A few hours Later...
Azuma slowly awoke on the beach of a strange island. His vision slowly came into focus as he found himself lying on a beach with black sand. He sat up looking around, there was a strong mist flowing around him making it hard to see where he was. Looking down at the strange black stand, he carefully scooped some up, examining it before it all fell out of his grasp back onto the beach.
"Strange, I've never seen black sand before...what is this creepy place?" The young pirate captain felt himself growing uneasy with every step he took across the misty beach. The mist brushed over him with a cold sensation. Finally spotting a dirt path off the beach, Azuma made his way along the path into a dark and eerie forest. Many of the trees in the foggy forest were dark and deformed, with barely any leaves on them aside from a few dead ones barely hanging on as they blew in the faint chilling breeze. "Sigh, it's just a dark old forest...but why do I still feel uneasy? It's as if the harder I try to ignore this feeling of fear and anxiety, the more it weighs down on me. There must be something super-natural going on in this forest"
He reached for his sword, only to realize he had lost it back in the sea when he was dragged under and lost consciousness. "Damn, seems I have no choice but to go on bare-handed from this point until I can find a weapon or regroup with my crew. Even with my magika ability to heal...I'm too exhausted to heal back to my full strength. I shouldn't try to use seinshin unless I have to"
The young pirate made his way along the cold dark path, carefully looking around even with the strong mist blocking his sight from all directions. As he continued forward, the path behind him seemed to gradually fade into the endless mist around him. Not long into his walk, the sound of something dragging through the dirt could be faintly heard from behind him.
Just as he stopped to turn around, a sadistic cry rang out. Azuma darted around to see a pale zombie charging straight for him. "W-what the hell!? Ducking out of the way, the undead creature staggered past him hitting the dirt. Before it could get up, Azuma picked up a sharp piece of dead wood, destroying the monster's head with one quick strike.
"Sigh...now I know something strange is happening on this island. I never thought I'd be attacked by a zombie of all things. Someone must have a magika ability to control corpses, the only question is...did that zombie attack me specifically, or did the one who revived it give it free will to roam around on it's own?"
He brushed himself off, making his way further through the dark cold forest. With only the faint sound of the wind brushing across him, he could hear his heart beating from the slight unease. That's when he spotted a large mansion just up the road, it gave off a faint red glow towering over the rest of the dead forest like a fortress.
"Sigh, something tells me whoever lives there won't take too kindly with me just walking right up to the door...Best I try to sneak my way inside without alerting anyone. Sigh...this sounds more like something Roxie could handle"
Making his way up the dark dirt path, he noticed all the windows of the gothic mansion giving off a red glow. Azuma did his best to focus on his objective and made his way before the mansion's courtyard entrance. The entire property was surrounded by a 20-foot-high stone wall and steel gate to keep trespassers from merely jumping over the wall over walking right up to the front door.
He took a few steps back before advancing straight for the wall, he pushed off the wall attempting to grab onto the top of the stone wall, only to miss by a foot. "Tsssk, fine...seems I'll have to do this the risky way. Taking a deep breath, he closed his eyes as his body outlined with a purple aura. (This may be a stupid thing to do given my weak state, but I don't have time to waste trying to get over a mere wall.
Azuma pushed off with both feet, using his seinshin to launch himself over the wall with ease before landing in the large courtyard before the strange house. The pirate lost his balance for a split second, falling to one knee with a siring pain surging through his legs. (Shit, I knew using any seinshin would have negative effects if I used it. B-but I can't worry about it right now, I need to see who lives here and if there's anyone that might be willing to help me either escape this island or at least find my crew"
The young captain forced himself back to his feet, only to find himself standing at the entrance of a large hedge maze creating a labyrinth of towering walls of red hedges before him. Azuma could feel his heart drop at the sight of such a puzzle. "Ughhh, I hate puzzles, especially mazes! Tssk, when I find the owner of this house, I'm going to shove my foot up his ass" Taking a deep breath to prepare himself, the dark-haired pirate ventured inside the blood-red labyrinth.
He could see the top of the mansion towering over the large hedges, so he could at least tell if he was getting close or not...
Not long into his exploration, he found himself standing within what seemed like the center of the labyrinth where in the middle was a large stone fountain with red liquid flowing inside it while the maze split into four different paths, one in each direction. That's when he thought he saw a shadow moving around the stone pavement near the fountain.
Turning his attention upward he realized a man had been watching him from above. The figure had long blonde hair, blue eyes and dressed in a black and red formal cloak with bat-like creatures keeping him suspended within the air. Azuma just stared in disbelief at the strange man looking down at him with a seductive grin.
Without a word the stranger dropped from the air, landing perfectly on the top of the fountain without getting a single drop on his suit. "Apologies for the delay, allow me to introduce myself, I am the one who guards this labyrinth as well as watches over this entire manor. There isn't anywhere you can go that I won't see you" The man spoke with a femininely elegant voice as he grinned.
"Heh, is that so? Then how did I get over the wall without you stopping me?" The man let out a slight laugh as Azuma felt something on his shoulder. Looking to his right he found a blood-red eyeball with black wings resting on his shoulder looking right at him. "WHAT THE HELL!?" As he went to smack the small vermin off his shoulder, the blonde pirate called out: "Oh I wouldn't do that if I were you"
"Huh? Why's that?" The captain watched as the small monster flew back to it's master with the flock of demonic creatures just flying beside the strange man. Placing one hand on his hip his target responded: "You don't seem that bright, though you are a fetching man I'll give you that. Hopefully you're not just a pretty face. Might you also have the skill to back it up?"
"A-are you suggesting I fight you?"
"Hehehe, fight? If you're as foolish as I think you are...then this certainly won't be much of a fight I'm afraid. But before we begin...allow me to know the name of such a breathtaking man"
"Azuma...I'm Azuma of the Azuma pirates"
"Oh? Rather narcissistic of you to name your crew after yourself, isn't it? My name is Seraph Rosveil of the vampiric veil pirates. As much as I'd love to get to know such a handsome man such as yourself, I'm afraid I must eliminate you before my dear captain realizes someone's entered her manor without her permission"
Brushing his long blond hair out of his eyes, Seraph threw his hand out towards the intruder before him. "Go my darlings and show him why my inferio bats are nothing to scoff at" The bats let out small high-pitched chirps as three inferio bats soared straight for their target.
Azuma evaded the first two, darting to the left and right when the third caught him off guard, flying right into his face. Azuma put up his guard as the small creature erupted in a small but fierce explosion, burning the pirate's wrists from it's intense heat.
"H-hot! Damn it...fine, seems if I want to beat the crap out of you...I'll have to get within close range" Seraph just chuckled evilly upon the fountain while Azuma advanced right for the assailant. The horde of tiny creatures swarmed Azuma as the already wounded pirate struggled to dodge each and evrey pest that darted past him.
That's when Serph snapped his fingers, causing every single inferio bat to freeze in place, Azuma then realized he was surrounded by the annoying monsters as they had formed a dome around him from all sides utterly trapping him. The dark-haired pirate looked up at his opponent who's once elegant and seductive grin had become a cold serious frown before him.
"Fair well" He uttered in a dark tone. With an abrupt snap of his fingers, all of his bats ignited in a devastating explosion of light and fire. A large scorch mark stained the paved ground with Azuma flying into the air, unconscious from the attack as well as the injuries he had sustained at the division 10 base.
He hit the ground motionless, half of his clothing burned off from the immense heat of the attack. "Hmph, so sad to have to put down such a devilishly handsome man, but I'd rather not have to face my dear captain when she's angered, she sure can be cruel when she's in a bad mood. Jumping off the fountain in an elegant flip, Seraph touched down just a few feet from his opponent whose body laid battered and burned from the fight. Slowly approaching Azuma's motionless body, the blonde pirate thought he heard something come from the man. Manifesting an inferio bat beside him in a burst of flames, Seraph sent the small creature over to inspect Azuma.
The small monster inspected the pirate's body, using it's demonic eye to see the inside of his body. Azuma's heart seemed to still be beating. That's when Seraph noticed something strange about his insides, his injuries seemed to slowly be healing themselves at a super-human rate.
"How odd, not only is he still alive...but he seems to possess the ability to heal his own wound at an accelerated rate. I'm sure our captain would be interested to hear of such a person" Extending both arms out Seraph summoned dozens of his inferio bats as they carried him and Azuma into the air towards the manor...
Meanwhile Out In The Middle Of The Ocean...
Roxie, Kiozen, Naiomi and Kenzu found themselves drifring through the endless waves of the ocean as the pink-haired thief struggled to keep the barrier maintained. That's when Kiozen had an idea. "Roxie, make an opening at the top of the barrier, I think I have an idea to keep us from drifting away as well as help you from draining the rest of your stamina"
"A-are you sure? We can't risk losing anymore crewmates in the ocean!" The candy pirate nodded with a determined expression on his face. Without any other option, Roxie made a small opening in the sphere as drops of sea water splashed the inside of their barrier. The others watched as Kiozen launched himself into the air with a powerful kick.
Clapping his hands together in mid-air, a small island-shaped foundation formed beneath the crew's spherical barrier as they found themselves on a small 20-foot island made of gum. Roxie released the barrier as he fell onto the sticky pink surface. Kiozen touched down in front of them, aiming his hand at the island surface, he formed a rainbow-colored dry sugary shell over the island to cover the stickiness of the gum. "There we are, now you all can sit on the island without the need to worry about getting gum stuck on your shoes or in your hair"
"T-thanks...appreciate it" Oda responded before collapsing on the candy shell surface, resting from the prolonged use of his ability. Kenzu sat down looking around at the endless waves flowing by their small island. "Sigh, I can't help but feel this is my fault...if I had reacted better, then maybe we'd still have our ship...we'd still have the captain here with us"
Naiomi placed her hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry, our captain has been through worse than this...I just know we'll find and reunite with him" The swordsmen looked at Naiomi who gave him a hopeful smile. That's when Kiozen noticed something off in the distance.
"That's rather odd, what would a ship be doing way out here in the middle of nowhere?" Kiozen tried to figure out what kind of ship it was, but it was too far to see any distinct traits. After a few minutes, he realized what it was. "Guys, we may have a problem, it seems a sea corp ship is headed in our direction"
The others slowly stood up, turning their attention towards the approaching ships all except Roxie who continued to rest on the ground with hands crossed behind his head. "Sigh, it's fine...it's probably just more mere soldiers coming to try and claim our bounty like the many others who tried and failed, the only kind of ship we need to worry about is a ship with the fleet number 55 or below"
"V.A - 50 The Neptune Monarch" Kiozen commented reading the name written on the side of the large white sea corp ship. The moment he said that, Roxie quickly jumped to his feet to see the large ship stopping just in front of the small candy island. The ship docked as a large steel ramp dropped down in front of them. Without warning dozens of soldiers aimed their guns towards the four pirates. "DON'T MOVE FILTHY PIRATES! TAKE ONE WRONG STEP AND WE'LL FIRE!"
Naiomi slowly reached for one of her knives when an old man's deep voice called out: "Now-now men, is this really any way to treat my son and his little crew?" All looked to see a tall old man with short black hair, green eyers dressed in a black vice admiral's uniform. The low-rank soldiers lower their weapons as the man looked down at Roxie with a grin.
"Long time no see eh, Oda? Last time I saw you, you were rotting in some prison on Anamoa Island where I heard you and your captain managed to beat the warden of the jail who even had the magika ability to manipulate earth. Impressive feat for a runt like you. Are you sure you don't want to join my fleet in the sea corporation? I feel you would make a great marine given the proper training"
Oda clinched his fist as tears began to run across his face. "I-I told you...I WILL NEVER JOIN THE SEA CORP! ESPECIALLY AFTER WHAT HAPPEND TO MOM! YOU LEFT HER TO DIE INSTEAD OF PROTECTING YOUR OWN WIFE! ALL YOU'VE EVER CARED ABOUT IS YOUR WORK! BUT WHAT ABOUT HER!? WHAT ABOUT MY MOTHER WHO WORRIED ABOUT YOU EACH AND EVERY DAY, ONLY TO DIE BECAUSE YOU WEREN'T THERE TO HELP HER!?"
[Flash Back]
Oda's early childhood was filled with warmth and laughter, living with his loving mother Aria. Like him, she had pink hair and green eyes. They resided on a peaceful island, far away from the harsh world of the sea corporation. His father, Vice Admiral Ryota, was a dedicated officer, known for his exceptional skills and unwavering loyalty to the corp. However, his devotion to his work often took precedence over his family. He would be away on long missions, leaving Oda and his mother to fend for themselves.
Aria was a gentle soul, and she worried endlessly about Ryota's safety whenever he was away. She raised Oda with love and taught him valuable life lessons. Oda cherished his mother's presence and the warmth of their home, even though he missed his father terribly. One fateful day, while Vice Admiral Ryota was on a critical mission, their island was unexpectedly attacked by bandits who sought to steal the island's resources. Aria, valiantly trying to protect her home and son, fought off the invaders as best as she could knowing that help might not come in time. Tragically, the bandits overpowered her, and in the chaos of battle, she sustained fatal injuries. Oda, who was just five years old at the time, watched in horror as his mother lay injured and fading away before his eyes. There was no sign of his father, and it became clear that he wouldn't be there to save them.
Aria's last moments were spent comforting Oda, assuring him that she loved him and that he must stay strong. With Her final breath, she sang him a small poem:
"In your heart, my dearest one,
The love we shared, the setting sun.
Though I must leave, and part we must,
In memories and dreams, in you I trust.
With pink hair and eyes so green,
In your strength, my love will gleam.
Hold on to hope, let it guide,
In this world so vast, let love abide.
Remember, my child, the love we knew,
In your heart, let birth a new.
Though tears may fall, and shadows creep,
In your dreams, my love shall keep"
The words of his mother left a lasting scar on Oda's heart, as he felt abandoned and betrayed by his father's absence during their darkest hour.
Vice Admiral Ryota eventually returned, victorious from his mission, only to find his wife's lifeless body and his son traumatized by the loss. Oda's resentment grew, and he blamed his father for prioritizing his work over the safety and well-being of his family.
From that day forward, Oda vowed never to join the Sea Corporation, rejecting his father's world and choosing his own path. The memory of his mother's sacrifice fueled his determination to become stronger and independent, standing firmly against the organization that had taken his father away and, indirectly, his mother's life...
[End Of Flash Back]
Roxie struggled to keep the tears back as he cried out: "YOU LEFT HER! LEFT HER TO DIE! I...I WAS THE ONLY ONE BY HER SIDE! SHE HELD ME IN HER FINAL MOMENTS! SINNGING A SONG TO ME WITH HER LAST BREATH...Since that day, I vowed I would never become anything like you! You may say whatever you want, but it won't change the fact that my mother is gone...the one who always loved me for who I was"
Some of the soldiers could be seen crying from Roxie's sad story while Ryota just stood at the top of the ramp, arms crossed with a serious expression on his face. "Hmph, maybe you're right Oda...maybe I am the monster you say I am...but I can't just disobey a direct order from the Leading commander himself...if I were to just ignore a direct order, he'd have my head over it! The man's ruthless, he's willing to kill those he deems unfit to sail under the sea corp even if you're a civilian"
The others just watched as Oda whipped the tears from his eyes, glaring at his father. "Whatever, why are you here anyway? Have you come to turn me in to the worthless corp?"
Ryota closed his eyes letting out a sigh. "I'm afraid that's how it has to be...if you're not willing to join me...then I'm afraid I must place you all under arrest by order of the sea corporation" The tall built admiral took a step forward, a faint aura of power brushed over the crew.
"Like hell you will!" Naiomi quickly pulled out throwing knives from a hidden pocket, throwing them straight for Ryota. The man's eyes widened as he unleashed an abrupt surge of black seinshin electricity around him, causing the sharp projectiles to hit the ground. "You're out of your league young ones, I wouldn't be the rank I am if I could be stopped by mere projectiles"
The soldiers prepared their weapons ready to fire when Ryota motioned them to stop. "That won't be necessary men, I can handle four mere pirates with nowhere to go"
"Y-yes sir!" They responded lowering their weapons once more as he slowly walked down the ramp, a faint surge of black electricity flowing from each step. Oda clinched his teeth throwing his hand out forming a barrier around the admiral ship with his father inside. "Don't get any closer you bastard! It's bad enough I have to be in your presence!" The thief cried out.
Without a word Ryota slowly clinched his fist, a black aura outlining his body as he struck the barrier with a single punch. All watched as the entire barrier was fractured to the point of breaking, yet somehow remained intact.
"Whoa, he was able to fracture Roxie's barrier with a single punch!" Kiozen exclaimed in shock. "That's because you're dealing with more than mere bounty hunters now you brats, you have no one to blame but yourselves" With another seinshin imbued strike, the transparent barrier shattered to pieces as their foe stood before them on the small arena-sized island.
"Tsk, I won't let you come any closer!" Kiozen manifested a gumball in his left palm advancing right for the admiral, attempting to siphon his life force and seal it within the gumball. Just as the pirate reached out for the assailant's face, Ryota unleashed a wave of energy so strong, it kept the pink-haired pirate from getting any close with it's repelling force.
"Tsk, pathetic" Kiozen was backhanded across the face, sending him soaring off into the ocean. "No! Kiozen! Oda cried out as his ally landed in the ocean. "E-ENOUGH! I'VED HAD IT WITH YOU, YOU BASTARD!" Forming barriers around his fists like gloves, Roxie charged towards the admiral filled with rage and hatred for his father. He clinched his protected fists, throwing a punch right for the admiral's face with all his power.
Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.
All watched as the condensed sphere struck the side of Ryota's face, sending him staggering onto the ship with many soldiers in shock. "H-he hit the admiral! I-I didn't think anyone could land such a blow on him!" One of them cried out as they all looked down at him as he laid on his back on the ship.
"Sigh, not bads brat, those fists of yours sure do pack a punch...but it's going to take a lot more than your force field ability to keep me down" Ryota slowly got up, unharmed by his son's attack. Naiomi and Kenzu tried to come up with a way to fight back, but in the end had no plan to fight someone so fluent in seinshin.
Just then, Kiozen came soaring in on a cotton candy cloud he used to fly through the air right for their assailant. "Marshmallow mist!" Taking a deep breath, he unleashed a breath of white mist that began to fill the area, blinding everyone in the area from seeing more than a foot ahead of them.
"What?" Ryota looked around, only to see a thick white fog blocking his view. That's when he saw a silhouette running straight for him. With a quick blow, he struck straight through the figure's chest, only to realize it was a clone of Kiozen made of solid chocolate. "Tssk! I'm getting tired of these measly candy tricks!"
As he tried to pull his arm out of the chest hole of the clone, he realized the chocolate was beginning to slowly travel up his arm, becoming harder and thicker. "Y-you little-" in an abrupt surge of energy, he shattered the clone's body as it hit the ground in a puddle of chocolate. "Alright I'm tired of these silly games!" Focusing immense levels of seinshin within his left arm, he swiped his hand through the air, sending a vast surge of power across a mile of land.
The surge of power caused the mist to disperse allowing him to see once more. Before he could continue, a basketball-sized jawbreaker fell from the sky, landing at the admiral's feet. The moment he looked down at it, a surge of pink seinshin surged around it as it cracked open, unleashing a devastating explosion before the fleet. Roxie formed a protective dome around the crew to keep them from getting blown away as the ocean filled with a blinding ray of light.
The ship and all on board were sent flying off into the distance while Ryota was sent hurling into a random part of the ocean miles away. As the light faded, Kiozen landed beside the dome, his hair a mess as he fell to one knee out of breath. "Huff...it's been a while since I've had to pull so many tricks out at once during a fight. I forgot how exhausting it can be sometimes, especially that jawbreaker bomb, I condensed as much of my energy into it as I could to make sure it would be enough to send that bastard flying"
"Good job Kiozen, you and Roxie really saved our ass" Naiomi cheered. Kenzu nodded. "Without my sword and all these injuries, I can't be of much help in a real fight. I may know how to tap into my life energy, but in this condition...there's no telling what kind of damage I'll do to myself"
The candy pirate manifested another cotton candy cloud helping the swordsmen and the others on top of it before it slowly ascended into the air, flying over the water. "Sigh, can't believe I didn't think of this sooner, then again, I've always been one to be a quick thinker in stressful times like this rather than just out of nowhere. At least you can finally rest Roxie" He said sitting in the center of the cotton candy cloud with his legs crossed. Oda nodded slowly laying down before falling asleep...
Meanwhile...
In a random part of the ocean, the waves began to speed up as Ryota burst out of the water, using the fierce force of his seinshin to keep him levitating in the air almost as if he were flying. "Those damn brats...they think they've beaten me, but I'm sure I'll see them again" A slight smile grew across his face as he looked off into the distance. (Oda...you certainly have gotten strong...)
Back On Dread Rot Island...
Azuma awoke in the center of a large dark throne room, bound to a steel cross with chained binding his arms, torso and legs. "Tsk, what the hell!?" That's when a young female voice called out: "Oh? I see you've finally awakened, and here I thought you'd never come to"
His vision focusing, the pirate looked in front of him to see a set of dark-red stairs leading to a black and gold throne where a tall woman dressed in a black dress sat with one leg crossed over the other and her chin resting upon her wrist as she smiled seductively at the pirate.
Azuma couldn't help but notice her unique features, she had purple skin with glistening red eyes, long white hair as well as vampire fangs. A look of both shock and confusion washed over the young captain. "Who are you? Why did you bring me here? Would've been easier to just kill me back in the labyrinth rather than bring me to the mansion?"
That's when he noticed a man standing beside the throne with long black hair dressed in a black formal suit approaching him. Without warning he back-handed Azuma cross the face responding: "How dare you speak to our captain in such a manner, Rosera must only be spoken to as the queen she is!"
The seductive vampire looked down at Azuma who just glared at her in frustration. "I hope to become lord of the pirates one day so that nothing can ever be taken from me again, I don't know who you are Rosera, but I truly don't care, all I want is to find my crew and surpass the strength of any other pirate!"
The vampiric woman gasped in shock as well as the man standing before him and Seraph who stood in front of the large black gates of the throne room behind him. The unknown man grew furious as his eye twitched rapidly with his body shaking. "You-YOU BASTARD!" With all his strength he slapped Azuma across his face once, this time leaving a red handprint across his face. "You ungraceful peasant! Apologize to Rosera while you still speak!"
Just before he brought his hand down once more, the vampire exclaimed: "That's enough, Velric...I'll handle this" She slowly walked across the black tiled floors of the throne room with a hand on her hip as she moved seductively with each motion.
"My captain are you sure? Surely you don't want to waste your time on such a disrespectful welp like this?" Azuma watched as she stopped right in front of Velric before looking him dead in the eye, her eyes giving off a pink glow. "I said I can handle it, get out of my way" The man watched as her crewmate's eyes lit up pink as well before they bowed stepping aside.
Rosera smirked leaning in close to Azuma as her irises lit up once more. "Hehe, as you can see....I'm very persuasive with men. Now...why don't you tell me why you were sneaking around my manor? Are you some little thief? Or perhaps you came to try and have your way with me hehe?"
Azuma's cold glare remained as he looked her dead in the eye. "I washed up on this island a few hours ago and was looking for my crewmates or someone that could help me find them, that's it. I didn't know anything about this island before coming here"
Rosera looked him dead in the eye, trying to find a hint of doubt in his eye but saw nothing. "Hmph, you appear as if you're telling the truth, but let's see if you can still say that when you look into my eyes" Azuma watched as she slowly opened her eyes reviling their pink radiance as before.
He could only stand there and watched as the vampire attempted to use her hypnotic gaze on him, only for it to have no effect on the young human. Her eyes reverted to their normal red glow as she stood in disbelief. "It-it can't be...no man should be able to resist the temptation of my hypnotic gaze. Tsssk!" Grabbing his face with one hand she pulled his eyes to meet hers once more using her pink hypnotic eyes.
Still, he was unphased by her ability. Blood began to run down her face like tears as she released her grip, looking away in a fit of rage. "NO, NO NO! HOW IS THIS POSSIBLE!? HOW CAN YOU RESIST MY HYPNOSIS LIKE IT'S NOTHING!?"
Azuma just stood bound as silence filled the room. That's when Rosera angrily sat back on her throne glaring down at her victim. "Tssk, if you're capable of resisting my vampiric gaze so easily, then let's see what you're capable of!" With a snap of her fingers the chains fell to the ground, freeing him.
"Let's see what you can do fellow pirate. You may've lost to Seraph, but what can you do against my 2nd in command Velric?" Azuma looked to see the strange man standing between him and Rosera as he opened his hand with an evil smile on his face.
"No one shall touch my captain while I still stand, especially not one as low as you. Prepare yourself fool, for I won't hold back!" Azuma took a deep breath, the rest of his injuries finally healed after being out-cold for so long while still wearing his scorched attire. "Don't get so full of yourself, a title means nothing if you don't have strength to back it up"
Velric clinched his teeth in anger as his fingers began to grow long and sharp like claws. "Time for you to feel despair!" Seraph and Rosera watched as the sadistic pirate charged straight for him, moving his long sharp fingers right for his target's bare chest, only for Azuma to jump back, evading the piercing slash by mere inches.
"Hmm, so you're magika ability is to grow your fingers out like razor sharp claws? That's an interesting ability, but can it match the power I weild?"
"HA! Power!? All you seem to be capable of is regenerating your wounds, what good is that in an offensive battle!?" That's when Azuma slowly raised his fist up to his face as he took a deep breath as he looked Velric dead in the eye. "I'm not referring to my magika ability"
"What!?" He cried out in both shock and confusion. Azuma smirked as a purple aura began to manifest around him like purple flames. All watched in disbelief as Azuma slowly pulled his arm back preparing to attack. "1st stance...focus strike" Using the seinshin technique he had copied from the S.D captain, Azuma unleashed a punching motion, sending a fierce drill of force right for Velric. An abrupt burst of force struck him in the abdomen, sending him impacting the stone wall just past the throne as cracks formed around him.
Seraph and Rosera just stood there in shock, unable to utter a word. Meanwhile Velric fell off the wall, hitting the ground lying on his stomach. "B-bastard...I don't know what just happened, but I assure you...I can still f-fight" As the man slowly pushed himself up, Rosera sighed ordering him to stand down. "There's no need Velric...I have another test in store for this interesting man"
Her crew watched as she slowly stood up and slammed her foot on the ground. A black coffin with a red cross rose from the ground beside her. The feeling of the room seemed to change when Azuma noticed a worried loom on Seraph's face. "Allow me to know your name young pirate, once I open this coffin, your death is certainly all but assured"
He looked up at her with a serious expression. "Azuma..." Her eyes lit up with surprise. "Azuma...cute name, it's too bad you'll die here, I would've loved to have gotten to know you more. Now prepare to meet your death Azuma" With a snap of her fingers the coffin door fell to the floor, reveling the skeletal remains of a samurai in a purple kimono with a black katana leaning against the inside of the coffin beside it.
Rosera smirked stepping closer to the deceased figure before blowing a purple mist from her lips into the skeleton's face. That's when the skull's eyes illuminated with a purple glow as it began to move and crack loudly. Azuma could feel a sense of unease as he watched the reanimated skeleton step out of the coffin, wielding the dark blade.
"What is this? You're having a mere undead fight me instead of fighting me yourself?" Velric sadistically grinned as Rosera responded: "You don't recognize this kimono do you Azuma?"
"No, what does his kimono have to do with anything?"
"Take a look at his symbol" she motioned. Azuma looked to see a dark-purple crescent moon with a star inside it. But just looked at it in confusion. "I haven't seen that crest before, what significance does it have?" She groaned in frustration sitting back on her throne responding: "I'll allow him to explain to you since you clearly have no Knowlege of this world's history" All watched as the undead samurai slowly raised it's head in Azuma's direction. It's jaw remained motionless as an elderly male voice spoke: "It seems I've been awaked, tell me young one, why have you summoned me?"
"I want to teach him just how ignorant he is about this world's history, teach him about the past and show him just how powerful you are" The vampire commented, her cheek resting upon her cheek with her legs resting over the arm of her throne.
The undead samurai looked at Azuma with curiosity before sitting on the floor, his legs crossed in a meditative position. "Sigh, very well...you wish for me to tell you about my life as a samurai back in my prime? Then allow me to start back when I met the pirate lord himself....Soichiro Akamatsu...." The undead samurai began his tale, his voice carrying the weight of countless memories. "My name is Sinyugia and I was a samurai in service to the Pirate Lord Soichiro Akamatsu who was renowned as the strongest pirate of the last two generations"
Azuma listened intently, the room seemed to fade away, as he listened to Sinyugia's words. "In those days, the world was a perilous place, ruled by powerful pirate crews and marauding creatures. Soichiro Akamatsu was not only a pirate, but also a man of honor. He sought to bring balance to the chaos of the seas, and for that, he gained both allies and enemies"
His spectral gaze seemed to pierce through Azuma as he spoke of the legendary pirate lord. "Soichiro was a master swordsman, known for his unique fighting style that combined elements of samurai techniques and pirate ferocity. His crew, the Crimson raven, was feared and respected across the sea. But it wasn't just his strength in combat that set Soichiro apart, he had a vision for a world where pirates could coexist peacefully, and he worked tirelessly to achieve it"
He and his crew often aided those in need, and they earned the loyalty of many. But with great power comes great opposition"
The samurai's voice grew somber as he recounted darker times. "Rival pirate crews and the sea corp saw Soichiro's vision as a threat. Battles were fought, and many lives were lost. But Soichiro never wavered in his pursuit of a better world. Eventually, the clashes grew more intense, and Soichiro faced his greatest challenge. He engaged in a legendary battle against the sea corp's top admirals, as well as other legendary pirates. Each clash shook the very foundations of the seas"
The room seemed to tremble with the intensity of the tale. "Soichiro fought valiantly, but in the end, he disappeared without a trace. Some say he perished in a battle against another pirate, while others believe he chose to go into hiding, waiting for the day a new pirate worthy of his title would appear"
Sinyugia's voice grew distant, and he looked out of the room's window at the dark island beyond. "The Crimson raven disbanded after Soichiro's disappearance, and the world moved on. But his legacy lived on, and his dream of a world where pirates could find a place of their own continued to inspire"
Azuma couldn't help but be moved by the story of Soichiro Akamatsu. "Do you believe he's still out there, waiting?" Azuma asked, his voice filled with a newfound determination. The samurai turned his gaze back to Azuma. "It's difficult to say young one, Soichiro was a man of mystery, and his fate remains unknown. But what matters is that his ideals endure, carried by those who believe in them"
As the undead samurai's story concluded, Azuma felt a renewed sense of motivation. He had been touched by the legacy of the legendary pirate lord. With gleam of hope in his eyes, he looked at Rosera and said, "I may not know the full extent of this world's history, but I know one thing: I will continue to improve, become strong enough to protect those who can't protect themselves or those they care about!"
Rosera watched him with a mixture of curiosity and intrigue. The room was filled with a sense of anticipation as Azuma turned to Sinyugia. "Please show me what your generation was capable of Sinyugia, I want to see just how far I have to go to reach your level"
All watched in silence as the undead swordsmen looked deep into his eyes, seeing the burning passion within him. "Sigh, I'm not sure that's a smart idea child...undead I might be, but I still maintain the fighting prowess I acquired over my 60 years of life. It's best if you don't ever have to face me in a real fight. With my cursed blade of Amaterasu, you'd be cut down with in an instant"
That's when a smirk grew across Rosera's face as she slowly raised her hand, almost as if she were controlling a puppet. "Actually, I'm interested to see just how he'll fair against one of the strongest swordsmen of this world. Her eyes gleamed red as she took control over the undead samurai with her ability to reanimate the dead.
"C-captain, is this truly necessary? Surely you don't expect Azuma to take on one of the legendary swordsmen, his cursed sword alone is said to inflict devastating wounds with a single slash" Seraph uttered with a sense of worry for the pirate. The vampire glared at her crewmate. "I'm surprised to hear this from you Seraph, normally you follow my orders without question...why is it, you suddenly have a change of mind? Have you somehow grown attached to him? He's nothing more than another pirate intruding on my island. Handsome he may be, but an intruder is still just that"
That's when Velric cried out: "Are you siding with the intruder Seraph!? Lady Rosera won't stand for such disobedience! If you continue such disrespect towards our dear captain, I'll have no choice but to take it as a sign of betrayal and rid my dear captain of your presence!"
Azuma could see that Seraph was hurt by such accusation and looked away with a sad expression upon his face. "Now then, shall we begin...Azuma?" With a quick flick of her index finger, Sinyugia gripped his sheathed blade at his side before moving with a swift instant motion. Before Azuma could even react, he felt a burning pain across the center of his chest, only to realize he had been pieced by the cursed blade without even knowing.
"S-shit!" He looked down at the slash across his torso that seemed to glow purple. "Tsssk! Once strike won't stop me from continuing this fight" Taking a deep breath, Azuma attempted to heal his wounds, only to realize the wound caused by the cursed blade wouldn't heal properly, leaving a purple scorch mark across his chest. "W-what is this!? My wound won't fully heal!"
"Sigh, I'm sorry young pirate, any pierced by my blade will forever be scarred by it's dark essence, even Soichiro himself never healed from the single strike I managed to inflict of his chest all those years ago. It's best if you give up now and leave before you're forever crippled by my blade. Unfortunately, I am not the one in control right now and I have no idea what this vampire will do next while I'm under her control"
Azuma took a deep breath, letting the calming breath flow through him as he focused seinshin through his body. "Don't worry...I'm nowhere near done" All watched as his purple life aura began to illuminate his body with immense power. "I've already come so far in such a short time and won't let it end here, neither you nor Rosera can stop me"
Pushing off with his foot, Azuma advanced straight for the samurai who spun around, stopping his opponent's fierce punch with his blade as the entire manor shock by the clash. "You certainly are a resilient one, but you have a long way to go before you reach my level"
Without warning, an abrupt shockwave was released from the blade sending Azuma staggering back, impacting the wall on the other side of the room before hitting the floor. He could feel his entire body beginning to ache from both the impact and using so much life force just to take on the powerful swordsmen. "D-damn it...I-I used so much of my power just to try and keep up with him only to be knocked back as if it were nothing. Just how powerful is this man?"
Once more the young captain rose to his feet, this time out of breath with his entire body beginning to ache from his use of seinshin. "Huff...huff...I'm not...finished yet...I have one last trick up my sleeve"
That's when Rosera commented: "As much as I'd love to see that, I think I've had my fill of you embarrassing yourself, it's time to finish you off so I can finally get back to relaxing. Such a waste of a good-looking man like you, next time be more careful where you wonder in your next life"
With another motion of her wrist, Sinyugia prepared to unleash the finishing blow, gripping his sheathed blade, that's when Seraph stepped in between him and Azuma, keeping the samurai from attacking. The elegant man met Rosera's gaze, his once worried look was now a cold glare towards his own captain. "Enough Rosera, as much as it sickens me to say this, but I won't let you go any further with this...Since I met this man, I've sensed no ill intentions from him, you're the only one who's been hostile to him sense he's entered this manor. I may've fought him, but I was just doing my job as you ordered to keep intruders out, but this? You're just torturing him now and I shall not be a part of such disgraceful actions. I beg you Rosera, please stop this before you force my hand"
The tension began to grow thick as the pair stared one another down without flinching... After nearly a minute of silence, the vampire released her control over Sinyugia lowering her hand. "Hmph, very well, but don't ever order me around ever again. As for you Azuma, I suggest you leave before I change my mind"
That's when the swordsmen walked over to Azuma, holding out his cursed blade to him. "Here, take my sword boy...I have a feeling you'll mage great use of it in the future"
"What!? But this is a legendary blade! What will you do without your S-tier blade!?" A smile could be seen on the skeleton's face as he placed the sheathed sword in the pirate's hands. "Don't worry young Azuma...I have no more need for such a thing. I already carved a name for myself on this world, my generation has come to an end...it's time for your generation to create a new era, one that seeks the ideas of the pirate lord himself, so long as you do what you think is right, you will become a great legendary pirate one day"
Azuma watched as the skeleton began to slowly decay into dust before him, he couldn't help but feel a tear fall from his eye onto the remains of the once great swordsmen. Just before anyone could speak, the large doors of the throne room burst open as Azuma's crew burst in.
"AZUMA!" Naiomi, Kiozen and Roxie cried out in joy as they raced towards him. That's when Velric jumped across the room, landing in front of them, blocking their path with his long sharp fingers like a gate made out of his long-deformed fingers. "Not a step closer! No one is allowed near miss Rosera without permission! Leave now or be killed!"
That's when Roxie raised his hand towards the assailant, sealing him within a transparent barrier to keep him from moving while the others simply walked past him over to Azuma as Naiomi and Kiozen hugged him tightly. "AZUMA! WE'RE SO GLAD YOU'RE OK! WE WERE SO WORRIED YOU MAY'VE DROWNED OR WORSE!" Naiomi cried out, that's when she noticed half his upper attire had been burned off.
"What happened to your clothes captain? Did one of these bastards burn you or something!?"
"It's fine Naiomi, I had a battle with one of them and I ended up losing, they hurt me really bad, but I luckily healed from most of it thanks to my healing ability all aside from one scar" He smiled at her but realized she was filled with rage as she looked at him with a cold emotionless expression. "Which one of these bastards hurt you captain? Was it the bitch in the chair?" She accused pointing at Rosera who grew angered by the statement.
"Hold your tounge, I won't hesitate to kill you myself if you continue to disrespect the ruler of this island" Naiomi frowned pointing in her direction shouting: "I don't care who you are, anyone who hurts my dear captain will see just how angry I can get when someone I love is hurt!"
That's when a smirk grew across the vampiric captain's face as she looked down on the enraged assassin. "Someone you love hmm? Are you sure he's not out of your league? Such a handsome man shouldn't have to settle for an average girl like you when he can have a vampiric queen like me. A child born from my vampiric blood would be stronger than anything your human genes could birth"
Everyone's mouths dropped at Rosera's words as Naiomi's face grew red. "YOU BITCH...HOW DARE YOU!" The blue hair assassin charged towards the throne, a blue aura of seinshin flowing around her body. Consumed by rage she threw a strike straight for Rosera, only for her to tilt her head an inch to the right mere moments before the attack made contact. All watched as a massive crack formed across the entire wall from Naiomi's fierce strike.
"Heh, you know what? I've changed my mind...I don't want you to die Azuma...I want to join your crew" This caused everyone in the room to freak out with shocked looks on their face as all except Azuma cried out" WHAT!?"
Velric, who was still trapped inside Roxie's barrier cried out: "My captain you can't be serious! Must you truly lower yourself to their pathetic level!? His crew are nothing more than peasants!" That's when Roxie clinched his fist as the barrier began to slowly compress, becoming cramped for the tall thin man. Roxie smirked. "Our pathetic level huh? If we're so pathetic, then why are you the one trapped?"
Velric clenched his teeth in anger as he sharpened his fingers, clawing at the barrier's walls with all his might, only for it to have no effect. "Damn you" He muttered. Rosera slowly rose from her throne as she walked down the red carpet over to her sealed crewmate. "Quit complaining Velric, it's not like there's anything to do on Dread rot island, aside from sitting in the manor and scaring trespassers, it's awfully boring here. I only stayed here so I could escape from all those that treated me as nothing more than a monster"
That's when Azuma grew curious, walking over to her as the rest of the crew circled around them aside from Velric who remained trapped. "What happened Rosera? Who saw you as a monster?" Red tears that resembled blood began to run down her face as she turned away from him. "I-I don't want to talk about it...please, can we just forget about it?"
The others looked at one another with sad expressions while Azuma stepped closer, placing his hand on her shoulder. "Rosera...tell me what happened" He spoke with a calm and concerned voice, truly worried about her.
"They-they all hated me...I grew up on an island called Star fall island...it was an island that was one large city, filled with towering buildings and high-class houses, the city was controlled by a rich man known as Baron Bones, with his great wealth he easily took over my home town and manipulated others of power to follow any command he wished. As for me, I grew up in an average size home, seen by many as lower-class in comparison to the many wealthy citizens that flaunted their money around like it was nothing"
All listened as she continued. "When I was only 12 years-old, I stumbled upon a strange purple crystal lying near the water of star fall beach near my house, As I picked it up brushing off the sand, I realized I hadn't eaten that day, my mother was at her job as a barmaid in Baron's casino near the center of town several miles away. As my stomach ached for food, I eat the ice crystal quickly before feeling a strange nauseous feeling, that's when I realized my hair went from it's normal black color, to the white you see now, my pale white skin also became purple as I grew fangs and my eyes glistened with a red glow"
She sighed, looking Azuma in the eye as her long white hair covered her right. "I was too young to understand just what had happened at the time, but as I stood on the beach out in the blazing sunlight...I could feel a searing pain all throughout my body as if I were being burned alive by the sun itself. I was too young to know I had been transformed into a vampire...I managed to run inside and take refuge in my room, closing the blinds of my windows to keep any ounce of light from entering my room"
Rosera wiped the tears from her eyes trying to be strong. "But when my mother came home, she looked at me in horror, as if I were nothing more than an ugly monster in her eyes. The long on her face hurt me more than the sun ever could. My mother was a tall thin woman with long red hair and green eyes, she always treated me with love and care. But the moment she saw me as this vampire, she didn't see her daughter anymore, all she saw was some gross creature she wanted nothing to do with"
Tears built back up as she went on. "Once the citizens of star fall found out about me, they attempted to capture me and leave me outside to burn in the sun. Luckily my mother helped me escape off the island in the middle of the night, as much as she hated the sight of me, she knew she couldn't just let me die over something I had no control over. Once I escaped the island, I just survived off the animals of different islands, living in dark parts of the islands to keep any sunlight from reaching me"
Many of the pirates couldn't help but shed tears from her story, even Azuma did his best not to cry, only for a single tear to escape his eye as it hit the ground before everyone.
"I'm sorry you had to experience such a traumatic event in your life, especially at such a young age Rosera. But I want you to know I'm here for you, you're not the only one who's felt the pain of someone close to you, treat you as if you're nothing more than mere garbage. My 1st crew left me on the brink of death, stranded on a random island with nothing but the clothes on my back. If there hadn't been a magika crystal near me, I probably would've succumbed to my injuries and bled to death on the beach"
Rosera was caught off guard as Azuma pulled her closer, softly embracing her as he placed his right hand on her head as she rested her face against his chest. She blushed for a moment before looking up at Naiomi, winking at her with her tounge out in a taunting manner. Seeing her captain holding another woman caused the blue-hair assassin to clinch her fist growing furious once more before taking a deep breath letting herself cool down.
Letting go of Rosera, Azuma walked towards Velric commenting: "Your captain wants to join my crew, but you don't seem so willing. If you're going to be a problem, you can always just stay here by yourself on this dark and empty island...though chances are you'll probably go mad after a week of isolation from any other people"
Velric just glared at him with utter rage when the pirate leaned in close to the barrier with a cold look on his face. "You can either follow my command and we'll let you join us, or you can be trapped on this island with no way off as you remain here alone, talking to yourself as your thoughts become too much and you slowly slip into madness"
"Sigh, just leave him here Azuma, if he's going to make such a big deal about it, then clearly, he won't be of any help to us when there's actually a real situation" Rosera groaned placing a hand on her hip as all looked at Azuma, waiting for his decision. "You're right Rosera, might as well leave him here so he doesn't hold us back. "Let's get out of here, I'm tired of feeling the cold breeze on my back and need to buy new clothes since mine were burned to crisp from my fight with Seraph"
The blonde elegant man lowered his head in embarrassment, getting down on one knee before him. "My apologies captain Azuma, I was only following my former captain's orders to stop all intruders, I meant no disrespect towards you sir!"
Azuma looked down at him as his serious expression became a slight smirk. "Don't fret Seraph, you were only doing as you were asked, that shows you have loyalty and after that fight, I know you had not intention to kill me, you knew I was alive and could've killed me if you wanted too, the fact you spared me shows you're not some heartless brute that seeks to kill. I have hope that you'll be a great addition to the Azuma pirates Seraph, don't let your thoughts get the better of you"
The vampiric pirate looked up at his new captain who offered his hand out to him with a smile. "Welcome to the Azuma pirates Seraph.
Tears of joy filled his eyes as he took his hand rising to his feet. "T-thank you sir, I'll do my best to show my loyalty for both you and the crew!"
"Now then, let's be off, there's a certain island that deserves my attion"
"Wait captain, should I free this wimp from the barrier or just leave him inside?" Roxie questioned, pointing to Velric. "Sigh, I'd say you can let him out once we're off the island, can't have him following us" The crew made their way towards the door as Velric began crying out to them: "Wait! You're not seriously going to leave me here are you!?"
Without a word the crew left the pirate within the transparent barrier, unable to escape. As the newly expanded crew reached the shore of Dread Rot island, Azuma ordered Kiozen to create something to help them off the island.
A smirk grew on the candy pirate's face. "Of course sir, I've been coming up with many new ideas with my candy magika to add some versatility. Candy formation: Cotton candy ship!" Throwing his hand out before the shore, a bundle of cotton candy began to form together until it took the form of a small ship. "There you are captain, this such suffice until we can get a proper ship"
"Impressive work Kiozen, your candy ability certainly has many uses when it's used in the right ways. Let's hurry to Star fall island so I can get new clothes as well as find this "Baron Bones" You were talking about Rosera, no one should get away with not only making someone feel like a monster but planning to kill them as well!"
As everyone boarded the cotton candy ship, it soared into the air, flying like an air-balloon flowing through wind. Rosera's eyes widened as she realized what Azuma had said. She placed her hand on his shoulder, pleading for him not to go to star fall island. "Please captain, I don't think it's a good idea to go to star fall island, it's filled with corrupt people that threat low-class citizens as mere trash!"
Azuma's face grew serious as he responded: "That's why we're going Rosera, what if there's others there being treated as badly as you were treated when you were little, I'll do anything to keep people safe, that's one of the main reasons I became stronger and will continue to improve myself, I want to help those unable to protect themselves. If I can save even one person from that corrupt city's influence, I would've achieved something even if it's viewed as minor. You can stay on the ship if the pain is too much Rosera, but I won't ignore those that could be in trouble"
"Y-you're right captain...I-I can't let my own trauma keep me from stopping that bastard from hurting anyone else"
"So, we're headed to Star fall island captain?" Kiozen asked. Azuma nodded. "Which direction is it?" He asked Rosera. She sighed pointing northeast. With that, the candy ship changed course towards Star Fall Island...