Dawn of Dreams- Chapter 5: An Assassin

<-- CHAPTER 4

Toshin: So here’s the basic run-down…

It’s been about 2 days since Toshin and James fled from Kihon-tekina guchi. 2 days since Toshin beat Ore Hiro, the “hero” of the island. 2 days since Toshin got a first mate for his crew. Toshin was ecstatic that he had finally gotten a first mate, and it strengthened his confidence that was grated down earlier by being rejected by two people to join his crew.

Toshin: In about 20 to 30 minutes, we’ll reach Lequ-Lequ Island, which is where we’ll search for a navigator and a chef. They have to be good fighters though, otherwise they won’t be good for a combat scenario.

James: Right, right. What kind of place is this Lequ-Lequ island

Toshin: It’s some sort of amusement park island apparently. I know because my old mentor, Hanzoh, took his granddaughter there before

James: You didn’t come?

Toshin: I was training so I didn’t go, but Elizayo really enjoyed it, so I kind of wish I took a break from training for a couple of days to join them

James: Huh. Why are we going to an amusement park island in the first place though? What are the odds that we’ll find a good mate there?

Toshin: Plenty of people all around the world come to this island. It is very famous everywhere. Last year, apparently a World Noble came there, so it has to be huge. There will most likely be at least one good person there to join our crew. However, there is something there that is more important…

James lifted his head from his hands interested in what it could possibly be. Toshin then turned around with starry eyes

Toshin: Think of all the apple pie that could be there!

James: [sweat drop] For goodness sake

After Toshin calmed down from his lust for apple pie, the island soon came into view, and the first thing visible from it was a gigantic ferris wheel. James and Toshin were both equally impressed by the utter size of it. The structure was truly imposing, and Toshin guessed that it had to be at least about 200 meters tall. Only as they got closer they saw the smaller roller coasters come into view. The island itself seemed to be a little more than 4 square miles, with actual rides and other amusement park related things separated into one side and houses separated into the painfully small other side. When their boat got closer, they realized the house section of the island was maybe 3% of the island, the spaces in between the houses almost non-existent. Toshin looked into his binoculars at the island, scanning the whole place.

Toshin: What bad living conditions these people are placed in

Their boat hit the shore with a thud, and the two pirates jumped from the boat, James more enthusiastically, as he had never been on a boat before and was eager to get off. However, the brown haired first mate found that his legs were much more wobbly than he accounted for, and he stumbled around like a drunk.

James: Woah, why can’t I walk normally?

Toshin: Don’t worry about it, that’s just your body being used to the crashing waves and not the land anymore. It will pass in about 15 minutes

So Toshin and James walked towards the amusement park itself, James swaying slightly like a reed in a light breeze. Just as James finally got used to the land, they reached the line to get in the park, which was packed with people waiting for their turn to pay at the gate.

James: I haven’t ever seen this many people in one place

Toshin: There are more people than I expected. We’re going to have a hard time finding the perfect person to join our crew.

They sat in silence, but just as they were about 2 minutes from the gate, James realized something.

James: Are they gonna charge us money here?

Toshin: Definitely, these amusement parks won’t let you leave with a cent left in your pocket.

James: Shit, what are we gonna do? I don’t think either of us has money

Toshin: Don’t worry, my master didn’t send me off of the island with nothing

James stopped thinking about it at that point, and just when the wealthy looking man in front of them was about to go in, he frantically searched his pockets, seemingly looking for something.

Man: I swear I had money in my pockets, you don’t understand

Gate Guard: Yeah ok, go back to your ship, you whiny baby, this isn’t a damn charity, we aren’t letting you in for free

The rich man stormed off with nearly explosive steps. The two pirates then walked forward, and Toshin paid for the both of them. When they got past the guard, Toshin turned to James and winked, waving Beli from his hand.

James: Did you steal th-

Toshin: You bet I did. When I meant my master left me with something, I meant that he had left me with some weeks of pickpocketing training to build up my hand eye coordination. The man in front of us looked to be the wealthy asshole-ish sort of guy so he seemed to me the perfect target

James was in disbelief at first, but then he grinned with a mischievous light in his eyes

James: I didn’t even see you take it though, how did you do that?

Toshin: Well, let’s just say that in a few minutes, he’ll notice the cut in his expensive pants at coincidentally the same place where his coin purse was

*		*		1 hour ago		*		*

In a chair facing multiple screens displaying the many parts of the amusement park, sat a man watching intently, a lit cigar in his mouth. This whole scene was situated in a large, completely dark room, with extinguished candles everywhere.

Mystery Man: When’s that damn kid coming here, I summoned him 20 minutes ago

Just at that second, the door opened, bathing the room with light. The mystery man sucked in a huge toke on his cigar and exhaled it. The door closed behind the teenager who walked into the room.

Mystery Man: There you are, it took you long enough

???: I came as soon as possible, there was also that other problem with that news reporter you wanted me to deal with

Mystery Man: Well soon, there’s going to be a big assignment coming to this island for you

???: Tell me about it in a second, it’s dark as hell in here

Before the mystery man could so much as take another breath, 21 quick shots rang out and 21 candles were ignited. The light revealed a 17 year old kid in a black and gold jacket with a white buttoned up shirt and brown pants. He had long wavy brown hair that slightly obscured his gray eyes and a pair of goggles around his neck. On one side of his waist was his large satchel, and on the other was holstered 3 pistols, two jet black pistols and one exquisite looking pistol.

Mystery Man: Hold on a second there, I told you you weren’t allowed to shoot inside this building without my permission, Tireur!

Tireur D Elite: Sorry sir, but this was a more efficient method of lighting up the room, please forgive me

Mystery Man: It’s fine for now. Now let’s discuss that job

Tireur sat in a chair that was placed 10 feet away from the boss’s chair.

Mystery Man: Around 6 days ago, a dangerous soon-to-be big bounty pirate escaped from the navy’s grasp. He went off the Navy’s radar, but of course we knew where he was with Aquila’s power. It also appears he gathered a friend to come with him. According to Aquila, he will be here in about an hour, so what we need you to do is capture him or kill him. The navy will reward us rather sweetly, as he is related to the Warlord, Dracule Mihawk

Tireur pulled his breath in. “This sounds like a dangerous damn job,” Tireur thought.

Tireur: Why can’t Foudre handle this one?

Mystery Man: He isn’t exactly the best when it comes to these stealthy things that are better done quietly, you feel me?

That was a subtle clue for Tireur to not ask anymore questions. Plus, he did understand, Foudre’s fighting style was quite the opposite of subtle.

Mystery Man: I know that you have no other objections, so go prepare. Shoo!

Tireur left the room, and once more the mystery man turned his chair to watch the security feed.

*		*		1 hour later		*		*

Toshin and James were sitting at a table in a diner when a lady with jet black hair and far away purple eyes who looked to be about 20 years old came to their table and dropped off the apple pies they ordered. They immediately started digging in, as they were very hungry.

Toshin: This apple pie is pretty good, miss

James: Yeah, it’s really tasty

Chef Lady: I’m glad to see you guys are enjoying it

As she bowed and turned to go back to the kitchen, Toshin raised his hand up

Toshin: Hold on miss, I have 2 questions

The chef lady turned around with a slight surprise in her eyes while waiting on Toshin was still chewing on the pie.

Toshin: Firstly, are there any chefs here that can hold their own in a fight?

Chef Lady: A fight? Why, do you want to start a fight here or someth-

James: You misunderstand, chef lady, we’re looking for capable fighters to join our group and sail the seas

Chef Lady: Oh. I can’t say that there are, I know all the chefs here and none of them are exactly good at fighting here, I’m sorry

Toshin: Thank you. My second question is the more important one though…

Toshin’s eyes seemed to pierce the chef’s soul, and she felt a weird emotion. What was it, trust? Vulnerability? Fear? Even she didn’t know. Toshin swallowed the piece of pie that was in his mouth to ask the next question.

Toshin: I see it in everyone's’ eyes, as in every employee’s eyes. Everyone is wearing a smile on their face, but it doesn’t quite reach their eyes. I put it on personal issues for the first one or two times I saw it, but after seeing it multiple times? I can’t ignore it anymore. Tell me, chef lady-san, what is wrong here on this island?

That was the one thing that she was afraid that he’d ask. “What is wrong?”. She felt very conflicted about telling them, as on one hand they wouldn’t be safe if she told them, but on the other hand they could save the entire island. She sighed and mentally made her choice on the matter.

Chef Lady: What’s the matter? I’ll tell you this much; You guys seem very nice, nicer than any other people who’ve come to the island. You care for people, even though the government makes you out as the enemy. I trust you guys for some reason, even though I’ve just met you, so I want to warn you, if I tell you, you will be in danger.

Toshin: We’ve been in more than our fair share of dangerous scenarios

He wasn’t wrong in the slightest when he said that. Toshin’s training was a dangerous affair involving multiple fights and plenty of dangerous sceneries. Along with that, James’s entire life practically was sent running for his life from angry villagers and a sunflower warrior.

James: He’s right, we can handle whatever comes at us

“Fools, I wish that you didn’t have to get caught up in this, for us, people that you don’t even know,” she thought bitterly.

Chef Lady: Around 11 years ago, a man named Vieze Daden, who was funded by the Warlord, Doflamingo, came here and conquered the island. Nobody had ever really heard of this island before, so nobody cared to see it taken over. His task was to seize rule, and create an amusement park, so as to make profits to fund Doflamingo and Vieze himself. Everyone was loyal to our queen, Reine D Elite, and we would do anything for her. It seems that Vieze knew that, so the first thing he did when he captured the island was hold our queen hostage. We couldn’t do anything because he had her completely under his grasp, and he made us and some of his hired workers create his awful nightmare, this amusement park. That is what our problem is. I know that I shouldn’t ask this from people I’ve never met, but please, if you can, help our people!

The chef lady knelt on the ground and bowed, her nose to the ground. Toshin and James were utterly shocked. However, soon they both recovered, and Toshin stood up.

Toshin: I promise you, I will save you people, no matter what!

The chef lady looked up at Toshin with a thankful smile and tears in her eyes.

Chef Lady: Thank you very much. If you happen to see Reine, can you please tell her that Kokua said hi?

James: We’ll be sure to

Toshin dropped his payment on the table and walked out of the diner with James.

Toshin: Change of plans, our new priority is to find Vieze and kick his ass. Do you agree?

James: Wholeheartedly. But how are we gonna find him?

Toshin was about to say he had no idea, but then he sensed something suddenly, and sprang into action.

Toshin: JAMES MOVE!

Toshin did the only thing he could think of doing, which was squat quickly and swipe James’s feet out from under him, thereby making the shot miss both him and James, as it came from their side. James was a little less than grateful at first.

James: *cough* What the hell was that fo-

Toshin: Right about now, a shot just missed both of our heads because I took action. And the shot appeared to come from the very top of the ferris wheel. I suppose it was a curved shot, otherwise from an angle like that it would’ve been impos-

Toshin was interrupted by another shot, aimed directly for James, which James batted away with his mace that he pulled out seconds before when Toshin said a shot missed their heads.

James: Alright, so what’s the plan?

Toshin: Easy, looks like the ferris wheel is stopped, so you’re going to have to climb up while I’m down here giving him everything I’ve got

James: Sounds like a plan, I’ll be up there in about 1 minute, time me

Toshin: Tch, like I won’t blast him before that

James: Then it’s a race!

James sprinted towards the ferris wheel when Toshin has already started to charge a shot of light towards the sniper. “There’s no way in heaven or hell he’s going to be able to dodge light” Toshin thought. He loosed his shot, but before he could see anything he heard a bang and looked up in horror when he realized why the sniper was unaffected. “This kid intercepted my light shot with a bullet, what the hell is he made of?”

Tireur: I CAN TELL EXACTLY HOW YOU’RE GOING TO MOVE BEFORE YOU DO IT! I SEE WHEN YOU TENSE UP AND I CAN READ YOUR BODY LANGUAGE!

Those were the screams that rang out from the top of the ferris wheel that fell upon Toshin’s ears. Toshin reacted with complete surprise at first, as this kid didn’t seem to have Haki, but then he shook it off and smirked.

Toshin: I didn’t expect to take him out like that in the first place, but damn is that surprising. Still though, I don’t see James climbing at all, is something holding him up over there?

His answer was soon given to him when the ferris wheel started to slowly spin again, bringing the sniper slowly down towards where Toshin and James were. Toshin’s smirk turned into a laughing grin.

Toshin: How smart, I hadn’t even thought of that

Back at the descending cart previously at the top, Tireur was rapidly but not panickedly calculating out his plans.

Tireur: This is nothing but a minor inconvenience, I can’t lose now, and I can’t lose ever

The gears were whirring inside of his head at that very moment, thinking of how to either stop the spinning, or put him at an advantage until something hit him.

Tireur: I have 4 shots left in Black 13, so I’ll use one on his mace to shoot it out of his hand, one on each of his calves, and one on the spin control to break the controls and not let the ride stop moving until I get off and have Foudre fix it

“That’ll teach that damn bastard for stealing my goggles last week” Tireur thought smugly. Tireur didn’t know why he didn’t want to just shoot James there in vital areas when he came down to his location, it would be much easier. Something about it just seemed wrong to him though, so he didn’t even consider it in his plans.

Tireur: As soon as I go back up, I can switch to Black Diamond and come back down to finish off the teal haired guy, Toshin was it? Doesn’t matter, not like I have to memorize the name of someone I’ll never have to deal with again

Tireur’s plan would’ve worked if everything was in a perfect world. However, as soon as Tireur came into view of James he flung his mace with the fury of an angry dragon. The hapless teenage sniper didn’t even have time to loose more than one shot.

Tireur: What the fu-

James: Arm Boos! Soaring Bird!

Two sounds rang out, one was James’s mace hitting Tireur in the chest, and him crying out in pain. The other shot was Tireur’s pistol shooting a bullet through James’s shoulder and into the ferris wheel control, getting Tireur the continuous spin that he desired. A bloody chuckle came out of Tireur’s mouth as he continues to ascend

Tireur: The shit I do for the people I care about…

Toshin: Yeah yeah, good job James, now it’s my turn!

Tireur looked to the side to see the teal haired pirate captain leap into the air, his legs radiating a golden aura and his arm wielding a sword that filled him with utter dread. He knew he had nowhere to run now, this sword would be his destiny.

Toshin: Arriviste…

Toshin sliced in a powerful diagonal slash, creating a triangle hung up by the ferris cart supports

Toshin: Destroyer!

The sudden loss of balance on the cart made Tireur start to slide off the cart. “Damnit, I’ll never be able to save my mom and these people now. I’ve failed completely!” were Tireur’s final thoughts. Finally, the brown haired teen slipped off the cart and plunged 50 feet from the air head first. Just as he was about to hit the ground, something fast intercepted his fall. “Was that Aquila just now?” Tireur thought before he blacked out due to the pain of both the mace hitting his chest and the impact of the catch.

*		*		*		*		*

Tireur awoke on a couch facing a cozy and dimly lit medium sized living room, and three people in it, 2 of which were the ones who he fought earlier, and one he couldn’t identify. His solar plexus throbbed painfully and Tireur laid there waiting for the pain to fade. He couldn’t comprehend how he had gotten into that scenario, especially considering how he was a dead man last he checked. He could guess that the pirates had been the ones to save him, but their intention was probably interrogation, he assumed. His first priority was to get the hell out, and maybe take the two bastards who put him in this lung hurting state earlier into the grave.

James: Thanks again for letting us crash at your house for tonight.

Kokua: Oh it’s no issue, really. It’s only me and my father here so we have plenty of room, it’s the least we can do for you guys

Tireur heard this conversation in progress, and he made sure not to make any reaction to this, but slowly reach for his guns. However when he reached for them at his side, they weren’t there. Tireur grew frantic and whispered to himself as quiet as possible.

Tireur: Shit shit shit, where are they? Where are my guns?

That was when he noticed them on the floor, about 2 feet from the couch, still in the holsters on the belt. Tireur reached for the pistols and grabbed the belt when suddenly a flung sword pierced through the belt mere inches away from where Tireur was holding it. Tireur looked up fearfully and saw both of the men combat ready and the girl they were talking to very surprised.

Toshin: Looks like someone finally woke up

Tireur: Look I-

However Tireur was interrupted by Toshin bowing to a very very surprised Kokua.

Toshin: I’m very sorry for stabbing your floor!

Kokua: [sweat drop] Umm, that’s ok

Tireur: [sweat drop] I was beaten by these clowns?

Toshin then quickly got up after it was obvious he was forgiven and turned to look at Tireur.

Toshin: Oh by the way, I heard you say something that caught my interest before, but I didn’t hear it very clearly, so I’ll ask you it straight. What is this whole situation with your mother?

Tireur was confused at first, but then he remembered what he was thinking when he fell down. “I must’ve spoken it out loud or something,” Tireur thought bemused. “It must’ve been this guy who saved me then, not Aquilla. He must’ve saved me because of...what I said? What odd circumstances”

Toshin: Oy, are you gonna talk or not?

Tireur snapped out of his state and started talking.

Tireur: It’s not a problem that you’re supposed to get yourself into, butt out an-

James: Good grief, what is it with this island and their “not your problem” sentiment

Toshin: Well can you hold onto that thought system for just a second? Because believe it or not, I have a good reason to help you

Toshin looked in the distance as if remembering something that pained him greatly, and Tireur sat up a little.

Toshin: About 9 years ago, my mother died. I was too weak then to save her, and it hurts to think that I can’t go back to save her now. I can still remember her, she was the greatest person I had ever gotten the privilege to meet. I’m sure we all feel that way about our mothers though…

Toshin turned to Tireur with a fire in his eyes and passion pouring from his mouth

Toshin: I refuse to let your mother die too. That’s what will happen, right? I can tell you had a reason to fight me, to save your mother right?! Let us help you!

Toshin was practically yelling these last words, his finger pointing at Tireur with gusto, and Tireur sat there mouth open slightly. The teen found that he had to look away and close his mouth to consider these words. These weren’t the words that were meant to trick like he was used to. These were genuine

Tireur: When I was just a young boy, this land was taken over by three people, my current “masters”. When they took over, they held my mom ransom, and I couldn’t do anything about it, otherwise he’d have her killed…

Kokua: Wait, then you’re-!

Tireur: Aye, I’m the prince of the island, and the son of Riene D Elite

Everyone sat in silent bewilderment for a couple of seconds. Then Toshin withdrew his sword from his ground and swept the dust from the concrete ground off of it, seemingly ignoring everyone else’s lack of action.

Toshin: Well that’s fine and all, but here’s what we need to do now. First, we need to get into your boss’s base. Second, we need to get your mother out. Third, we need to kick this Vieze’s ass into the next decade. And lastly, we need to establish your mother and you as the rulers of this island once more. Is there any objection to this?

When everyone shook their heads, Toshin sheathed his sword, the clank signifying their agreement to action.

Tireur: Then let’s get to work

*		*		*		*		*

All four of them sat at the table, which made for a really odd scene. Kokua had made all of them white tea earlier, so the two pirates dressed in casual wear, the teenage sniper with his almost fancy attire, and the black haired chef all sat at the table and were discussing how they would get the three fighters and one chef into the base.

Toshin: So, where is the lair itself?

Tireur: Ah, that’s where the problem lies. The entire place is underwater, which is pretty difficult to get to even if you aren’t a devil fruit user, but for you guys it’d be nigh on impossible.

Toshin: Are you sure? Don’t you have any devil fruit users who go in and out of the base?

Tireur: There is only one devil fruit user we have, and his fruit is a bird zoan. What happens is that he calls beforehand on his den den mushi to let us know he’s coming, so they release a tube that’s connected to the base. The top is rimmed with a floatie ring so no water gets through once it gets to the top. They drain all the water that got into the tube when it was ascending so that when he comes near, he can just dive through it. The tube itself is about 10 feet in diameter, so it’s fairly large, but the problem with jumping through it is that the base is 50 feet underwater, so jumping through it is asking for broken legs.

Toshin: That won’t be a problem. Could we potentially sail up to the tube and then jump through?

Tireur: Not a chance. They reel it down really quickly, and getting there before Aquilla isn’t happening, because he gets there about 2 or 3 minutes after it surfaces. This is all assuming he won’t sink your ship in the first place after calling for the guards to bring the tube down quickly as soon as he spots you

Toshin: Hmmm, seems risky but I’m getting through that way no matter what. That tube seems to me the best way to get in quickly. How do non-devil fruit users get in?

Tireur: There’s a chamber that we’re supposed to swim into that drains the water a couple of seconds after the door to the ocean closes. You have to have really strong lungs though, so I doubt that Kokua would be able to use that entrance.

They sat there silently thinking for what felt like hours.

Kokua: Well, aren’t there any other entrances into the building? How else would they bring supplies down.

Tireur: That’s a fair point. There has never been a boat near the tube itself, it would be suspicious to see cargo being dropped into the water on purpose. There has to be another access point on the island, then

James: Our problem is finding it though. From what I’m hearing about your boss, he doesn’t seem like the patient type, and we’re gonna have a limited time if we’re gonna save your mother.

Tireur grew silent and sullen for a moment, as did the rest of the table. Thinking about the prospect of something like that wasn’t good for the team, who was already stressed enough about their situation. Luckily, Kokua had something.

Kokua: When I work in the kitchens, everyday, 2 of the same chefs leave at around 10:00 and come back at 2:00. Once, I was sent to follow them, and they went into the bathroom. Once I went in however, they were gone. Those two are probably the ones who are sent down to cook for the base, and the bathroom has to be where the entrance is.

Tireur: That’s also when Aquilla comes back for lunch. This is falling together like bricks in a wall!

Toshin whipped out his pencil and drew a quick sketch of the island, a horrible sketch albeit but a sketch that got the idea across. He then drew arrows from apparently where Kokua’s house was to the bathroom and to the tube.

Toshin: Alright, here’s the plan. Tireur will go into the base like normal an hour ahead of me at 9:00 and convince everyone that he killed us after he was captured, and I will attack from the main entrance and divert most of the attention. James, you and Kokua will go from the bathroom entrance, while first taking care of the regular chefs. Do it any way you know how, but please don’t kill them

Kokua: No problem!

James: You can count on us

Tireur: You still haven’t explained how YOU’RE getting in, Toshin. We already said the boat plan wasn’t gonna work.

Toshin: *chuckles* Don’t worry about me, I have a plan of my own, not having anything to do with a boat. Although, I haven’t done something like this since I was a kid, so I wonder how well this might work. There will be no way for me to practice either without drawing attention. Whatever, I’m sure I can do it when I need to

Toshin put his fist in the center of the table, a movement followed by the other 3.

Toshin: Let’s do this then

*		*		9:57 AM, the next day		*		*

Toshin was sitting on a log bench outside Kokua’s house with a cloak over his head to disguise himself from any of Vieze Daden’s agents who might suspect that Tireur didn’t eliminate him. He was gazing at the ocean waiting for something, ANYTHING, to happen. Suddenly, his Transponder Snail started to ring, and he picked it up hastily.

Toshin: What’s shakin, bacon?

James: What? Nevermind, look we knocked out the chefs and tied them up. We also found to tunnel, so we’re going in now

Toshin: Alright, catch you later. Be sure to wait until you hear commotion before actually getting into the building though, otherwise you’ll be caught immediately.

James: Roger.

He hung up, and once more Toshin sat in utter silence, bored out of his mind and tapping his foot on the ground. Out of nowhere, the surface of the water about a kilometer started bubbling like mad, and Toshin started up immediately.

Toshin: Oh, that must be it!

The ring finally broke the surface, and his Transponder Shell started to ring just as it came up. Toshin picked it up immediately

Toshin: What’s crackalackin?

Tireur: What the...I came to call to tell you that Aquilla called in, and should be there shortly.

Toshin: Oky doky, where are you now?

Tireur: Hiding in the lunchroom janitor closet and waiting for the sirens to ring out. That’s when I’ll start to initiate my part of the plan and then go around to meet up with you and James.

Toshin: You got it dude. We’re counting on you

Tireur: You don’t have to worry about a thing, I’ve got this, amigo

Tireur up after winking (which Toshin could see on the snail) putting the snail back to sleep. Toshin stood up and rolled his shoulders back and forth. After about a minutes of stretching, he saw that the tube was completely empty, and he set up his Kenbunshoku Haki.

Toshin: About a minute before I have to get to the ring. This is gonna be one hell of a ride

Toshin finally grinned and threw off his cloak.

Toshin: Let’s get down to business!