Chapter 4: Storm of Jade and Snow
ZORAN'S POV ( 2 DAYS BEFORE LUFFYS ARRIVAL)
My name is Zoran but my friends just call me Z, I was an orphan once, don't worry there's no need for you to get angry on my behalf I made my peace with it a long time ago.
My parents, who ever they were had me, took one look at me and decided that they didn't want me,so they abandoned me in an alley to scared to finish me off but still hoping I would die in there, or at least that's what I think happened I was too young to remember, all I know is that the old man who found me said I was in a alley with only a blanket of high quality to my name, with my name embroidered onto it out out gold.
The old man was the master of a dojo that taught swordsmanship, and even though he was already swamped in taking care of his own daughter, he still took me in.
Reina and I grew up like sisters, we were sisters (Cause we had the same master) we did everything together, we fought, we made up, we were there for each other at each of our lowest or our best,till we went.
Sickness took my sister from me, I was broken, in all the ways a person can be broken, for months I couldn't even find the strength to leave my room,till I began to hear her voice again.
That gave me strength to continue my life, but as time progressed I could do more than just here her voice I could give control of my body to her, she would then be able to live on through me.
Since then we became two souls in one body.
(Some doctors, and by some all of them said that I had Sczephenia and that I had just broken my mind into two giving one side tge pesenality of Reina, but I didn't care, cause no one knew her more than I did, I knew everything about her meaning that I didn't just give her my body but also my mind and soul)
My dream changed from me trying to be the best swordsman in the universe, to the two of us doing it, that was why I practiced twice as hard as I used to in order to master the two swords style so that I could weild both my sword and hers simultaneously.
When I was in control my hair stayed it's natural green shade, but when she was in control it turned into a snow type white. Plus feeling guilty for not having been able to help her when she needed me most I ceded control to her most times only taking control in moments of combat as she was not a fan of combat (But I will do what ever it takes to keep us safe and reach our goal.) and in moments she forced me out cause she feared I was isolating myself.
Which now brings us to this,
Reina was in this lovely restaurant in a remote colony at the edge of the Grakkan Empire
When this dickbag decided to make a commotion,
'He will pay for disterbing Reina's good time.
Our hair which had been snow white a while ago shifted into a jade green.
Slowly walking towards the mess I see a child, no older than 6 about to cry as she looked at a plate of rice balls on the floor.
I knee down to her level and and hug her as to comfort her.
"Hey sweat heart what's your name?" I ask in a voice as soothing as I could
'Reina you're the best when it comes to kids maybe you should handle this'
[ I would big sis but you've already begun, and what's the motto]
'finish what you start'
[yes!] she responds with contagious vigor, I think she mostly wants me to feal more human connection than I already do,but what she doesn't get is that she's all I need.
"Hana" the child finally responds after calming down.
"Then Hana what happened?" I continue to ask.
"Mama was teaching me how to cook, and so I wanted to share with everyone but this big meanie threw away all of it" hearing her story I got the gist of it.
Hana having made rice balls wanted to share some with the customers, and when she got to man baby over there he dropped all what was left on the plate, and I'm guessing with the size of his smirk he did it on purpose.
Picking one rice ball from the floor I finish it in one bite
'It's not the best out there but it's good'
[Hey that's not nice]
'I said it's good what more do you want from me'
[I want you to tell her it's delicious]
'OK ok ok I'll do it, damn you're extra naggy today'
[well someone has to make sure you stay on the right path big sis]
"Hey Hana, these are delicious, that big meanie is crazy to throw them away, now why don't you go standby by mommy why I teach him and his friends a lesson"
"OK!" she responds with a grin and bolts for her mother.
'was that a gap in her tooth line'
[I know isn't she cuter like that]
"OK so who the hell do you think you are intruding here and making a mess?" I question now fully focused on the man child and his 15 guards.
"Do you here that gents this lady, and might I say a fine looking one at yhat, doesn't know me, I Helmeppo Axel son of the governor of this stinking pile of rocks Morgan Axel" the man child who I now know is Helmapapa, helmo***, what ever it is laughed at me not knowing who he is.
[it's Helmeppo, big sis, it's not that hard]
'I don't care enough to try'
"and so what?" I ask the first question that popped into my mind.
It seems to have bruised his ego because he started shouting out profanities,
"Ohh man I want you to capture that jade bitch, I'm going to teach her manners in my bed tonight."
[oho] thatvwas all Reina could say because she knew exactly how pissed off I was at this point
[you just had to go off and say that, now you're dead].
The air in the restaurant turned frigid as
Zoran's hand settled on the hilt of the dark, iridescent katana.
The Governor's son—a man dressed in silks too expensive for his bloated frame—who had just signed his own death warrant and didn't even know, sneered, signaling his lead guard.
"Get her now I said I want her in my bed tonight," the man-child drawled. "Nobody disrespects me like that."
The lead guard lunged, his halberd humming with vibrations. He didn't even see the movement, he didn't feal pain, he just died.
To the customers, I hadn't moved. I stood exactly where I had been, hand resting on the guard of my blade. But the air around the guard seemed to shimmer for a microsecond. Then, with a series of wet, metallic thuds, the man collapsed—not into a heap, but into perfectly symmetrical cubes of flesh and armor.
The silence that followed was absolute, broken only by the man-child's choked gasp.
[Big sis!] Reina's voice screamed in my mind. [I know you're angry for my sake and I can't fault you for that but please keep it clean, we have a child in here]
'Tch. Fine,' I begrudgingly agreed.
The remaining fourteen guards roared in a mix of terror and rage, drawing their stun-batons and kinetic pistols. I moved like a ghost through a graveyard. I didn't use the sharpedge of the blade when I struck flesh, but the flat side but with enough force to kill due to blunt force trauma, and I must say I like this more as they get to fell more pain.
'you don't even deserve to be near my Reina, maggots'
Clang. Thud. Snap.
I was a blur of jade-green hair and silver light. One guard found his pistol sliced in half before he could pull the trigger; another felt a blunt force strike his temple which sent him into instant death
Damn that was too quick, he didn't get to feal much pain.
I struck with "clean strokes," as Reina demanded—no blood, no mess, just the clinical efficiency of a master swordsman plus a whole lot of broken bones and crying from them mind you, I on the other hand was in the throngs of ecstasy
In less than ten seconds, the floor was littered with groaning, unconscious bodies.
'ahh this is tee best, and the blood from my first victim is still on my face' I then involuntarily grin with blood on my face.
"COOL" I knew I liked you Hana you really get whats cool.
I turned toward the Governor's son, eyes void, smile wide. "Your turn, man-child."
[you're loosing it again sis] Reina admonished me with experation because this happened again.
'I'm sorry but I'm just so excited, but I will try to calm down for you'
"S-stay back!" the coward shrieked. While I had been focused on the guards and my new high, he had scrambled toward the kitchen door.
He reached out and snatched little Hana, pulling the terrified girl in front of him and pressing a small, concealed hold-out blaster to her temple. "Drop the sword or the brat gets a hole in her head!"
Hana's eyes were wide, filled with tears. "Miss swordsman" she cried out.
I froze. My grip tightened on my katana until my knuckles turned white, plus my high was even flushed out of my system.
'Reina, I can take him. I'm fast enough.'
[No, big sis! You're fast, but that's a hair-trigger blaster. If your of by even a millimeter, she's gone. Don't risk it.]
The sound of heavy boots echoed from outside. A fresh platoon of Governor's Enforcers, clad in full riot gear, swarmed through the entrance, their rifles leveled at my chest.
The man-child's courage returned as he saw his reinforcements. "That's right! Put the weapon down! I'm going to make you wish you listen like the good hoe you are and come to my bed, now I'm gonna starve you till you beg for it, bitch."
I looked at Hana. The girl was shaking. I sighed, the jade-green intensity in my eyes softening just for her.
"Don't cry, Hana," I spoke quietly. With that I slowly opened my hand, letting the priceless katana clatter to the floor. "A swordsman who can't protect a smile isn't worth much anyway."
"Seize her!" the Governor's son barked, shoving Hana aside as the guards slammed Zoran into the floor. "Chain her up in the courtyard. Let's see how 'magnificent' a swordsman she is after three days without water under the colony's heat lamps." I still don't know how to say his name plus I don't care enough to try so I'll just keep calling him man child in my head.
As they dragged me away, I caught Hana's eye one last time and gave a small, barely visible nod.
'Don't worry, Reina. I'll find a way out, without risking anyones life.'
[I know, big sis. I trust you]