had put on her coat, as the freezing temperatures encompassed them. Kenshiro, being told they had arrived, walk towards the deck, with his typical attire.

"Kenny! Put on a coat, it's cold!" Dimaria exclaimed concerned.

"It's not cold. Well then, I'm heading out."

"Not by yourself you're not!"

"EEEH!?" Kenshiro glared weirdly at Dimaria.

"YOU HEARD ME! You're not...well, at 100%. You can't go alone! We've been being followed relentlessly by the Marines for the things we've done, what if this is a trap?!"

"If it's a trap, I can deal with it!", Kenshiro exclaimed, frowning. He jumped from the ship and landed into the icy ground. He noticed another ship was docked there, but didn't think much of it.

"No...no...NO!! Otto, Raizer. Go with Kenny!! Make sure he doesn't do something he shouldn't!"

"UUuhgg"...Kenshiro complained as he started walking forward, not even waiting for his comrades to join him.

Peril Awaits
"Yes, Alistair-sama, I’m almost getting there." She paused, for a second, listening intently to the Den Den Mushi. Her gaze dropped to the wooden floors of her boat, as she brought her palm to her face. "No…I’m afraid I cannot confirm whether I can send you the heads of our enemies. I do not know if I will encounter them." Click

Al Khalifa Ain sighed deeply as she ran her hand through her ebony hair. She carefully placed the Den Den Mushi in her pocket, before looking forward. She could make out the Ice Lands of from afar, and gulped loudly. She had been asked by Crowley Alistair to investigate the early New World Island, to see if she could find any possible resources, or perhaps even gain control of the territory for the Notch. Though, the latter was quite farfetched. Its living conditions had been unknown for the last 50 years, and whether any life form inhabited the island was unconfirmed.

She worried. Although her exterior, showed her stoic nature, she wondered inside whether she would be able to bring some good news to the suffering Pirate crew. And these thoughts flooded her mind until the cold of Punk Hazard infested her, bringing her back to reality. Icebergs filled her visage, as she prepared herself to anchor the small caravel to the island’s somewhat functional port.

With skills akin to those of a skilled helmsman or navigator, Ain pulled a rope from the side of her ship before launching it forward by thrusting her arms. The anchor landed precisely in one of the port’s legs and as she approached the island she proceeded to tie a knot in the rope, making sure her ship remained steady.

"I reckon this should be good enough." She told herself, jumping from the ship to the wooden planks of the port. She tapped it with her foot, slightly preoccupied with the creaking sound it made. Regardless, she shrugged it off, and made her way into the island.