| Role-Play Name: The Three Wolves
Date Started: August 12th, 2018
|
A Regular Patrol[]
A normal day like most others, a medium size ship is seen sailing the vast blue clear ocean making its way across several small islands. Seen closesly the ship could easly be recognized as a marine patrol ship, bearing two masts and respectivly two white sails bearing the Marines logo. Possessing 2 cannons on each size and bearing a green and dark blue color on the hull like most marine ships. In that ship several officers can be seen bearing the standart marine uniforme, opperating several jobs such as cleaning the deck, stearing the ship and monitorizing the direction the ship was eading.
Getting closer to an island one of the many officers makes his way inside and saluting one of the marines that appeared to be of a higher rank. Looking at the news journal was a young white-haired man standing just a little taller than those around him, wearing a variation of the standard marine outfit was Brigham a marine Commander. "We have reached one of our islands in our patrol order." The officer said to the young commander awaiting for a response. Lifting his eyes from the journal for a moment Brigham directs himself to the former marine. "Tell the other to get ready for the docking." After the former made his way outside Brigham directed his attention to another officer of higher rank on the room. "Soo is everything alright?"
The officer who Brigham was referring to took a quick glance at the white-haired youth with her bright yellow eyes. "Yes...I suppose, why wouldn't I be alright?" she said as she crossed one leg over the other, looking back at her own newspaper. This girl was no other than Lowell Harlee, a marine commander herself. She sported what seemed to be a variation of a black maid uniform, its only noticeable difference being the long slit on the left side of her skirt. Her hair was red and tied in twin tails and her head was covered by a black hat.
Although her answer may seem hostile, the girl truly had little knowledge about proper etiquette in every sense of the word. Before Brigham could respond to her question, she continued "Although there is something bothering me, look at the top right corner of the newspaper." as she said this she pointed to a picture in the newspaper. It was an image of a man with wolf ears, below it, the name Maurier Harlan and the words "Dead or Alive" could be seen. "Can't believe my own race is doing this...it's shameful." She actually looked sad for a second but the "CLANK" the ship made her regain composure. It was the signal that the ship had anchored, she quickly stood up and looked at her companion. "Come on, let's go."
"You can't surprise me."
"Oh really? How much do you want to bet?"
"If you win, I'll get you whatever you want. If I win, you give me whatever I want. Deal?"
"Deal."
"Alright, try to surprise me."
"I have a supplier that regularly supplies me with Alpacas."
"...What?"
"I win. Go get me something shiny."
Harlan kept thinking back to that conversation, the one he had with Miku, and how she had surprised it. The fact still baffled him. Why in tarnations did she have someone that supplied her with Alpacas? However, in any way, Harlan had lost that bet. So now, he was tasked with the duty of acquiring something shiny for her, like a diamond necklace or something.
He had docked a rowboat not too far from here, where he would use it to row away back to Brine, around a few hours trip away from here. His target was a jewellery store, closed while the owner was off on vacation. Harlan's plan was that he would break in quietly, steal a diamond necklace, and get the hell out of there. It was so simple, there was no way he could mess up.
He walked up to the store, and tried opening the door. As suspected, it was locked. Harlan looked around, trying to see if any civilians were watching him. There were none, so he could proceed as planned. Harlan planted his feet in the ground, wrapping both his hands around the steel door. He gave it a hard yank, and ripped the door out of its hinges. He let go of it, and it flew backwards, creating a loud clanging noise. Harlan winced at the sudden noise, his arrival wasn't so quiet anymore. But he couldn't dwell on that, he had to sneak in and grab the diamond necklace as soon as he could.
As the various marines make their way outside of the ship, Brigham is seen ordering a specific group to stay behind and protect their location in case of any pirate making his way there. Beginning to give directions to the several officers that left the ship with them. "You three will go around the island in search of pirate ships." pointing his finger to a small group and right after directing the other three. "You guys will go to the other side of the island and make sure that there has been no problem with the villages. Me and Harlee will go from here and do the same."
Beginning to make their way into the nearest village Brigham directs himself to Harlee to continue their previous conversation. "To pick up where we left." Checking his equipment while walking he keeps talking. "Is not that unusual for your people to do crimes." Realizing that what he just said could cause him several problems he immediately corrects himself. "I mean there has been a lot of famous minks in the past. But not like you of course." Looking extremely nervous he began to focus his attention on his surrounding in hope Harlee hadn't heard him.
But of course, Harlee had heard him and quite clearly at that. Her wolf-ears pricked forward, causing two noticeable bulges underneath her hat. She shot him a quick yet deadly look then rolled her eyes and sighed as he tried to redeem himself with another comment. Instead of answering, she remained silent as they walked into the village. Although for most this silence might be awkward, and possibly for Brigham, for Harlee, it wasn't. The sound of the lively town could be heard as they strolled through the street, many shops revealed themselves before their eyes.
"Why am I stuck with this guy anyway? I can handle a patrol by myself!" she thought. Unintentionally, she clenched her fists and furrowed her eyebrows. It was a stance she took whenever she faced any obstacles, and for her doing this job without causing any reckless damage was definitely a challenge. Perhaps that was why she was partnered with the "White Wolf", to keep her explosive powers on check.
As she took on a more natural position once again, her ears detected a loud "CLANG" coming from a nearby store. It was a sound similar to that of the anchor, metal clashing with something. She took a glimpse at the stores to her right and left, then resumed walking at a quicker pace unaware that she should've at least warned her partner. If her senses weren't lying to her, then the store she was staring at right now should've been the source of the sound. "Ohhhhhh~" she was mesmerized by the beautiful lineup of jewelry the stoor exhibit from their glass window. She shook her head violently and tried to find anything unusual with the shop and surely, she found what she was looking for. The door lied on the ground, allowing anyone to easily sneak in. Well, if they had to tear down the door "sneak" was hardly the right term. She walked in, assuming the former Commander was behind her. "I wonder what happened he-" her question was cut short by the sight she was witnessing.
Recovering himself from the embarrassing situation he just came from, Brigham notices his partner sudden reaction. Quickly analyzing his surroundings Brigham sees the cause of his partner sudden reaction. Getting himself into a completely different persona, going from a red face small man to a focus and emotionless man he gets his signature Revolver ready for contact. "Get the people out of here Harlee." Brigham said while making his way into the shops "new door". Getting close he sees in front of him a white-haired mink bearing features similar to those of his partner. And seeing him as the cause of the sudden chaos, Brigham lets out a warning shoot next to him to call his attention.
Harlan spun around at the sound of the warning shot, mounds of diamond jewellery in his hands, and for some reason, a few of them were in his mouth. "HDKEGFJDSH!" he exclaimed loudly, the jewellery in his mouth muffling out his true words. He spat the jewellery in his mouth to the ground, as well as letting the other pieces of diamond accessories sifted through his fingers, clasping onto a single diamond necklace.
"Holy shit, man." Harlan said, pocketing the diamond necklace. "You could have shot me! And for what reason? Cause I'm taking a little ol' necklace?" he jested, running his hand through his silky white hair. "How about this? You and your partner there screw off, I'm on my way, and that way I don't have to hurt you when you inevitably try and stop me."
Harlee raised a brow, staring at the silly half-mink that stood in front of her. "He shot you because you're stealing and that's clearly a violation of the law. Now if you don't want to get hurt" she grinned unintentionally for a second before continuing "come with us, or his next shot will not miss." Without realizing it, Harlee's fingers curled in a way that would make her hands akin to a wolf's claws.
"OH NO!" Harlan exclaimed, exaggerating his words. "I'VE VIOLATED A LAW!" he continued, laughing at his statement soon after. "First off, don't use big words like that, I don't know what they mean. And they sound stupid." he said, pulling his shotgun off of his back and into the front, aimed at Harlee in one swift motion. "Whatever it means, I don't care."
Harlan turned to Brigham, and smirked. He pointed his shotgun at him. "Come on. Shoot me. I triple double dog dare you."
Earing the Minks several statements, and taking a few seconds to process how stupid the conversation has gone decides to point his gun back at Harlan. "Don't even try to make yourself sound stupid and turn yourself over." Looking at his partner in hope everything is controlled on her side seeing as their opponent was a fellow mink he states. "Calm yourself, fighting is the last thing we want." Brigham said it while keeping his gun on the Mink's head.
Harlee clenched her teeth so hard that it was a surprise blood didn't come out. Her facial expression showed that she was visibly worried about what was going on. "Why does this guy feel so familiar?" the fact that she didn't have an answer for this question angered her. "Look...there's no need to shoot anybody." the girl sounded worried, not only because of the situation she was in but because of the plan she put in motion. From her right hand's fingers, which were now positioned behind her back she was slowly releasing gunpowder into the shotgun's muzzle. A quantity small enough that the other half-mink should not be able to notice. The muzzle was nearly covered by now "Let's do this, Brigham!" she said in a barely audible tone, knowing fully well that the man would take action.
Suddenly surprise by his partner's action, even after trying to calm her down, Brigham realizes that everything is going down from then on. Getting himself swiftly away from Harlan, Brigham once again takes his shoot but this time aiming at one of his legs in hope of immobilizing him. "NEXT TIME TELL ME IF YOU WANT TO DO SOMETHING LIKE THAT." Getting away from his former relaxed expression Brigham turned to Harlee. "You know I'm here to make sure you don't rampage." He said after taking a quick second to calm himself. "Let's not make sudden moves without knowing what our opponent can do."
Harlan wasn’t paying attention to whatever they were saying at this point, he was only paying attention to the things around him, what he could use to beat them.
Then he caught the stench of gunpowder, getting stronger and stronger. He looked around and spotted a trail coming towards his gun, and he snarled. He flipped backwards to create more distance between the gunpowder and the muzzle of his gun.
As his eyes turned to Brigham, he noticed the the Marine’s finger clenching around the trigger, the muzzle aimed towards the section beneath his knee. When the bullet was fired, Harlan was able to call upon his Busoshoku Haki, causing the bullet to simply clang against his leg, and crumpled up.
“Is that all?” Harlan teased, smirking. Suddenly, without any warning, Harlan fired a bullet upwards, at a chain holding up a priceless chandelier. The chandelier came crashing down towards the pair of Marines, with the intent to harm them.
"Sorry, Brigham I lost my cool but something about this guy just...bothers me." as she finished her sentence she heard the loud sound of a bullet clashing with metal. Her natural reaction was to look up, only to be met with what appeared to be a chandelier crashing down rapidly, it quickly filled her vision, growing bigger as it shortened the distance. It got to the point where dodging was hardly an option anymore.
"If there's a challenge, then I'll take it head on!" Harlee declared before she cocked back her fist. Her willpower manifesting around her arm as she swung her fist forward at immense speeds. The sheer power of her punch was enough to shatter the falling object into pieces. Shards of crystal now lied all over the floor. The half-mink had used Busoshoku Haki, the "invisible armor" to defend herself and due to it came out relatively unharmed, except for the cut that now ran along her cheek. Probably one of the crystals grazing her before.
"There's more where that came from!" Harlee said as she pointed at the thief that stood in front of her. And surely, she was not lying. The girl used Electro to surround her legs with electricity, and in the blink of an eye had moved to Harlan's right side, aiming a potent lightning imbued kick at her opponent's ribs.
“You broke the chandelier, so what? If you hadn’t, it would prove that you’re as useless as you look.” Harlan called out, insulting Harlee. Then, she came blitzing towards him, her legs sparking with Electro. As she came to his left side, his left hand and claws suddenly sparked to life, surrounded in Electro. He grabbed onto her leg, halting her movement and threw her directly at Brigham.
"What?!" Harlee was surprised at the former mink's reaction. He had formulated a plan and completely denied her attack in mere seconds. It angered and annoyed her but what annoyed her more was this guy's smartass nature and witty remarks. She flew through the air towards her comrade unable to do anything, trusting that the Marine Commander would take care of the situation.
Staying still during the former interactions between the two half-minks, Brigham analyzing his surrounding in search of what could be used to their advantage when he is suddenly surprised the sudden chandelier falling on top of his partner. Being able to calm himself for a few seconds after seeing the former being destroy by an armored fist. But this brief relief only lasts for a second as Harlee decided to charge into their opponent only to be countered and thrown right in his direction by Harlan.
Jumping into Harlee's direction in order to stop the momentum, Brigham is able to catch her but unfortunately, due to the formers activation of Electro, Brigham begins to get electrocuted in several parts of his body but still keeping himself balance in order to reach the ground in safety. "JUST CALM DOWN." Feeling his all body burning as the uncontrolled electricity flows freely all around him.
Harlan smiled childishly, pumping his fists in the air. "BOOYAH!" he exclaimed, still smiling. He looked at the Marines and laughed. "Man, I really am a badass." he murmured, quickly aiming his shotgun at the pair, who were tangled together on the glass covered ground. "The way I see it, you two aren't a good team. That makes it easier to beat you guys up. That's something I learned fairly early on."
Harlan's shotgun suddenly crackled with electricity, as the boy imbued Electro into the workings of the weapon. He pulled the trigger, the grooved inside of the muzzle acting as both a speed and accuracy boost. The bullet launched out at blitzing speeds, crackling with electricity around it. The bullet flew towards Brigham's kneecap, hoping to pierce through it.
With some of the electricity still flowing through his body, Brigham movements are beginning to become less and less active, making him more vulnerable to attacks. And with that was when his opponent took his chances and shoot into Brigham's kneecap, and due to the several complications currently happening on his body, he was only able to activate his Busoshoku on the very last second saving it from being incapacitated but still receiving extra damage. "That hurt you bastard!" Brigham shouted at Harlan in anger while holding his leg.
"Boo-hoo. Honestly, it's your fault for trying to stop me." Harlan retorted. His nose twitched, and he groaned in annoyance. "And you, wolf-girl. Why the hell do you smell so familiar?!" he asked angrily, firing a bullet at Harlee's chest.
Harlee's eyes widened at the events that had just unfolded. Due to her rash actions, her teammate had gotten hurt and they were in this difficult situation. Before she could completely analyze what was happening, she saw Harlan aiming his shotgun at her and pulling the trigger. The "bang" sound the weapon made resounded throughout the shop and it was more than enough to make Harlee take action reflexively.
Although her animal instincts were telling her to dodge, she knew that if she did it'd be the end for both her and Brigham. "JUST CALM DOWN." the words of her teammate echoed in her mind. "Yes...calm down!" the girl thought as she began to generate a small amount of gunpowder from her hand, making it take the shape of a miniature barrier. With a thrusting motion, she released it forward, hoping that it would clash with the bullet and stop the attack on its tracks.
"BOOM" both attacks collided, causing an explosion of somewhat small proportions. The impact of the attack sent Harlee flying a few meters, "UAGH" until she crashed against the wall of the shop. Although it stopped her, the collision made her cough the scarlet liquid known as blood. As she stood up, trying to regain some balance she noticed that smoke surrounded her. Wiping the blood from her mouth with her hand, she followed Brigham's scent and found him a few feet away from her although she was not sure what his state was due to the smokescreen around. "Brigham! Let's get out of here."
Truthfully, Harlee had no idea if the man actually followed her or not, but she made her way to the exit and as she stood outside of the entrance, she waited for the Marine Commander's response.
Smoke everywhere, explosions and electricity going all directions around Brigham. Even with all of this happening Brigham was still capable of keeping his mind on his goals, watching all of Harlan's movements and make sure Harlee was ok after the last attack. Getting himself up he readies his gun for what would unfold of the previous situations. "Let's get out of here." His partner said to him with the intent of escaping from the chaos, but due to the several injuries that he suffered his movements were still restricted, and without letting out a word made his way onto the side of the shop to recover.
A Memory[]
With the white-haired Marine out of the way, Harlan then focused onto Harlee. The dark miasma within his clenched fists pulsating violently, urging Harlan to release them. And so he did, unclenching his fists and letting the dark miasma fill the area around the two of them.
Then, a bolt of lightning filled their minds. Whatever Harlee was seeing as a result of the miasma stimulating her fears, Harlan could see too. A scene began to settle, a small ship being shoved around violently on the rough waves of the seas. The screams of a woman and the cries of newborns filled the air. Something about it seemed off, it was far too vivid. That’s when Harlan realized that it wasn’t just a fear, it was a memory.
This sort of event didn’t happen often, only once every fifty times. This phenomenon occurred when a fear directly stemmed from a powerful or early memory. Harlan was still confused, shocked that this had happened.
“My babies!” the woman on the ship called out, rushing towards the infants. There were three of them, and they wailed loudly. The mother grabbed the three children, placing them into three small barrels. “Stay here, my little ones. Be safe!” the woman announced.
The three children looked at their mother in confusion. The red-haired one looked traumatized, while one of the male children looked at their mother in confusion.
Harlan gasped as he suddenly recognized the white-haired baby. It was him, which meant that this memory was one shared between them. That would mean...Harlan was related to the red-haired one? Harlan was related to the very Marine trying to take him in?
Then a wave shot up from the sea, crashing into the ship, and the vision faded, the miasma fading away as well.
Harlan was panting heavily, staring at Harlee. He was more so confused, while the girl seemed to be having a panic attack. He snarled, and asked a simple question. “Who the hell are you?”
Harlee couldn't even formulate an answer to the pirate's question. She was visibly shaking and it was quite obvious that she was...scared. The brave and selfless girl wasn't there anymore, she was replaced by a traumatized child. Much like the one from the memory. She dropped down to her knees, gasping for air. She could feel her heart thudding violently.
When the miasma faded, she slightly recovered. Although one could still tell she was scared, her shaking decreased and her heart rate slowed down. "I..." she struggled to continue, taking a long deep breath. "I-I'm Lowell Harlee and I think I'm the child from that vision."
“You were one of those children...I was one of them too.” Harlan said, murmuring it to himself more than to Harlee. “If what you’re saying is true...that woman was our mother...which means...we’re related.” he continued, shocked at the revelation. “I...I have a sister?”
He sat down, as if he was collapsing. “Y-You’re my sister.”
Harlee was utterly shocked, she had no words. Her mind was trying to process this revelation. The similar wolf-ears, the same skin-tone and their liking for battle it all made sense now. It could also explain why she felt so familiar around who she thought was a complete stranger. "I-I have so many questions!" she said as she made bizarre gesticulations. "How did you end up as a Pirate? W-who was the other child? What have you been up to?" all the questions that flooded her brain escaped from her lips.
Harlan laughed in a sense of both joy and relief. He looked up into the sky and smiled. It felt good, just to know that he had a sister. “The whole Pirate thing is confusing. It’s been a few months since I joined and stuff. Although, I was kinda kidnapped? And we kinda destroyed a town in the process of my kidnaping by Hurricane Bitch.” Harlan began, ranting without realizing it. “Although, I’ve been doing the whole illegal stuff since I was like...eight. As for the other kid...I have no idea. A third sibling, maybe?”
He suddenly looked at Harlee. “Hey, since we’re siblings, you should give me a freebie, and let me go!”
The girl raised her brows questioningly at her brother's confusing life story. "Guess we both have a knack for destroying things..." she thought as she scratched the back of her head. The red-haired hybrid stood up, staring at her brother as if studying him. The hostility in her eyes from before was nowhere to be found. After a couple of seconds of complete silence, Harlee broke the tension with a few words. "I don't know how you ended this way, but I'm glad you're alive." suddenly, her eyes sharpened as she donned a more serious visage. "Unfortunately...I can't let you go, you've done bad things to innocent people and it's my duty as a Marine to hold you responsible!"
Harlan stared at his sister in pure confusion. He was sure that if Miku was here, she’d make fun of the expression on his face. “Are you serious, sis?” the hybrid asked, shooting to his feet. “Trying to stop me will only get you hurt.” he stated, aiming his shotgun as her chest.
Suddenly a random shoot pass by right between the two brothers. "Well, I guess the family meeting is over." It had come from Brigham, and just like most of his previous shoots was just a warning to the pirate. "Now if you would just take that gun away from my partner." He said while making his way into him, showing a different walking due to his badly treated leg. "I really would have preferred if you had accepted her offer and went back with us." Brigham said as he got next to Harlee.
For the first time in the entirety of the day, Harlee flashed a smile at Brigham. She might've doubted him at first but he was surely the best partner she could be assigned to. She glanced at Harlan once again. "Of course you wouldn't give up. Heh." Although a shotgun was pointed right at her, she still managed to grin. "There's only one way to decide this, Harlan." she drove her fist into her open palm as if signaling that something was about to start before she took on an actual fighting stance.
Her upper body was lowered slightly, and her knees bent. It was a posture akin to that of an actual wolf, coupled with her hands which mimicked the shape of claws. "Brigham, as much as I hate to admit it, my...brother was right. Unless we work together we don't stand a chance." Brother. That word still sounded strange for her, it'd be a feeling she'd have to get used to.
Utilizing Electro once again, Harlee charged electricity in her fingertips and with a swiping motion released the attack. "Wolf Legend!" she declared the name of her technique, the blue claw-shaped diagonal slash or well...slashes roaring with deafening sounds razed the ground as it made its way towards Harlan. However, after their previous confrontation she knew the half-mink would know how to deal with the attack, and because of it prepared another measure. She quickly made two copies of herself made out of the black powder she controlled and watched them disappear. They would hide in a nearby location, close to Harlan.
Harlan raised a brow as her claws began to crackle with electricity, and as she brought her arm swinging down, Harlan realized it was a long range attack. But he was especially confused by the name. He shrugged it off as his own right hand and claws began to crackled with electricity of their own. He brought his claws down in a vertical motion, sending arcs of electricity to collide with Harlee's attack. They slammed together, neutralizing each other in sheer force. "You have a name for that technique?" he asked, confused. "I just...do it."
Harlan's nose twitched and he sighed. "You do know that gunpowder has an awful smell, right? All I know is that you've made two large piles of gunpowder somewhere, but I'll be prepared." he taunted, firing a bullet from his shotgun. The bullet had been shot forward at a swift speed, the grooved inside of the muzzle and the electricity it was surrounded in acting as a boost. And at near point-blank range, the bullet shot forward to strike Harlee in her left calf.
Reflexively, Harlee covered her entire leg with Busoshoku Haki causing the bullet to bounce against her calf and for the electricity to be dispelled nearby. Although she had felt the lightning, her high resistance to it allowed her to keep fighting. "S-shut up, it's a cool name, ok!" Harlee said as her cheeks turned a light red. Taking Harlan's comment into account, she decided to make two more clones who immediately rushed towards the pirate. Even if he could be aware of where her copies were, his senses could still be overwhelmed.
Knowing that he might've been distracted, she dispatched the original copies who were now noticeably close to the man.
"1...2...3...4...is that all?" Harlan asked himself as the clones approached him. Harlan had trained under great warriors, mere clones wouldn't do much. As the clones approached him, he leaped into the air, and fired a bullet at one of the clones. The electricity on the bullet caused the clones to explode and ignite the others. Three more explosions filled the air, and the rotten stench of gunpowder and the ringing noise of four consecutive explosions echoed through the air. It overwhelmed Harlan's senses, and it would overwhelm Harlee's due to their heightened sense of smell.
But of course, he had one advantage. Harlee wouldn't have expected this, she probably thought the clones would be enough. As he landed, he rushed forwards, approaching Harlee from behind. He grabbed onto her hair, and yanked her towards a nearby wall. If she collided with it, it would render her unable to move for some time.
The smell of smoke and gunpowder assailed her nose. "Goddammit!" she said, now she had no way to locate Brigham or Harlan for that matter. Looking around to see if she could find someone, her action was interrupted by an unknown force. "Ouch!" she screamed as she could feel her hair being pulled. Before she knew it, she was flying through the air which was something that had happened way too many times today. Her back hit a wall, and she could feel her bones aching screaming for her to stop moving and so, she complied, after a few struggles she stayed down, frustrated at what happened.
"Booyah!" Harlan exclaimed. "Sorry, sis. You understand though." he continued. The hybrid turned towards Brigham and smirked. "Now its your turn."
Showdown[]
At the site of his partner immovable, Brigham lets out a small relief. "Rest a bit for now." Turning to Harlan and getting his gun ready for combat. "Now it's my turn." Filling his revolver, with three extra bullets Brigham pulls from his belt a smaller black pistol. Due to his severe leg still making him slower and restricting his mobility, he decided to utilize his current ground to rapidly launch a barrage of attacks while keeping his senses concentrated on his opponent in case of any last minute reaction that may come his way.
"Now we're talking!" Harlan exclaimed giddily as Brigham aimed a pistol at him. As soon as Harlan saw Brigham's hand clench, he charged forward, getting down onto all fours. This was a trait Harlan often displayed, running on his fours. However, the Marines didn't know that, and the bullets that Brigham had fired flew over Harlan, as he was much closer to the ground.
Not only that, the sudden drop and rapid movement would be shocking. Harlan halted in front of Brigham and shot to his feet, and brought his claws down towards his chest. His claws were once more surrounded in Electro, the electricity would offer extra cutting power and great pain.
Having all of his attacks, being easily dodge Brigham was in very few seconds surprised by Harlan's sudden charge. Getting in very few seconds in front of him, Brigham is faced with two decisions on his mind while his opponent attack slowly reaches his chest. He could either once again in the last second try to protect his chest with Haki but leaving all of his body free to once again receive electrical damage, which this time would definitely make him unable to fight and require proper medical attention for his own sake. And the second but riskier option was to utilize his Soru in order to create a bigger distance between them, but due to his leg, the chances of success were extremely low.
Deciding to cause an impact before going down, Brigham freeing his left hand by letting the gun fall to the floor he imbued his fist and letting his body fall onto his back he threw a punch right into Harlan in the hope of disrupting his momentum. Processing in his mind the several consequences of his action, he knew that almost all of them would lead to his defeat and in the worsts case could lead to death.
When Harlan saw the gun drop, he raised his guard. Knowing that by dropping the gun, the Marine would have gained to ability to use his left hand, Harlan had basically predicted that an attack was incoming. As the fist flew towards his face, Harlan used his claws that had been imbued with Electro to grab the wrist of the incoming fist. The electricity from the claws crackled onto Brigham violently. "A punch?" Harlan asked, genuinely surprised. "Are you kidding me?"
Harlan began to pump more electricity into his claws, and therefore onto Brigham's arm and parts of his body. "Ya know, it's a shame none of you use a sword. I could have used the stuff that Nanashi's been teaching me. Oh well, I'll just have to settle for this!"
Changing from his normal calm and relaxed expression, Brigham grinned the instant his arm was grabbed a big smile on his face. "Sorry, I prefer guns over swords." And with the great current of electricity once again flowing through his body Brigham used his last remaining strengths to move his right arm and shoot in the closest range he could ever be from Harlan in hope of hitting the half mink's chest or at the very least one of his legs.
The fist hit Harlan square in the jaw, but that only angered the hybrid. "YOU FUCKER!" he spat, actually spitting into Brigham's eyes. He pumped more and more electricity into his claws, rushing it through Brigham. "I'm not going to kill you, just going to make you hurt...a lot!"
Around Harlan's left fist, he began to wrap it in layers of Busoshoku Haki. Then, similar to what he did against his fight against the Hurricane Bitch, he began to integrate his Electro into the inner workings of the Haki, creating a beacon-blue coloured aura around the fist. "Wolf Cloak: Mjölnir!!" the hybrid roared, slamming the battering ram of a fist straight towards Brigham's gut. On the likely chance that it hit, due to the sheer proximity, it would be enough to send Brigham through a few building and possibly break some bones. The attack was far from full power, Harlan hadn't had any time to cock his fist back or anything, he was simply trying to hurt Brigham as quickly as possible.
Completely out of energy and will to fight, having acknowledged his opponent as being superior to him Brigham said in his last breath before the next attack made its way into him "Go a little easier with her.". Has his last bit of conscience begins to leave him and Harlan launches at him an attack that would not only hit but cause several parts of his body to break, he accepted the result with a smile on his face. Getting sent flying across several buildings Brigham just stood laying on the ground.
Harlan let the aura around his fist dissipate, and felt a great strain rush up his arm. Using a technique like that for the first time in battle was painful. He stumbled towards his sister, who was awake yet unmoving. "Let's have a talk, sis."
Farewell[]
Harlee had seen bits and pieces from the previous fight but the hit she had received from before made her vision slightly blurry. She did recall seeing the white-haired marine fight valiantly and because of that her lips unintentionally curled into a smile. However, the words of her brother brought her back to reality.
"What exactly are we going to talk about?" she said boldly as she crossed her arms, making no eye contact with Harlan. Perhaps it was the fact she was defeated and had ended up so miserable that she put up a prideful front.
Harlan sat down in front of her, and smiled. "Drop the cool kid act, we're family, aren't we?" he joked, running his hand through his hair. "And we're gonna talk about something I've been wondering. After this whole thing, you're gonna go running back to the Marine base and tell them about what happened, right?"
"Even if I didn't want to, I'm obliged to report whatever happened here." the sound of her voice lowered with every word, signaling that she wasn't sure what to do in this situation. "What're you going to do?"
Harlan simply smiled. "Nothing." he responded, getting back up to his feet. "I guess I win this fight, right?" he asked, although he said it more like it was a fact than anything else. He took a step forward and sighed in exasperation. "Anything you wanna tell me before I get outta here?"
"Yes....you w-win." those words were very hard for the girl to utter. Suddenly, her expression turned somewhat emotional, and she looked down at the ground. "Do you think under circumstances...y'know we could've gotten along?"
Harlan stopped in his tracks, feeling something he hadn't felt in a long time; regret. He turned back to his...sister and sat back down. "Probably. I mean, we both like to do crazy shit, right? Plus, we're siblings." he said, looking somewhat embarrassed by all of this.
"Well... that's good to kno-" the reason the girl didn't finish her sentence was that her brother was no longer there. She scanned her surroundings anxiously but nothing. He had actually left, completely ruining the moment they had. "N-NEXT TIME I'LL WIN!" she screamed at the top of her lungs hoping Harlan heard her. She was actually glad he had left, it'd be a crime for a Marine and a Pirate to talk like that and it was getting pretty awkward.
Although she felt slightly sad and angry because she had lost to Harlan, she was also happy. After all, she had gotten one step closer to discovering her family and therefore, herself. Thinking at the report she'd have to make and the possible consequences of this encounter, she got up and looked at her defeated teammate. "He'll know what to do when he wakes up" and so she stared at the sky and its endless reach, she knew somewhere else in this massive world, her family was also staring at the sky.
Fin