Grand Voyage- Log 12

Log 12: Harbinger Island Part 5
Mesh had been locked in Cell A, the most fortified of all the cells the base could boast, with thick iron bars and pure concrete floor, as well as the other three walls being made of the same stuff. Yes, truly this was a fortified prison, one no pirate could ever hope to penetrate using normal human means.

But a fellow Marine was another matter.

Noir, the heavily-clothed Marine, dropped down silently from a small air duct, landing neatly right behind the guard. A quick neck-snap later, and the guard toppled down. Noir slid over to the cell door, tapping lightly to wake the sleeping giant Marine up.

“Noir?!” Mesh asked groggily, “what’re ya doin-”

“Hush up, you babbling buffoon,” Noir said swiftly, holding up the guard’s keys and beginning to try them out on the cell’s lock, one after the other, “Coco-sama has new orders for you.”

“New orders?” Mesh asked, hushing his voice now, as Noir finally unlocked the cell, allowing the giant Marine to lumber out.

“Yes,” Noir said, “he wants you to cause trouble. You see, he just had Vital let in two strangers in. With any luck, this will distract the base. You’re gonna contribute to that. Rampage a bit.”

Mesh grinned, showing off his yellow-stained teeth. “Now that’s more mah kind of work. But.....” He suddenly looked thoughtful.

“What?” Noir asked, a bit impatiently.

“Everythin’s going too fast,” Mesh replied, sounding a tad weary, “what’s with all ta rush?”

“The Captain’s brat predicted a storm,” Noir replied, “so everyone’s busy battening down the hatches. Add that to the confusion the newcomers are adding, and this is the perfect time to strike.”

“Ah,” the giant Marine said, nodding, “dat makes sense.”

“Now get to work,” Noir said, moving swiftly towards the vent, “it’s not good to keep Coco-sama waiting.”

The first winds of the storm hit the island, lifting small bits of dust from the boulders and then spinning them into small dust devils, before they collapsed, only to form others seconds later. This strange assembly of wind moved further inland, as the dust devils formed and move in a strange procession, heading towards the Marine base....

“This place is awesome!” Knave cried, as he dashed happily through the corridors of the Marine base, D’Artagnan following behind, and Gunther following a few feet behind him. The trio made an odd sight, dashing through the base as marines busy boarding up windows or checking the base’s concrete foundations glanced up, giving bewildered glances at the three.

Knave whipped around another corner, charging through a small set of doors, D’Artagnan charging through as well shortly after. Gunther, spotting the small sign above the door, quickly dug his feet into the floor, glancing after the two pirates in horror.

The sign above the door read Woman’s Bath, with an arrow pointing forward beneath it.

“Hehehehehe,” Sid cackled, as he slid along the wall leading to the Woman’s bath as quietly as possible, “heaven, here I come.”

“Wait, Knave, stop!” came a voice from a bit aways down the corridor. Sid stopped moving, then turned his head around, as the sound of rapidly moving footsteps reached his ears, conflicting with the sounds of women laughing and splashing from further down the corridor. Ah, to be caught between curiosity and paradise!

At that moment, the green-haired boy from the ship whipped around the corner, followed by the blonde haired one as well, charging straight for him. “Hey, look!” the marimo kid said, pointing, “Is that the guy you were talking about, Art?”

“Yeah!” Art said, as a sweatdrop dripped down his forehead, “though I have no idea why he’s here too...”

“Then he can just come with us!” the green-haired one yelled, suddenly putting on a burst of speed and rapidly closing the distance between Sid and himself.

“Hey, wait-” Sid began, before the boy kicked his knees, knocking his legs out from under him, then swooped him up, throwing him over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes.

“Onward!” the boy cried, a manic grin etched on his face as he charged towards a small curtain leading towards a hot spring, with Art finally closing in on him.

“Gotcha!” Art yelled, reaching forward and seizing the back of Knave’s hair, yanking him back harshly. Unfortunately, this had a somewhat negative result, as Knave still continued to skid forward, this time dragging D’Artagnan along with him, Sid still slung over his shoulder.

The new trio exploded through the curtain, Knave’s momentum sending them flying through the air, as all the female Marines in the spring looked up, expressions of shock on their faces.

Sid’s eyes rapidly grew bigger as he took in the almost heavenly sight before him. Art reacted as well, his eyes bulging at a slightly smaller scale, blood gushing out of nose. Knave, it seemed, hadn’t noticed the women at all, but simply continued grinning, his gaze still fixed at the other end of the spring.

Thousands of angry fists seemed to rise up towards the boys, slamming into almost every crevice imaginable. The three were sent flying back into the corridor, smashing against the wall. They slid down to the floor, their faces quickly swelling up.

“That was a bad idea,” Art moaned, rubbing his head.

“Yeah....” Sid moaned back, rubbing his as well.

“RRRRAAARGGGGHH!!” Mesh hollored as he stampeded down the corridor, swinging his massive fists around rapidly and sending his fellow Marines flying like bowling pins.

“Mesh’s loose!” one cried, making a run for the nearest Den Den Mushi. Unfortunately, the giant spotted this, and leaped through the air, coming down and bringing both his legs crashing down onto the Marine’s back. A loud snapping sound filled the air as the Marine let out a gurgled cry, before toppling down under Mesh’s weight.

The other Marines in the room quickly lifted their rifles and opened fire. Mesh grunted as several bullets slammed into his back, causing small bits of blood to spurt from the wounds. He seized a large wooden pillar that had been placed in order to keep the roofs up in the storm, then wrenched it free from its position.

“Ah, SH*-” the Marines cried before the giant swung the pillar in an arc, smashing them and sending them crashing against the walls, blood dripping from them as they slid to the floor...

“Sir! Sir!” a Marine private gasped, slamming open the door to the Captain’s room. Falstaff looked up, alarm quickly registering on his face.

“What is it?!”

“It’s Mesh, sir! Someone released him from his cell! He’s sending all of the Marines in the base flying!”

“Damn,” Falstaff growled, beginning to race down the corridor, “prep our heavy artillery units, and get the repairment ready. This is gonna be messy!”

“Yes, sir!” The private said, as he raced in the opposite direction. Falstaff continued running, eventually passing from sight.

As the Captain left the area, the private stopped running, eventually slowing to a jog, and then a walk. As he turned yet another corner, Coco slid out of the shadows and began walking next to the Marine. “Everything going as planned?” the albino asked, grinning happily.

“Yes, Coco-sama,” the private replied, “but...”

“But what?”

“We’ve lost track of the pirates you had us let in, sir.”

“Tch,” Coco grunted, biting his lip slightly, “no matter. They’ve served their purpose. Let’s just hope they don’t get in the way...”

Silence suddenly filled the room, as Captain Cheney darted inside. Mesh glared at him from across the room, the space between them filled with unconscious or even dead Marines, all suffering from various injuries, be it broken bones to even cracked teeth (those were the lucky ones).

The Captain sighed, quietly shifting to a simple fighting position. “Mesh, you were a good Marine,” he said simply, “but it looks like someone’s corrupted you. Now, tell me who did it, and I promise I won’t kill.”

The giant Marine responded in the only way he knew how: lifting up his large wooden pillar and leaping across the room, swinging it at his former Captain. “Soru,” Falstaff said simply, as the pillar came towards him. However, when it arrived, the Captain wasn’t there, having vanished in a sudden blur.

Falstaff reappeared slightly above Mesh, the fingers on his left hand curled in a claw like shape. “Shigan: Taka no Tsume (Hawk Claw),” the Captain intoned, as his hand suddenly jabbed down at an incredible speed, digging into Mesh’s back and staying there. Falstaff grunted, as he allowed himself to drop to the ground, pulling Mesh off his feet and lifting him up while doing so.

“Tekkai: Hagane no Kin’niku (Steel Muscles),” Captain Cheney grunted, as his veins bulged on the arm that was hefting the giant Marine up, “Tekkai Ken....” He lifted Mesh as high as he could, then swung him forward, smashing his head against the ground! “Finishing Suplex!”

Mesh groaned, blood leaking from his mouth as his eyes went blank. The Captain removed his fingers, shaking the blood off as the giant Marine toppled to the floor, causing a small earthquake to strike the base. Falstaff dropped to his knees, quickly removing a small flask from his pocket and taking a swig. I’m too old for this, the Captain thought, his head starting to throb from the alcohol (he had never been exactly a heavyweight).

THOOM! THOOM!

Thunder crackled through the air, as the wind suddenly picked up, the base shaking at its foundations, the small dust devils smashing against the walls. “Repair team!” Falstaff yelled, jumping back to his feet and yelling down the corridor, “get in here!”

~End of Log~

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