John opened his eyes slowly. He was laying on a cot, with heavy weights around his hands, that much he could feel. What he saw surprised him: a face that he did not recognize. A cheery face in a straw hat started to say something that John ,at first could not identify.
“....ami! Sanji! Come here, He’s awake!”
John shook his head to clear the grogginess, as he slowly sat up to the sound of new voices joining the fray.
One, some green-haired guy with a cut over one eye, went right up to john and pointed a katana towards John's neck. The tip barely touched his throat, and the man oozed out a killing aura.
"Who are you and how did you find us? Who do you work for?" He growled.
John gulped.
"My name's John Egbert. I crashed wherever here is because Caliborn-a guy my friends and I were fighting- sucked us through some sort of glowing weapon.I don't work for anybody, unless you can call a sentient planet an employer."
The man threatening John looked over to some guy in a floor-length black coat and weirdly fluffy hat. The dark guy shook his his head, and Green guy snarled, but put down his sword. The kid-with-the-Hat's eyes were literally sparkling. You could practically see the glitter in the air around him.
"What was the weapon shaped like?" A guy with a really long nose asked John.
"I think....Ah! It was the Sburb symbol!" John happily remembered.
He only got blank stares for that statement.
"You.. don't know? I'm not in the game?!" John closed his eyes, and pinched himself,"No way. I'm out? Finally out?"
Dave Strider awoke, and found himself in a cold, cold, prison cell. His Sunglasses were by his side, and he immediately put them on.
He heard voices outside the cell, involved in conversations, probably talking about him.
Dave sat up. Aren’t consorts supposed to be friendly? He tried to get up, but struggled with the shackles around his hands, as they impeded his progress.Dave finally got the hang of them, and walked up to the edge of the cell, to get a better look at these strange consorts.
That’s when he realized he was seeing people. Not tiny,adorable helpers/civilians, but brutish, muscled, tattooed Marines. One of them noticed Dave, and brought out a key. He unlocked the door, and Dave cautiously stepped out. He could beat these guys. Hell, he could beat them blindfolded with his hands tied behind his back. But these guys were part of the Marines. He would rather not anger the government. Both of the guys went behind him, and led him up wooden stairs to the deck of an Enormous Teal ship with giant black stripes. It was nothing compared to Jade’s golden battleship, but impressive none the less. Not like Dave showed it.
The two brutes led him to a rather well-endowed woman with her raven hair in an intricate bin. She was wearing a hawaiian shirt beneath a billowing white coat draped over her shoulders. What interested Dave, however, was the sheathed katana by her side.
“Captain Tashigi, he’s awake,” one of the Brutes said, saluting.
“Who are you, and what is your purpose by coming here?” she asked, a hand on her katana’s hilt.
“I’m Dave Strider. I got chucked here by a midget green lunatic who wants to destroy the multiverse”
The furious lady drew her katana and pointed the tip at Dave’s neck.
“I’m not lying. I am not faking, and I could probably take you down if you took me out of these chains and let me use my sword.” Dave cooly replied to her threat with one of his own.
The woman smirked.She made a motion with her hand to her subordinates, and the one who kept silent undid Dave’s ‘cuffs. Dave materialized his Welsh sword, The Caledscratch, from his sylladex. Glad that works. Tashigi looked slightly surprised for a second, but smirked.
Dave had fought over boiling magma, on heated rooftops, and in the depths of space next to a green sun. Cold was nothing if refreshing. Constant movement provided enough heat, and there was no moisture loss from sweat to deal with.
Dave was the first to attack. With both hands on the hilt, he launched forward. With no stifling heat, or people he knew, there was no holding back.
When Tashigi blocked his sword, the deck slightly behind where she stood was sliced open down the length of the ship, narrowly missing the mast of the ship.
Dave flash-stepped behind the captain and swung the sword parallel to the deck.
Tashigi backflipped, trying to kick Dave, but he was already several meters away, about to launch himself again.
* * *
Tashigi gritted her teeth.
She had loved swords since she was young, but her formal training had stated in her 16th year. Since then, she had fought numerous pirates, even the nefarious Zoro Roronoa.
When the hell did this kid start his training? I shouldn't go easy on him.
She added Haki on her sword. Let’s see just how strong his blade is.
Tashigi Ramped up her speed, and launched herself toward Dave.
He sidestepped her down strike, and switched out his sword for an unadorned katana.
Probably some subset of a weapon-weapon fruit?
His straight face turned into a small smirk.
"You are far slower than my Brother, I won't even need Caledscratch"
Pissed, Tashigi flew at him and feinted at top speed, then slashed upwards with her katana. Dave flipped backwards, and swung his katana towards her face.
She ducked and swung her own blade to block his.
The clang rang through the ship, causing the marines that had gathered to cover their ears.
Dave flinched, and that split second of lost concentration cost him his victory.
Tashigi shoved him from midair onto the ground, and trapped him there.
Now unceremoniously stuck between a sharp sword and the deck of the ship, Dave realized his mistake. She had far more experience fighting other people with swords.
Dave had only ever fought different versions of his brother, who were ridiculously fast and always aimed at the vital parts, even when sparring, even when mind controlled by the greatest enemy Dave had ever faced-Lord English.
"Tell the truth, Dave-if that's even your name,"
Dave snorted
"Yes, that's my name. And I was telling the truth!" He sweat a little when Tashigi pressed her katana to Dave's neck, piercing it, letting a trickle of blood onto the deck of the ship, "I swear!"
"Even if your story is true,Why the sunglasses?" She asked, dead serious. Those Glasses just oozed vibrations, reminisces from another world, From another time and place.
"What?" Dave was surprised, even if he didn't really show it, "My close friend gave to me for my B-day. No homo tho, at least for him. Tell you the truth, I no idea if he understands romance as a whole, let alone Kismesiii- okay. I’ll stop now"
Tashigi felt annoyance surface from the very bottom of her soul.
"Look, Dave: Do you mean any harm to the Government, The Marines, or Civilians as a whole?"
Inquisitive eyebrows just rose out of those ridiculous reflective Sunglasses.
"No. In fact, I believe I owe Earth a favor."
Tashigi was satisfied with that response, and released the pressure off of her sword. Dave's sort of fizzled out of existence.
She let him up, and he placed a hand on his neck. It came away with a little blood, but he cooly rubbed it off on his strange, entirely red outfit (which looked like a combination of a red track-pants, a double shirt(both short and long sleeves) with a gear emblazoned on his chest, and an odd, knightly looking cape).
The marines gathered around them dispersed.
Tashigi showed Dave to the deck below, and gave him a Marine uniform.
A white vest, full-length black pants, shiny black shoes, a bandanna, and a Hat with "Marines" written on it in all caps.
Dave had realized the meaning behind her questions.
Rose Lalonde found herself hanging upright, hands up and out to either side, chained to a wall. Hair fell in front of her face, no longer held back by a headband.
To her left, she saw a short, metal table upon four stout legs. She was trapped in what looked to be a well-furnished wooden brig.
In front of her, sitting rather uncomfortably-or so it looked- sat a red-haired man with a deep scar from his forehead splitting across his eye and connected at the fore head to one running down to his bare chest. A rather fluffy looking cape was hanging on the edge of the chair.
Next to that guy was another, a masked man with ridiculously long hair, and a blue polo.
The guy in question was staring at her intently, while the redhead seemed to be deep in thought. He turned to look at Rose:
“You don’t seem to have arrived out of your own consent. Where did you fly in from, and how?”
The red one glared menacingly at her, expecting her to respond to the other’s question. Rose did so to humor him.
“I had a fight, and my opponent used strange powers and erected a stage around me (she deemed it better to protect her friends, so she did not mention them) so I knew not where I was. He used some glowing weapon, and it sucked me into it, then shot me out, high in the atmosphere.”
“Who fought you?” Asked the redone, growling.
“I don’t think you may know him, but he goes by Caliborn, or Lord English,” Answered Rose. She had nothing to lose by telling the truth.
“Do you have any talents that could be useful to me?” The red one Questioned Rose, “I am the Captain of this Ship, and you survived one of my attacks while out cold.”
Rose widened her eyes.
“I cannot believe you’re still alive. I thought I had sealed away the ho- them four years ago. You were probably the only ship in sight, or the very imprint of them would have torn you to pieces.”
“That was an imprint four years old?” The captain looked very impressed, “Join me immediately. You are someone worthy of traveling the New world as part of my crew”
“... Alright. Is there a way to make myself known?” wondered Rose. I have to find a way to signal my friends.
The Captain flashed a wicked Grin.
"Why don't you and I go out for a run to the nearest Town?"
The Tenryuubito was riding on a persons back, constantly whipping the poor man. Several black-suited guards were walking next to the man, glaring at the bowing crowds. Jade could hear the slave's(that was easily seen with the treatment and the collar,) ragged breath, the chains clinking a round his legs, the twisted giggles from the Tenryuubito grating on her nerves. Her heart exploded with boundless fury.
Several people around her glanced at her direction, Shaking their heads, shivering in fear. There must not ever be a repeat of THAT.
Jade stood, her hackles raised, her ears folding back. She materialized the rifle that Eridan had given her, Ahab's Cross-hairs.
She shot that bastard in the face, ran into the store and capataloged all of the maps she could find. She flew out the back door, and flew in to the tree top of one of the enormous Yarukiman Mangrove trees that she heard a tour guide point out on her way over. As she alighted on a branch, she took out a map that she had stolen.
This was a world map. It was comprised of one giant stripe of a pale red hue labeled the "Red Line", four quadrants defined by thin bright ruby lines (Four seas, four points of a compass rose), and two strips of Islands labelled "Grand line" and "New world". "New world" was almost entirely blank like that part was unexplored.
Jade capataloged the map, and looked at the growing thong beneath her. She decided it was past time to skedaddle the fuck out of here. As Jade flew towards she looked at a map of the surrounding area. What she found caught her eye.
Marajois, home of the Tenryuubito
New world: place for only the most powerful, and home to the fabled one piece
Jade rushed over the rising cliffs, deciding on going to the New world, for she had a feeling that her friends would be there.
She paused, landing on the edge of the cliff, staring out to sea.
Bordered by calm seas, a raging storm blocked her path. Heading out to the side, she saw why there were no ships: Giant sea-creatures massed just beneath the surface, some of their bodies stretching on for miles. As she sped by, dodging snapping jaws, she glanced to the side, and saw Islands with lightning as rain, of fire, of ice, of sea and storm, Waves rising as mountains and thorns. Since Jade was alone, it was easier to maneuver through these creatures, who could eat even the largest of galleons. For a captain of a ship, the "easy routes" would be suicide.
