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The Winds of Change[]
Standing atop the edge of a flat topped mountain on a lonely island sheathed in sky blue ice and snow that resembled clouds with the abandoned castle The Birds of Prey call "Home Base" to his back with his lower face covered by his scarf and white flakes of snow resting on his head, Shinko looked onwards, observing the grand sea of the New World beyond the icy island. "14 years in the making, I finally begin my journey to save the world" Shinko thinks to himself as he crouches down and digs his ungloved hand in the soil, his forearm turns purple as he clads his hand in Aether. The snow evaporates around his hand as he grits his teeth in anger, imagining the faces of the World Nobles. Shinko hears the crunch of snow behind him and turns his head to the side, "Keef, tell me...Are you prepared to die for this?"
"I'm prepared to do anything if it means that we have the slightest chance to disassemble this corrupt regime." Keef responds to Shinko. A short but well built man with a hood says as he unsheathes his blade, he then gazes out and looks at the snowy scenery below the mountain where the group resides. He then takes a deep breath as he's preparing himself for the journey that is soon to ensue. He takes some time to evaluate the situation they're currently in, he trembles in anticipation for the fact that he's finally going to be able to give payback to Oliver who he has battled before. He then proceeds to walk up to his commander and friend Shinko who's currently crouching on the ground, Keef then pats him on the shoulder and says "If anything goes wrong, at least we'll go out with knowing that we tried to do something for the betterment of the whole world" he says and then he sits down next to Shinko.
Shinko takes his hand out of the snow and stands up in sync with Keef. With the wind blowing a flurry of snow into the back of Shinko, making his scarf wave and his black trench coat flail. Despite the roar of the blizzard Shinko's voice can be heard loud and clear, "I refuse to lose, Keef. The world can't afford for us to fail. We will win, brother." Shinko says while he and Keef stare right into each other's eyes despite the harsh winds. Shinko unclenches his fist and outstretches his hand towards Keef. Standing near the ledge of the mountain with the wind roaring and the snow falling like daggers, Keef and Shinko grasp each other's hand and recite their motto, "With the red blood of rebellion stained on his raised fist, the savior declared "You are free'".
Approaching the pair from a darkened archway with 'YOU ARE FREE' etched into the stone above. A man with the appearance of a clown walks softly, leaving no trace behind him toward the two grasping the wrists of both Keef and Shinko saying,"How could you let ME miss such a touching moment like this hmm?" A hint of sarcasm to his tone and a joyous grin decorates his face. "If the two of you are done touching each other I suggest we get inside to review strategy. Though I suppose it would make it entertaining if our star players were uninformed, wouldn't you say hmm?" He quickly turns around, hands behind his back, and stops at the base of this archway. Turning around and shooting the two a curious look, "Do please take all the time you need though. I'll be inside if you're interested hmm." Beginning to walk backwards, slowly, and just inside the shadow. Easily seen watching Keef and Shinko before returning to the innermost quarters.
Shinko lets go of Keef's hand and turns towards the archway, "Be ready, Keef" he says before he makes his way inside the base, as the wind calmed the crunching of snow under Shinko's feet can be heard. When he enters the dark hallway he passes Santorino, ignoring his heckling. Shinko pulls down his scarf and takes a blue Den Den Mushi outside of his trench coat, The sound of footsteps echoes throughout the hallway as the Den Den Mushi rings. "Kacha. Mika, gather everyone in the war room, we're going over the plan" Shinko says awaiting a response…
"All right Mr. ' wind blowing badass'. I'll get everybody to the main hall as quickly as possible. Catch ya' there'' Mika closes the call as he puts a similarly small blue Den Den Mushi into her coat. 'Why can't I just drop a massive Tsunami on that damn base. It's not like the shitty Commodore of G-4 can do shit' She pondered. She continued to walk down a hallway as she kept pondering about what could possibly be the thing holding back Shinko. 'If he wants to but us at this much risk for a sneak attack then the results needs to be extremely useful'
'Commodore Morel and his underlings aren't the type you should underestimate' she continued to talk to herself. She knew that Shinko knew that this was an extreme risk. Commodore Morel is a fierce fighter. Just because he doesn't have a devil fruit, doesn't mean he's any weaker than most of the agents within the Birds Of Prey. But the main cause of concern may be his underling... Captain Rukyo Tohru. Tohru has never been a good fighter. He's weak physically and has a low amount of stamina but his devil fruit makes up for it big time. 'The Chi Chi no Mi isn't a power to take lightly. I can die the moment he gets even a drip of my blood' Mika thought in concern. At that final thought, Mika finally arrived at her location. The Dining Hall. It was still somewhat early so most of the agents were still dining. "Hey all of you, it's code AirBorne in the Main Hall. Go there as quickly as possible" "YES MAAM" the agents replied as they quickly finished the food on their plates and started heading to the main hall.
In the commotion of the agents moving out of the dining hall, Mika catches a glimpse of Henry. She does hand signs to signal him to go and report for her. Without much of a questioning, He goes after the other agents. Henry was cleaning his Pistol while chewing a piece of bread when he looked up to see Mika doing hand signs. Not really knowing what she meant but since he was done eating he decided to start heading out. He went to the barracks to retrieve his rifle when he was hit by a blast of cold from a vent. "Man I hate this Mountain," Henry thought to himself, "It's a great base because no one would be caught dead here but God it makes me miss the desert." He wrapped his mother's scarf tighter around his head and headed to his bunk.
He grabbed his rifle and did a quick inspection while going over the plan in his head. "I kept bugging Shinko for some action and it looks like that's exactly what I'm gonna get." He mumbled to himself, "Now what was the plan again?" He said scratching his head, "ah well someone will tell me who to shoot and if not I'll just shoot all the guys in Marine Uniforms, hasn't steered me wrong yet," he said while chuckling lightly. With his pistols holstered and his rifle in his shoulder he looked at the clock and smiled saying, "ahh perfectly late" and headed to the meeting hall.
In the meeting hall where most of his fellow members had already assembled Henry took his seat. The hall itself was a rather large room with a huge table in the center of it with the Birds of Prey logo on it as well as numerous reports, schematics, and stolen Marine files all over. On one side of the room was a white board where Shinko had the aspects of his plan all laid. out being transmitted onto the board via transponder snail and ready to explain. On the other side was the door as well as multiple other transponder snails meant for communication purposes and a board with newspaper clippings depicting Government injustice across the world as a reminder for the Birds Of Prey so they never forget what they're fighting for.
Shinko walks out from behind the whiteboard and scans the room, "It seems everyone is here" Shinko says as adjusts a large map of G-4 on the large whiteboard and emits a low heat laser from the tip of his index finger and points the laser at the map. With a loud and clear voice Shinko begins to explain the plan "G-4, I know I've gone over this time and time again but it is only right to go over it once more. So! Here is the plan. We approach Fog Island from the side in our submarine. On the western end of the island there is a drop in elevation. Here we will drop Mika off, she will make her way to the back of the base and await my command to flood the backside of the base. Here we will also drop off Henry, where he will get in position and on my Command will snipe the guards that sit on the two watchtowers. Then we will approach the front side of the base where Santorino will tell us the number of soldiers present and where the head officers are. After this I will give the command via Ear Piece Den Den Mushi to all at once, eliminate the guards, flood the back, and Me, Keef, Areochet, and Santorino will destroy the harbor via Aether laser and rush the base. We will locate the head officers and promptly kill them. Everyone not in the primary invasion force will be tasked with holding off reinforcements. At the end, we will burn down G-4, and imprint our symbol on the ruins." Shinko takes in a deep breath and breathes out, Shinko adjusts his poster before walking down the steps, "Let's go" He says as he approaches the Tram car hanging by a thick wire that leads to the harbor. Bang Bang Bang The loud noise of something hard getting hit echoes and rings from the harbor where a grandiose submarine is docked as waves hit the side of its exterior, a young red haired man wearing a robotic mask is swinging a gigantic hammer with all his might towards the submarine continuing to do so for quite some time, "The first tests done...seems Wapometal lives up to its name..." the young man says as he drops the hammer which burrows into the ground, "...the next test is Lazers..." he says before turning his attention towards a noise above him belonging to a tram car," Oooo...that must be my dear commander" he sarcastically says as he runs towards the place where the tram car stops as he removes his mask revealing the man to be Aerochet the Bird of preys mechanic,
"Yo commander you done with yall's meeting...cool Okay...the piece of junk sub you acquired-" it really wasn't a piece of junk "-is now a beast ready to be set free" Aero says with his arms flailing outwards towards the sub, "I got some Wapometal and fitted it into the exterior...you know it was very hard to get the material and parts for its face lift, extremely valuable shit that is I'll need some compensation for that...anyways this baby is almost ready all it needs now is a name...i usually name my creations but I'll give you this one" he says patting shinko on the back.
Shinko steps towards the swaying submarine, the ice that encases the stone snapping under his boot. Shinko, not caring for the frigid cold and the ice cycles that hang on the cold roof of the docking bay, crouches down and places his hand on the submarine.
"You have outdone yourself Aero, It's perfect. I'm grateful for your work" Shinko says before walking seawards outside of the docking bay onto a platform constructed to dock traditional ships. Shinko keeps a straight face as the snow gently hits his face while he looks out to the vast sea. "How about this Aero...Let's call it...War Monger"
Santo steps into the bay and lets out a condescending whistle. "I've got to admit aero, this is not too shabby. I trust you've added the features I requested? Also warmonger? Really Shinko? Why not something tranquil that encourages rebellion? The penguin even may be more fitting for our organization. But I suppose it can't be helped, seeing you as blood hungry seems normal hmm?" Santo says with a massive grin coloring his face. "Now then Aero, show me to where I'll be staying as well as my additions. Please." Gesturing to Aero to lead a tour of the vessel. Various clicks and bangs can be heard from the interior, an occasional burst of steam erupts into the distance.
Shinko let's out a sigh and rests his shoulders "Why the hell did I recruit this guy?" he whines to himself before making his way back under the roof. He observes the thick wire that the tram sitting on the ground hangs on and notices that Santo was the only one who followed him.
He trots over to the control panel that controls the tram and pulls the lever to send the tram back to the base, Shinko pulls out the blue Den Den Mushi from his jacket and it begins to ring for Mika, "Kacha. For a former Marine you sure are an idiot anyways...Get everyone down here. I have something to give all of you"
With Mika's den den mushi in hand, Henry speaks into it and says, "hey boss Mika can't come to the phone right now, she's busy chasing some annoying bastard who stole her communicator." He said with a smile while running from the Scholar who was cursing and shouting at him to return her property. While quickly running into the now returning Tram on his way to the harbor Henry closes the door seconds before Mika can enter and hits the button. While descending, Henry realizes that eventually the Navigator will eventually be trapped with him on a sub where there will be no place to run and instantly regrets making her mad. Once again speaking into the den den mushi, "So boss what'd you get us for Christmas? New weapons? A new heater? That pet monkey I've been asking for!?!"
Shinko looks up towards the descending tram car in a panicked manner before chuckling "She'll kill you, henry" He says giggling. "Anyway, I have the Ear Piece Den Den Mushi ready. After everyone gets down here we are heading for G-4. Kacha" This ice under Shinko's boots crack as he walks over to The War Monger and slams on the side, BANG BANG"Santo, Aero, get out here!"
Inside the '''War Monger''' Aero gives Santo a tour of Santos' personal requests, showing him an advanced medical bay though it looked like a clowns workshop with all the mix of pink blue and white along with a connecting door to his own personal quarters which had a weird donkeys butt as a wall ornament that had speakers on the cheeks, "wait till you see what happens when you pull the tail" Aero tells Santo before they made their way back outside to Shinko.
"Yo commander treat your sub with more respect banging on her like that is uncalled for" he says even though he was beating on it with a gigantic hammer. Aero spots tiny den den mushi with Shinkos hand and automatically has his face close to them as he eyes them up "are these what I think they are" he says as he wraps his brain around it.
Santo does not immediately reply and takes a moment once Aero is out of the room to pull the tail. Creating a mess and painting himself in confetti. Santo's face lit up. A smile cascades across his face as a joyous squeal breaks free from his lungs.
Exiting the room, leaving the mess in place, as well as the confetti on himself, begins skipping like a child leaving the ship. Looking at Shinko, still covered in confetti, takes note of the den den mushi in his hand. "Now what are these Shinko old pal? Trying to keep tabs on everyone? Communication? Snack time? I kid, I know what they are, hmm." He says, still excited from the submarine. Takes a hold of the den den mushi, acts like he's going to eat it, receiving disapproving glares from his allies. And with a smile he places it in his ear giving them a sarcastic thumbs up.
Catching his breath from the running in the Tram, Henry's whole body jeers forward a bit as the Machine swings into position and locks into place having reached the harbor. Stepping from metal to snow Henry once again adjusts his scarf and heads for the sub the ice and snow crackling under his boots. Once there looks at Shinko disappointed by the lack of monkeys in his hands and notices the tiny den den mushi. He looks down at them and up then up at his Commander then down again, "snails in our ears?" He says annoyingly, "If you ever question my loyalty Shinko just remember that I put a snail in my ear because you told me to." He said while reluctantly placing the tiny piece in his ear and turning it on. He then looks at a confetti covered Santos and says, "I don't even want to know," as he walks over to the clown and hands over Mika's den den mushi saying, "if she asks, you told me to take it." He says while smiling and going off to explore the sub.
Shinko looks in confusion at everyone "You guys didn't have to put them in now" He says before walking over to the tram control panel and pulls the lever to return the tram for Mika to come down. Shinko makes his way inside WarMonger where he traces his fingers on the walls as he walks into the main room. Where a large round table with The Birds of Prey logo imprinted on the center sits. He hears commotion from down the hall and goes to check it. When he looks into the opened door from outside in the hallway a depressed look befalls him as he watches Santo and Henry play in confetti. He walks into the room with an angry expression and lifts Santo from the ground by his head "Why is there a donkey's ass in my ship?!"
"Don't ask questions you don't want the answer to, Shinko. All you need to know is that Lucky here is a valued and needed member of the team here. If you've got a problem with Lucky, you've got a problem with me. And Shinko, you are on my good side right now, just letting you know hmmmmmm." Santo says with a massive grin, wrapping his arm around Shinko. "I do believe we should disembark before we go any further. I personally volunteer as a distraction, and I will do what I want regardless of what my orders are." Looking to Shinko, waiting for a judgemental stare as Santo twirls a single scalpel in his hand.
Shinko gives Santo a grand smile and drops him before walking calmly to the doorway and turning his head to the side and eyeing Santo. "That's fine" he says kindly before walking out of the room. Hurried stomps can be heard entering the submarine, "Oh Mika! Everyone's having a good time in Santo's room!" Shinko says menacingly before walking out and closing off the submarine exit with an evil smile on his face.
"Shinko wait" Mika screamed to no avail as the submarine hatch was slammed right in front of her. "Oh and by the way, both Santo and Henry in the sub too" Shinko yelled from outside "Do what you want with them". Hearing that, Mika just lifted her eyebrow as her hair started growing out. She started to walk around the sub trying to find the both of them. 'Where the hell is Santo's room?' she thought. Henry was definitely with Santo. She knew that. She continued walking through multiple rooms even passing her's, but she still hasn't found Santo's.
Bored, tired, and angry, Mika just yelled "HENRY YOU HAVE ONE MINUTE TO COME TO THE MAIN HALL OR ELSE I WILL FRY YOU TO DEATH" as she yelled that she entered her hybrid form. "GIVE ME BACK MY DAMN SNAIL OR ELSE" she wasn't gonna wait.
Shinko leans back on the submarine with his arms crossed, listening joyfully to the screams of pain from Henry and Santo. His attention is quickly broken by the sound of the tram car screeching to a stop. He fixes his posture and uncrosses his arms when he sees Keef approaching the submarine. Shinko sticks his arm out in front of the Keef's chest in a gesture to stop him from moving any further "I wouldn't go in there if I were you"
“Ugh those lame ass fools still making a fuss like always” Keef says then sighs. Keef walks toward to Shinko and gives him a friendship handshake “I don’t care about what the rest are doing i’m just trying to figure out where the fuck my room is” Keef says in a tired and sluggish voice as he walks around with a very laidback but anxsty demeanor on his face.
“The work on the sub is not too bad itself. Aero really did bust a nut while making this masterpiece” Keef says as he giggles.
“You wanna walk around the sub for a bit bro?” says Keef talking to Shinko.
"I'd love to but it's about time we depart" Shinko says as he reopens the hatch and sees Henry's lifeless body face down and get pulled out of view. Shinko walks into the main room with Keef and presses the red button in front of the commander's seat at the round table that signals everyone to come to the main room. When everyone enters the room Shinko gives a confident expression. "Everyone, let's depart. Our mission begins now!" Shinko says before signaling for Keef and Aero to come into the bridge where the control panel is. "I'll alert everyone when we're close" He says before shutting the Bridge Hatch...And so The Birds of Prey depart for Fog Island, where G-4 is located.
First Contact[]
Thud thud thud. The echoing sound of heavy footsteps could be heard everywhere within the damp, poorly lit complex. It was accompanied by the shadow of a colossal figure, which stopped walking once it got to the lowest of the three levels in the edification, which was a buried tower with a set of spiraling stairs, surrounded by cells. It was the prison of G-4. The colossal figure remained silent and unmoving, as if waiting for something.
"To what do I owe the pleasure, Bucks?" Said a rather raspy voice with what seemed like a sarcastic respectful tone.
"This is the last time I'll say it. Join us and your charges will be dismissed. With your abilities, it will be easy to get to Rear Admiral."
"Charges? Charges implicate criminal deeds. What did I do? Since when is making the truth known considered a crime? Unless you answer that, you and Morel can shove that offer up your assh*les. Besides, I'm actually enjoying the silence and peace in here. It has proved useful for my Observation Haki training. For that, I have to ask you to thank that bitch Betsy on my behalf." The shadow of a mildly emaciated, long haired, middle aged man could be seen within the prison. If one were to approach him, they'd see he had a messy beard, eyebags, and his eyes were permanently shut. His ears also had dried blood all over them. He looked rather miserable.
"Very well, it's your choice. All I'll say is you are a stubborn idiot. I've never seen Headquarters extend an invitation three times. It's also good to know you're comfortable, since you still have almost ten years on your sentence. I bet those Kairoseki shackles are such a good sleep aid. I envy you, I truly do. And sure, I'll pass your thanks on to Betsy next time I see her. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have work to do, on the surface, where sunlight still reaches."
The colossal man left, but not before he glanced at the other inmates in the second level; the one he had visited was the only one in the third level. There were only three, and they were fairly skilled dropouts. They had been imprisoned here for selling intel to the Underworld Dealers in Paradise. They even knew two forms of Rokushiki each, and one was actually a savage half blood mink. His Sulong form had been greatly valued by Commodore Morel. Hence why he was recruited as an Ensign, and not an ordinary recruit or apprentice.
"Tahahatahaha!" The laughter of the inmate in the third level could be heard as the colossal man left for the surface.
"Till next time my friend Olivier! Just pray I never get out of here before you become strong enough!"
The man known as Olivier ignored him. He did not know how strong the inmate on the third level actually was, but he had read the file. At least from that, and the fact that Betsy herself had had a tough time capturing him, he did not feel any confidence in being able to face him.
Nevertheless, he didn't dwell on it too much and decided to head to the training grounds. The sooner he achieved mastery over Rokushiki, the sooner he could have his own base and get rid of the bothersome Commodore Morel of G-4. The training grounds were located on the outer ring. In total, the base had three rings, outer, middle, and inner rings. The buried prison tower, where he had just been, was in the inner level. The inner level was always defended by a strong fellow known as Ryuko. He was the Commodore's right hand man. The middle ring was where most officers and artillery were. The barracks and the command office were there.
As he walked toward the training grounds, Olivier stopped at the docks in the outer ring, where five Marine ships were permanently stationed. He breathed in the sea breeze, along with the fog. He had a bad feeling, but he couldn't get his finger on what it was.
thuc thuc thuc footsteps were heard as a certain someone was walking through the submarine of the Birds of Prey. Heading to the location of the leader and his right-hand man, the certain someone or more known as Hioshida Mika walks whilst dragging the charred body of Santo.
"Shinko? Keef?" She called out to both of them as she entered the room. "You ready to get to the debriefing?" asked Shinko "Yeah I just need you to get the upper agents to this room" Mika said
"Keef you do it" Shinko casually told his partner. "Sigh, fine" "Upper Agents, make your way to the meeting room" Keef spoke through a black Den Den Mushi. "There, happy now?" He asked in annoyance "Yes, very happy" Mika said with a sneaky grin
Time passed and before long all the upper agents came to the room and the burn victims (Santo and Henry) recovered at least to the point where they could at least hear what she was saying
"Ok. Now that we're here, let me properly introduce all of you to the greater threats of Marine Base Branch 4." She pulled a scroll out of her coat and she laid it down on the battle then opened it. "The leader of the place of the whole is Commodore Morel. He's a maniac to put it simply. He enjoys the screams of agony that comes from the downfall of his enemy and he can practically look into the future" Mika said as it gained a reaction from some of the agents namely Shinko and Santo.
"Although he never ate a devil fruit, he's extremely creative and multi-talented which makes him an incredible threat even to the best of us. Not only that but he's a great leader. Even though he doesn't care about the livelihood of his underlings, he prides himself in tactical decision making." This was a high cause of concern. Most of the agents started to ponder about it leaving the room in its normal state of complete silence.
"I remember seeing him play chess with Kuro-oji once. His plays were simply impeccable. He's proven to various people that thinking strategizing against him would be more stressful then just going full agro" Mika states. Mika always Morel was more than just an ordinary recruit. Kuro himself told her that he was a prodigy at his job. Morel was someone that was seen as the prime example of a great soldier.
"Although he himself is intimidating, someone arguably more dangerous than him is his greatest pawn, Captain Ryuko Tohru" Mika ended her sentence as she dropped a picture onto the table. The picture depicted a decently tall man with pupil-less eyes with short black hair that formed even bangs. He had small green earrings with a beige headband.
"Ryuko is a loyal servant of Morel's and he's the only person that's really important to him. He possesses a somewhat odd but dangerous fruit." Mika paused as she decided to look around the room. After a few seconds, she picked up a picture from her coat and put it on the table. "The Gasho Gasho no Mi. The fruit of the conductor. How he uses it makes it extremely dangerous. Their number of forces gives his fruit a multitude of advantages. The fruit allows him to attack us with the power of sound and music but it also allows him to hypnotize and affect the movement and actions of a person" Some people started to get worried as a bead of sweat was visible on the cheeks of few.
"This is somebody we really need to look out for" She bluntly states as the pressure in the room started to dwindle.
"Put this isn't the only people that's extremely dangerous" Mika said as the worry in the eyes of some started to show yet again. "I would like to explain who these people are myself" She paused "But I'd rather not do it" Mika said as she gained confused looks by most of the agents
"long sigh Olivier Bucks" She dropped a file filled with marine records and pictures of what seemed to be dead bodies. The picture that was pinned at the cover of the file was depicting a tall muscular man with green tattoos and scars all over his body
"The records should be enough explanation as to why he's dangerous,"Mika said before she looked up at Shinko and Keef. "Read it for yourself, Mr. Leader" She stood back and started walking out of the room.
Shinko with a curious look on his face nods at Mika and steps forward to grab the file. He opens it and begins flipping through the pages slowly, with a growing child-like curiosity growing inside of him. He felt a mix of emotions, anger, excitement, curiosity, eagerness. When he closed the file he leaned over to Keef and whispered into his ear so that no one could hear "This is it?" Shinko whispers into Keef's ear as he and Keef begin to chuckle before he tosses the file onto the table, letting it slide smoothly into the pile of other files and paper. "I must say Mika, I'm much more confident with you on our side. '' He says patting her on the shoulder before a beeping noise can be heard from the main console. Shinko walks into the cockpit where a projector Den Den Mushi displays a red sign stating "ALERT: APPROACHING DESTINATION" Shinko walks back out with a determined expression "Shut you shit and get ready, we got a government to take down. Let's go!" Shinko shouts before heading back into the cockpit.
Rushing to the sight glass, conveniently placed in the medical bay, Santo calls over the den den mushi, "First, I just wanted to say. Shinko, Keef, secrets don't make friends. They make babies HAHAHA" a thud is heard, assuming Santo fell to the floor laughing. "Ooh that was good! Anyway, serious matters, from this distance I see four guards per tower, a horde of marines on the ground level. If I had to give a number, about 50. But I can't really tell, there's a lot of people in there and those are just for sure marines I see right now." Finishing his statement by pulling the donkey's tail yet again, being blasted in the side of the face with more confetti, waking a confused looking Henry off the floor. "I'll be able to discern inmates from foe once we are just off shore."
After a few minutes of regaining his senses Henry's vision and hearing return to normal and he immediately hears it. The submarine starts its accession, the metal creaking as the Machine rises against the pressure of the sea and Henry knows it's time to get ready. He loads and holsters his pistols and double checks his rifle is loaded and prepares to meet Mika at the loading bay. He stands a few feet away from the Navigator not wanting to aggravate her further and warrant another shock to his system. Henry hears the Submarine break through the ice and reach an area close and safe enough to the site for them to reach and walk. Mika stares warily at Henry's rifle pointed carelessly in her direction. Noticing this Henry says, "Don't worry the safety's on," and smiles. As she walks towards the hatch in front of Henry the marksman quickly switches his safety on before anyone can notice. As they both climb out the hatch both of their visions are immediately overcome with the strong fog covering the island. Not wasting any time Henry surveys the area and notices the grim aura of the environment, the Marine base itself could be seen in the center surrounded by a floor and forest of ice caps floating around the base itself. Getting into position Henry loads his grappling hook into his rifle and aimed for a larger ice cap around the height of the base and launches the line up. He pulls it in and climbs up the cap, the ice crackling under his boots and perches on the top. He then uses the heat vision function on his goggles to get a view of the towers, his targets. Waiting for Shinko's signal his trigger finger was twitching with anticipation.
Shinko taps the head of his Ear Piece Den Den Mushi and plants his hand on the shoulder of the chair that Aero sits in and leans over his shoulder. With complete seriousness and uncontrollable butterflies in his stomach Shinko commences the attack.
"Get in position"
Mika is seen jogging along the elevated plateau of ice that hangs over the base. Henry lets out a deep breath that can be seen due to the cold and lays on his stomach with his gun's muzzle parched on a bipod with both hands clasped on the hilt of his rifle pointing at the watchtowers.
"...3..."
Henry's eyes narrow and a concentrated expression befalls his face.
"...2..."
Mika stops right at the back of the face and raises her arms, preparing to decimate the backside of the base and cut off their only escape route
"...1..."
Henry closes his eyes, awaiting Shinko's signal...
"Now!"
Henry's eyes quickly open up as 8 rapid fire shots can be heard and 8 bodies slump down on the watchtowers, 1 of them falling over onto the harbor deck. Henry quickly stands up and sprints over Mika's location
simultaneously water rushes into the backside of Fog island along with violent winds and small-scale funnels, whipping around the equipment and marines in the area.
"it's done!" Henry shouts into the Den Den Mushi, Shinko let's out a panicked sigh of relief before gesturing for Aero and Keef to follow him. They walk over to the top hatch as one of Aero's instruments drives the sub to the frontside of G-4. Shinko opens the before doing several light crouches before a burst of Aether emerges from his feet, sending him flying out of the hatch. Shinko adjusts himself midair before outstretching his hand and shooting a beam of Aether from his index finger at the ships in the harbor. The ships all explode as a beam of Aether slices the ships in half from left to right. Dropping down directly in front of the main doors of G-4 Shinko waits for Keef and Aero.
Santo emerges from the submarine alone, feeling a little petty, walks to the gate of G4, arms outstretched holding the back of his head as he approaches. Walking across the lightly frozen ground, leaving no trace of his presence, save for a light trail of confetti following in the distance. A smile cascades across his face as he steps in front of the gates. "This will be entertaining, hmm?" He says to the trio, "There are 40 hostiles just beyond the gate. I trust you're able to adjust accordingly, hmm?" Looking directly at Shinko. Placing a single finger on the door and knocking on that massive metal gate.
A red haired man holding a red shield walks through the long corridor of the base sneezing as the cold starts to get to him. He had been reassigned to the G4 base as punishment for his actions in Impel Down, and so that Commodore Bucks could beat some sense into him when needed. He was doing his patrol for the 20th time today. "This is so unfair!!" He complains to himself aloud. "I'm stuck here where nothing ever happens while the Commodore gets to have all the fun with the prisoners." He walks to the edge of the base and gazes out the window for the 20th time, "And now we have the watch tower's shining their annoying ass lights in my face." However as he walked by the windows the normally circling lights were still, fixed in one position, "that's odd, " he thought to himself. He then took out his transponder snail and switched to the tower's channel, "tower 1 report," no response "TOWER 1 REPORT!" Static in the end, "somethings wrong", he thought to himself. Then out of nowhere a loud BOOM could be heard on the other side of the base and voices clamoring and shouting 'WERE UNDER ATTACK.' It was then that Captain Akako Jasper smiled as he ran toward the commotion and sounds of battle. "Finally some action!"
A group of 12 marines armed with rifles rush to the front door and take cover behind the pillars, while another group of about 10 kneel down 10 yards away from the door with rifles pointed at the door in preparation for another attack. As one marine slowly shuffle to the door holding his rifle in one hand and his other hand outstretched to open the door Shinko's fist turns purple as he clads his forearm and hand in Aether before cocking his arm back and thrusting it forward, blowing the door open and effectively killing the 5 marines closest to the door and gravely injuring the ones kneeling 10 yards away. Shinko, Keef, Aero, and Santo all walk into the base though the crumbling archway where a grand pair of double doors used to be, stepping over slumped bodies and rubble before the smoke clears, revealing themselves to the marines. "You were supposed to stay back, Owl." Shinko says with an irritated voice, "They've seen our faces...Kill everyone of them. We'll regroup on my signal" Shinko announces before a burst of Aether shoots him up from the first floor into the second. Where a big purple ball begins forming above his hand as he begins slowly walking towards a group of panicked marines who hurriedly scramble, looking for weapons. A menacing smile befalls Shinko's face.
Upon hearing the commotion caused by the explosion of the ships at the dock, Olivier, who had yet to finish his daily training, wiped away the sweat on his body with a towel before he put on his Commodore cape and headed to see what was going on.
The first thing he saw was the debris. Hundreds of broken wooden planks were scattered everywhere on the dock's ground. There are several wounded marine recruits and even a Lieutenant nearby. He feels his fighting urges rising. Today someone will not make it to the end of the day unharmed, that's for sure.
*SWOOSH!" He disappears from the place using Soru, heading toward the edge of the middle ring, where he can hear the screams of his comrades and see purple glows blinking in and out of existence. He spots the cause of the bursts of purple light. A young man, much shorter and lankier than him, but who seems to be a Devil Fruit user.
Olivier makes a fist and puts all his focus on it as he makes use of Wanryoku-ryu's Tenmetsu Shukuyaku application, making an ethereal aura appear around his fist. If anyone with observation haki were to see it, they'd actually be capable of noticing minuscule specks of Ryuo blinking in and out of existence in a matter of milliseconds, too fleeting to be of actual use, but a testament to the Southern Behemoth's potential. Using the factor of surprise to his favor, he hopes to land a one punch K.O. on the hostile.
Shinko kicks a Marine upwards in the stomach with a Aether-cladded leg, making the Marine spit out blood. He kicked the Marine so hard it sent him flying through the next 3 floors out of the other end of the roof. Shinko uses a prolonged burst of Aether to fly upwards out of the stone fortress.
"How annoying" Shinko says as he steps over the unconscious body of the Marine soldier with a careless attitude before arriving directly under a flagpole with an untouched World Government flag waving at the tip. Shinko looks at it with a hateful stare before looking back down and placing his hand on the flag pole to lean on it.
Shinko looks onwards towards the sea and lets out a sigh of relief "It seems to be going well-" Shinko feels an abrupt and aggressive gust of wind before he feels his Observation Haki kick in along with his fight or flight response. Shinko grits his teeth "Duck!" He thinks to himself as he rolls to the other end of the roof as a large man's fist crashes into the roof of G-4, sending broken shingles flying everywhere.
The large man pulls his fist out of the ruble left behind from his attack and gives Shinko a deadly glare.
Shinko wipes the startled expression off his face "I guess the party never stops" He says as a menacing grin befalls his face.
"Your reaction time is pretty good. I guess you have some level of Kenbunshoku Haki. Luckily, I need only land one blow to end the fight. What are the odds of you evading them all huh?" Asks Olivier as his already massive frame becomes bigger, as scaly armor starts covering his skin, until he becomes a beast that vaguely resembles an armadillo. After that, he proceeds to use Soru once again, but this time it's even faster than before, heading into a crash course with Shinko.
"Armored Charge!" Shouts Olivier as he gets ready to receive any attack Shinko might stand as a counter if he does not dodge.
Shinko knew by now that Oliver is using the Soru Rokushiki technique and was prepared to face an opponent with such ability.
While Oliver was talking Shinko began to conjure up Aether under his feet in preparation to shoot up into the sky. Once he saw Oliver disappear he Blasted himself into the air using Aether.
Shinko wrapped his arms around his chest before convulsing his body then unspringing his body out and spreading his arms out midair and releasing a circular wave of electrified Aether that traveled in a growing sphere rooting from his body that uprooted all of the roof shingles and broke every piece of glass within the base as the entire structure raddled violently.
Oliver simply protects himself with his forearm, and fends off the explosion. He stares at Shinko, examining him with an extremely experienced critical eye.
"Energy Type Devil Fruit; most likely paramecia, otherwise he wouldn't have dodged my earlier attack, Kenbunshoku Haki; troublesome but not unbeatable by any means, and an above average physical strength, definitely not on my level. No Rokushiki or signs of any other top tier martial arts..." He instantly makes up an analysis based on the information he has, and immediately decides what to do next.
His claws extend a couple of inches, and in a decisive move, he buries them into the concrete of the roof. His muscles bulge so much, veins can be seen almost bursting out of the gaps between his armor plates, and with a grunt, he detaches and lifts several square feet worth of ceiling. He proceeds to spin several times, at an inhuman speed, before throwing the huge chunk of concrete directly at Shinko, who had just reached a considerable height.
"Let's see if you can handle this kiddo." He mutters as he uses Soru and Geppo to get right behind the chunk of concrete, where Shinko's sight cannot reach him, and where he uses his speed to hopefully confuse or outrun his opponent's Kenbunshoku Haki. He waits to see what Shinko will do next.
Shinko looked at Oliver with dead eyes as Oliver digs his claws into the roof "I guess I have free time" Shinko states as he gets a strange urge to laugh while watching the big man grunt like a monkey.
The moment Oliver began spinning Shinko increased his height and his index and middle fingers turned light purple as he readied a concentrated beam of Aether to pierce the large muscle man's armor. "So he ate a Zoan fruit. Appears to be some type of shelled animal, maybe an Armadillo. He knows Soru for sure but it's no match for my Haki"
RIght before Oliver let's go of the large plate of concrete Shinko gets a strange impulse from his Observation Haki and spreads the Aether from his finger to his entire forearm as well as in his feet. Shinko began to angle himself so that he could pounce the flying concrete.
The second Shinko saw Oliver disappear he knew exactly where he had gone. Shinko uses the Aether on his feet to blast at speeds comparable to Soru right at the concrete plate with his Aether and Haki cladded fist pointed at the piece of concrete.
Olivier sees his efforts nullified, but he hadn't really expected the ceiling to do any damage, nevertheless he could still make use of it for his main plan. Shinko had basically bitten the bait when he chose to destroy it. Combining Geppo with Soru he got right behind the slab of concrete, so when Shinko's fist blasts through, it also heads directly at him.
"Haki huh? I just hope it's tough enough to withstand this..." He says as he grabs Shinko's fist with his giant hand. His palm burns, the purple stuff is quite hot for even his hide to be burnt so badly, but due to the thickness of his hide, it does not become a major wound. In a matter of a second, he flings Shinko downward, to the base, in a Judo-like movement.
"No amount of observation and armament haki can compensate for arrogance and hot-headedness, kid." Says Olivier in his mind.
Shinko was a bit surprised by Oliver's actions but nonetheless stayed cool-headed. When Oliver grabbed his hand Shinko had already thought up a counter.
Once Oliver grabbed his hand and coiled him up before releasing him downwards Shinko swung himself upwards and parched his feet just under Oliver's big chest in preparation to blast two nice holes into Oliver's abdomen while also escaping his grasp.
Right as Oliver began the downward motion Shinko blasted off with such rattling speed that it released him from Oliver's grasp.
Jasper was rushing toward the sounds of battles when he felt a wave of power soar through the building and break all the glass around him. Thinking that's where all the fun is, Jasper quickly rushes up the stairs to the roof and hops through a hole in the ceiling. He then saw his commanding officer fighting what appeared to be the enemy's Commander. Not caring much for details Jasper transformed into his hybrid form he grows four horns that grow from the back of his head and his upper face connects to it and gains a bit of a reptilian-like shape. His hands become claw-like and razor sharp, and he gains pointed scales all across his back, arms, and back of his head. In this form he concentrates his blood in his left eye and fires a single acidic shot directly at the enemy. Still distracted from getting away from Commodore Olivier, the bloodshot hits him directly in his left side, beginning to burn his skin.
Olivier's throw is unsuccessful, and it even backfired when Shinko shot two notable holes through his armor's plates, getting so deep that his abdominal muscles were also burnt, even though he used Tekkai in time. He coughs out blood, but just as Shinko is flying away, he manages to land a shigan on his calf using his free hand, aiming for the tibial artery. If he learnt anything in his anatomy lessons during his time being taught Rokushiki, it is that Shigan should always be aimed at vital spots or at least important arteries to maximize its effect. Even though the Zena Zena no Mi, Model: Giant Armadillo is not a carnivore zoan, its claws can most definitely match those of one.
After that, he comes back to the ground holding his abdomen with one hand, trying to suppress the bleeding. He is rather muddle-headed by the pain, but he feels alleviated when he sees Jasper in his hybrid form approaching from the distance. At the same time, he returns to his human form, which causes even more blood to flow out of his wound now that the armor is gone. He takes out a small steel box from his coat's pocket. Once he opens it, it can be seen there are three pills inside. He sighs before grabbing one and swallowing it before closing the box and putting it right back into the pocket. Lastly, he returns to his hybrid form, except this time there's something different about it.
Shinko levitates at a fast pace where he then maintains a safe distance where he then converses with himself on his next course of action "Two annoying Zoan users. This could get rough- '' Shinko's thoughts get interrupted as he feels a cold, liquid flowing down his lower leg where he then sees blood gushing out of a large cut made on his calf, using his Observation Haki he quickly assesses that no serious damage was done. Shinko crouches down midair and lights a purple fire in the palm of his hand and holds it near his leg and cauterizes the large wound, burning off that part of his pants.
Shinko, floating with a long purple spurt from under his feet and a curious expression on him, feels an impulse to shift his body to the right and ends up dodging the acidic blood. Shinko, unsure of what to do, shoots off one long beam of Aether from his eyes at Jasper, to assess the strange Zoan user's strength and cutting a section of the roof cleanly at an angle, sliding right off the top of the castle-like structure.
Olivier turns to Jasper, and sighs before saying.
"Let's go for now, I need to get stitched in the infirmary if I want to be capable of battling some more later on. Morel will be here soon if we call him, and Ryuko and the rest are still further in, as well as that weirdo Knox. I think the three of them and the rest can take care of these brats. This guy should be the strongest one and his only strong point is his Devil Fruit. You can rejoin the fight after we get to the infirmary." After finishing, he uses Soru to disappear from the roof of the hoop-like building. Jasper nods his head and follows suit, but not without taking out a gun and firing three shots at Shinko, who's beam of Arther had been dodged easily, using the Horned Lizard's instinct for danger.
Shinko, still afloat, out stretches his hand and creates a circular border of purple fire that vaporizes the bullets as they hit the flames, when the purple fire fades out of the air Shinko notices that the two have disappeared "Hmm, strange" Shinko comments to himself as he gently lowers himself until he lands on what's left of the roof and smoothly transitions to a slow walk.
He makes his way over to a small puddle of blood left behind by Oliver, he crouches down and pulls out a small blood vile and scoops up Oliver's blood, "Any information in good information" Shinko thinks to himself before standing up and giving an attentive look to the slashed off part of the roof, "That's right, the head officer's office is right there, could be valuable information in there" Shinko thinks to himself before trotting over to the open slash in the roof and jumping in.
After a while of searching around Shinko comes across a blacklisted file stored away in a locked cabinet that he had to burn through with his Aether to get into , as he reads the file his eyes get wider and wider with curiosity "Benjiro Anegakoji: Referral for transfer, Location: Impel Down"
The Song of the Mad Man[]
Meanwhile in another area of G-4 Due to the battle ensuing at the Marine Base G-4 Alarms start ringing throughout the whole entire foundation. A marine can be heard through speakers giving a speech he proceeds to say "BRINGERS OF JUSTICE WE'RE CURRENTLY UNDER ATTACK BY A UNKNOWN FORCE, MAKE SURE TO GET PREPARATIONS READY AND BE ON YOUR A-GAME TODAY, WE'RE GOING TO BE RISKING OUR LIVES TO DEFEAT THESE TROUBLEMAKERS AND PREVENT THEM FROM CAUSING HARM TO THE REST OF THE WORLD. WE SHALL DEFEAT THEM IN THE NAME OF "ABSOLUTE JUSTICE". " YES SIR" multiple marines yell out inside of the base. "Damn this is going to be tougher, seems like the navy has figured out about our raid" Keef says to Aero and Santo while they're running through halls on the first floor as multiple marine soldiers are on the rush and are chasing them. They end up in a hallway where all four sides are open and there's no corners, they're now being attacked by all fours.
"What do you mean Raven? This is a JOYOUS occasion! So many potential adversaries! Let's hope they're up to the task hmmmm! I count 100 men surrounding, about 25 each corridor." Santo replies to Keef with glee as he skips toward the southernmost corridor opening a burlap bag. He grabs the base of the bag, launching thousands of barbed caltrops in the direction of the marines. Deterring their movement as the first few marines drop to the floor, being stabbed from all sides, as wave after wave of marines topple onto each other. Screams and grunts are heard from this corridor while the dredging of boots, metal plates, and various weapons stampede toward the direction of the trio.
Santo quickly bolts into the easternmost corridor, showcasing his hand to hand skills, as he dashes through the mass of marines. One by one a thud echoes through the hall, and with it, a corresponding marine gasping for air or unconscious. It doesn't take long at all before Santos hall is cleared.
"All this for three guys...I think it's a bit overkill" Aero says through his beak mask as he reaches into his pockets and pulls out small joysticks, "Nevertheless I would like y'all to meet '''Fiery''' and '''Frosty'''" he says as hatches slide open on the box he is carrying on his back, flying out the openings two red and grey coloured drones hover on the right and left side of Aero.
The drone known as Frosty moves forward as it shoots a flurry of ice bullets at the marines in front of Aero as they make contact with the marines it freezes half of the bodies of the marines, causing severe frostbite resulting in screams of pain, "Too loud" Aero says to himself as he sends the drone known as Fiery to join in, the drone begins to make a heating up sound as a concentrated heat ray is shot piercing through multiple marines and killing them. He walks up to one of the marines that are still alive, "So what do you think of my little drones...one specializes in ice and the other in heat, nice right?" he explains simultaneously controlling his drones as they continue to clear the marines surrounding him.
Keef heads off into the other hall with 20 marine soldiers he then grabs his blade and places it way above his head and then he swings the blade towards the air and a purple slash appears. with this slash it destroys the whole entire hallway and everyone is left in shock. Keef then sheathes his blade and tells Aero and Santo to keep heading down the marine base.
"How fabulous! Some freedom to do as I please! Now which way are the cells? Hmm." Santo says, the excitement he's currently feeling makes its presence known through his voice. Stepping on various unconscious and injured marines. Each step Santo gets increasingly more joyful in appearance, to the point he begins skipping and humming a childish tune.
At the end of the large hallway, there was only a single corner to the left as well as a massive painting of a rather muscular man, covered in tattoos, raising another man in the air. As he approached this corner, Santo uses his devil fruit to see through the wall and spots a lone marine cowering on the other side, just out of a regular person's eyesight.
What have we here? Santo thought to himself. Resting his own back to the wall next to the corner. Seeing that the man is shaken, Santo assumes he'll react to anything. Drawing out a single card from a pocket in his tunic, a joker card to be specific, and throwing it to the wall adjacent. The marine reacts, covering his head and cowering, Santo uses this opportunity to strike a pressure point on the back of the man's neck, rendering him unconscious.
Continuing forward, "Hmm. Some men I suppose aren't fit for any form of service." He says as he continues down the hall, ever so vigilant, scouting for more hostiles as well as the prisoners' cells.
Down at the main prison area of G4, it was surprisingly calm. There was near to no ruckus or mayhem. The prisoners themselves always seem to be abnormally relaxed. It was almost like they were drugged into that state of mind. The Prison had always been an unusually comfortable place. Some of the guards described the experience being there as 'similar to laying down in a comfy bed'. Mellow tunes could be heard when in the vicinity of the area. Sounds echoed through the hallway as it became increasingly louder the closer you get into the middle of the Housing Area. These sounds were heavenly. It was almost like God himself was about to come down and bless you till eternity.
But opposed to the sounds, lies a very sinister story to all of it. The sounds themselves and the heavenly vocals that accompany it are the product of the nearly unfathomable power of the Gasho Gasho no Mi. The fruit itself allows its user to control sound and its various properties. The user himself, Ryuko Tohru has learned a multitude of ways to use it. One of which being manipulation and hallucination. The vocals that you would hear are the sounds of the criminals being held captive in the prison. Most people who become a part of Ryuko's twisted yet soothing orchestra. Once you step into his domain, you'll be singing along till the day you meet your doom.
"I can hear you," Ryuko whispers under the loudness of the orchestra he's conducting. Seven prisoners are singing full of grace in front of him as he guides them through the song. "You shall join my orchestra." He said as he opened his eyes to reveal an infinite void of white. As soon as He heard the footsteps get louder he concluded the musical and started to listen in to the sounds. "You will never escape" he whispered under his breath.
Hearing the orchestra and chorus that Ryuko had created, Benjiro sneered.
"Hey old fart, quit your stupid musical act would you, I'm trying to get some sleep?!" He complained, only to receive no response. He harrumphed before returning to his bunk and laying down. The sea prism stone shackles had been making him weaker and weaker over the course of his stay. At first he could still use half of his strength without using his devil fruit, but now, not even a tenth of it was available to him.
Just as he was about to fall asleep, his Observation Haki made him feel an unusual tingling. He jumped out of his bed, and started laughing maniacally.
"Hehehehehe! Hehehehe!" He had felt the presence of two people that he had never felt before, just outside the prison tower. Judging from the strength of their presence, he determined they were rather strong, and if his guess was not wrong, they were battling marines, meaning they had come here to cause a ruckus.
"You have it coming old fart!" He thought to himself as he stopped laughing and sat down to wait for his saviours to come.
"what are you doing?" Aero suddenly appearing behind Santo his movements were surprisingly and weirdly stealthy for a robotic individual who was also carrying a box on his back.
Aero before arriving by Santos side dealt with a few guards but has mainly been planting bombs at every structurally significant area he came across coincidentally making his way back to Santo.
"Need any help? " he questions as he bends his knees so he is positioned at Santos Eye level.
"Why yes I do Sec. Just the... Man? I wanted to see! I'm making my way to the cells, my eyes tell me it's just around this next bend. I plan to release all of the prisoners. It'll be a blast won't it? Think you could lend me a hand?" He says with a smile on his face, looking to see if Aero's hand disconnects. The sound of faint singing can be heard. "This must be the one guy!" Santo smacks his ears, making himself temporarily deaf.
After a short and extremely boring stroll for Santo and Aero, they approach a metallic bridge, appearing to rest lightly on the surface of a body of water. Using his eyes, Santo peers through the stone walls and identifies about 50 of what he assumed were inmates. Along with a handful of marines, one of which stood out plainly to Santo.
Standing just across the bridge, was a formally dressed man, quite unlike the rest of the marines here. Santo uses hand signals to tell Aero to stay out of sight but alert, crude as they may be, he still hoped it got the message across
"Notes: Do" Ryuko put his hand to the grey brick walls of the prison as the whole structure started to vibrate violently. To make it worse the vibrations were coupled with a single deafening note that would burst eardrums if not protected well enough. "Two intruders are here but there's still a lot of commotion outside... Must be a group attack" Ryuko thought to himself as he hadn't been informed of this attack by his partners until he started hearing the ruckus outside. "In any case they won't escape. Not as long as I live. And as long as I serve him" He concluded by making a promise to himself reassuring his loyalty to Morel.
"Sounds: Ra" Ryuko said as various note chords started to spawn and they were launched all over the prison releasing hypnotic tunes that would send anybody who listens to it to sleep. He wasn't going to kill them. He decided to capture them and use them as a bargaining chip with the enemy.
Aerochet moves forward, he and Santo decide that he would go at Ryuko being the distraction as the other silently sneaks their way into the Prison, Aero opting to be the one to face Ryuko head-on. ''"Seems il need to fight...should i keep my distance or do some close-quarter combat"'' he thinks to himself before hearing a weird tune...''"Is that one of the guys on our earpieces why are they making a noise"'' he thinks before feeling a bit tired as he takes his hands and slaps his cheeks "come on why you so tired...you got a job to do" he says through his beak.
Appearing before Ryuko on the far end of the bridge Aero stands, "Hey mister are you the one making me tired!?" he shouts out before gripping tightly onto his joysticks as his two drones fly ahead slowly making their way across the bridge and Aero as follows but slower making sure there is distance between him and his drones, "Is it some type of devil fruit or what i'm curious?" He says ready at any moment to start fighting with Ryuko.
"You seem calm." Ryuko said in a monotone voice. "May I ask you a question?" Ryuko asked the man facing him down. "What is the key ingredient of a great melody?" Ryuko asked as he patiently waited for an answer from the intruder.
Aerochet stops as well as his drones as they hover, "I'm not sure music really isn't my forte more of a hands on kinda dude not very artsy...why don't you tell me" Aerochet answers Ryuko curious to what he says, ''"Melody means music meaning sound...is he making me tired through sound maybe that noise I mistook as interference was actually him"'' he thought to himself trying to understand why he suddenly got tired.
"Very well then. I don't blame your lack of understanding" Ryuko said as he finally turned around to look at the intruder. "After all, you lack the love and compassion to understand it" Ryuko said as he brought his arms up creating two fish-like creatures as well as a circle of ledger lines surrounding him. The sounds of the previous attack he launched intensified. 'I'll on this guy but I can't leave myself open to the other one' Ryuko thought as he launched the fish to destroy the drones controlled by the intruder.
"So we fight after all...what a wasted opportunity for good conversation" Aerochet says noticing Ryuko's eyes but paying no mind to them as he runs forward controlling his drones, both drones accelerated upwards avoiding ryukos fish like creatures the drones face downwards towards the guard they both shot a flurry of their respective bullets at Ryuko, which if they make contact will cause severe burning and frostbite.
Aerochet who you would think is the type of person to sit back and watch charges forward aiming to fight a close quarters battle.
"Don't even think for a second that you did something, '' Ryuko said as he lifted up his arm straight. "Sound Barrier '' He whispered as the air in front of his palm was launched by a large circular sound blast that sent great winds knocking back the drones. As the drones were knocked back, his fish came back to him and started to circle him. 'The other one is making his move,' Ryuko said, acknowledging the slowly advancing Santo. "Anon, go intercept him" He said as he ordered one of the fish to watchover the subordinate of his attacker. "And as for you. Protect your ears" was all Ryuko said as he prepared an attack.
Unable to hear any of the comments that had been made, Santo can read lips fairly well. Frankly, he was a little appalled that a fish was being sent to keep an eye on him. No matter, soon the joyous screams may enlighten his currently deafened ears. Santo would use a medley of caltrops, throwing them in the direction of Ryuko to mask his presence as he would attempt to dash past, keeping his eyes fixed on ryuko and the fish to expect what's to come
Aero stops and tightens his grip on the drones joysticks as he controls and steadies them, "you have a crazy ability, is it a devil fruit..." Aero smiles, "...something to do with music I believe" the drones circle back, a hatch on the black box Aero carries on his back opens up as his drones fly through it, coming out a hatch on the other side as they have equipped Canon sized muzzles.
Frosty is the first to move as it soars closer to the ground shooting at it, as ice a frost fills the whole of the floor in front of Aero towards Ryuko, Fiery moves as well up into the air as it aims at Ryuko, a red glow appears within the muscle as a blast of pure heat with a wide range is makes it way towards Ryuko.
"Horrible response" Ryuko said as he promptly activates an attack. "Deafening Tone" He said as the attack echoed throughout the building as one single note was rising at an alarming rate, making anyone who can hear it cringe in pain.
'This'll neutralize him for a moment whilst I go after the other one' Said the warden as he finally decided to focus on the one his fish was observing
'AHHHHH' Aero grunts in pain as he drops onto one knee veins in his neck and on his forehead popping Ryuko's deafening tone causing this as Blood begins to drip from Aeros ears "so that's what he means protect my ears" Aero drops his joysticks resulting in Frosty and Fiery stopping there pursuit reaching for his beak mask he twists one of the valves and the mask expands covering the whole of his head leaving only his red hair showing, the mask having 4 glowing red eye holes as he begins to get back to his feet the mask having the added benefit of protecting his ears but also cutting the connection from his snail earpiece, now he can't communicate with his comrades.
"I'm so stoked I got the chance to use this" he childishly thinks to himself jumping in his feet, "I must thank you never thought I would get the chance to use my full raven mask" he utters as he proceeds to slowly take the box he carries around off placing it beside him, a cable connecting himself to the box is shown "this thing is just slowing me down" he waves his hands and the drones return to him as grips shoot out the bottom and he wields the drones like guns. "Shooter" he says.
Unaware of anything that has been said, Santo would begin to lightly dash towards Ryuko. Using his eyes in combination with observation haki to pinpoint the exact pressure point needed to render Ryuko's conducting arm useless and expect an attack in retaliation. Santo would thrust his hand toward the shoulder of Ryuko while he's distracted from the conflict with Aero.
"Tragic" Ryuko said as the current fish with him, Veue would use its tail to create a wind blast, knocking away Santo a fair distance from him. "There's no point in me killing you," Ryuko said as he recalled the fish eyeing Santo to break the ice off his feet. "So don't give me a reason to do it" He didn't even wait to finish his speech as he sent Veue and Anon after the drones whilst he takes on Santo properly
In his deafened words, Santo would say, "Oohoo! This didn't play out in my favor. Oh well! Let's have some fun!" Santo would take his stance, similar to a praying mantis in the way he was standing. Using his eyes to predict Ryukos movements via his muscle contractions, Santo unloads a flurry of strikes targeting the multitude of pressure points to cause Ryuko to collapse or at the very least unable to fight back.
'He noticed' Ryuko thought as he swiftly turned his attention to the ever approaching intruder. "Ledger Nets" The lines circling Ryuko broke off to form a net catching the flurry of strikes sent by Santo preventing a quick defeat at the hands of the trespassers. 'Quickly' Ryuko was quite uncomfortable with this sudden change in combat distance. He was caught off guard and almost paid the price of not paying attention to his surroundings better. He got carried away. "Triumphant Blast" He lifted two of his fingers forming a backhanded peace sign which formed a sound barrier that blew Santo away, giving him some breathing room and stability.* 'This guy obviously won't stand idle like the other one.. Better not take any chances'* He thought as he readied himself for yet another battle.
Aero looks through his mask as it pinpoints the position of Santo and Ryuko tracking there movements, Aero begins to dash forward towards the Ryuko fishes seemingly going head to head with them, though that was far from what he was going to do, with a single step that cracks the ground, he disappears the ground he was at implodes on itself as Aero appears in the air above Ryuko.
"Target lock" he says as using the eyes of the Raven Mask it helps him accurately shoot at people, he puts pressure on the trigger and a flurry of concentrated heat bullets head for Ryukos body if not protected well will penetrated right through or at the min will severely cause excruciating scorching. Frosty in his other hand is ready to shoot at anything that attacks him.
"OOHOO! Now THAT! Was unexpected! Sec buddy you're not planning on stealing my kill are you?" Santo would say in his deafened state of ecstacy. Lunging back toward Ryuko, preparing for another attack. As he approaches, Santo would jab himself, using the forbidden technique 'energy ecstasy', heighening his physical capabilities by leaps and bounds. Once this is done, a burst of energy floods through Santos body, almost immediately back in front of Ryuko, Santo begins unloading yet another flurry of strikes, targeting his Qi points.
"Stop this at once" Ryuko ordered as he felt the pressure of being pinched. He was cornered in a way. Two attacks from two separate locations. It was stressing him out real bad. He has to make some room for himself somehow.
"Sounds: Ni" Ryuko yelled as paper, ledgers, and notes dispersed from his hands outwards blowing away both Santo and Aero. Although they were thrown back, he didn't pull it off unscathed. Santo grazed him on the elbow and Aero managed to partially burn his shoulder. 'I need to stop playing around and focus,' Ryuko said to himself in frustration.
As this blanket-like barrier envelopes around Ryuko, Santo had anticipated something. Unsure of what it was, he blocked due to minimal hesitation. Minimizing damage slightly, though Santo was pushed back about 10 feet, he quickly regained his footing. Charging to Ryuko once more, though encircling him while using his eyes to find any sort of weak point in the barrier that can be exploited. Once found, Santo would attack its weakest point to follow through to lead into another flurry of blows into Ryuko's qi points.
Aero reacts and crosses his hands in front of him as he gets pushed back due to being mid-air he is pushed back more easily, rolling on the floor as he pops up onto his feet, "Tch..." he says looking around Santo and Ryuko fighting Ryuko fish entities nowhere near, he looks at the prison gates and begins to dash towards it, "Just stall him Owl I'll free the prisoners for you" he thinks to himself.
'Veue, Anon, catch him' Ryuko silently ordered as the previously airborne Aero was dashing towards the prison cells and fleeing the battle. 'This shall not be my downfall' Ryuko said as he finally set his focus back on Santo who was quickly reengaging as he sent a flurry of strikes to various points at his limbs.
'Is he trying to disable me?' Ryuko pondered as he continued to use the ledgers to block attacks and maintain distance. After a bit of dodging and blocking, his inner question was answered nastily. Santo had hit his right shoulder which rendered his ENTIRE ARM useless. He could barely feel anything other than the shocking pain from it.
"You're disrupting this symphony," Ryuko said in anger. "Your tone shall be corrected" He jumped away from a hit. "You are wild and ferocious," He said. "You shall be guided. You NEED proper guidance" Ryuko just grabbed something from inside his tux. It was a Baton. "I'll remake this symphony" "And it'll start with correcting your tone" Ryuko exclaimed as the four ledger lines that he has used to protect him wrapped around the baton extending it, creating a spiral drill-like blade. "You shall be a part of my symphony"
That was interesting! I wonder if those lines are capable of branching off his baton! It would be so delightful if they did! Santo thought to himself. Using his enhanced speed, Santo closed the gap ove more, only this time he moved to strike the hand holding the baton, following through to strike the base of Ryukos neck.
"arrête ça" Ryuko said as he parried the strike with his blade, swiftly after dodging. His movement speed got noticeable faster as each step he takes now creates a sound. The blade was a smooth elegant black with a sort of shine to it, It was almost like he was lacing it with Haki. Clashed was met with a single monotone sound created by the steps taken by Ryuko. He knows the enemy cannot hear him and as such wont respond to his words which just makes talking a waste of breath. He was trying to read the movements of his opponent. His body was on autopilot trying to defend as best as his instincts can whilst his mind was off trying to figure this lad out.
His movement was fast and unpredictable, almost like a fly in a room. He was an annoyance to the peace and quiet of the cells. For a moment, Ryuko was reminded of a song that had a similar feel. It got his heart racing yet ecstatic at the same time. This song and his enemies movement gave him the same feel of high-octane adrenaline that makes him want to lash out. 'Figaro' the title crossed his mind as he finally gained a greater understanding of his enemies movements and a somewhat pattern to them. His chance of victory just went up
Aero looks back and notices Veue and Anon, otherwise known as Ryuko sound fishes, they were chasing after him, his expression couldn't be seen due to his mask but he is excited as he leaps into the air and flips himself around in mid-air his body facing his pursuers he reaches into his pocket and takes out a pill shaped device, "You are created from sound right well...im 100 percent sure you ain't gonna like this little thing" he utters before pressing a button and throwing it towards the fishes, as his feet touched the ground he pushes of it and speed up, "Got to get out the blast radius...seems owl is occupied and doesn't have means of communication well he should survive...i think" Aero says to himself before speeding up.
Aero is a smart cookie and he believes actually he knows a simple bomb won't do the trick against these sound fishes so he decided to freeze them. The pill-shaped device is a bomb, a rather special one created by Aero...which upon detonation will freeze anything in a pretty big radius enough to freeze half the bridge; the freeze bomb will engulf anything around it in a huge iceberg.
Santo became overjoyed at the thought that Ryuko was catching on, but he couldn't just let aero take the lead on their friendly competition Santo decided they were doing. Santo jumped back, feinting a few jabs to keep Ryuko on guard further.
He would look to ryuko, using his devil fruit to identify potential routes he may take, prior to looking at his own. The damage he sustained from Ryuko may have been minor but Santo had already done a great deal of strain to his own body. I'd better wrap this up so I can pass aero. Santo jabs his qi point to unleash his second life sacrifice form: rising energy. The energy surges through his body as he feels invigorated, his strength and speed have increased exponentially as well. He looked at Ryuko, with a sadistic smile decorating his face. He charged at Ryuko at an alarming rate, feinting a sidestep quite explosively to persuade his attention as Santo lunged forward unleashing another medley of rapid fire strikes. The strength of each would inflict pain even if blocked, while not causing the immobility desired, each is still quite the forceful strike.
He got hit. Alot. But somehow he still managed to stand realizing his position. 'One last shot huh' Ryuko thought to his fatigued self. Having to fend off two foes at once and also being injured by both. He had only taken one critical wound but the fatigue from both his power and haki was imminent. He won't be able to continue.
His enemy was just standing there observing him as if he already won. It annoyed him. 'Morel, I'm sorry' He internalized his apology
Santo saw that Ryuko's physical state was shot, he looked to the injured Ryuko with an agitated expression. His hearing came back to him slowly, as he glared at his opponent. "Now Ryuko was it? Why not be a doll and just give me the keys hmm? I can see plain as day that you're done. I'm not a fan of getting my hands too dirty, surely you understand."
Santo crouched slightly to be at eye level with Ryuko. Smiling but with a sinister look to his face. "I'd genuinely appreciate your cooperation, as I have more plans in the works and this situation has impeded them greatly. So this is what i will say. Give me the keys, I walk away. Make it look like I just simply beat you and took them. Do we have a deal ryuko?"Santo held out his hand to shake Ryuko's hand, concealing a joy buzzer inside.
"Deal? no way in hell" Ryuko chuckled as blood trickled down his jaw. "As if I'd succumb to my own limits" His tone changed, signifying some bitterness and anger. "He gave me his all and I just can't seem to live up to his expectations like I might as well die right here rather than stay and be a burden to him" Ryuko lifted his head back to directly face the towering figure of Santo. "As long as he isn't happy my soul will be restless" He grits his teeth and tears began to flow from his eyes as he knocks away the hand Santo had reached out.
"I'll never accept anything other than his approval" Ryuko steadies himself yet again for another battle. 'I swear my live on your success master, let this be my crowning moment'
Santo looked at Ryuko with a contemplated expression. "You may be loyal to a fault Ryuko. But even the most loyal dog gets put down eventually. I'm trying to spare you here. There's no need to continue your pain right here. I can see every injury you've sustained. Is your valor and loyalty truly worth your life?" As he said this, Santos' tone changed to that of rage. "You truly believe that your life is something to lay down for the ideals of one person! Shame on you Ryuko. Take your life into your own hands. Now either continue to fight, potentially dying in the process, or concede defeat and give me the keys!"
"My life was never mine to begin with, this is just a daily routine. Kill me now or I'll kill you, that's your only option" He mustered some of his power and managed to create a ledger shield
"I'd rather not. Oh well. Some people just don't know when to bow out." Santo identified the weak point in the ledger shield, piercing it with his hand.
Following the same flow of this movement, Santo goes to make a single strike, targeting the qi point in Ryukos hip to force him to one knee, using his devil fruit, his accuracy and precision are drastically increased.
As he fell onto a knee, Ryuko looked up at the face of Santo towering over him. Santo reacted quickly to his counter with a jab to the hip. 'I'm in no condition to win, but if I can just take care of one that'll suffice' He thought as the enemy asked yet again.
"Do we or do we not, have a deal?". "Sigh I guess we do" He reached into his tuxedo and from it appeared a key. The key seemed to be rusty but it was still extremely heavy. This was his only chance to do something
Santo lowered his head, looking at Ryuko with a wicked grin. "I'm glad we could finally reach a common ground." He takes the keys and turns towards the cells.
"Before I go I will leave you with this." He squatted down, resting on the balls of his feet. "Loyalty can only go so far. Sometimes you need to live and think for yourself. Regardless of who this person is, you will be cast to the side. This may just be from my own personal history, but so far it has held tried and true. You can only trust yourself. Understand?" Santo stood back up, patting ryuko on the shoulder before walking toward the cells.
The rusted key had just left the grasp of his hand. A wave of guilt, and disappointment showered over him as he struggled to cope with what he had just done. 'It's now or never!' He told himself as Santo started to walk away. The enemy let his guard down leaving him open like a book for a sneak attack. What luck. "Saisie de l'esprit" His attack connected. "I know that he'll put me aside eventually but what he did for me is worth my life. I cannot give less of a fuck for what you just said so I'll just keep serving him until I die" He wasn't going to change by just a few words of sentiment.
"Now as my final act, I command your body and mind to avoid this conflict all together" Ryuko casted his final spell as it cleanly landed on the enemy but even though it connected, Santo just continued to walk as if nothing ever happened. 'That's that I guess' He internalized as he finally sat back down on the floor. "It's been a long day" 'I need some rest' He continued as he finally laid down and closed his eyes
Santo quickly turned once he heard these words Ryuko spoke. Visibly infuriated, Santo pounces on the already downed Ryuko and jabs multiple points on his body, specifically his neck, placing him further into unconsciousness if not paralyzed. A dark, cold feeling could be felt in the room. Santo stood up, moving the hair out of his face, then proceeded to laugh maniacally.
Turning around, his laughter echoes like a group of hyenas in a desolate valley. The blood decorating his face, a grim visage for anyone who saw him. Santo dashed down the hall, past all the cells, using his eyes to identify a lone cell, much lower than the rest. Assuming this key is for that cell specifically, Santo began to sprint as fast as he could to reach the cell before he'd drop due to overexertion. Paying no mind to the whereabouts of Aero anymore, Santo was determined to make it to this cell. Viewing it as his own form of prize. His maniacal laugh continues to echo as it seems he's not even tired.
Down a long corridor, he had finally made it. Santo giggled with glee, as he took his first step, he almost collapsed, dropping to one knee. "I'm.. Not.. DONE YET!" Santo shouted, summoning the last of his strength to dash down to the cell limping along as he does, immediately jams his fingers into the lock, breaking it along with his fingers. He collapsed completely as the door swung open, beginning to crawl into the cell, an exhausted groan comes from his throat, as he stretched his arm with that final sliver of strength he could muster. He turned the key, unlocking a single shackle before his arm joined the rest of him on the ground, unable to move. "yay" An exhausted and weak word came out as he laid on the cold floor.
Benjiro knew someone was coming for him, so when he saw Santo opening up his cell and unlocking his shackles with his Observation Haki, he grinned from ear to ear. The first thing he did was get the sea prism stone shackles off, after which he took the blindfold covering his eyes off, opening them slowly. It had been almost three years since he got captured, which meant he hadn't seen any light for at least two years. Thus, it was a bit difficult for him to see everything clearly when the light invaded his pupils. Nevertheless, he still saw the unconscious Santo on the floor.
"You're certainly mad, lad." He said as he stood up and then bent down to pick Santo, whom he carried like a sack of potatoes over his shoulder.
As he walked out of the cell, he extended his arm in front of him, only for him to turn it into a spring and coil it to the extreme before releasing it. A blast of air blew across the third block of the prison tower. If any ordinary Marines had been standing there, they'd have certainly been injured by the blast of air, and most likely rendered unconscious.
"Sigh. Only about 50% of my former strength. Seems like I'll have to treat myself to some days of feasting and drinking." He sighed and thought. Although the sea prism stone shackles had been taken off, the three years of being fed only the very bare minimum for his survival, along with the after-effects of the shackles, which had yet to disappear, had caused his strength to plummet.
.
In spite of that, he was at least glad that the injuries he suffered at Betsy's, Morel's and Olivier's hands back then had been treated by the Marine's medical personnel and had healed completely. Otherwise he'd be a massive wreck right now. He grit his teeth. Back then, if Olivier had not appeared to help Betsy and Morel, he'd have been able to fight both to a stalemate and retreat without being captured. Alas, he had been too careless. He had gotten the chance to escape earlier, but he was enjoying the battle too much to do so. Had he taken that chance, he'd have saved himself three long years of imprisonment.
"Just you wait bastards, I'll beat you all black and blue as payback for what happened three years ago." His eyes narrowed and a considerable killing intent could be gleaned in his gaze. Benjiro climbed up the staircase, ready to get out of this place he considered a shithole, when he came across a lanky and strangely dressed man he did not recognize.
"HEYO!" He shouted as he waved his hand at Aero, who noticed him and turned to look at him.
"Is this your partner?" He proceeded to ask as he pointed at Santo, who was still slung over his shoulder.
Aero turns around noticing Benjiro and looking down at him as he also notices Santo on Benjiros shoulder, "Now is he down for the count seems like all his HP has been depleted or at least his only left with a little" Aero says as he bends his knees lowering himself to Benjiros level, "Not too hard to believe you are...well were a prisoner but I know I didn't release you meaning Owl over here !WON!" he exclaims in excitement as his mask returns to its normal state with the top cover retracting...he slaps Santo on the back "you got some XP after that battle didn't ya...sucker" he says, "oh...yeah he is my comrade...and who might you be player number 3?"
"Name's Benjiro." He answers as he puts down Santo.
"Hey, Benjiro, you can't be thinking of leaving us here can you?" Asks a slightly raspy voice coming from a hairy man, who was locked in one of the 2nd level's cells.
"Shut the fuck up, I'll free you if I feel like it!" He answers. Over the years, he had actually built a good friendship with these fellas, so he was naturally going to free them. Once he shut him up, he turned back to Santo, who wriggled and grunted when he was put down.
"It wouldn't hurt you to be more careful." Says Santo in a displeased tone, surprising Benjiro, who thought he was barely conscious.
"Oh, you're awake huh? Well, let's get the hell outta here. You carry him, he's your comrade. I'll free these scums. They'll help us wreak some havoc at least, and distract some of their attention." Says Benjiro as he coils his arm and releases a punch against the bars of each of the three cells of the 2nd level, where the 3 marine traitors are imprisoned, one of them being even a half-mink with some ability. The iron bars break like twigs in the face of his punches. The reason he and the inmates are not able to break them is because the shackles, which in his case were made of seastone, limit their movement and do not allow them to reach the bars.
"Luckily they ain't Devil Fruit users. Otherwise breaking seastone shackles would be impossible for me." Mutters Benjiro as he destroys their shackles.
"You're free, now go wreak some havoc and get your revenge." He tells them, and he gets a bow from one of them before the three thank him and hurry out of the prison tower, leaving him only with Aero and the unmoving Santo.
"So, what now? Why did you free me? Where should we go next? What's the base's situation?" He bombards Aero with a series of questions before anything else happens.
"Wow my man...Beni you need to slow down with all these questions" Aero says, scratching his head "I dont have the 401 or anything like that lost contact with the team ages ago...so now I'm just littering this base with bombs so we can blow this place sky high once we are done...pretty fortunate we released all these NPCs from prison or they would have definitely died" he says as he looks around, "Well let me take him from you" Aero says referring to Santo picking him up from the collar, "Well seems my goal now is to return Owl here to the sub safe and sound...you on the other hand can do whatever you want" Aero says as he begins to walk away.
"Owl, status report..." Shinko called as he stood tall, observing the destroyed harbor of G-4 from inside the roofless Head Officer's office, which is trashed with files and knocked over cabins. "Marine Commodore: Oliver Bucks is heavily wounded and his location is unknown. He was taken away by Marine Captain: Akako Jasper and are most likely in or on their way to the Infirmary" Shinko glanced behind himself, giving an attentive look to the only neatly placed file in the room, the one with information of Benjiro. "Also, there is a person of interest inside the prison, Benjiro Anegakoji. Free him, report to me when you do so". Shinko awaited Santo's answer.
"Owl. Reporting in.." Santo said over the com, the exhaustion so very obvious in his tone. "Benjiro has been freed.. Ryuko.. Defeated... Aero and myself are set to embark towards the Warmonger. Assistance from Aero required... I am physically down Jay. Freed Benjiro just before I collapsed. Aero's coms are broken. I'll just give him mine." Santo stopped his labored explanation and began nudging Aero's head with his own. "Take my com. It's Jay"
Benjiro, curious as to how the miniature Den Den Mushi worked and who was on the other end, snatched the ear piece from Santo and put it on his ear.
"Yo, Benjiro here! Who the hell are you and why did you lot rescue me? Not saying I ain't grateful, but seems like you have some ulterior motives, you hear me? Either way, thank you. Was gonna get quite bored in Impel Down." He says to Shinko, who is listening on the other end of the ear piece.
"Anegakoji, As of now I am Mockingjay" Shinko stated as he grazed through Benjiro's file one last time, "I must commend you Mr. Anegakoji, your file tells quite the tale"
Shinko turned away from the desk on which Benjiro's file sat, he approached one of the small, square windows which faced the now obliterated dock of G-4 "Allow me to inform you on your current situation, me and my colleagues are Revolutionaries. We are going to turn this base to ash. All of the Warships have been destroyed and your only chance of escaping G-4 is with us"
A serious expression befallen Shinko's face, "Take Owl to my submarine, Aero will lead the way. I can guarantee your escape from this base if you help me" Shinko awaited a response…
"Hahaha, and what makes you think I'll listen to what you say? I could just steal your ship and leave you lot stuck here. Not like your mates here can do anything to stop me. They struggled to beat that old dog, and if this madlad hadn't used that technique they'd have at most reached a stalemate." He said mockingly. With Santo incapacitated, it was indeed true that he could make short work of Aero and go steal their ship. Nevertheless, he still had some semblance of honor. He just liked playing hard to get.
"Hmm anyway, you're lucky that I feel like tagging along, pal. Though you better not get any ideas of ordering me around like you do with these fellas." He says as he rubs his nose and puts on a haughty air.
Shinko, unfazed by Benjiro's blind threats, decides to bargain an offer with him.
"Tell me, Samurai...Would you be honoring your ancestors if you decided to give up on exposing the Government?"
"Would you be honoring your father?"
"Your Mother?"
'You'd even go as far as to disrespect the Swordsman Code, and stain your family name?"
"Could you even call yourself a Swordsman?"
Shinko paused for a moment, to allow Benjiro to take in what had just been stated...
"i can help you get justice for your family, join me. Help me save this world and take down the World Government, that way you may bring honor to not just your family name, but the entirety of The land of Wano"
A deadly expression befell Shinko's face "Join me, Benjiro"
Benjiro's expression turned rather stern upon hearing Shinko's words, and he narrowed his eyes. He could still hear the youth in the young man's voice, and he shook his head. Youth was treacherous. As much of a good ally as it was, it could also be your worst enemy. You'd feel like you could do everything and anything, and that'd push you to achieve great things, yet it'd also push you to do stupid things. He knew it firsthand.
"Do not pretend like you know me. " He said right off the bat. His tone was neither friendly nor hostile, and afterwards, he made a slight pause before resuming.
"And while I acknowledge your good intentions, I'll have to see for myself whether you're qualified to say those words. The world is big, and strong people are a dime a dozen. What gives you the qualifications to speak of such a grandious goal?" He asks, obviously not waiting for an answer on Shinko's part, since he takes off the earpiece and hands it over to Aero.
Only a truly perceptive individual would have noticed that while the question was directed at Shinko, it was also directed at himself. He had once also tried to go against the established order. Yet three Commodore level figures had been enough to put him down. Not even a Rear Admiral had been sent. Benjiro was deeply disappointed with himself since back then, and it'd take some time before that disappointment was erased. It had been a bucket of cold water. He realized that he might be strong but there would always be someone stronger.
Aero walks not caring for Benjiro and Shinko, only for Santo who he held up to his face in order to converse with him,"So like your powerup shit has one big drawback huh...pretty cool if you ask me...adds some tension to the battle" he says while clutching his fist exageratingly, "but whats a little paralism...with me here no harm will befall you" he says as he unintentinally or to be exact with no harm ful intent swings Santo around whilst chuckling.
Aero notices Benjiros extended arm and the den den ear piece on it, "What now" he sighs and takes it though he does not extend it up to his ear he places it close to his mouth, "yeah boss i ain't putting another mans headsets in my ear especially Owls so...i'll see ya once the op is done...me and Owl will be on the sub" he drops the den den ear piece on the floor and continues to walk away, "In games your always rewarded for defeating an opponent...I can whip something together if you want, a sword, a gun, anything you want" he continues to talk to Santo as he walks away.
An intense expression overcomes Shinko's face as he begins to approach a small square safe fixed upon the grand wooden desk placed in the center of the Head Officer's office, trashed with open files and pictures
"Secretary is as reckless as ever, I guess i'll have to explain to him that my equipment is not his toys..." Shinko states with a serious tone.
Shinko's shadow now enshrouds the small safe as he stands directly in front of it, He squats down slightly to get at level with the safe. He cocks his right arm back and places his left hand on the roof of the safe to gain leverage as he ignites his right index finger with Aether.
"It has to be in this safe, the first step to finding the key to the Sunken Cell is inside this safe" Shinko states confidently
Shinko digs his aether coated finger into the spot just under the lock for the safe, the safe heavily resistant to the Aether. Causing Shinko to growl in determination.
"ARRRRRGH!!! I. WILL. FIND. IT!!!"...
A Storm of Bullets[]
'Shit' Mika cursed herself and her luck as the coms wasn't connecting and they lost contact with the other Birds.
'This operation should've been faster what the hell is happening' Her panicked mind thought as hee perfectly planned raid proved to be harder than expected. Of course she expected there to be some casualties, but the battlefield is almost perfectly split with loss being visible. Not only is the raid taking longer than expected, but Morel isn't here. She seemed to be more worried about that than anything.
Heading into the base, Mika and Henry continued to advance even though they lost communication with the others. "We need to find whatever is blocking our communicators and get it fixed. The loss of long-distance communication could be dangerous, especially in a situation like this. A Lot of errors could go down if left like this for too long but for now, she has one partner and that's the only person she calls to fall back on for now.
"Yo Henry, where should we be headed?"
Henry didn't hear Mika at first, his mind was running through the possibilities of what was going on inside and what caused their communications to cut off. It wasn't until Mika loudly said his name again did he get knocked out of his thoughts.
"The way I see it, even if something goes horribly wrong we can still complete the mission." Henry said as he took out his pistols. "For now let's stick to the plan and head to the armory. Hopefully communication will be restored once we're inside and if not we'll at least have a better understanding of what's going on…but let's keep on our toes." He said while spinning his revolver cylinders.
"Right" She responded as she reached into her coat, pulling out a blueprint as she read. "So we've just passed the Patrol Office and the Response Unit and now we're headed to the main stairway" She said as they were soon climbing up the stairway mentioned. "From this point onward our destination is down" She said vaguely hoping her partner would understand
Henry looked over Mika's shoulder and nodded his head in confirmation to let her know he was aware of the plan. They began to rush down the stairs taking on Marine after Marine along the way. While in the stairwell Henry and Mika stopped on the platform connecting the steps as 12 Marines faced them when their rifles raised. Six Marines were above them each on a step lined up one in front of the other aiming down and six below with their rifles aiming up. Before anyone could react Henry flicked his pistol and shot all the six above him in the head. And as the six below began to laugh the bullet bounced off the wall behind the already downed Marines and ricocheted off the wall behind Mika and Henry shooting the other six enemies on the steps below. As he blew the smoke off his gun Mika ran past him focusing on the mission. "Great shot Henry you're the best marksman in the world, oh thanks Mika I know it's true but it's always good to hear" he mumbled to himself as he ran to catch up with his comrade.
Olivier was currently resting on a bed at the infirmary. His abdomen had been stitched and his abnormal healing factor, courtesy of his devil fruit's hybrid form, had done the rest of the job. All that was left was a burn scar, just one of many scars that his hulk-like body had accumulated over the years. Although it'd take time for it to fully heal, unless he went all out or it was intentionally targeted by his opponent, he estimated he could already use about 80% of his power without any negative consequence.
Just as he was about to take a sip from a bottle of sake, he heard gunshots nearby. Thus, he turned to look at Jasper, who was looking through the window, in the direction of the prison tower.
"Someone's nearby. We should go and help our comrades." He said, while there was a concealed hint of worry in his face. He stood up and put on his Commodore coat, ready to fight the intruders.
"If that motherfucker Benjiro gets freed, and with Morel out... I better not think about it, and just trust that old geezer Ryuko. He should be strong enough to hold his ground." He thought, knowing that Jasper had most likely also come to that train of thought. Benjiro was indeed very strong, and that was evidenced by the fact that it had taken him, Morel and Betsy working together to capture him three years ago.
Jasper was indeed thinking that if Benjiro was freed there was a very good chance the base would fall but Ryuko was not one to be underestimated. "Sir yes sir!" Jasper replied to Oliver while grabbing his Captains jacket and shield and following him. During the last fight with the enemy the Commodore took some damage but Jasper did not get involved enough to receive any real damage much to his dismay. So when gunshots and the sounds of battle echoed outside the infirmary halls both excitement and anger filled within him.
As he rushed to the aid of his men alongside his commanding officer Jasper's thoughts caused his rage to increase with each step. "I can't believe we let them get this far," he thought to himself. "We clearly weren't ready for a raid of this caliber. And what are they after? Benjiro? The pure destruction of the base? No matter what they're spitting on the symbol of justice!!" This caused Jasper to look back at the captain's jacket weighing heavy on his shoulders with the mark of Justice stamped into it. He then looked at the Commodore who may not have been at his full power but knew that they could still handle anything these criminals had to throw at them. With this resolve he tightened his grip on his shield ready to bloody it once again.
They were rapidly advancing through the base as they wiped out groups of marines without much effort. However despite the both of them being able to blow the small-fry marines away, there's always more of them coming.
This is how it is because in most Marine Bases especially the Gs, there are locations known as 'Cores'. These cores are the most vital locations within a base? thus making them the most secure. Being able to crack into the core can give someone a lot of information and treasures such as Dangerous Weapons, Top Secret Files, and many more items of political and physical power. As such, protecting these cores are amongst the most important security measures in Marine Bases.
"Nice job gunter, but now it's my turn" Mika answers with a grin on her face as she transforms into her hybrid form as more waves of foot soldiers march forward. "COMING THROUGH!!" She yelled as massive gusts of wind pushed the marines back, clearing out the way for the both of them. "You still got your bullets right?" She asked 'Gunter' as she smirked.
"For the hundredth time don't call me Gunter." Henry said as he holstered one of his pistols and swapped the ammunition for his special bullets, Mika knew how much Henry hated the nickname she gave him and because he hated it she continued to use it. "And I'm always ready, let's roll." He said to the Hybrid Mika as he rode the wave of residual wind that came with his comrades' attack. As they ran forward a group of Marines charged in all armed with swords before Mika could release another wind attack Henry yelled "DIBS!" and smiled while shooting out a single bullet and said, "Flame Shot." The second the bullet left Henry's Revolver it started to spin and began to ignite, forming a whirlwind of flames spiraling at the Marines.
Without time to duck and not much source to move the Marines desperately tried running away to no avail as the flames engulfed them. Henry holstered his remaining pistol and looked at an annoyed Mika, agitated that her prey was stolen. "You snooze, you lose." Henry said but before either of them could continue the conversation that Henry was sure would turn to an argument his Observation Haki kicked in allowing him to sense the presence of two strong opponents.
Just as they had finished off the lower leveled Marines, Olivier, in his hybrid form, broke the ceiling of the floor he was in, and appeared right in front of the duo. Jasper followed suit, also in his hybrid form, and holding his trademark red shield.
"You should stop bullying the weak, and fight a worthy opponent. In all seriousness, this base is property of the Marines, serving under the World Government. Breaking into it has just made you level 2 offenders, which accrues a bounty of at least 25 million. Now, it'd be best for you to die after hurting so many of my comrades." Said Olivier before he disappeared using Soru, leaving a vague afterimage.
Olivier threw a simple punch against Henry, but in that simple punch, the Tenmetsu Shukuyaku technique of Wanryoku-ryu had been included. His muscles contracted and relaxed hundreds of times as that punch made its way to Henry's body, which looked rather small in the face of Olivier's bulky and tall physique, in spite of him being fairly tall. This technique was meant to unleash a devastating force.
Even the likes of Ryuko and Morel would think twice before receiving it head on. However, since these two had made it here, and were the nakama of that bothersome brat with the purple substance fruit, Olivier dared not underestimate them. He had already paid the price for doing so when he fought against Shinko earlier.
The second these two jumped in front of him, Henry was on guard as he was sure Mika was too. His Haki could tell that these two were no ordinary Marines and as their strength was formidable indeed while the one with the shell looking armor was talking Henry quickly evaluated the situation. The two were obviously devil fruit eaters and zoan type by the looks of it meaning his sea prism stone bullets would definitely be useful. However he had no idea how they would take against the big one's armor.
As such his best course of action was to fight the red one, Henry knew he would have an easier time trying to get around his shield then trying to break the other one's armor. As he reached for his pistol he didn't realize until it was too late that the shell Marine had finished talking and had gone on the offensive. He charged in front of Henry in the blink of an eye, obviously using Soru. If not for his Haki alerting him and his own Soru reflexes allowing him to put up his arms covered in Armament Haki at the last second he might have been down for the count. The force of the blow propelled Henry back far until he stopped himself by covering his feet in Haki and burying them in the ground creating two lines of streaks and denting the metal. Still due to his late response he received severe damage and coughed up a little blood. "Shit" he said as he realized his plan of letting Mika deal with this guy was already going wrong, he also realized that this man had more power then Henry had originally thought. Remembering the briefing before the mission Henry surmised who he was fighting.
"Commodore Olivier I presume?" Henry said as he quickly took out both pistols and used Soru to zigzag and shoot sea prism stone bullets from several different locations all aimed at the Commodore. He did not know how his shell would react against the bullets but he knew one simple fact: a devil fruit user's natural enemy was the sea and Henry held the power of the sea in his guns.
Bloody Justice[]
"So, if it isn't the self proclaimed 'Shield Hero' Hahahaha How you doin' Jasper? Still bashing people with that damned shield?" Her partner already went in for his prey and as such she had to as well. Although it's been a long time she still remembers the day when she first saw him and when they first met. Even though she was naturally tall, his presence made her feel like an ant. She remembers her tendencies to punch him in random areas just to see if he reacts. It was fun times back then but now it's time to collide in battle and she's gonna make sure that he reacts
"I was always looking up to you in the literal manner but it's about time that I let my chin fall and stand over your body" She concluded her treat and she fully entered her hybrid form and hurled a fireball from her hand to the shielded bloke. Main priority was creating an opening and if not breaking the shield completely as that was the only method of landing clean hits but for the time being, she's just gonna take it slow and wait for her opening
At first Jasper's attention was on the gunslinger who seemed to get up after the Commodore's attack. However the second he heard his name he turned his head and instantly filled with rage as he recognized the voice and face before him as the traitor transformed and attacked Jasper already in his hybrid form.
"MIKA!!!" Jasper shouted as he easily reflected the fireball away from himself with a flick of his shield. "YOU TRAITOROUS SCUM!!" He begins to fill his eyes with blood and tilt his head back. "I knew you'd show your face one of these days. I just didn't think you'd be stupid enough to do it in the base I was stationed. I'll make you pay for turning your back on the Marines! Crimson Rain!!" Jasper yelled as he raised his head in a tilted position and sprayed blood from his eyes while in front of Mika creating a rain of his acidic blood upon her.
"A traitor? The only traitors I know are the Navy. And I'll prove it to everyone once I expose the corruption of the Dragons." She said, visibly angered by the words of the man. Her past was sweet with an extra thick layer of bitterness and anger. What she witnessed during her time with the Marines almost drove her to her breaking point. Everything she once loved was robbed from her and things were changing so fast it made her despise the marines and their doings. Not to mention the very event that drove her out of the Marines.
The death of Vice Admiral, Anagaki Kuro. The father figure of Mika and her caretaker, Kuro, was the one who found her in the rough and unforgiving place she called home. He was like a superhero to her which made his death all the more painful to watch. Every last second of his death felt like the end of the world for her and now with her new sense of freedom and duty, she plans to bring the same feeling to the same people who gave it to her.
"Storm Control" Mika said as she sent a blast of wind to the ground under her, sending away the acids. "And right back to sender" She recollected the acids into a ball of air and threw it back at Jasper just to clear her surroundings as to not risk accidentally stepping on then "Being afraid is better then being ignorant because at times, the truth is much more disturbing then we'd like." She said as her head hung low. "We've been ignorant for far too long, and now it is time we face those truths and set the record straight. As I, Hioshida Mika swear by the life of my father, to always fight for justice because you lot are the true injustice" Confidence and adrenaline pumping she preaches her duty as she stands her ground.
Jasper quickly raised his shield in front of him but even when grounding his feet into the floor he was pushed back by the force of his own pressurized blood. When pushed back he flew briefly until he pushed himself down and created a dent in the ground and hit a wall, as he did his face grew darker. His fury rose and his anger could be seen in his eyes as they became a darker red color than before.
"INJUSTICE!?!?" He yelled as he started charging toward his former comrade. "INJUSTICE!! The Marines are THE SHIELD!! You were the SHIELD!!" You turned your back on everything you believed in and for what to join forces with a miserable lot of criminals!!! Kuro died because he betrayed the Navy because he became no better than the scum he used to put away. Instead of learning from his death you choose to have your ideals of justice warped just like him!!!" Jasper shouts at her as he coats the edge of his shield in Haki.
He begins to hold it in front of his body to protect him from the wind she used to try and push him back. Then at the last second when reaching Mika he slashes and rushes past her leaving a devastating blow in her chest. "As a captain of the Marines it is my duty to put down any and all injustice in the world and that includes you."
"Now that I've got justice I just now came to the realization that I haven't given it much thought ever since back then" Mika replied, lifting herself off the ground. She had blood over her chest in an X-shape.
"How could I forget something I was thought to carry at all times?" She chuckled as she tried to cover her wound with just her hands.
"You know how I never got to use my coat?" She questioned the tank as she loosened her fists. She partially lofted both of her arms to stomach level and started to shake them. Her left was shaking from left and right and her other was shaking up and down.
"And I also never told any of you my brand of justice" As she stopped shaking her hands she took a fighting stance. She lowered herself and widened her legs. Arms beside her hips.
"I should tell you about it now" She lifted her right arm.
"Behold my bloody justice" She disappeared for a second or two only to appear right in front of Jasper. Her fist glowed a bright red as she's now back in her hybrid form. As her fist made contact, a massive fire bursted from her fist.
"The irony of the name is just hilarious" 'bet Kuro would laugh' she smiled
Jasper had no time to react before Mika appeared in front of him fist raised as he attempted to raise his shield to defend howls he could tell already tell it was to late. The second her fist made contact he could feel the power behind it, like he was punched by a natural disaster contained in one attack. He was immediately knocked back by the sheer force of her punch and even if he used any kind of defense he doubt it would do more than slow the attack. Jasper was flying but saw he was about to hit a wall head first so before he made contact he angled himself so instead his back made contact with the wall.
He heard and felt something crack inside his body and spit up some blood as he began to get up. He pushed himself against the wall once more to put everything back in its place but he could still feel his bones in his spine were cracked but not completely broken. The blood loss would have little to no effect on him but he wouldn't last long with the damage done to his skeleton, he needed to beat this traitor fast. When he stood up shield in hand he fully processed what Mika just said, 'bloody justice.' With that Jasper's fury ignited, he couldn't even form words he just shouted in rage at Mika and began to charge her but halfway through the charge he sprayed his blood in full force on the ground creating a wave of it as he prepared to shower Mika in it and use his shield to gut her. As he formed enough blood to fully create the wave he knew it would collapse after reaching Mika but he also knew that she'd have to make a choice. Use her power to stop the wave or stop Jasper's attack. "This battle will decide who gets to be the champion of BLOODY JUSTICE!!"
Mika closed her eyes still in her hybrid form and focused her power as she prepared for the wave and Jasper's incoming attack. As the wave rushed forward she used her powers to take control of it and stop it before the acid reached her. As the red liquid stopped it took the form of a wall of blood instead of a wave. However as she was concentrated on the blood she could do little about Jasper who used the waves immediate stop to push himself forward adding power to his attack. In a last ditch effort to at least lessen the damage until she could get aid she tried to move her body slightly away from the shield. Jasper was clearly using the X on Mika's chest as a guide, aiming for the center where lines intersect. Instead the shield pierced her left side causing her to cough up blood and her X wound to bleed even more.
As Jasper smiled a dark smile while covered in both his and Mika's blood he pushed a bit deeper. However his moment was short lived as he soon realized he was still in the air, gravity should have brought his feet down by now. As he looked back he saw the reason for his mid air suspension, tentacles made of blood from the wall he made were wrapped around his legs. His smile dropped as he realized by creating the wall he had just given Mika even more ammo to use against him.
"See that's always been your problem Jasper." Mika said as she pushed through the pain. "Your temper blinds you to what's right in front of you." With a swift hand motion Mika causes the tentacles to begin pulling Jasper into his own blood. Jasper's shield thrusts out of Mika's body as he is pulled, still through the pain Mika drags the red haired captain. With his legs halfway in the bloody wall Jasper digs his shield into the ground to stop himself from being fully drawn in. Mika keeps pushing power to the tentacles even with the pain in her side and the loss of blood she is feeling, she keeps pulling.
"You wanna know what justice really is Jasper?" Mika says, trying to once again let the man's anger get the better of him. "Justice is the innocent being free and safe from the guilty." She says as Jaspers shield begins to make a line in the ground as it is dragged along. "Justice is the guilty and the corrupt being punished for their crimes." As Jasper's anger arose with her words he gritted his teeth struggling to keep his grip. "And justice is a guilty man drowning in his own blood."
With that Jasper's anger got the better of him and he once again screamed with fury at Mika. In this moment of rage he lost his grip on his shield and the tentacles dragged him into the wall of blood. Once inside Mika motioned her hands as if orchestrating a concert and pressurized the blood and formed it into an orb around Jasper. Even inside the orb Jasper fought kicking and punching desperately trying to poke his head out for air. As he soon felt himself losing consciousness he took one more look at Mika smiling at him and let out one last bellow of rage, using up all his remaining air. It wasn't until his body was floating motionless in the orb did Mika drop everything.
Once she stopped controlling the orb of blood she pushed away any of the incoming waves that rushed in her direction. Carefully walking around the acidic liquid she took one last look at the "Shield Hero" unconscious inches away from his shield still stuck in the ground. "That was bloody justice Jasper."
With that Mika began heading towards the exit holding her side where Jasper had pierced her. She was too injured to be of any help so she knew protocol was to head to the sub. She had finished what she wanted to do anyway it was time to go.
The Bullets and The Brawn[]
Olivier narrowed his eyes when he saw Henry using Rokushiki. If he truly knew all six techniques it'd be a difficult fight. However, he was also keenly aware that a zoan Devil Fruit made a world of difference, and boosted one's physical capabilities to great extent, something which would show when using Rokushiki.
When he saw Henry fired several bullets, he did not think much of them. Even if they were coated in Armament Haki, unless Henry was a high level user of it, they would barely be able to penetrate through his body's armored plates. Thus, Olivier just used Soru and Kami-E to dodge them. It was effective until one of the bullets went past his radar, and hit him in the right arm. It penetrated through his armor, but got stopped by his muscles when he used Tekkai on his arm as soon as he noticed he had failed to evade. However, this was not the most worrying thing. Rather it was the wave of weakness Olivier felt assaulting him. It was not only limited to weakness, he even felt that he was on the verge of being forced back to his human form.
"Kairoseki!" He immediately deduced. In a split second, he used his left hand to dig the bullet out of himself in a rather clumsy manner. Blood spurted out of the hole the bullet had bore, as he quite literally and wantonly ripped scales and skin apart in the process of taking it out with his claws. He'd normally not do self-harm, but a Kairoseki bullet needed to be taken out immediately.
While taking it out, he backed off a bit using Soru, and when he had made enough distance between Henry and himself, he dug his fingers into the wall and ripped a large chunk of it off. He'd use that as a shield. The thickness of it, as well as the cement and bricks' toughness were enough to withstand the bullets unless they came from a sniper rifle.
Henry smiled as he witnessed at least one of his bullets make contact. The goal of his attack wasn't to do substantial damage to the Commodore. He just wanted to see if his bullets could do any damage and was more than happy to see he was right. "Well that answers that question." Henry said as he started to switch out his bullets while loading new special ones. "Sea prism stone beats armadillo shell."
He then Skywalks why using Soru to move so fast he is a blur while saying, "Am I the only one laughing at the fact that an Armadillo man is hiding behind a shield?" He then fires three more bullets in the air two from directly above Oliver and shouts "IMPACT SHOT!" When he returns to his spot while still using Soru he quickly holsters his pistols and switches to his rifle so fast no one can see him do it thanks to his years of practice and fires one more bullet aimed directly at Oliver while shouting "BANG SHOT!". Wood used Soru so well that all the bullets would hit the Commodore at the same time and it was up to him which he chose to block but as a precaution Henry made sure that all bullets would do some kind of damage.
The Impact bullets he fired from above are designed to hold certain forces in them so that when they make contact the forces are unleashed. For example the two he fired hold the force of a charging train, Henry had Santo extract the force from the train knowing his accelerated healing wouldn't let him die. The Bang Shot is a simple bullet but with enough power and propulsion to be compared to a missile, either way no matter how Oliver reacted he would not make it out unscathed.
Olivier dodges the first Impact Shot, but sees himself without time to escape from the Bang Shot. All he can do is lift the chunk of concrete he used as a shield.
"BOOM!" The bullet explodes into flames and the chunk of concrete is reduced to dust. Olivier is blown back, and the shock actually causes his ears to start ringing. Aside from some cracks on some of his armor plates, from which some drops of blood trickle down, he hasn't sustained any severe damage. However, he knew that he could not continue to take damage for much more time before he got seriously injured.
"No time to waste." He thinks as he uses his Wanryoku-ryu's Tenmetsu Shukuyaku to contract his legs' muscles dozens of times before releasing them, and using that tremendous force to execute Soru, in an attempt to close the distance between him and Henry.
Henry sees the incoming hybrid and quickly realizes with the distance closed he will lose his main advantage. So with no other option he combines both Soru and Geppo once again this time only for a moment to get above the spot where he was just standing and the Commodore was dashing toward. He fired a single bullet while using his scarf to cover the bottom of his face including his nose and mouth while yelling a muffled, "Blind Shot!"
The bullet that emerged from the gun immediately began to emit a thick black smoke and as it reached the floor just as Oliver reached the spot it burst into a cloud that filled the area. Putting on his goggles as well he landed back down into the cloud of smoke using his goggles and his observation Haki to locate Oliver. He focused his pacing and used the Commodore's confusion from the smoke to his advantage as he used his Geppo to move all around him in a circle. Switching back to regular bullets he fired from both his pistols with such speed it was as if he was in 10 places at once carefully firing from just outside the cloud and then letting them enter the smoke. All bullets fired from all directions heading for Oliver hidden among a blinding cloud of black.
Olivier saw his sight restricted, yet he didn't panic. His most acute sense was actually his hearing and smell. Thus, he could still figure out where Henry was, in spite of the smoke.
He located his enemy, and instantly saw a barrage of bullets coming at him. He rushed forward using Soru, not bothering about the bullets that much. He dodged some with Kami-E, but a couple still hit him. He felt the immediate effect of the Kairoseki, bringing great pain. However, the true effect was yet to come.
He sped up even more. He thought that Henry was delusional if he thought he could rival his speed with just some offshoot Geppo. Thus, he closed the distance, before throwing arain of Shigans at Henry, who had been using his Geppo to circle him.
Henry's observation kicked in and he quickly used Geppo to climb out of range of the barrage of finger pistols aimed at him but even with his speed and Haki more then a few did manage to make contact with his legs and torso causing him to cough up even more blood. The damage from Commodore's first attack could still be felt, as Henry had hoped to finish this fight quickly so he could get aid before more damage was done. So much for that plan, he now realized there was only to finish this fight quickly. He was done playing around and it was time to turn this Commodore to roadkill.
Getting as high as he could directly above Oliver, Henry pulled all three of his guns, and two chains of sea prism stone bullets out and threw them in the air while taking out a silver mechanism from his back. Still climbing, Henry grabbed his rifle in the air and locked it into the center of the silver conjoining mechanism. When this was done three more gun slots emerged next to his rifles. He then grabbed his pistols from the air and placed them into the sides of it to lock alongside the rifle. The pistols then split, the handles connecting to form one grip on the top with a trigger and the rifle acting as the back brace to hold onto. He did all this with the speed and skill acquired from years of practice
"Alright Commodore Musclehead!!" Henry shouted as he held his ultimate weapon against Devil Fruit users, one large gatling gun with one hand on the back and another on the brace trigger handle on top.
"Let's see how you handle the DEVIL KILLER!"
The Devil Killer was Henry's ultimate weapon not just due to the speed of the bullets but due to the power behind them. The power of the bullets is amplified and they become similar to small drills, even when they hit they dig into people's skin and bone. Even if they miss, which is highly unlikely, wherever they hit the bullets will Scatter into sharp pieces still causing damage to the targets.
Henry stopped using Geppo and let gravity take him down, down, closer and closer to his opponent then in the last second started firing, raining down a barrage of bullets at unbelievable speed toward Oliver
Olivier had managed to injure his opponent, but his current situation could only be described as very bad. The seastone bullets forced him out of his hybrid form just as Henry's Drill Bullets came and two of them struck him right in the torso.
He felt an unimaginable pain and started to black out. However, his extraordinary willpower allowed him to keep his consciousness in spite of his terrible condition. He used Soru to hastily retreat continuously before Henry killed him.
He entered a destroyed, roofless office that was nearby, and picked up the Den Den Mushi. His figure could clearly be seen by Henry, but since he knew he was on his last breath, he did not rush to finish him off.
"Morel..."
Panting
"We have a Charlie Level Threat... They have infiltrated the base, we..." Olivier did not get the chance to complete his sentence before a terrifying force broke half of his thoracic and lumbar vertebrae.
It was a man's fist. However, it seemed to be coiled like a spring. Even before it uncoiled itself completely, Olivier was already fatally injured. Weirdly, he stood there static for a second, before the spring-like fist uncoiled completely, releasing a force that blew him away at a speed even faster than his Soru allowed him to reach when he was at his peak.
A sonic boom was almost created, and Olivier crashed against the wall of the prison tower, a quarter of a mile away. His life was considerably threatened from the injuries he had sustained, first at the hands of Shinko, which had largely healed, but had reopened after Henry inflicted more damage upon him, and lastly, by the sudden attack he had just suffered, which was like the straw that broke the camel's back.
"That is payback for three years ago. You are a tough motherfucker, so I expect you to keep your worthless life." Said the red-haired samurai who had just struck him, as his arm returned to normal.
"Now, I should look for my sword." Thought the samurai as he turned around to meet Henry.
Henry was unsure of what he just witnessed. He first began to follow Oliver who seemed desperate to reach wherever he was going, he knew the Commodore had to be on his last legs so he hunted him and finished him off. He followed him to a section of the building that looked like it used to be an office before it was ruined by the damage taken by the base. There he saw Oliver reaching for a Den Den Mushi, quickly switching the Devil Killer back into his guns he holstered all of them except one of his pistols and then aimed it at Oliver's head. However, before he got a chance to pull the trigger a red Haired man appeared with such speed and stealth that Henry's Haki just barely managed to detect him.
The man appeared behind Oliver and delivered one quick final blow to the Commodore and said something to him as he died. Henry couldn't quite make out the words but nonetheless he got closer slowly and as Oliver's lifeless body fell the red Haired man turned around and faced the barrel of Henry's pistol.
"What'd you say to Oliver? Why'd you kill him? Is your hair naturally that red or do you dye it? What are you doing here?" After pausing for a moment to contemplate what he just said Henry added, "Oh yeah and WHO THE HELL ARE YOU!?!"
"Hey, hey calm down cowboy. Just told him to screw off and paid him back for capturing me and locking me up for three goddamn years. And what do you care whether my hair is naturally red or not? Well, actually it is. Now, have you seen the armory? Need to find my sword. It should be stored there. It's too heavy for any Marine to wield it, and I don't think those strong enough would want it either. Marines tend to like brute strength over weapons, just look at that idiot Olivier." Although Benjiro started answering to Henry, midway through his monologue, he walked past him, and it appeared as if he were now talking to himself, which was kind of what he was doing, while looking for the armory.
Halfway through his reply this Red Haired man began walking away from Henry and the gunslinger honestly didn't know what to do. He wanted to check on Mika but he also wanted to keep an eye on this man as he'd rather know what he's doing at all times should he prove to be a threat. However he did say Oliver and the Marines kept him as a prisoner meaning at least for the moment the man and the Birds Of Prey had a common enemy in the Navy.
Either way, until communications were restored and he could contact the rest of the team his primary goal was to finish the mission and Henry knew he'd need Mika to do it. With that resolve in mind Henry headed to where the sounds of fighting were coming from but stopped for a moment and turned back to the strange man. "Hey Scarlet! You're going the wrong way, the Armory's over here."
Benjiro turned around, and raised his thumb at Henry.
"Thanks cowboy. I think the clown and the cyborg guy are part of your party, aren't they? They went on to your ship after rescuing me. Clown fella was in quite a bad condition." He told Henry before pushing open the door that led into what seemed like the armory.
"By the way, name's Benjiro." He said, stopping for a second on the doorframe before completely entering.
The armory was full of weapons of all kinds and sizes. Just at a glance, there were several H1 Grands, neatly ordered on a dusty rack. It was the signature rifle of the Marines in the New World. There were also various sabers and swords, all thrown into a giant container, on the opposite side. They didn't look like the kind of melee weapons Marines would use, so Benjiro approached and started scanning the content of the giant steel container.
Sure enough, there it was. His sword, Bishamon's Gift. He grabbed it from the saya, and he grinned from eye to eye upon feeling its familiar weight, which was much more than an average katana's. In fact, ten normal swords could barely match up to his in terms of weight. It was one of the reasons it was so deadly.
Unsheathing and waving it in the air, the worry of it having been taken by some Marine for their personal use was relieved.
The second the red Haired man mentioned his comrades Henry began to rush back to the ship. Even if they were injured his friends would never have been to the sub unless they completed their portion of the mission. They had defeated the leaders of this base and definitely sent the Marines a message they would not soon forget that meant it was time to leave. As he entered a stairwell avoiding the random fires and falling debris he began thinking about Mika, knowing that if he fought Oliver she was probably fighting the shield marine. He paused and looked back for a second before saying, "Ehh she'll be fine, it's the Marine who'll probably need help."
He then continued on his path just now processing what Red Head said, Santo was hurt. "Great once again our doctor needs a doctor, just when I need one too." Henry said while putting a hand over his wounds. While he wasn't a medical professional, then again neither was Santo, he could tell Oliver's first attack did some internal damage as well as external and he didn't know how long he had til the blood loss would cause him to coapse but he knew one thing he needed to reach sub or at least one of his team members before that. As he headed out the stairwell looking for a wall he could blow or an already blown wall his mind drifted to the Samurai looking for his sword. He only encountered him for a second but his Haki told him he was a strong opponent, so strong Henry was happy he wasn't an enemy even if he wasn't wounded he doubted he could win a fight with that man.
Payback's Blade[]
Benjiro, sword strapped to his waist, walked leisurely to the harbor. Aero had told him the ship they had come in was located there after they had agreed to split up. Aero had to treat Santo and repair his drones, which while still functional, had had some of their steel plates and helixes bent and scratched; their power cells were also running low after their intense fight against Ryuko, and he himself had to go and retrieve his sword.
As he was walking down the base and towards the pier, he suddenly felt his scalp tingle, and out of pure instinct, hardened his forearm with some Armament Haki, just in time to receive the blow from an unknown assailant. He was sent flying, almost as fast as Olivier had been sent flying by him earlier. The only difference here was that he had anticipated the attack, and acted accordingly. Thus, when he was about to crash onto a Marine ship, he turned his ankles into springs, which were extended, and used them to absorb the impact. They coiled automatically, and bounced him back to the pier.
"Hahaha. You haven't rusted that much in spite of having been rotting inside that cell for almost three years. I hope you enjoyed the minutes of freedom you just had, and properly stretched those legs, cause you're getting back there right now." Said the attacker as he looked at Benjiro in the eye. He knew that his time in prison had weakened him, and that it had been too short for him to make a complete recovery.
Benjiro chuckled as he heard the attacker's words.
"You speak too much nonsense. Nevertheless, out of magnanimity and good faith, I'll inform you that I just beat the crap out of that brute Olivier. If I were you, I'd go and see if he's even still alive. Oh, and that fellow Ryuko, he also seemed to have been injured rather badly. As of now, only that guy of the Red Shield remains standing, and from the looks of it not for much longer. So, are you gonna lock me up, or save your men?" Benjiro's monologue was spoken with absolute confidence. Although he was not afraid of his attacker, he would rather not fight him as he is now. Hence, he had resorted to those kinds of psychological warfare tactics. Be it as it were, he was right. Commodore Morel had to make a decision, and from his sour expression, it was clear it was a very tough one.
"Say what you want, you crooked samurai," Morel responded, lightening the pressure in the air.
"My men don't need me to survive" He claimed confidently as he softened his hands, releasing them from the tight form of a fist.
"Even though they lost, it seems like they still did a number on you" He said now observing some of the injured revolutionaries. There were multiple people that were injured but only one was unconscious. The one that's passed out is an extremely long man.
"And now that they've did their best, it's only natural for me to finish it up" Morel's gaze sharpened as he balled his fists yet again this time with an extra coating of Armament Haki. He charged at the weakened Samurai, not wanting to let him recover anymore. Even though Morel has gotten way stronger compared to how strong he was during the initial confrontation with Benjiro years back, he still didn't wanna take any chances.
"Saw Thrust" Morel thrusted his arm from his hip forward, towards Benjiro. His fist seemed to cut through air as it closed the distance between then extremely fast
'I'll put you back before I deal with my own men' He rounded his intentions
Benjiro laughed mockingly.
"You could not beat me three years ago, what makes you think you can do so now?" Asked Benjiro as he pivoted 90°, trying to evade Morel's strike.
Simultaneously, he gripped Bishamonten's Gift, coated it in Armament Haki and in a swift move, unsheathed it, and used his other hand, which had been coiled to its limits since the beginning, to punch the air and start spinning on his own axis, using the force from the punch as his momentum.
Benjiro turned into a human storm as he spun incredibly fast, blade in hand.
"Taigetsu." he mutters under his breath as he stops spinning. The blade-like winds, however, do not stop until after a couple of seconds.
Morel backs up a bit as the samurai rapidly spun in an attempt to knock him back. Recognizing his inability to stop him with just his hands, Morel reaches for his belt. From his belt, Morel grabbed what seemed to be a baton.
"What makes me think I can beat you? It's simple" He extended the baton as he also grabbed a roll of string from his jacket. As the baton extended, metal rings popped out from the cracks of the baton and Morel put the string into the rings and as a final touch, he attached a reel to the base of the baton. Making his signature weapon, a fishing rod
"cuz I'm not a fucking goon" Cursed the commodore, feeling insulted by the mockery of the samurai. He coated the rod with his haki as it shined a deep purple. He casted the hook of the rod towards the body of the samurai as it hooked to the sleeve of Benjiro.
With a single pull he managed to erase all the built up momentum making Benjiro slowly stop spinning as he faced the Samurai again.
"As long as you keep looking down at me it'll only make my chances of putting your head in my office even bigger. I respect you as a fighter and as a person and to be honest I would like a person like you as a subordinate rather than an enemy" He told the samurai to stop this confrontation from snowballing into a fight.
"And as you can see, we're both in a hurry to fix something so why not we both retreat for now. That sounds good to you?" He asked
"Sounds good to me. At least you are not delusional and think you can beat me. Farewell then." Says Benjiro as he coils his ankles and springs far away in what looks like two cricket- like movements.
It does not take long for him to get to the ship, upon which, he jumps onto the deck.
"Hey, guys! Tell your people to get the hell out of there so we can leave this goddamned place!" He shouts.
"It's a deal then" As they parted ways, Morel didn't seem to be fully content with the circumstances as he was visibly irritated by that final line. 'Try me and I'll break those rusty springs of yours. Wish you never meet me again. Anegakoji Benjiro' He whispered his name as he threatened the samurai in his thoughts.
Morel continued his walk which turned swiftly into a dash as he quickly made his way into the prison to get in contact with his 'student'. Ryuko didn't respond to his calls so he must visit him first. He didn't want his one true follower to throw his life away just for him.
Much later, Morel finally arrives at the Prison as he now finds the unconscious Ryuko on the floor atop a pile of rubble. "Kid? You okay over there?" He asked as no answer came.
The moment he talked, it caught the attention of the prisoners who were now free of Ryuko's manipulation. As all of them turned their heads to him, they yelled, screamed and shouted his name.
"FREE US" "GET LOST" "DIE" "FUCK YOU" They insulted and threw profanities towards him and their jailor as he was on the helpless on the cold floor of the prison. His student was defeated and now he was being spit at by his 'cleffs'. What other disrespect.
In a burst of anger he yelled out to the prisoners "ENOUGH". A single command to silence them all. "After this is all done, you'll be transported to Mariejois. If you dare to insult your captors here then let's see how you lot fare with the Cipher Pol and the Jailor Beasts" Their faces went pale as regret was evident in their faces. Their rotten lives in these cells was about to get a sickening upgrade.
Now with the prisoners dealt with, Morel goes and kneels beside his student. "Kid? You okay there?" He gave a few shakes and gentle swipes to Ryuko, treating him with the care he lacked.
"Hey kid, can you get up?" He asked the young Marine Captain as he slowly began to wake up. His eyes fluttered as he slowly began to regain his consciousness.
"M-Morel-sensei" "It's okay kid, take it slow" He reassured the Captain as his face now showed a soft smile. Knowing Ryuko was still alive made him happy. After all the years he had spent with him, it would be devastating if he had died.
"I-im s-sorry. I failed" Ryuko said, with great disappointment. "It doesn't matter kid, the important thing is that you're alive" He pulled Ryuko into a tight embrace as Ryuko himself was caught off guard by this.
Their relationship has gone so far from just a savior and the saved. No matter training, fighting, and even eating, they were together. Throughout the years, Morel has developed genuine care for Ryuko as he saw the liveless toy of royalty slowly turn into a lively fighter of justice. Ever since the event that followed Morel's promotion into a commodore, they've been practically father and son.
"Thanks Morel-sama" He thanked the commodore for his sweet words. "Okay, now we can't stay here forever" Morel released Ryuko from the embrace as he standed up. "I need you to fetch the others" "And what about you?" Ryuko asked.
"Imma go do the usual, Morel said as he started to walk out of the prison after lifting Ryuko up. "Before you go, don't you get involved in their fight. Your injured yourself so your better off just waiting for them okay?" "Yes, sir, Ryuko said as he watched Morel walk out from the prison.
As Morel walked out of the building, Ryuko sat back down in the spot where he was previously unconscious to recollect himself. "That guy was an amazing fighter" he whispered as he laughed from the battle he had just lost. "I really wanna fight him again. I won't take losses for shit" He said as he stood back up and started walking out the prison.
"But now, I need to do my job first" He said as he started to advance to the infirmary
Lost but not Forgotten[]
Keef stood at the edge of the hall, annoyed at the chatter that was present over his com. His cold and unfeeling expression was unfased by the commotion set in motion by the other birds. “Those imbeciles. I swear that Jay said this will be a stealth operation, yet here I am. Likely the only one that has kept his cover. Gah I need a drink." Keef thought to himself as six men in naval uniform approached, armed with various swords and guns. “Pitiful garbage.” In a single movement, Keef had appeared behind the men, sheathing his blade. Once it clicked into place, the six men kissed the floor while still standing still, showering the ground with fountains of crimson. Without looking back, Keef was intent on regrouping with the others, regardless of what the current situation may be. In his mind, the mission had been a partial success, due to the sight of a multitude of bombs scattered throughout the halls he traveled.
Santo had slowly begun to regain his mobility, though not addressing it to Aero, it was quite enjoyable to be whisked away by a.. man as tall as Aero was. Frequently licking his finger and placing it in the ear closest to him, Aero grew increasingly annoyed and disgusted, dropping Santo on the ground after some time. Upon the cold, stone floor on G-4, Santo couldn't help but roll around laughing maniacally. "AHAHAHAHA YOU SHOULD SEE THE LOOK ON YOUR FACE!" His laughter was paused by a deep inhale. "BAHAHAHAHA! YOU! YOUR FACE! JUST! AHAHAHA!"
Aero grew tired of Santo's games, storming off to where he had believed to be the location of their ship while Santo continued to laugh violently on the floor. Passing corridor after corridor, searching for a path that he'd remember traversing. Along the way he stopped and placed additional explosives to maximize damage and spread. "This, will be my best work yet." Aero said as he placed the final explosive, a satisfied sigh escaped from his breath with a look of satisfaction upon his face. Beginning to continue his way through the ruined remains of the base, remnants of walls have collapsed on itself, flames engulfed certain corridors, narrowing his options for escape. "Batteries are dying, it'd be best to avoid using drones any more than absolutely necessary." His cold monotone was deafened by the sound of roaring flames as he dashed off toward the vessel without a care for his comrade.
As Aero progressed through toward the sub, Santo quickly disregarded him, continuing to enjoy his laughter as he collected himself and walked off in search of additional party favors. Maneuvering through the facility, taking note of various unconscious men, he rearranged their bodies into humorous poses and positions. It didn't take long for him to come across a wounded Henry. "Ah Henry my friend! OOPS I mean. Vulture BAHAHA!" Santo laughed excessively at his mistake, potentially revealing the bird's identity. “Whew anyway. Let’s have some fun! I propose a game! We shall race back to the ship! Come across and have some fun with another bird that's 10 points! Toy with a marine and get 20 points, 30 if it's flashy! Then the winner of the race gets 50 points! Sound good? Let's go!" A sinister smile emerged as Santo dashed off as fast as he explained the rules of the game.
Henry immediately began dashing after Santo, though visibly wounded, probable broken bones as well as minor bleeding, he knew his only hope for winning was sabotage. "I'm gonna win you crazy clown!" Henry shouted as he dashed as fast as he could down the corridor, encountering a few marines that had seen Santo dash by. "Oh boys!" Henry shouted, dropping a small flashbang to their feet before continuing. He came across marine after marine either downed or dead. He took note of one of Aero's bombs that had been placed and advanced forward, continuing to toy with any naval officers he came across until he encountered another of Aero’s many explosives. “I’m sure he wouldn’t mind!” Henry thought to himself as he grabbed the explosive off the wall and took it with him, cradling it with care so as to not detonate it prematurely.
Santo was establishing a vast lead ahead of Henry, laying minor traps behind him along the way, a veritable trail of mayhem. “Oohoo Henry! That was marvelous! Totally worth the thirty! But you’ll want to pick up the pace if you wish to win!” Santo shouted with glee as he passed Keef, a flutter to his pulse at the very sight of his cowled compatriot. “Keef my love! Let’s run away together finally!” Santo shouted as he stepped on a bloodied slab of stone, losing his footing and crashing into a nearby storage room.
Keef looked disgusted by Santo’s words, yet amused at the potential injury that could have agitated the already weakened state of the clown. He peered into the room, his cowl covering a minor smirk on his face. To his dismay, Santo was merely covered in a multitude of crates and firearms. His pale white face had a sinister grin to it as he rose to his feet, witnessing Henry dash past the room carrying what appeared to be a parcel.
“I’m sorry Keef, I’ve got better plans!” He stated with glee, tugging down the cowl covering Keef’s lower face before sprinting out of the room.
Shinko was in a dead sprint towards the entryway, Keef hot on his heels to regroup with the others. "Sparrow what's your 20? Vulture! Tell me you've made it to the others!" Shinko shouted into his den den mushi to no response from anyone. The visibly flustered Shinko threw his transponder to the ground before continuing to dash away. Vaulting over collapsed beams, the occasional unconscious marine, maneuvering through the intense wreckage with minimal effort before approaching a clearing, the massive doors the team had entered through were not far now! "Keef! Let's go! I can see the rest of the birds! Mission success, let's celebrate back at the nest!" Shinko and Keef began to sprint toward the door, just as one of Aero's explosives detonated prematurely, sending the two of them flying away from the doors, causing an enlarged portion of the room to both collapse on itself and become engulfed in flames. Shinko regained his bearings a moment later, seeing Keef pinned underneath a support beam, heavily dazed. “Get the fuck outta there Sparrow!” Shinko shouted at the top of his lungs before breaking into a cacophony of horrendous coughs from smoke inhalation. The roar of the flames and dissonant explosions continued to rampage as the remaining birds had successfully made it back to the sub. The faint glow of the burning base lit their faces, various ships sailed away from the coast. Shinko struggled severely in his weakened state to pull Keef to his freedom as the remnants of the base toppled over. Plumes of ash were engulfed by the swelling inferno. The birds, accompanied by Benjiro looked in awe as their commander and leader had been swallowed whole.
“W.. Well what do we do now?” Henry said with a confused tone, wiping a lone tear off his cheek.
“We just keep doing what we’re doing. We wanted to stick it to the marines and World Government, and that’s just what we did. So, we keep fighting.” Santo stepped forward, his typical jovial tone had been erased for the moment it would seem, tears welling up in his eyes, yet the tone to his voice remained confident and inspiring. Raising a closed fist to the sky, a silhouette of the clown was cast in the moonlight. “FOR REVOLUTION!”