311Hello everyone.
First off, I have to offer a HUGE apology to everyone. I know this update has been a massively long time in coming. I have no real excuse at all. Really, it just seems that I needed a break to get my inspiration flowing again. I have to say a HUGE thank you to everyone who's been waiting for me to come back.
I cannot promise that I will update as often as I used too, with the way the world is, things are complicated, but I will do what I can. For now, here is the 21 chapter of the story. Hopefully, it is still as good as what has been expected of me.
Once again, so sorry to everyone. Thanks for your patience and support. Bless you all.
All three people in the room froze; one in twisted fear, one in stunned surprise and one in blossoming hope. None of them spoke for a few moments, each trying to figure out what the hell was happening.
Another tremor reverberated through the floor, snapping her Uncle from his trace. Tamara twisted again, trying to break free even as he flipped her over, yanking her arms behind her back and clamping on the metal cuffs, snarling out loud, not seeming to care who was listening, his frustration evident,
"What do you mean, he's here!? Why!? Why is he here!? What reason could he have for traveling this far!? What did you do, you little whore!? Why is he following me!?"
Hauling her up by her bicep, he snapped towards Winters, "Deal with him! I'll meet you at the ship!"
The order finally jolted the Captain from his trance and he responded immediately,
"The hell I will! There was never anything said about going against Hawk-Eyes! You said he wasn't an issue, the hell I'm risking my neck for you, Yori! Fuck you, we're done!"
Her Uncle flung her away, uncoiling the snake-whip from his hip and snapping it out. Nina awoke, the leather length thickening into shiny black scales. She spiraled up around Tamara, but didn't clench her coils, simply encircling and preventing escape. Keeping hold of the handle, Yorinaga took three steps towards Winters. Lashing out, he grabbed the pirate by the throat, clenching hard and lifted the large man into the air with almost effortless ease.
"Don't you dare forget who your dealing with, Zachariah. I am a six powers user, wielder of a living weapon and a Vice-Admiral in the Navy that you yourself fear so much. I will soon be a God, unmatched by any. I can make you suffer in ways you can't even imagine. Delay the Shichibuikai...or defy me, and I promise you'll be personally escorted to the lowest levels of Impel Down and you will wish for death a thousand times over. The choice is yours."
Yorinaga's voice was ice, a level of cold that Tamara didn't even know existed, his insanity starting to take over as the threat of failure in his plan loomed closer. She flinched back and noticed that Nina also cringed away, a small sweat mark leaking down her head. That was confusing, seeing as Yori was the snake's master. She filed away the thought for later, her own surprise and delight at Mihawk's arrival running rampant through her.
Why was he here? Her first thought was that he'd come to save her. But it was dismissed immediately. Mihawk didn't find her that valuable, she wasn't important enough to him. It was far more likely the Warlord had taken personal offense to the invasion of his home and chosen to pursue those responsible to punish them. Or maybe the Navy had finally figured out that her Uncle was conniving with pirates and had requested Mihawk to carry out their justice. Shaking her head, she decided it didn't matter why he was here. His assault had saved her from a horrible event and might just be enough to allow her to escape.
The drama between Winters and Yorinaga continued as Tamara's inner monologue ran on. The marine opened his hand, dropping the man without a care, leaving him coughing and gasping on the floor. Winters clutched his neck, looking more helpless and terrified than a live rabbit caught in a wolves jaws.
The Vice-Admiral cleared his head with his next growl, "Go...before I loose what's left of my patience."
Winters slowly climbed to his feet and exited the room. Tamara stood quietly, mind whirling and watched her Uncle pace back and forth, muttering nonsense. His eyes rolled in his head and he ran his free hand through his hair. She stood passively, not wanting to agitate him any more than he already was. A shriek of metal was heard and a greenish glow briefly lit up the window. Yorinaga jolted and yanked on Nina, causing her to re-transform into whip form, coiling into a neat circle that he replaced on his belt. He marched forward, grabbing Tamara harshly by the arm and started to drag her from the room, constantly snarling to himself.
"Wrong...this is all wrong. It was suppose to be easy, simple...have to get to the ship...Mary Geoise awaits...nothing can touch me there...all wrong..."
He pulled her through the hallway, going deeper into the base. She turned her head, looking back towards the upper stairs, occasionally yanking away. Her Uncle was much stronger than her, shifting his grip and easily hauling her along despite her struggles. Tamara stared behind her as the two moved further away from the sounds of battle.
Fire and smoke filled the air, the screams of the dying creating a sweet melody of chaos. Mihawk was merciless in his executions, sharp vision picking out any movement and cutting it down. The plaza of the base was in absolute ruin. Giant slashes through walls showed jungle foliage, building lay in splinters, crates and barrels destroyed and chunks of earth thrown aside.
Virgil had vanished from his side shortly after he'd begun. Mihawk wasn't overly worried about the cat, Virgil was remarkably clever. He'd keep himself safe.
Slicing through a fleeing pirate wearing a navy uniform, he walked calmly towards the main building. Glancing upwards, his expression darkened as he saw Tamara's aura being dragged along by the black colored individual he'd detected earlier. Her distress was felt even from his distance, panic and fear flowing in waves. Growling low, Mihawk made a beeline for the main entrance into the towered building.
As he walked, his feet crunched over something that felt like small pieces of gravel. He thought nothing of it, more focused on getting to Tamara. His lowered attention span almost cost him dearly. It was only his Kenbunshoku Haki that saved him.
His mind was assaulted by a vision of blood flowing and his body being impaled. Reflexively, he leapt backwards just as the ground where he'd been standing was suddenly filled with dozens of needle-like, clear spikes that shot straight up. Even so, his response hadn't quite been quick enough and a few of the razor stalagmites glanced off his chest, one opening a wound on his cheek that dripped down fresh blood. Hardening his skin with Busoshoku Haki to seal the small cuts and prevent more, Mihawk landed several feet back from the thin spears, looking them over curiously.
Each one was see-through and reflective, gleaming in the firelight like finely cut diamonds. Looking beyond the mass of sharp nails, Mihawk saw the shadow of a human moving through the smoke towards him. The array of crystallized skewers shrank back into the ground and his eyes saw small shards of the material slide over the dirt, getting absorbed into the man that finally appeared.
Glancing over the male, Mihawk sneered, shifting Yoru into a strike position, "You're in my way."
Winters couldn't stop himself from swallowing, though he tried quite hard not to squirm under the piercing glare of the Warlord. He felt like he was literally caught between a rock and a hard place. On one side was Yorinaga, who could, and would, make his life a living hell. On the other was a royally pissed off Shichibuikai with a really big sword. His crew was mostly gone, butchered like livestock. There was no winning for him, no chance of victory. Either way, he was screwed. With that thought, he addressed Mihawk as bravely as he could.
"You're the one in the way. Things were planned perfectly, then you had to show up and ruin everything. You killed my crew. You'll pay for that, Hawk-Eyes. If I'm going to hell, you're coming with me."
Mihawk tilted his head slightly as the pirate Captain's body started to change. His skin and clothes merged into the same shiny, clearish substance as the spikes. Without another word, he slashed Yoru towards Winters, the long range Haki blade screaming through the air. Only for Winters to dissolve the portion of his body the blast would've hit, tiny crystalized shards of sand weaving around the attack.
"Hnn...a Logia user. Irritating." He muttered softly to himself. In his hand, Yoru hummed in agreement.
The Captain's whole body fanned out into sand-like pieces, filling the air with the tiny shimmering, quartz colored element and completely surround him. With his blood humming with Observation Haki, Mihawk easily saw the attack coming, though it was difficult to dodge. The thousands of particles changed into slivers of needles. Spinning in place, he swung his blade in a wide circle, creating a massive tornado of wind around him. The force of the spiraling typhoon knocked away most of the deadly projectiles, but a few dozen still penetrated through.
Despite the Color of Armament coating his body, the knife-edged thorns tore through his skin. Minor injuries, but enough to alert Mihawk that this Logia user could access some level of Haki himself. That was a problem, it made this fight more challenging. The blow back shards swirled around him, surrounding and cutting him off from where he truly wanted to go.
Growling low, he turned towards the building again. Tamara's aura was further away now and still moving. He needed to end this fight before she was taken out to sea again. Again, the shards of crystal shot towards him, but Mihawk was more prepared this time. Rather than attempted to knock them all back with a circular attack, he slashed Yoru straight upwards, firing the powerful muscles in his legs and leapt from the center of the swirling vortex of splinters.
Freed from the immediate threat, he didn't hesitate in his follow up. Summersaulting in midair, Mihawk whipped his sword down, sending a massive wave of energy into the cloud of glass below. The following explosion created a large upward thermal that he rode easily, twisting agilely and landing in a crouch several hundred feet away. Dust and smoke filled the air, making it difficult to see if he'd actually manage to hit his foe.
Spinning on the balls of his feet, he made to jump back into the air. Tamara was being pulled towards the moored ships, he needed to cut them off. Before he could leave the ground, the hairs on the back of his neck stood up in warning. Jerking Yoru around, he twisted and weaved the blade about, blocking the hundreds of fist sized, jagged glass shards that shot towards him. Emerging from the smoke like a crystallized golem, Winters barreled forward, hands outstretched and constantly firing the deadly projectiles like some kind of Gatling gun.
The two clashed together, Winters arms transformed into razor edged spears that slide against his blade. He was strong, the charge attack managing to shift Mihawk back a metre or two. Locking in melee combat, the swordsman slashed forwards, aiming to slice through Winters torso. A shield of glass formed where he'd struck, a small crack appearing briefly before it healed. Twisting sideways to avoid the stab at his shoulder, Mihawk was force to disengage from the Captain as more spears shot up, attempting to impale him from below.
Separated again, the two stared at each other. Finally Miahwk spoke out loud, "This is becoming bothersome. Move aside."
"Go to hell."
"After you." Mihawk lunged forward after that quip, blurring forward with enhanced speed. Winters didn't move fast enough and the Haki coated blade slice through his side, shattering his crystal armor and drawing blood.
Unfortunately, this battle wasn't so easily won. Recovering surprisingly quickly from the pain of the cut, Winters shot out several icicles spears, driving them into Mihawk's body as he moved past. Some of the needle sharp tips broke upon hitting his skin, shattering against his Busoshoku Haki, but others cut deep, pushing him back from the Captain.
Swinging up his sword, he broke those that were stuck in him. Fresh blood flowed down his skin. He grit his teeth, pushing back a wave of dizziness and fighting against his own fatigue. Between the intense battle with Libra, the fast sailing trip to this island, the lack of sleep from his journey and the stress from worrying over Tamara's safety, Mihawk was being push hard against the extreme limits of his stamina. This man was skilled in combat, but he was only doing as well as he was because of Mihawk's exhausted state. Under any other circumstance, he'd have already won and been moving on the next threat.
"You're not looking so hot, Warlord. Been burning at both ends for too long? Or are you just not able to handle my Hari Hari no Mi?"
Mihawk steeled himself, pulling on his willpower and discipline, shoving his weariness aside. He could rest when he was dead, that would not happen till he was ensured that Tamara was safe, "Glass is a fragile substance boy, easily shattered. Let me demonstrate."
Darting forward again, Mihawk clashed into Winters spear arms. The two swung and parried, matched blow for blow. Each hit that cracked the reflexive armor was repaired, his cuts weren't penetrating deep enough. Even with a Haki coated blade, he wasn't able to do enough damage to the silicone element that composed Winters body to slow him down. Not only that, but the Logia user constantly formed thick spikes of glass on other part of his body that punctured through his skin as they fought.
One such thorn stabbed Mihawk through the bicep and he grunted in pain. The injuries weren't sever, but there were dozen of them. He was starting to feel like a chunk of swiss cheese. Jumping back to put distance between them, Mihawk was force again to knock aside a blizzard of jagged shards that Winters fired towards him. Gathering his thoughts, he struggled to come up with a strategy.
Close combat was slowly wearing him down. But keeping his distance let the Captain shoot his missiles in constant waves. There didn't seem to be any simple way to end this fight. And the longer he was kept here, the more likely Tamara would be out of his reach permanently. There was no doubt that Yorinaga intended to go to the Holy Land to claim his promised prize. Even as an ally of the Navy and a named Shichibuikai, he wouldn't be able to retrieve her if she crossed into Mary Geoise.
His internal debate was interrupted by Winters, who suddenly developed a new attack. The shards that he'd fired were allowed to fall, piling up in clear hills on either side of Mihawk. Before he could figure out what was going on or react, the material merge together and erupted upwards, forming a dome all around him. Glancing around, he noted that the two were now trapped together inside the barrier.
Reaching up, Mihawk knocked one knuckle against the wall. It was smooth and thick, likely tempered. Arching an eyebrow towards Winters, he shifted two hands to Yoru's hilt, bringing the black blade over his back and waited for the pirates next move.
Winter's body shimmer brightly as he formed a thick glass armor over his wounds, protecting his most vulnerable areas. Both combatants took a few moments to study each other. In that time, Mihawk has a glean of inspiration. It was a technique he'd never used, only witnessed a handful of times. But in this fight, it was likely the best option. Shifting Yoru to his front, Mihawk laid his free palm on the base of the massive blade, focusing his Haki and waited.
The Logia user flung his arms wide and the dome grew thousands of spikes that funneled in towards Mihawk. With the half sphere around him, there was literally no way to dodge the attack. Spears the size of tree trunks pierced every inch of the limited space, no spot was left untouched. In Winter's case, the life ending assault didn't affect him, the glass simple passed through his body. But he saw a few drops of ruby blood coating the pikes.
For a few moments, the world was silent. The thunder of battle faded and a sigh of relief came from Winter's. It was over. As this thought crossed the pirate captain's mind, a sudden increase in temperature was felt in the air. Before he could react, an explosion blasted him backwards and shattered his tempered prison.
Slowing from the center of the crater stood a hell forged daemon. A daemon that held a sword who's blade was currently ON FIRE!
Mihawk turned his eyes to the fallen form of Winter's, feeling the heat from the Haki he'd enhanced Yoru with. The emerald green flames licked hungrily along the black blade and he saw the glass man tremble with fear. Without saying a word, Mihawk blurred forward, slicing with his heated weapon.
The flaming edge cut deep into Winter's side and the scream of agony was music to Mihawk's ears. His nose twitched with the smell of cauterized flesh. There was the weakness of this devil fruit. Glass was strong and malleable, able to be shaped into many forms. But fire was its downfall. In extreme heat, the element simply turned to liquid, becoming useless and weak.
Winter's realized that immediately, fleeing backwards and pleading desperately for his life, "Enough, enough! I surrender! You can pass, I won't stop you! Please! Spare me!"
Slashing again, cutting a shallow, searing wound across his gut, Mihawk calmly followed after the frantic man, enjoying the chase far more than he should. Another painful but non-lethal slice was delivered before the Warlord spoke,
"Spare you? Did you not claim to want vengeance, whimpering pup? Did you not think that to challenge me would end any differently?"
Sadistic pleasure rose in his blood as the wounded man scramble and stuttered in terror. Again and again, Mihawk cut into the captain, burning away his life force with each hit. Yoru howled in delight, her super-heated edge slicing with more ease than ever before.
As Winter's finally collapsed at his feet, each gasping breath rattling in his chest, Mihawk looked down with cruel, cold eyes at the dying man, letting the flames of his sword fade away, returning the black blade to its original state.
"So will be the fate of all who dare to bring darkness into her life. You will not be remember, nameless coward. Your memory will be purged from this world. Perhaps in your next life, you might choose better. But I doubt it." Turning away, Mihawk honed in on the light of his Lady. He quickened his steps to finally reunited with her.
As he reached the main building, preparing Yoru to slice clean through it, the world around him suddenly exploded into fire and sound.
Jerking again against the forward pull, Tamara grit her teeth as her Uncle's hold tightened to a bone breaking degree. She'd been dragged through the building and into a lower level, even deeper than the dungeon she'd been kept in. Or so she thought anyway.
All around was stone walls. Torches lined the sides lighting their journey with a dim, flicking glow. Yori hadn't stopped muttering and cursing to himself. Fortunately, he hadn't taken out any of his frustration on her, more concerned with getting to the ship as fast as he could.
Pulled forcefully into another room, Tamara's eye widened in shock. An acrid scent assaulted her nose, one familiar and terrifying.
"Gunpowder," was the silent thought that darted through her mind. Massive barrels lined the open space, fuses soaked with flammable oil and strange metal boxes with blinking lights. She spun her head around, staring in horror at the devices, "You've lost your mind Jii-Jii. There's enough explosives here to-"
"Obliterate this base. Of course there is. Why would I leave any trace of myself behind? Do you think I haven't considered all the possibilities, all the angles? This is what I've worked for all my life, I will no be denied!"
Thinking fast, she snipped back, "You don't seem well prepared to deal with Mihawk-san."
Pain ripped down the side of her face as Yori spun and slapped her cheek. Despite the hit, she welcomed the fight, adrenaline surging through her system. Snarling back wordlessly, she kicked out with one foot. Her heel connected with his knee, but did little damage other than making him wobble slightly. Fed up with her struggles, the elder man grabbed her again and yanked her close.
The world spun wildly and Tamara suddenly found herself looking at the floor and the fluttering ends of a navy coat as her Uncle quickly moved on. Undaunted, she thrashed and squirmed on his shoulder, driving her knees into his chest and trying to kick him in the groin. Yori shifted his hold to pin her legs, keeping her steady with his other arm.
Fresh air hit her skin and Tamara blinked at the sudden change in lighting. They were outside again, she could hear the wave of the ocean, much closer than she wanted them to be. Lifting her head, she saw the base in the distance. The docks were further away than she remembered. Or perhaps her Uncle had taken her to a different mooring point. Either way, fear made her twist harder.
"Let me go!"
"Be quiet!"
Even in the dark with only the moon for light, Tamara could see smoke curling up from the place she'd just been in. Mihawk was truly wreaking havoc there. Her Uncle stopped suddenly, flinging her down onto the ground. A pained gasp slipped past her lips at the landing, skin breaking open as she skidded to a halt. Flexing her legs, she tensed in preparation to jump to her feet and run, but he shot her a sharp glare.
"Don't even think about it!"
Sitting up onto her knees, she turned back to the base, looking over at her Uncle. Her blood ran cold at the sight of a cylinder switch in his hands and she pleaded in desperation, her only thought in that moment of the Warlord still battling in the plaza,
"Don't! Uncle please, don't! I'm here! You can leave! Please don't-" Without thought, Tamara lunged to her feet, rushing her Uncle in an attempt to knock him over and stop the detonation. Yorinaga lashed out his arm, shoving her away before depressing the button without hesitation.
"No!"
The base erupted into flame and death, a huge mushroom cloud of destruction lighting the air. Tamara felt the heat from the blast on her skin and the pressurized wind whipped her hair back even as her heart stopped cold and tears streamed down her face.
"MIHAWK!"
Her excruciating scream of despair was drowned out by the roar of the explosion. Tamara watched in helpless horror as the cloud dispersed into the air, debris fell to the earth and the flames devoured what remained behind. She trembled, body shaking for a whole new reason as she stared at the carnage, waiting for movement, for some sign of life. He couldn't be dead, not after coming all this way. He was too strong, too powerful to be killed by that. Wasn't he?
Seconds passed as the bomb's force faded. Seconds turned to minutes. The inferno died down to a raging fire, smoke filtering down to the ocean's edge. Still nothing moved in the distance. Tamara slide to the ground into a side straddle position, panting with stress as she stared, prayed with every fiber of her being, for something, anything to happen.
There was nothing, only the hungry roar of the flames as they consumed all around them. The glow was hellish, reflecting off Tamara's pale skin. With every twist of the blaze, her soul grew more numb. She didn't feel the fountain of tears streaming down her face, or hear the soft, whimpering hiccups that left her lips with each gasping breath.
Finally there was a noise other than the fading sounds of the explosion. A low chuckle started, jerking Tamara from her stunned state. Looking up at her Uncle, she saw his head bowed and his shoulders shaking. Yorinaga threw his head back and laughed deliriously into the air.
"It's done! Finally! Everything is finished!", he continued to chortle happily, grinning in delight at the ruins of the base, "No one crosses a God! Not even a Warlord!"
Tamara bowed her head, shoulders shaking in grief. It wasn't possible! He couldn't be dead, not now, not when he'd been so close. Her heart clenched in her chest, slowing to a halt and dissolving into dust.
Yorinaga's laughter faded and he turned towards her, stating to reach forward, "Now then, my dearest Niece. Let's be off then, shall we."
She couldn't bring herself to fight back anymore, shutting her eyes tight as though it could erase everything that had happened. Gone...everything was gone. Everything she ever cared about...ever loved...destroy by fire and greed. Even as she quivered in grief, her mind, her thoughts stilled. "Love? I...do I? I don't know...Mihawk...You can't..."
But as her relatives hand reached out to dragged her back to her feet, a sudden flurry of motion and animal howling filled the area, surprising them both. Yori shrieked in pain, stumbling back as a small, onyx ball of fur and rage clawed wildly at his arm. Flailing in distress, Tamara saw the fierce attacker leap away, landing with poise and grace on four feet between her and the Vice-Admiral. Tamara stared at her pet, unable to fully comprehend his presence at the moment.
"V-Virgil?", her voice whispered out and the sleek feline turned his head to look over his back, a happy meow sent back towards her before he refocused on Yorinaga with a viscous hiss.
Her Uncle clutched his injured hand to his chest, staring at the small cat with shock. That confusion quickly changed to unchecked malice as his hand wrapped around the handle of his whip.
"Impudent creature! You dare!"
Tamara jolted back to herself at the motion, "Wait! Uncle please, wait!"
Before either could move, Vigil did something odd. His body tensed, raised hackles lowered and he turned his head to stare intently at the burning blaze that was the ruined base.
As though the world sensed the birth of a new being, the flames shifted direction, wind altering paths and a new, powerful energy was felt by all. A different glow started near the center of the inferno. From the middle, a strange warpfire green color shift began to spread out. Further and further the otherworldly pigmentation grew like tendrils of ink, fanning out till the entire, massive element lit the island in the eerie phosphorescent light.
Combusting coals shifted shape and huge wings formed in the sky. From below the behemoth appendages, a shadow moved. Slowly...the dark human shaped grew in size, moving towards the trio of souls frozen in different mental states. Golden rimmed eyes locked onto the three standing on the shores edge before shifting towards the navy man.
The reckoning had begun.
So I hope that was worth the wait. Next chapter will be the final show down between Mihawk and Yorinaga. As always, thanks again and enjoy the story.
