Grand Voyage- Log 24

Log 24: Dahlia Part 5
D’Artagnan checked his knives again as the large elevator the resistance had managed to install into Sensui Island’s main column rattled along, bringing them close towards the main water line that allowed the magnificent waterfall to occur. Their team had left first, as their mission was important to the fate of the other two convoys.

“Where are we heading?” he asked one of the grunts who was standing near him.

“Towards the bottom of the waterfall itself,” the grunt replied, “we’re gonna plug it up at the source.”

“Gotcha,” Art said, finishing his inspection and placing his knives back within his robes, before leaning back against the wall of the elevator. At the thought of battle, his leg twitched slightly. Don’t, he told himself, you learned the knife stuff for just this reason. Don’t even-

“Well, well, well,” came a familiar voice to Art’s ears. The Majin’s head jerked up, and the grunts’ as well, to see a large bird standing above them, perched on the edge of a large balcony that wrapped around a massive column of water, which was being pushed rapidly upwards, small bits of spray flying everywhere. On top of the bird sat a tall man, wearing...

A cardigan several sizes too big.

“Peter?” D’Artagnan asked incredulously, “what the hell are you-?”

“Ah!” Peter said, noticing him, “Pirate-san! I thought I’d find you here! Did you enjoy the spot I gave you?”

“How the hell would I know?” Art asked, “we’ve barely even been there.”

“Tsk, tsk,” Peter groaned, “poor Pirate-san! Going to die before you can appreciate the greatness of my docking placement!”

“What the hell-” D’Artagnan began before the man in the cardigan attacked.

“Silent Feather Hell!” Peter cried, as the bird he rode on screeched, then tilted downward, puffing out its feathers. Immediately they began shooting off its skin like bullets and quickly began ramming the elevator, with enough force to cause large dents to appear.

The grunts immediately moved towards the windows, but Art moved a tad faster, leaping through one of them in an explosion of glass. His feet connected with the side of the shaft, and he pushed upward immediately, charging forward, his knives already moving. “Two Knife Style: Bleeding Willow Slash!” he yelled, sending two compressed air slashes flying towards the SIDC member.

“Defense Feather Hell!” Peter intoned, as the bird’s feathers retracted,this time tightening and intertwining, as the two slashes struck it. It let out a small moan, and was even pushed back into the balcony, its claws leaving thick marks as it was pushed, but it remained upright.

Art, however, was moving just as quickly, leaping up onto the balcony in a matter of seconds, as the tips of his toes perched on the edge, and then he launched himself forward, knives already spinning. “Two Knife Style-”

“Beak Pistol!” Peter yelled, as the bird thrust its beak forward at incredible speeds, piercing the Majin in the stomach.

“Gah!” Art gasped, as a bit of blood spilled from his mouth, even more pooling near his stomach.

“Spinning Feather Hell!” the SIDC member cried triumphantly, as the bird began whipping around at incredible speeds, pulling the skewered D'Artagnan with it. The Majin could only writhe as the bird picked up speed.

“D’ARTAGNAN-SAN!” the grunts cried as the elevator reached the balcony. They immediately yanked up their weapons and opened fire, but the bullets were caught in the incredible winds the bird was generating and were flung erratically through the room.

“And.... STOP!” Peter yelled, as the bird halted, hurling Art from its beak and sending him smashing into one of the walls, a small crater forming where he landed.

“Gruh...” D’Artagnan groaned as he slid to the floor, hacking more blood from his mouth, hand quickly gripping his stomach in an attempt to stop the blood flow. He pushed himself slowly upward, drawing Peter’s attention.

“Oh?” Peter asked, raising an eyebrow, “still conscious? Well, we’ll soon fix that! BEAK BULLET!”

As the bird’s beak shot forward again, Art brought his knives up in a blocking posture. As soon as the attack landed, however, the Majin knew he had made a mistake. The pressure from the attack caused cracks to immediately spiderweb along them, and he was still thrown back, smashing against the wall once again.

“Excellent!” Peter cried joyfully, “‘tis such a shame that you couldn’t keep fighting! BEAK BULLET BARRAGE!”

Immediately the bird released a torrent of Bullets, impaling Art all over his body. The Majin could only grunt and cough as blow after blow rained down on him, causing more and more spurts of blood to escape. Damn it, he thought to himself as his body went numb, ''I can’t do jack shit to this guy! How the hell-?''

As if by reflex, his legs twitched again. No, no, no! Art grumbled,'' I promised myself that when I left I’d cast off ANYTHING to do with them! I wouldn’t keep ANYTHING they taught me! I was gonna be me! Not who they raised me to be! I won’t! I won’t! I wo-''

“HEART PIERCE!”

Another beak shot impaled the Majin through the chest. Art allowed his face to drop forward, his eyes going blank and beginning to close...

''“THEN SHUT UP AND LET ME FINISH!” D’Artagnan barked, and then resumed. “Even I’m not sure what happened. As long as I could remember, I just... didn’t want it. Didn’t want a part of any of it. I didn’t want to stick to a caste, to only specialize in a handful of things. I wanted to do whatever I wanted. Not many people seemed to agree with me though.” A smile crossed his face. “So, when I turned 18, I left. I’ve only been away for a year, but I already know I have no desire to go back. I want to travel, to see everything. With the One Piece, I’ll be able to do it. With all that treasure, I can do whatever I want, not worrying about anything. With the One Piece I can be free.”''

''The money lender took a deep breath, then glanced up. Knave appeared to be thinking, his eyes staring off into space. Silence reigned between them for a few moments. Knave finally seemed to come to a decision, nodding to himself. He stood up, grinning down at the Majin.''

“I’ve decided,” Knave declared proudly, “you’re gonna join my crew!”

He.... D’Artagnan thought, ''...didn’t care.... that I ran away.... that I threw it all away... that I forsake it.... that I don’t want it... Hell... heh... I doubt he was even listening... He’s my friend, right? ......And.....and if he doesn’t care.....''

The Majin’s foot slammed into the floor, causing a massive crater to form. Peter and his bird leaped back, expressions of shock appearing on their faces. Art forced himself up, an expression of menace appearing on his face.

Then I shouldn’t either, right?

~End of Log~

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