Chapter 18: A Swordsman's Fury
Chaos. Absolute, unadulterated chaos.
The mine was a death trap coming undone at the seams. Ace's "Fire Fist" had done more than scorch the ceiling; the intense heat had baked the already unstable rock, turning it brittle and dry. It was like poking a hole in a giant sandcastle—the structural integrity was gone.
The reinforcements the Jaeger Pirates had installed years ago groaned and shrieked, no match for the mountain's vengeful collapse.
"RUN! EVERYONE, RUN!" Ace bellowed, his voice barely audible over the roar of falling stone. He was the last in the retreat, burdened by two heavy metal strongboxes, but his speed was undiminished. He wouldn't leave a single crewmate behind.
"Up here! Quickly!" Joseph screamed from the ledge, his face pale as he watched the cataclysm below.
"Don't let them escape with the treasure! Get those boxes!" the Chief of Staff of the Jaeger Pirates shrieked, his tactical mind overriding his survival instinct. He knew going back for the remaining chests was suicide, but if they could intercept the ones Ace had...
They formed a blockade at the base of the escape route, cutting off the Spade Pirates' path.
"Fun's over, boys!" Slott, leading the charge, didn't break stride. He drew his cutlass and charged the line.
"Fire!" the counselor commanded.
A row of Jaeger pirates dropped to one knee, raising flintlock rifles.
"Leave it to me!" Taft roared. He whirled the length of rope in his hands, creating a spinning, impenetrable shield. The air filled with the thwip-thwip-thwip of the rope and the subsequent BANG! BANG! BANG! of bullets being deflected.
Seizing the opening, Slott dove through, his blade a silver flash. He managed to carve a momentary gap before the Chief of Staff himself stepped forward, his own sword moving with practiced ease. A single, powerful parry sent Slott stumbling backward, teetering on the edge of the crumbling path.
Taft's rope shot out like a striking serpent, wrapping around Slott's waist and yanking him to safety. In that heartbeat, Mouse and Jerry surged forward. Jerry, a mountain of a man, fought bare-handed, his powerful blows sending Jaeger pirates flying over the railing into the abyss below.
"EVERYONE, MOVE! I'LL CLEAR THE WAY!"
Ace's voice thundered from behind. He thrust the two treasure chests into the arms of Thomas and Jin, freeing his hands. He crouched, flames wreathing his arms.
"FIRE FIST!"
He didn't aim at the people, but at the path in front of them. The concussive blast didn't just blow the Jaeger pirates aside; it obliterated a section of the walkway, creating a smoldering, open path forward.
"GO! GO! GO!" Ace yelled, and the Spade Pirates scrambled over the scorched earth, the ceiling collapsing in earnest behind them. They ran, a desperate, single-minded mob now joined by the fleeing miners and the remaining Jaeger pirates, all thoughts of battle replaced by the primal need to survive.
Roy and Joseph met them at the entrance to the underground river, the predetermined escape route. "This way! Follow the water!" Joseph directed, herding them like frantic sheep.
But the Jaeger Pirates, though fleeing, hadn't forgotten their goal. They harried the Spade Pirates' heels, their greed outlasting their sense.
"You guys go! I'll hold them off with one more punch!" Ace shouted, turning to make a stand.
"PUNCH?! PUNCH YOUR HEAD! THIS WHOLE MOUNTAIN IS FALLING ON US! RUN, YOU IDIOT!" Joseph, usually the picture of calm, lost his composure completely, delivering a sharp fist to Ace's head and physically dragging him along.
"I see it! The forest!" Mouse screamed from the front of the pack.
A sliver of moonlight! The exit!
They burst out of the tunnel mouth, gasping in the cool night air, stumbling onto the jungle floor. Behind them, the mountain groaned like a dying beast, a massive portion of its side slumping inward with a world-ending roar.
"You think you can run?!"
A figure emerged from the shadows before them, tall and broad-shouldered. He carried a large cross-shaped sword on his back. The white hilt and the familiar orb made Roy's blood run cold, then hot with rage.
"It's the Jaeger!" one of the fleeing miner-pirates wailed.
This was their captain. The man known only as Jaeger.
With a contemptuous grunt, Jaeger wrapped his arms around a nearby tree, and with a terrifying display of raw power, ripped it from the earth. He swung the massive trunk like a club, aiming to crush the escaping pirates before they could fully scatter.
"I've got this!" Roy snarled.
He didn't dodge. He charged forward, meeting the swinging tree head-on. He planted his feet, and with a grunt of effort, caught the thick trunk in his hands, stopping its deadly arc dead. The impact sent a shockwave through the ground.
Using the tree as a shield, Roy pushed forward, his momentum carrying him out of the tunnel mouth and into the clearing. His eyes locked not on Jaeger, but on the white sword in the man's grip.
My sword.
Rage, cold and sharp, eclipsed all other thought. Jaeger, surprised by the boy stopping his attack, was a fraction of a second slow in bringing Shiroi to bear.
It was all the opening Roy needed.
His Observation Haki painted a perfect picture. His Armament Haki flooded his limbs with power. He kicked off the ground, a blur of motion, closing the distance before Jaeger could even set his stance.
Roy's left hand shot out, ignoring the deadly edge, and clamped onto the blade of his own sword. The familiar feel of the hilt, now in another's hand, sent a fresh wave of fury through him. His right hand, hardened to the color of obsidian, cocked back and then exploded upward in a devastating uppercut.
CRACK!
The sound of fist meeting jaw was like a gunshot. Jaeger's head snapped back, a spray of spit and blood arching through the moonlight as his feet left the ground. The white sword, Shiroi, was wrenched from his stunned grip as he was sent crashing backward into the jungle foliage.
Roy stood panting, the pristine white blade now firmly back in his possession. He didn't even look at the fallen pirate captain. He turned his furious gaze toward the remaining Jaeger Pirates.
"Who's next?"
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Tea or Coffee? For me it's Coffee.
GIMME MY STONES.