Stardust Island ARC
After saying goodbye to phantom shine park, the crew set sail, making their way towards an island not far from them. "It's called Stardust Island, I've read about it through books I've found as well as using my gingerbread men to spy on the people within phantom shine park. Unlike what you've all seen, I'm capable of creating small gingerbread men I can use to spy and scout large areas"
"Hmm, that can come in handy, so then...what exactly do you know about this, stardust island?" The candy man thought for a moment before responding: "I've heard those looking to become rich, or those already wealthy come to this island, to stardust casino, one of the most popular casinos in the world"
Docking on the shore of Stardust Island, the crew could see a large town before them with a large casino in the center as lights and music blared off in the distance. "Hmph, they really want tourists to know there's a casino here, don't they?" Azuma commented before descending off the ship onto the sandy beach of stardust.
The others jumped down behind him beside Kiozen who jumped off the ship, shooting pink taffy from his pale palm, pulling himself onto the beach. The captain carefully surveyed the area before approaching a flight of stone steps that led from the beach up to the streets of the town. "Let's go check out the stardust casino, perhaps we can gather some interesting info from the people inside"
"Maybe even earn us some gold!" Roxie gleamed in excitement, his eyes lighting up as he smiled. "Sigh, try not to draw attention to us Oda, I know you're excited, but also know you have a habit of stealing items of interest. Try not to do anything stupid...Kenzu, you'll be the one to watch Roxie while Naiomi and I search the area for anything of interest"
"What should I do captain Azuma?" The pink-haired pirate questioned with his hand over his chest in a respectful manner. Azuma stopped turning his head to the side responding: "Use your magika abilities to gather info on the people of the casino. Places like these tend to have vital information we could use"
"Y-yes Azuma" They continued towards the casino as some of the civilians took notice of the pirate and his crew walking through the streets. They reached the large golden building. The casino was a large four-floor building made of solid gold with the name: STARDUST CASINO" written in red letters on the center floor of the structure.
"Hmmm, strange how a plane looking town like this one has such a high-quality casino in the middle of town" Azuma and his crew walked through the golden doorway to find red carpet floors and black walls in the large lobby. The main lobby was filled with slot machines and a bar in each corner of the room, with many customers indulging in all the casino had to offer. Many of the people within the lobby seemed to be from different parts of the world, some poor and others average. "Strange, there's no sign of anyone wealthy in the main lobby, then again...they could just be in some kind of VIP area for those with more money. Alright, Kiozen, go and see what you can find and Roxie...I swear if you do something stupid"
Oda put his hands up backing up. "Yea, yea I get it, I won't steal anything while we're here" With that, Roxie rushed to check out all the many kinds of games with Kenzu following him, his hands folded and an annoyed look on his face. Meanwhile Naiomi followed close behind Azuma as he walked past the lobby, spotting a corridor leading deeper into the casino.
As the pair walked through the large hallway, a figure watched them from a distance, they had long black hair covering one eye wearing a brown poncho with black pants with a gun at his waist. He watched them carefully before tailing them through the long corridor...
"So, captain...we haven't been alone in a while, after all this is over, we should have some fun in your private quarters hehe" Naiomi blushed smiling seductively at her captain. Azuma looked in her direction with a serious face before responding: "We'll see Naiomi, 1st we need to gather some info from this place and hope we find something of use. My gut tells me many important people come to stardust island which means there's plenty of secrets some are hiding within these walls"
As they reached the end of the hall, Azuma saw a red door with the letters: "VIP" written above it in pink lights. Just as he proceeded towards the door, a male voice called out: Stop right there pirate...or should I say Azuma Kenousa...the sea Corp has placed a bounty on you as well as the girl beside you, I believe her name is Naiomi, also known as the blue assassin. Heh, what fun it'll be to reap the bounty of such an infamous assassin such as you Naiomi"
Slowly lifting his hands up, Azuma carefully turned to face the man that had been tailing them. "Just who are you then?" The bounty hunter stared deep into the pirate's eyes, his pistol aimed right for his target's chest. "My name is of no importance, you both will be dead in mere moments. Be careful about your next action, one wrong move and I'll shoot right through you...filthy pirate"
That's when Azuma slowly approached him, keeping his hands up as he took each step forward until they stood mere inches from one another, the bounty hunter's firearm now pressed against his abdomen. "You seem very confident in yourself, but do you actually have the guts to pull the trigger in point blank range?"
Naiomi watched in unease as both men continued to stare one another down. Without warning, the dark-haired hunter fired off a single shot straight through his target's chest, blood staining the carpet as the bullet went straight through Azuma's body. Many in the casino began to run in fear as Naiomi watched in shock, her captain collapsed before her in a pool of blood.
"You...YOU BASTARD! THAT WAS MY CAPTAIN!" The blue haired assassin was thrown into a fierce rage as a blue aura illuminated her body. You'll-YOU'LL PAY FOR THAT!" Pulling out a dozen knives, Naiomi threw them right for the assailant. Reacting quickly, the trained hunter threw his upper body back, dodging nearly every sharp projectile beside one as it pierced his left shoulder.
He rose to his feet gripping the bleeding shoulder with a slight smirk. "Heh, impressive...I-I didn't think you'd be capable of Seinshin, though I can't use it myself, I'm told it takes a lot of spiritual concentration to use"
Naiomi remained silent, still consumed by rage. That's when a leg shot up, kicking the pistol into the air as Azuma jumped up, catching the firearm in one hand, aiming it right for the attacker. "Hmph, I'm not sure just what seinshin is, but I'll have to look into it, thanks" With a smirk Azuma fired a single shot into the bounty hunter's chest as blood dripped from the wound.
"W-what!? B-but I thought you were dead!?"
"I was just pretending to bleed out. Seems you didn't know I was a magika user did you?" With a final shot, the pirate attempted to kill their opponent when a tree branch sprouted up from the red carpet, stopping the projectiles.
Breathing heavily, the man commented: "About time Kimosu" With a slight laugh he fell back when a tree monster came up out of the ground as if phasing through the ground. The creature looked like a humanoid tree with wood for skin but had arms and legs. It's eyes were black with a faint purple glow in the center.
It spoke in a deep male voice: "You both won't escape the phantom shade, the ocean's most skilled bounty hunter trio!" Suddenly it unleashed long thin branches right for them, attempting to subdue the pair.
Naiomi, now more under control, watched as Azuma unsheathed his blade, slicing through each branch that came his way, shrapnel of wood flying past her as he continuously sliced through each moving branch. (I-I need to help him before he runs out of energy!) Taking a deep breath, Naiomi jumped over the relentless branches, throwing a punch right for Kimosu's head.
"Hmph, you should know trees don't feel pain assassin, you just made it easier for me to capture you" With his ally in one hand, the entity used his other to send sharp tree branches up from the ground, trapping the young assassin within a cage of tree branches. "Stay there, I just need to deal with your captain and this little hunt will be over"
Just then, a pink gumball flew over Kimosu's shoulder, landing just past his feet. "Hm?" In a burst of pink goo, the gumball burst, covering him in sticky gum. He could feel the weight growing heavier as he struggled to even move. "Mph!? Is this gum!? Where did it come from!?"
"Don't bother struggling, the longer my gum is attached to something, the thicker and sticker it becomes, I'd suggest you admit defeat before you embarrass yourself" Azuma looked past the large blob of gum to see Kiozen walking up to them with a smirk, placing his hand on the column of pink goo.
"Sigh, nice timing Kiozen, didn't think I could back his damn branches any longer"
"No worries captain, it's the crew's job to support their captain anyway they can" That's when Azuma realized... "Wait, that tree monster said the phantom shade was a trio, if that's true...than where is their third member? You don't think they could've found Roxie and Kenzu 1st could you!?"
Meanwhile...
Roxie sat at a poker table playing against a random player while Kenzu stood and watched in the corner, his arm resting on his blade with a bored expression on his face. That's when the pink-haired man threw his deck down shouting: "Full house baby! Look like I win!" He pulled his opponent's chips towards him to add to his own when the man gripped his hand commenting: "Wait...how about we have one last match, winner take all?"
"You want to go again!? Fine by me! But you'll have to get more chips to bet against!" That's when the man lifted his head, he had a black bowler hat with black hair, green eyes dressed in a black vest, red long-sleeve under shirt and black pants. "Oh, don't worry...I have plenty of money"
The abrupt change in tone caused Kenzu to turn and see the man quickly reaching for something under the table. (Shit!) Without wasting time, the swordsmen unsheathed his blade, dashing right for his crewmate. Knocking Oda out of his seat, Kenzu deflected the assailant's quick shot as the bullet ricocheted off his blade hitting the ceiling.
"I knew you would come here...Amizaki" Roxie rose to his feet exclaiming: "Wait, you know this guy Kenzu!?" A smirk grew across the man's face as he rose to his feet.
"Yeah Kenzu, do you know me?" Gripping the tip of his hat, the assailant threw it right for the swordsmen as blades abruptly came out from the outline of the cap. "Tsk!" Gripping his blade with both hands, Kenzu blocked the incoming projectile. It's blades sent sparks across the room as it drilled against the pirate's katana.
"Seems you're still as quick as ever, which is why I've been wondering...why did you join a pirate? I thought you hated pirates? Or perhaps...have you changed your mind?" Amizaki pulled out a pistol aiming it right at Kenzu's head from the other side of the table. "Hmph...I guess it really doesn't matter, you're no longer the bounty hunter I once knew, and I have my orders to kill the pirate known as Azuma as well as his crew. Such a shame...I would've loved to see you again under different circumstances. How cruel fate can be"
As the assailant prepared to fire, the swordsmen kicked off from the poker table, causing the spiraling hat to go flying into the wall past him. "So, this is how you treat your old boyfriends Amizaki? As normal trash ready to be killed? Here I thought you actually cared about me, we were the perfect duo, your quick shots and my master swordsmanship. Did that mean nothing to you? Or perhaps...you were just faking the feeling you had for me"
The once calm and focused gunman began to shake as sweat ran down the side of his face. Roxie was confused for a moment before piecing everything to gather. "Wait! Are-are you saying this creep is your ex-boyfriend!?"
His crewmate nodded. "This is Amizaki Yukoda, both my former partner when I was a part of the phantom shade, as well as my boyfriend at the time. He was the 1st one to see the world the way I do, we didn't care about who we killed or how it was done, all we cared about was payment, using the money to make life...a little less depressing. But as time went, the phantom shade partnered with the sea corp and focused strictly on killing pirates. As much as I hated pirates, many of those we killed didn't seem as heartless as the admirals made them out to be. That's when I decided to turn my back not only on the corporation, but also on the phantom shade as well"
That's when Roxie was surprised to see Amizaki beginning to cry, his body shaking as tears ran down his face. His hand holding his firearm shook rapidly to the point he couldn't aim properly. That's when he finally dropped his weapon, looking at the ground in sorrow. "I can't do this Kenzu...not to you...Please tell me...why....WHY DIDN'T YOU LET ME COME WITH YOU!"
Once more the bounty hunter broke into tears as he fell to his knees with Azuma and the others running up to them at that moment. Kenzu's once uncaring expression then became one of surprise as his eyes widened towards the crying man at his feet.
"Y-you told me not to follow you...you said it was better if I stayed with them...WELL LOOK WHERE THAT LED! IT STILL BROUGHT ME TO THIS MOMENT WHERE I HAD TO EITHER KILL YOU OR BE HUNTED BY THE SEA CORP AS IF I WAS A PIRATE TOO!"
To everyone's surprise, Kenzu knelt before the sobbing man, placing his hand upon his shoulder. "Look Amizaki...at the time I was sure staying away from me and moving on was the best action, forgetting about me...forgetting about all the pain I caused you. But, I can see that was the wrong thing to do...all I did was cause even greater pain to you and I'm sorry. This time, you can come with me if you want, that is...if captain will allow it"
Amizaki looked up at him, his face red with dried tears as Azuma looked at him with slight distrust. "Sigh...I don't trust you, especially if you work for the sea corp, but if Kenzu is willing to keep an eye on you, then fine...we'll need to search for a bigger ship in the meantime, we don't have enough space for anymore crewmates even if each crewmate slept two per room. Our only choice is to stay here for a while and try and gather enough gold for a bigger and more pristine ship"
"T-thank you Azuma" He thanked still on his knees. Just then the ground began to shake beneath them. Rushing back into the hall, the crew watched as Kiozen's gum incasing Kimosu began to Strech as sharp branches began tearing through his gooey prison.
"He's using his branches to free himself, we have maybe a few seconds before he frees himself captain" Kiozen warned him. Azuma frowned pulling out his blade once more as his crew prepared for round two. That's when the gum finally tore open, falling to the ground with Kimosu standing before them still holding his leader in one hand.
"It'll take more than mere gum to contain me! My magika crystal gives me the ability to manipulate nature itself!" Noticing Amizaki amongst the squad of pirates, he gave him a cold look. "Hmph, I never thought you'd be stupid enough to betray the phantom shade, just like-" He then spotted Kenzu standing beside him. "Ah, I get it now, you're so obsessed with Kenzu, you'll throw your own life away to be with him...is that it?"
Amizaki clinched his fist, his once anxious demeanor abruptly changed as he quickly aimed his pistol towards his former squad member. "Shut up! I once thought we were doing the right thing, keeping the world safe from heartless pirates who were a threat to the innocent...but now, I can see that Kenzu was right, the phantom shade aren't the heroic hunters I once thought they were, we're nothing more than ruthless killers, willing to end the lives of those who won't stand in line of the sea corp's view of the world. As far as I'm concerned...you and the sea corp can go to hell!"
Without warning Amizaki fired off each bullet from his magazine until he was out. Roxie and Kenzu watched in shock while Azuma and Naiomi stood silently with serious expressions on their faces.
That's when Kimosu began to let out deep utters of laughter. "Hehe, you fool, you really are a fool if you think mere bullets were enough to kill me! You've learned nothing after all these years have you!?" In one abrupt attack, Kimosu transformed his right hand into a large spear-like weapon, launching it right for Azuma, attempting to kill their captain in a single attack.
Before the pirate could react, he felt someone push him out of the way just before the attack could connect. "What!?" Looking behind him, all saw to their horror Amizaki, pinned against the wall of the corridor, blood splattered across the wall as the man shook in pain, the spear pierced straight through his chest.
Kenzu was in utter shock at the sight of his once lover, now dying before him. That's when he began to speak in a weak tone: "I-I'm sorry I didn't go with you Kenzu...I-I hoped it won't end this way, though...I'm glad, as my last noble act, I was able to give up my life for your captain. I-I will forever love you...Kenzu" A tear of blood ran down his cheek before dropping to the floor as the man became motionless.
"Hmph, I was aiming for their bloody captain, but, one less pest to deal with I guess" Kimosu's words caused the grieving swordsmen to snap as a red aura began to flow around the outline of his body.
"You bastard...how dare you kill the only one I ever loved and then act as though he was nothing more than mere trash" Slowly turning to face their assailant, Kenzu gripped his katana closing his eyes. The vibrant red flow of energy growing stronger. The crew watched as Kenzu vanished in a flash of light, a single tear floating in midair where he once stood.
"Huh! Where did he go!?" Kimosu pulled his extended arm back to him just as a slash of red light pierced across his chest. He could hear Kenzu's voice as the swordsmen moved past him at immense speed. "In this world, those with no heart...have no place"
The wooden entity gripped the gaping wound in his chest. (Impossible, I can feel the cut from his blade! But how!?) "TSK! YOU WON'T KILL ONE WHO HAS THE POWER OF NATURE!" Turning around he saw Kenzu standing behind him, the swordsmen's back to him. "TSK! DON'T YOU TAUNT ME!" In a fit of rage, Kimosu threw both hands out, firing a barrage of thorns straight for him.
Just as the thorns were mere inches from Kenzu, the swordsmen vanished in a flash of red light, advancing towards his opponent as if the thorns moved in slow motion. Gripping his katana firmly, Kenzu prepared to land the finishing blow. "Form number 24...spirit isolation"
Unleashing a blitz of sword strikes infused with this newfound energy, Kenzu slowly sheathed his blade, his back towards his opponent as red slashes began appearing all over the tree entity. "WHAT!? WHAT IS THIS!" With each slash, Kimosu's body began to break apart as he was reduced to ash.
The entire crew, even Azuma was shaken by Kenzu's immense power. "W-what the hell was that!?" Roxie cried out in a frightful tone. That's when their captain had a realization...he thought back to when he had been shot and Naiomi went into a blind rage, she also was engulfed in a light of pure energy that seemed to boost her speed and power.
"I'll have to look into this at some point, but for now...are you alright Kenzu?" Azuma walked over to the swordsmen, the red aura completely gone. His crewmate was silent for a moment, looking at the floor and facing away from the others.
"I'm-I'm fine...can I please just have a few minutes to myself captain?"
"Sure, we'll wait outside so you can have some time to yourself" Azuma motioned the others outside while Kenzu walked over to his lover's lifeless body still up against the blood-covered wall. That's when he suddenly burst into tears. Falling to his knees, Kenzu looked up at his fallen lover.
"I'm sorry I couldn't save you Amizaki...I always worried more about getting my next bounty done rather than enjoying the time I had with those around me" Gripping the floor tightly, Kenzu took a deep breath. "I won't make the same mistake twice...Azuma and the others are my 2nd chance at enjoying life. I'll do my best to make the best of it. Thanks...Amizaki"
After standing outside for a few minutes, the crew watched as the casino doors opened behind them. They looked to see Kenzu carrying his fallen lover's body in his arms. "I want to bury him on the beach, will any of you help me?"
"Yes, we will do what we can to help" Azuma answered before looking at the others who nodded aside from Roxie who was unsure what to say at this point. They carefully made their way down to the beach as the sun began to set. After about half an hour of digging a hole, Kenzu carefully placed Amizaki inside before the others began filling the hole...
That's when Kiozen realized they had forgotten something. Quickly going inside the now destroyed casino lobby, He found the phantom shade's leader who had just regained consciousness. Before he realized what was going on, Kiozen fired a string of pink taffy from his palm, wrapping it around the disoriented bounty hunter's torso keeping his arms pinned behind his back. "We almost forgot about you"
Dragging him out by his collar, Kiozen called out: "Captain! What should I do with this one!?" The crew turned to see the leader of the phantom shade in the candy man's grasp, struggling to break free. The moment Kenzu recognized him, he gripped his blade with a frown.
"Captain, please give me permission to end his worthless life, he's the boss of the phantom shade, he could've prevented this whole thing!" Azuma saw the pure hatred in his crewmate's eyes, the lust for revenge boiling within him.
"Wait...I want to speak with him before I decide what action to take. Don't forget, they'll probably look for someone to blame for the destruction of stardust casino, it's best to have him take the fall for this since he ordered the attack in the 1st place"
Approaching the struggling bounty hunter with Kiozen gripping his collar tightly from behind, Azuma ordered his crew member to uncover the man's mouth so he could speak to him. The pink-haired pirate removed the taffy covering the man's mouth as the assailant finally caught his breath.
"You bastards! What do you do with Amizaki and Kimosu!?" The pirate glared down at him before slapping him across the face. "Shut up...they're already dead. If you hadn't been such an idiot, I'm sure they'd still be alive. Kimosu killed Amizaki after the man found out Kenzu was with us, ultimately causing Kenzu to kill the creature in a blind rage"
"K-kenzu, Kenzu is here?" His vision coming back into focus, he saw the dark-haired swordsmen glaring at him, his red eyes staring him down. "Kenzu!? Please, help me! We're best friends...aren't we?"
"S-shut up Jin...the man you once were is gone, the person I once called a friend is nothing more than a memory. I may have formed the phantom shade with you all those years ago, but that means nothing to me anymore"
"Wait, you formed the phantom shade with this bastard?" Azuma asked curiously. The swordsmen sighed with a nod crossing his arms. "It was about five years ago...I had already trained as a lone bounty hunter. However, I and others like me could tell there were more and more bounties being placed on pirates, some with impressive power. It soon got to the point where I couldn't defeat or capture the higher ranked pirates alone, I then resorted to forming the phantom shade with Jin in hopes of evening the odds against the growing bounties of strong pirates"
All listened as he went on. "Jin and I formed the duo and began taking down many of the B and A rank threats that came through our bounties. Though...as time went on and we found Kimosu and Amizaki, it felt as though something changed in Jin...he became more about wiping out pirates and earning money rath than ridding the world of the evil ones. The final straw was when he joined the sea corp, he didn't care if the pirate was evil or even had a bounty, he treated all pirates as trash or criminals. Once I saw what kind of monster he'd become, I left the squad"
"That's because pirates are nothing more than criminals who steal and kill those that get in their way!" Jin shouted back. Before Kenzu could respond, Azuma put his hand up motioning him to hold on. "So...you say those who steal and kill are presumed pirates in your eyes correct? Well then...what about the sea corp? They order the deaths of those who are innocent just for looking like a pirate, then steal their gold and either keep it or use it to pay men like you to do the same. Both sides seem to steal and kill a fair amount...so tell me...what's the different between the corp and us pirates?"
Jin stood there trying to answer but was unable to think of an answer. Azuma smirked walking around him with his hand on his hip. "That's right...you're beginning to realize that you, as well as the sea corp are nothing more than hypocrites....Using any excuse you can to either kill or earn gold.
The man's eyes widened as his irises began to shake from the realization. "N-no...all those pirates me and my men killed...t-they were criminals...weren't they!?"
"Some probably were...but the real question is...how many of them weren't...how many of them were just innocent people that were killed by your hand?" Azuma's words echoed through the bounty hunter's head as he finally snapped, letting out a cry of despair. The world around him seemed to shake as he began to lose his sanity.
"We're done here, Kiozen, pin him somewhere in the casino so they have someone to blame for all this, we should leave before we're the ones they assume did this"
"Yes Azuma" Kiozen dragged the mentally broken man back inside, setting him on the carpeted floor, binding his arms and legs to the floor with his strong taffy. As the pirate left him all alone, Jin shook anxiously on the floor as he began to lose his grip of reality.
"N-no, I'm not a monster...I-I was trying to save this world from pirates!" He closed his eyes trying to calm down. But, that's when he heard a weak man's voice: "You're a monster" Still shaking he opened his eyes, finding himself sitting on the red carpet, but within what looked like an endless void of darkness. As time went on, he began to hear the whispers of all the innocent people he had killed over the years.
(I-I didn't know...I-I'm sorry) Tears ran down his eyes as he held himself in fear. "Please...I don't want to die..." That's when a dark figure stepped out from the darkness in front of him, it wore a black hooded cloak like the grim reaper as it walked towards him in silence. Jin could feel the room growing colder as the entity came closer. "P-please...not like this" He uttered in fear.
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The hooded figure stopped inches from his shaking body, the room so cold, he could easily see his breath. Now shivering and anxious, Jin could only watch as the faceless entity revealed it's boney hand, raising it up towards the frightened man's face. That's when his soul began to get pulled from his body as blue light began to flow out of him, into the creature's hand until the light finally left his eyes...
CHAPTER 6 Preparation For Their Next Sail
Making their way through the small town, they spotted a tavern on the side of the street called: "Star Tavern" It was a small wooden tavern between two large buildings with dual doors. Making his way inside, Azuma found himself inside your typical tavern; wooden floors, a long bar, round tables and barrels for chairs.
As he and his crew made their way inside, Azuma couldn't help but notice some of the people looking at them with hostile expressions. The captain sighed walking towards the bar when a tall buff man with short brown hair dressed in a white sleeveless shirt and tan pants blocked his way.
"Where do you think you're going...pirate? We don't allow your kind here. Maybe stardust casino does, but in here...that's a whole other story. So why don't you just turn around and get back in your ship before things get ugly?"
His crewmembers grew frustrated, glaring at the man but once more Azuma motioned them to calm down. That's when the thug placed his hand on the captain's coat snapping: "Hey! You got shit in your ears!? I told you to get out of here! Or would you like me to bash your head in!"
Without a word, Azuma gripped the man's hand touching his coat, gripping it firmly before a loud crack echoed through the tavern. "AAAGGHHH! MY HAND! YOU SON OF A BITCH!" Gripping his broken hand, the assailant threw a strike with his right fist. All citizens watched with mouths dropped as Azuma caught his attack with one hand, a cold glare on his face.
"I'm tired of everyone treating all pirates as if we're monsters...if I'm correct, you threw the 1st punch, so that means I'm justified to defend myself" Pulling the thug closer by his fist, Azuma bashed his head against the man's, leaving a bruise on both of them. While his healed in seconds, the tall man hit the ground out cold.
Naiomi slowly walked over to her captain, placing her hand on his shoulder. Azuma...are you ok?" He was silent for a moment, looking down at the defeated brute before answering: "I'm tired of being hated for being a pirate, no one should judge another for being something they want to be. I chose to be a pirate, do I really deserve to be shamed for it?"
Naiomi held him close comforting him. Naiomi held him close looking around to see the others going back to eating and drinking, scared of the woman's cold glare. Taking a deep breath, Azuma assured them he was fine and made his way over to the bar. The crew sat at the bar, taking up most of the row of seats as their captain placed three gold coins down before the bartender who was a young woman with long blue hair and green eyes dressed in a brown bartender uniform.
"Five root beers please" He ordered before resting his hands on the bar. That's when Kiozen turned to him a few seats away asking: "By the way Azuma, I never asked you...how did you get your magika ability? If I Rember correctly, you have the ability to rapidly heal at super-human speed, correct?"
"Y-yea...I was given this ability because at the time, all I wanted was to survive, to be given a 2nd chance at life. My old crew betrayed me and left me to bleed out on a random island. Luckily, I found a magika crystal I used to hydrate me, but instead woke up to my wounds quickly healing. If I hadn't eaten that crystal...I'd probably be dead"
His crewmates grew annoyed, with Roxie asking: "Do you know where those bastards are? We should find them and kick their ass!" Azuma sighed. "I'm afraid I don't know where any of them are, I've just been waiting to run into them. If I wasted all my time hunting them down, I wouldn't have time to grow stronger. Trust me...when we find them, they'll get what's coming to them"
Meanwhile...
A sea corp soldier ran through a large white corridor, past fellow soldiers as he burst through two large steels doors into a dark office as the silhouette of a man sat at his white desk. In a deep serious tone, the man spoke: "What is it, Yuto?"
In a worried voice the tall thin soldier held up a paper revealing Azuma's bounty poster. "I-I'm sorry to bother you commander...but it seems the pirate known as Azuma Kenousa along with his crew have defeated one of our A-rank bounty hunter squads. What do we do sir?"
The dark silhouette glared in the corner. "Tell me...which squad did this pirate managed to defeat might I ask?"
"it-it was the phantom shade sir" Without warning, the commander slammed his fist down on his desk in anger. "Tsk, to think one of our highest ranked bounty hunters could be defeated by nothing more than nameless pirates!" Swiping the bounty poster from the man's grasp, the commander of the sea corp took out a black marker, changing the pirate captain's pathetic 20,000 gold bounty to a surprising 200,000 gold!
"That pathetic pirate may have gotten lucky, but let's see him try to hide now that his bounty is 200,000. Update the posters soldier and order S.D 10 to capture the runt as well as his crew. Someone with mere luck will have little to no chance again the secret division, even if it's our weakest of the 10 squads"
Bounties
Azuma - 200K G
Naiomi - 150K G
Kenzu - 50K G
Roxie - 10K G
Kiozen - N/A
The crew finished drinking at the tavern, making their way back to the ship to rest until they were ready to head to the next nearby island. Kiozen and Roxie had to share a room with Roxie passing out in his bed while the candy man created a hemic made out of taffy thanks to his magika ability.
Meanwhile Kenzu decided to sleep in Naiomi's room while the blue assassin made her way over to the captain's quarters. She knocked on the door with one hand on her waist. "Azuma are you still awake? I let Kenzu take my room for the night so I thought I'd sleep with you tonight. A seductive grin on her face. That's when she thought she could hear Azuma groaning in pain. She tried to open the door but it was locked. "Tssk, sorry about this captain" With a fierce kick, the door swung up, revealing a green humanoid creature, it's green human like hand over the pirate's mouth as wings suddenly sprouted from it's back before he looked in the woman's direction.
"Hmph, seems you made too much noise you fool...either way, I, Kasuka of the SD 10 have been ordered to capture you alive and keep you prisoner until my higher-ups decide what to do with you!"
"You're not taking him anywhere you bastard!" Naiomi pulled out a kunai, sending it right for her target's green skull, only for the target to dodge at immense speed, their wings moving at rapid speed.
"Heh, I move far too fast for mere projectiles to reach me. I'll be taking your precious captain, but don't worry...me and the other members of division 10 shall come for the rest of you" The seven-foot humanoid mantis took off through the window into the night as Naiomi watched them disappear into the distance.
The blue assassin began grinding her teeth in rage as she struck the wall beside her causing it to crack. "No one...takes...MY CAPTAIN!" A blue aura illuminated her body as her cries awoke the rest of the crew. Roxie awoke half-awake groaning: "Ugh, w-what's going on? Some of us are trying to sleep"
"He's gone...a bastard in the form of a seven-foot mantis with human arms and legs grabbed him and flew off before I could kill the bastard" The crew gathered on the deck as she explained what happened.
Kenzu thought for a moment with a pondering look. "Hmm, did the kidnapper give any info on where he said he was taking him?" Naiomi shook her head before remembering one thing. "Wait, he said something about being a member of something called: "Division 10" Does that sound familiar to any of you?"
Kiozen and Kenzu shook their heads when Roxie abruptly spoke up: "Division 10...also known as S.D 10. A.K.A secret division 10. They're a squad of four or five members as well as part of 10 different units around the world controlled by the sea corp. Think of it like this: sea corp soldiers and most bounty hunters are mere pawns while the Secret division are semi-bosses. Next are the admirals who watch over said units. 2nd in control is the fleet admiral with the leading commander being the head of the sea corp itself"
The group stared at him in shock with Naiomi exclaiming: "H-how could you know all of this!?"
Roxie sighed, looking down with his arms crossed. "Because...my father is part of the sea corp" The crew cried out in shock at the revelation. "I-I didn't want any of you to know because...because I feel you won't accept me if you knew I had blood ties to the sea corp"
Naiomi and Kenzu looked at one another before Naiomi comforted the crewmate. "Don't worry Roxie, we wouldn't leave you just because your father is part of the sea corp, look at Kenzu, he was part of a bounty hunter squad who had ties with them as well and he still fights alongside us as a true crewmate and pirate"
The swordsmen placed his hand on the boy's shoulder. "Don't let it get to you, just because your father chose that path...doesn't mean you have to follow him. Live your life the way "you" think is right. No one can tell you how to live your life"
"Y-you're right, thanks everyone"
"So...how are we going to find Azuma? We know which squad of the secret division we're looking for. Should we ask the people in the tavern? They seem to dislike pirates which means they might have some info on the sea corp" The candy man suggested.
"I guess it's our only starting point, hopefully one of them might know something" Kenzu responded before they made their way back towards stardust tavern...
Meanwhile...
Azuma struggled to break free from the humanoid insect as they flew over the sea. The creature's green arm wrapped around his neck keeping him from escaping. (Tssk! His strength is insane, no matter how much I pull or strike his body, it seems to have no effect on him! Could it be his exoskeleton protecting him like some kind of armor?)
"Hehe, quit your pointless struggling you foolish pirate, in this form my body is as hard as steel. It'll take far more than mere scratching and strikes to break free of my iron grasp" That's when Azuma saw something off in the distance, a small island with what looked like a steel white base in the center with bold black letters reading: "SD 10" In the center of the fortress with large steel doors just below the text. Kasuka descended down to the base as a small camera focused on them. A deep male voice then spoke in an annoyed tone through the camera: "What is it Kasuka?"
"Boss, I've brought you Azuma as you ordered, the 200,000 gold pirate" The camera focused on the captured pirate's face, scanning him with a blue light. "Hmph, well done Kasuka, I'm rather impressed you managed to capture him so quickly, perhaps the sea corporation miscalculated this man's threat. If you were captured by Kasuka, then surely, you're no threat to the secret division, especially division 1 which is said to rival that of an admiral"
The large doors slid open, allowing the SD agent to fly inside still carrying Azuma in a firm grip. With the doors closing behind them, the large hallway lit up with white walls and a blue carpeted floor. The kidnapped pirate watched as dozens of sea corp soldiers walked throughout the halls nearly ignoring them as Kasuka finally reached the end of the hall in front of a black steel door reading: "Cell Block A" Relasing his right arm off Azuma's throat, he began typing in a four-digit code in the keypad to the left of the secured door.
(Shit! I don't have much time left before they throw me into a cell!) With all his strength, he smashed the back of his head into the green creature, finally causing them to let go of him. (Yes!) Without hesitation, he darted in the opposite direction of the cell block, taking a random route in the maze-like corridor.
"A pirate's loose! Capture him men!" One of the soldiers cried out pointing in his direction as the dizzy man took a right, attempting to lose the horde of guards. "Ugh my head...this was so much easier when I was fighting in the tavern"
Still running, a line of guards blocked his path aiming guns in his direction. "Halt or we'll open fire!" Seeing no other way to go, Azuma charged towards them in the white hallway as they fired several shots right for him. Just before the bullets connected, he slid across the floor, evading the barrage of projectiles.
"Out of the way weaklings!" The pirate pushed the scrawny guards out of his way when he saw a tall man dressed in a black suit with long black hair and red eyes standing down the hall glaring at him. His glare soon grew into a smirk as he slowly pulled his fist back. "Focused strike: 1st stance" The guards ran in fear as Azuma put his guard up.
(What's he doing?) In a swift punch, the assailant sent a fierce shockwave straight for him, shaking the entire hall in the process. Azuma crossed his arms attempting to block the coming attack when the sheer force of power broke his guard, sending him flying across the hall smashing into a wall leaving a small crater causing the wall to crack.
"W-what the hell..." The injured pirate choked, the air knocked out of him as he hit the ground...
Back On Stardust Island...
Kenzu led the others inside the tavern as they searched the room for the man that had threatened Azuma hours ago. That's when they spotted him sitting alone at the right end of the bar, his face still bruised. Slowly approaching the brute, he noticed them coming and took a big chug of his drink before slamming it down on the bar.
"Ugh, you runts again...just what do you want with me? You already embarrassed me in front of half the town, what more do you want?"
"Our captain was taken by someone claiming to be part of secret division 10, we were hoping you might know where they might've taken him" The swordsmen explained with a serious glare while the thug just looked at the wall avoiding their gaze.
"What makes you think I know anything? If you ask me, he had it coming, attacking me only increased his chances of it happening sooner or later"
"Bastard..." Naiomi murmured. That's when Kenzu unsheathed his blade, pointing it towards the man's head. "Anyone who doesn't want to get hurt, get out!" Most of the people rushed out aside from the bartender and a few others. "Kiozen...bind him up"
The brute groaned about to take another drink when Kiozen's taffy shot down from the ceiling, binding his arms before forcing him into the air, the lower part of his body beginning to be wrapped in thick taffy like a chrysalis. Slowly walking around the trapped target with his blade in hand, Kenzu continued: "I know you know something about S.D 10...we aren't leaving until you tell us where they've taken our captain"
"Hmph! You're wasting your time, I don't know anything about the secret division. They just show up now and then and leave...as simple as that"
"Really? Then let's see if you're really telling the truth. Kiozen...use the technique you used on Roxie, the crystal creation process"
"A-are you sure? That could possibly kill him, Roxie was lucky to survive nearly an entire siphon"
"Do it!" Kenzu snapped. Kiozen frowned but nodded approaching their target. Gripping the man's face with his left, he opened his right forming a white gumball. "Spirit siphoning" All watched as the white gumball began to slowly turn red indicating how much life energy he had take from his target.
"Agggh! W-what is this, what's happening!?" The man's hair began to grow longer before turning gray, his face becoming wrinkled and aged. "Alright that's enough, I think that's enough" The pink-haired pirate released his grip on the man as the gumball was now half red and half white, meaning 50% of the victim's life force had been pulled from his body.
The now withered old man hung motionless in the pink cocoon when the swordsmen slapped him across the face waking him back up. "So...still don't know anything about division 10?" The aged man shook in fear, looking down at his now pale old body. "F-FINE, I KNOW WHERE THEY TOOK YOUR FRIEND! It's...it's on a small island east of here. I-if you head 60 degrees east in from here, you should come across a small island with a base. It's not hard to miss"
"See? Was it that hard? Kenzu responded before signaling Kiozen to free him. The candy user caused the gumball to burst in his hand, allowing the stolen life force to flow back inside the old man. The taffy cocoon opened, causing him to hit the floor. "Alright, we know where to go...let's hurry before something bad happens!"
Kenzu ran out with the others following close behind. Meanwhile the aged human slowly regained his youth as he laid on the floor overwhelmed with fear. The once tough brute now balled up on the floor...
Back In S.D 10...
Azuma awoke inside a small steel cell with other high-tech cells aligning both sides of the hallway of cell block A. "D-damn it, what was that attack he used? It-it was like he used the force of his punch to attack me from a distance"
"Close, it's an attack only those with intense physical training can achieve...think of it like a physical manifestation of seinshin...You are aware of the concept of seinshin are you not?"
Azuma slowly stood up thinking for a moment... "I've heard the term before. You mean that colorful aura that outlines your body?" The man that had knocked him out stepped out from the corner, standing before his cell with a smirk, his arms behind his back.
"So...you've witnessed the use of it firsthand have you? What you're describing is unstable seinshin, when one becomes so consumed by a certain emotion that it causes their life energy to grow out of control. Seinshin is what we call one's life energy...specifically, the control of one's own energy. Though...by what I've already seen from you, you clearly have no idea of how to even awaken your seinshin, even to amateur levels and yet you call yourself a real pirate. Hmph, I've faced those who could use it to boost their capabilities to super-human levels. But you...you're just some human, trapped in the limitations of a mere human"
"W-why are you telling me this? What do you hope to gain through me?"
"1st...answer me this, why do you want to be a pirate, what do you hope to gain on this fruitless endeavor?"
"I-I want to become the strongest pirate and claim the title of pirate lord" The agent looked him dead in the eye, glaring intensely before taking a step back. "What a fool you are...you easily fell to one of my attacks and yet spout these words of becoming the so-called: "pirate lord" You're either holding back...or severely delusional"
He placed his black shoe on the bars still closely watching his target. "Hmmm, if you truly intend on reaching your goal, tell me...who was the last pirate to hold the title of pirate lord?"
"Uh...I don't remember his name, I just remember he was seen as the strongest and most feared pirate, after I was left to die on an island by my old crew, I vowed both to make those bastards pay and become the pirate lord"
The SD agent slightly shook in anger, slamming his foot against the cell bars causing them to slightly bend. YOU DARE TELL ME YOU WISH TO BECOME LORD OF THE PIRATES AND YET HAVE LITTLE TO KNOW KNOWLGE OF THE ONE BEFORE!? You truly are delusional. Sigh, I'm not going to waste any more time with the likes of you, you can stay in this cell until I decide whether to turn you in or kill you myself"
With that the man walked away, leaving the pirate alone in his cell. Azuma sat in the middle of his cell, thinking about what the man had said. (My dream is to become the strongest pirate of this world...but I feel so helpless, unable to do anything against each new threat that appears. He spoke about seinshin, the control of one's life force. Maybe if I can somehow tap into it, I can get myself out of here before that bastard comes back)
Crossing his legs and sitting in a meditative state, Azuma began to focus on the energy within him...As time passed, he felt as though he wasn't getting anywhere. Nothing felt different and there wasn't any aura around his body. "Tsssk, come on!" Standing up he took a deep breath, slamming his fist against the cell, only to cause it to hit the ground with a loud crash.
"Whoa, so it's true...by focusing the life force within me, I can boost my normal capabilities to inhuman levels" Free from his cell, Azuma once more took off down the hall, this time stopping at a black door with a keypad. Taking a deep breath, Azuma pulled his arm back attempting to replicate the SD 10 Leader's attack. "Focus strike....1st stance" With all his strength he struck the door, only to slightly break his hand leaving a slight dent on the door. "D-damn it! What am I doing wrong!?"
Before he could try again, something sliced through the steel door as it hit the ground split in two. Azuma looked to see Kenzu as well as the rest of his crew in front of him. "Kenzu!, you guys found me!" Before anyone could respond, the SD 10 leader appeared at the end of the hall behind Azuma.
"I'm afraid you all won't be going anywhere, surrender foolish pirates" The crew turned to see the agent preparing to launch another long-range strike in their direction. That's when Kiozen slammed his palm face down on the floor.
"Candy creation: Gumball bolder!" The others watched as gum began forming around them until they were sealed inside a 10-foot pink gumball. Meanwhile their assailant clinched his fist tightly. "Focus strike: level 2" An abrupt aura of purple seinshin energy began to illuminate his body as he unleashed a fierce punch in the crew's direction.
"Here it comes!" Kiozen exclaimed. As the entire base shook from the man's godly strike. A cyclone of force drilled through the hall, destroying anything in it's path before connecting with the massive gumball. Kiozen threw both arms out trying to nullify the impact of the strike by making the gum stick to the floor as best he could. Sadly, the force of the attack was too much, causing them to launch back like a cannonball crashing through several walls of the S.D base before landing outside, just a few meters from their ship.
The gumball cracked open, falling to the ground in a pile of pink gum as Kiozen swayed side to side, dizzy from the attack. "We're almost there, we just need to make it to the ship!" Azuma cried out pointing to their ship docked on the beach of the island.
That's when the division leader backflipped out from the crater in the wall they had made moments ago, preparing an attack in mid-air. "I told you, you aren't going anywhere" Focusing seinshin into his fist, he sent a fierce shockwave straight for them.
Azuma and the others watched as the fierce burst of force flew past them, impacting their ship head on. "WHAT!?" Sweat ran down the pirate's face as he and the others watched their ship break in half by the godly attack. All they could do was watch as their only way off the island now laid in ruins before them. "M-my ship! You bastard...I don't care if it kills me...you're going to pay for this!"
"Heh, and just how are you going to do that? I'm the leader of secret division 10: Yugo Tempest...not just that, I'm not your only opponent...KASUKA!" The pirates watched as the humanoid mantis came flying out of the base landing beside him.
"You called sir?"
"That's right...it's finally time to make use of your magika ability Kasuka, show them why even a unit like ours is made to be feared by mere pirates"
"Yes sir!" The green creature faced the pirate crew with it's green armored hands up preparing to attack. Meanwhile Yugo just crossed his arms and watched from the sidelines.
"YOU TOOK YOUR EYES OFF ME!" He cried moving right for Azuma who had been focused on Tempest instead. With his fast-moving wings, Kasuka advanced straight for the captain, striking him across the face with his armor-layered fist. All watched as a green blur flew past their poor captain, causing him to spit out blood before landing on his back.
"Hmph, you all really are noobs if you can't even keep up with me and even if you did somehow beat me, my unit captain's far stronger than me. You may as well submit before you're all killed"
At that moment Kasuka realized one of the pirates was missing. "Wait, where's the swordsmen!?" The moment he realized what was happening, Kenzu came down from above him, slicing off his left arm in one swift blow before slowly sheathing his blade back to his side.
"Seems you're the one who shouldn't take your eye off me you grotesque insect"
"Hehe, don't worry...I'll make sure not to make that mistake again" All watched as the humanoid mantis' decapitated limb began to slowly regrow like vines wrapping around each other until it was completely reformed. "You all should have known I can regenerate my limbs just like a typical praying mantis. So, cutting off my limbs are just a fruitless endeavor"
"Sigh, don't worry...you're not the only regenerative bastard I've delt with before and unlike him...I was much slower back then" A red flame-like aura began to flow around Kenzu as he slowly gripped his blade.
(Seinshin!? Wait, has he figured out how to tap into the power of his life energy!?) Azuma exclaimed internally as he and the others watched in amazement. Kasuka put his arms up in an offensive position, preparing for the swordsmen's attack, only for him to vanish in a flash of red light, a trail of red energy left behind by his fierce movements.
Before anyone could realize what was happening. The division agent instantly blocked the swordsmen's strike with his armored fists as sparks flew from his blade. "S-see, I said you couldn't kill me, even with your use of seinshin to enhance your speed, I'm still stronger"
Kenzu remained silent as he glared at his opponent with a cold stare. That's when the spiritual aura around his body traveled from his entire body to only his katana. "Don't worry monster...if I can't beat you with speed...I'll just beat you with strategy" Gripping his blade with both hands, Kenzu prepared to combine his unstable seinshin with his blade to maximize it's damage and range.
"Seioshin: Guard break strike!" Lifting his blade up with both hands, Kenzu unleashed a wave of pure red energy straight for the humanoid insect. The man froze in place, letting out a final scream in terror as the attack scorched the ground before it, piercing through Kasuka's green armored body with ease as the foe was split in half by Kenzu's unstable power.
Yugo's eyes widened as he watched his only ally get vaporized by such concentrated spiritual energy. (Such power...however, just what should happen if he recklessly continues to use such power with the proper training?) The crew was speechless as the agent laid split in half in a pool of green blood.
That's when Yugo stepped forward, a calm look in his eye as if what just happened had no effect on him. "Impressive display Kenzu, you certainly have a gift. However...knowing your lack of both knowledge and training in the art of seinshin, I'm sure you don't know what happens next"
All were silent for a moment when the swordsmen felt a sudden pin in his chest. "TSSK!" He gripped his chest in pain clinching his teeth before collapsing on the ground. "What did you do!?" Azuma cried out in anger.
"I'm afraid I had no part in what's occurring, as much as I do enjoy this, I'm afraid the pain he's feeling is from his own ignorance in the arts of seinshin. Think of it like coffee...in the moment you have a vast amount of energy, but after a few minutes your body finally crashes, leaving you drained and out of energy. In short: Your heart is the battery and seinshin is pushing that battery to overdrive"
That's when Kiozen clapped his hands together. "Candy form: Cookie titan!" Azuma and Roxie watched as a 10-foot golem made of chocolate chip cookie dough burst of the ground, blocking Yugo's way. The titan threw a punch straight for the agent's face, only for him to condense his seinshin into a protective barrier around himself.
The cookie titan struck it's target full-force, only for it to have no effect against the man's spirit barrier. "Heh, I can guess what some of you are thinking...if he's this skilled in seinshin, why is he in the lowest ranked unit of the secret division? Heh...I've been asking myself the same thing for years"
The crew watched as the cookie's fist cracked apart before hitting the ground. "Tssk! Fine! I still have more tricks up my sleeve! Taffy armor!" Crossing his arms, a large blob of pink taffy wrapped around his creation, forming into battle armor made of thick taffy. "Let's go cookie titan!" Kiozen leapt into the air, firing small balls of taffy from his finger like a gun as they landed all around the target.
"Oh? So, you're actually going to fight too? Rather than hide behind your creation?" The agent commented with a smirk. That's when the small globs of taffy shot up from the ground like tentacles, grabbing Yugo by the arms and binding them together as the giant cookie formed a sword made of hardened taffy before bringing it down upon the enemy.
Azuma clinched his teeth watching as the sword struck the spiritual barrier, only for the taffy to melt on contact as if his aura were pure flames. "Damn it! Just how strong is this guy!?" He looked over at Naiomi who was watching over Kenzu. "Fuck it...seems I'll have to do what Kenzu did and use as much seinshin as I can"
"Really? Are you seriously foolish enough to use it, even after witnessing what it did to your friend?" Azuma walked over to Kenzu, picking up his katana and aiming it towards the division leader. "Don't worry...it won't be the same, thanks to my magika ability" Focusing on the energy flowing through his body, a purple aura illuminated the captain's body.
"I didn't take you as a fool Azuma, but so be it. Let's see just how long you can maintain that state" Both stared one another down as their seinshin flowed around their body like flames. Letting out a calm breath, Azuma vanished in abrupt gust of wind. The crew looked around but saw no sign of their captain. That's when Yugo clapped his hands together, stopping the blade just before it could connect with his skull.
"Impressive, you and the swordsmen are quite skilled in aspects of speed. However, speed means nothing if it's all you rely on" Yugo kicked Azuma in the ribs, sending him flying across the beach, slamming into a tree. He quickly got up still dazed by the attack when Kenzu's sword flew past him, impacting the tree just inches from his head.
"Fine, you think speed is all I can do?" Azuma tightened his fist letting the power build up within him. "Seinshin fist!" Concentrating most of his power into his fist, Azuma threw a single punch in the man's direction, unleashing a shockwave even stronger than Yugo's focus strike.
The agent used his barrier to keep himself from staggering as a fierce cyclone of force rushed past him. He could feel himself slowly sliding back but still maintaining his balance. Meanwhile Azuma began to sweat now out of breath from using so much energy at once. He could feel pain Aching from his chest but used his regenerative ability to heal himself.
"Ah, so that's it isn't it? You plan on using your ability to heal yourself from any internal damage done from using too much spiritual energy. Clever, but it's not a fail proof plan...even your magika ability has it's limits" Yugo advanced towards Azuma, preparing to strike head on as he threw a punch right for the pirate, only for it to be deflected, sending a burst of force right over them.
"As good as you are, even you can't keep using this much seinshin either" Azuma commented before their feet clashed with both sending fierce kicks at one another. The assailant jumped back with one hand in his pocket.
"Sigh, though I do so love a good challenge, I'm afraid you've wasted enough of my time...it's time to finish you with one strike just as I did before and this time, I won't be as gentle as I was before" All watched as red wisps of seinshin energy began to gather into the agent's fist. "Prepare yourself Azuma...focus strike: seinshin execution!"
The pirate could feel his body quivering in fear, but knew now wasn't the time to hesitate. Crossing both arms, he began focusing as much seinshin throughout his body as fast as he could with red electricity surging around his entire body. "Seinshin: Full spirit cloak!"
The others watched as Yugo unleashed a single strike in his direction, the entire island rapidly shook as a fierce blast of force struck Azuma head on. The attack broke his guard with both arms breaking from the immense strain. Their captain went flying through the air before landing back at the base.
(I-I can't feel my arms...m-my body can barely move) He laid there, struggling to get back up with blood running down both fractured arms. "N-no...this can't b-be how it ends!"
Meanwhile Yugo turned his attention towards the remaining crew: Naiomi, Kiozen and Roxie. The blue assassin held Kenzu close, afraid to leave him open to attack. Meanwhile Roxie pulled out small smoke bombs, one between each finger. "Tsssk, I've been part of this crew for a while now and yet all I've done is just sit and watch while the others risk their lives for me! It's time I stop being a coward and help...even if it means I die!"
Roxie tossed the smoke bombs over to Yugo as they landed at the agent's feet, filling the entire beach in thick gray smoke. That's when Roxie had an idea. "Kiozen! I need you to do something for me!" The candy man looked at him, surprised by the thief's sudden enthusiasm. "I need you to create a magika crystal and give it to me!"
The pink-haired man was confused looking at him as if he was crazy. "A magika crystal? But where am I going to find enough spirit energy to replicate an entire crystal!?"
"Use the ones still in the base, doubt anyone would miss a few soldiers. Now hurry and gather the energy you need...I'll try to buy time for you" Though unsure about the thief's plan, Kiozen shot a string of thick taffy over to the base, using it to pull himself over the smoke and land at the entrance. He saw a small puddle of blood but no sign of a body. Shrugging it off he rushed inside, searching each corridor for any sea corp soldiers.
Back outside Roxie watched as the smoke finally cleared, revealing no sign of the division leader. "What!?" That's when a fierce surge of pain struck Roxie in the back, causing him to cough up drops of blood before hitting the ground on his stomach. "N-no, damn it!"
"You might be the most arrogant of all the Azuma pirates" Yugo commented from behind. Roxie gripped the dirt, his body already shaking in severe pain. "I-I don't care what you say you bastard...if being arrogant means I stop being a coward and start helping my crew, then so be it! I'm tired of watching my friends fight while I sit here and watch! If I don't risk my life like they do for me, then I don't deserve to be part of their crew!"
"Aw, how touching, maybe they'll forgive you...when you're all floating dead in the ocean" Once more Yugo pulled his fist back as seinshin built up around his fist. Just as the tyrant prepared to send yet another strike in Roxie's direction, an abrupt shockwave struck him head on, sending him soaring off the island, landing several meters into the water.
"H-huh?" Roxie turned to see Azuma standing up on the hill near the base, his left palm steaming from using so much power at once. "Azuma!? I-I thought that bastard killed you or at least knocked you out!"
"D-don't worry, it'll take more than this to kill me. This is the captain of the Azuma pirates we're talking about" Naiomi blushed, attracted to Azuma's confident attitude as she continued to stare at her captain while holding the unconscious swordsmen.
That's when a fierce burst of water erupted off in the distance. Azuma looked to see Yugo moving so fast across the water, it was as if he were running on water. "He's coming back, I'll do all I can to buy you and Kiozen more time for the magika replication, but you better not let us down Roxie"
"Yes captain!"
"AZUMA!" The assailant cried out enraged. Azuma took a deep breath as his arm quickly healed. "ENOUGH OF THIS! YOU'RE NO MATCH FOR ME YOU WORTHLESS PIRATE!" His body slowly getting used to focusing seinshin, he unleashed a surge of energy, increasing his defensive and offensive power. A red aura with electricity whipped around his body as he advanced right for his opponent.
"IT DOESN'T MATTER HOW SKILLED YOU GET WITH SEINSHIN! I'M THE VICTOR!" Imbuing both hands with spirit energy, Yugo clapped his hands together in mid-air, sending a fierce shockwave of energy towards the entire crew. Azuma instantly moved in front of the incoming wave, defending Naiomi and Kenzu as he struck the shockwave with his bare hand. They watched as his focused energy split the shockwave apart, sending it past them in two directions.
"Huff...huff...give up Yugo, at this rate your body will give out while my body heals"
"Shut up, you talk as if you've already won this fight...but I assure you...I still have one last trick up my sleeve, a seinshin technique that an admiral taught me only to use in a life-or-death situation. As much as I'd hate to use it, seems the day has finally come"
Just then a voice called out: "Roxie, catch!" All watched as Kiozen tossed a blue magika crystal over to them. "A MAGIKA CRYSTAL!? WHERE DID YOU FIND IT!? TSSSK, I WON'T LET YOU HAVE IT!" Yugo aimed his hand towards the falling crystal attempting to destroy it. With a sudden flick, he sent a blast of force right for it only for Azuma to jump in the way, getting struck in the abdomen before flying back hitting a tree.
"WHAT!?" Yugo exclaimed in anger before watching Roxie catch the blue crystal with one hand. (Azuma...I've barely done anything to help you as a member of your crew...from this moment on...I will do all I can to protect the crew, just as you have for me) Consuming the ice crystal, Roxie felt a tingling feeling inside his stomach.
"I'LL KILL YOU BEFORE YOU EVEN FIGURE OUT YOUR MAGIKA ABILITY!" The enraged agent rushed his target, throwing a punch right for the thief. A shockwave shook the island as the trees blew in the fierce gust of wind.
"ROXIE!" Naiomi cried out. The crew watched as the dust cleared, reviling him to be ok, as if the attack hadn't even made contact with his body. Yugo's eyes widened as he found himself standing in front of his target, but something was keeping his fist from getting any closer. "W-WHAT IS THIS...S-SOME KIND OF BARRIER!"
A smile then grew on Roxie's face. "Heh, so much for not figuring out my magika ability. Seems I'm capable of manifesting a large transparent barrier that only I can see. Which means, so long as I remain within this barrier, you can't hurt me"
"RRRAAGGGHH!" Yugo's eyes grew bloodshot as he unleashed a barrage of seinshin-surged strikes to the pirate's barrier, only for it to have no effect. The SD agent began to feel dizzy from using so much power at once as his vision began to blur.
"Hmm, if I can manifest a barrier at will, I should be capable of changing their form as well" Taking a deep breath, the transparent field shrunk down to a protective barrier outing the man's body. Clinching his fist, Roxie formed a 2nd barrier around his fist, throwing a punch straight across his opponent's face.
Azuma and Naiomi watched in shock as Yugo staggered back, swaying side to side before hitting the ground out-cold. A sudden sense of relief washed over the captain as he sat beneath a tree out of breath...
CHAPTER 7 A Crew Worthy Of A Name
"Sigh, we should leave before the bastard wakes, last thing we need is a rematch with the division leader" His crew regrouped as they looked out into the sea as their once great ship now laid in ruins. Naiomi placed her hand upon her captain's shoulder responding: "How do we escape from this damn base? Are only way off is gone.
That's when Roxie spoke up: "I might have a way we can escape from here, though it'll be a pain in the ass to reach the nearest land" Azuma brushed himself off, still covered in blood and bruises. "Hmm, I'm interested to see what your idea is for getting off this island"
Walking over to the edge of the island, Roxie took a deep breath before slamming his left foot on the ground. The fellow pirates watched as a transparent bridge made of Roxie's barrier slowly manifested before them. Taking a step onto the barrier, he made sure it was stable enough before signaling the others. "We can use my barrier magika ability to walk across the water without the need of a ship"
"Wow, impressive Roxie, seems you're adapting to your magika rather quickly" Azuma commented before following behind the pink-haired pirate with the others following close behind. Naiomi and Kiozen both carried Kenzu with one hand over each over their shoulder as the wounded swordsmen slowly came to. "W-what's going on?"
"Kenzu! You're awake!" The candy pirate cheered with excitement as they continued to carefully walk him along the transparent path created by Roxie. Azuma stopped, turning towards the conscious warrior with a smile on his face. "Heh, you did good out there, you were the one who killed Yugo's ally as well as gave me the courage to use seinshin. Without it...we might've lost to him"
Kenzu weakly looked up at his captain before giving him a faint smile. "Heh, I appreciate that captain" The crew continued to walk across what felt like an endless path across the seas that splashed just below.
1 Hour Later...
As the moon illuminated the flowing seas around them, that's when Roxie spotted a large wave headed right for them. "Shit! Everyone watch ou-" the strong wave knocked Roxie into the sea causing the barrier to vanish beneath their feet. Azuma watched as he and the others fell into the strong currents of the ocean as he was dragged under by the merciless tides.
Roxie threw both hands out, creating a large sphere barrier, managing to keep most of the crew from separating from the strong currents. That's when he realized Azuma had already been carried away by the tides and was nowhere to be seen. "No, captain!" Roxie clinched his teeth in frustration failing to save their captain, but knew if he let go, the barrier would vanish and cause the entire crew to go flying in different directions...