Unforgiven Swords: Chapter 12

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 The next day, it rained.

 Rained by all the morning, and then by the noon.

 To the contrary of the usual expectations, Karen stayed inside her dusty room during all the time the rain fell.

 “Leave her be…” ,Macabre told their crewmates as soon as they asked about her, “She now knows everything she needed to know… and family isn’t something you’d expect to hear about such information…”. He was distant, staring the raindrops cleaning a dirty window, from which he could see the red wall of a house.

 “I’d also like to be alone if you don’t mind…”, the White Wolf asked, and his crewmates obeyed.



 Diarmuid: What do you think it’s going on with them?

 Jon: I’d say it’s not our business, but if I was to guess, I’d say it has something to do with the captain’s brother. There must be something very dark in that family…

 Diarmuid: You think so? Maybe something I can put into a song someday…

 Alina: Stop that, idiot! It must certainly have to do with their family, but it’s not our business… At least not yet.

 Diarmuid: I said someday, my fair lady. If Macabre decides to tell us and allows, of course... I don’t know who you judge me to be, but respectful I am.

 Alina: Okay… Sorry, then.

 Diarmuid: You don’t need to apologize for anything, Alina. Women like you are incapable of committing any sins.

 Diarmuid smiled, winked, and touched his cross scar on the left cheek. Then, he said goodbye and left to play a song on his violin.

 Alina: (blushing) For one second there I actually thought him to be cute… and datable. (Disgust) Blah!

<p align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:left"> Jon: He usually says he is “Diarmuid of the Love Scar”, and sometimes I wonder, because he can really make girls like him.

<p align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:left"> Alina: I’d rather not to know… Naishi? You’re quiet, something’s bothering you?

<p align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:left"> Naishi: (looking bothered) Bothering? I wouldn’t use that word. Macabre, he… Forget it. You wouldn’t understand anyway.

<p align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:left"> Alina: Why not?

<p align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:left"> Naishi: It’s a thing between men. The masculine comradely among two males is something that’s hard to explain.

<p align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:left"> Alina: … So you’re just worried about your friend, but don’t want to ask because he seems depressed.

<p align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:left"> Naishi didn’t answer for a minute.

<p align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:left"> “I never said he was my friend…” like a child, he answered, and Alina giggled in silence.

<p align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:left"> “What a cute little duo they form”, the thief thought.

<p align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:left"> Wolff: So what’s our plan, Hound?

<p align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:left"> Inside the captain’s chambers they talked.

<p align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:left"> The sound of the rain was the soundtrack to the conversation that would decide the outcome of the next few days.

<p align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:left"> Hound: Are you sure you want to talk now?

<p align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:left"> Wolff: Why wouldn’t I?

<p align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:left"> Because he was looking like he was spanked when walking the streets at night, except he hadn’t any wound or mark. It was even hard to tell if on his eyes it was the typical sadness and sorrow or if it was simply sleepiness.

<p align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:left"> Hound: You look tired.

<p align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:left"> Wolff: I am. I couldn’t sleep anything with the RedClaw, all of them, hitting my head from thee inside.

<p align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:left"> Hound: Maybe you shouldn’t worry that much.

<p align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:left"> Wolff: Since when you care?

<p align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:left"> Hound: I never did. I only say that because I…

<p align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:left"> Wolff: I know, I know. You don’t want to see anyone else ending like you did.

<p align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:left"> Hound: Wrong. I really don’t care, so the results don’t matter to me, I was just giving advice… about family.

<p align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:left"> Wolff: (raises his voice) I will not discuss these matters with you, Hound. Now… the plan.

<p align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:left"> Hound, emotionless as always, only answered with a simple nod, focusing the blue eyes on his master and touching his mask of white bandages. Completing the almost ready painting in front of Wolff, there was his hair, as fire, falling on a long braid from behind his head.

<p align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:left"> Hound: I’ll only do this if you have no objections, so let me start…

<p align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:left"> Grainne could listen partially what they spoke by the door.

<p align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:left"> She wasn’t exactly peeking, but she was close enough to the door, with a book in hands, to understand a little of what they spoke.

<p align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:left"> That was what she said to feel better anyway, because she was next to the door, leaning on the wall, and was barely reading anything.

<p align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:left"> Being honest to herself, Grainne admitted felt a bit of jealousy of Hound.

<p align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:left"> Grainne: (thoughts) He’s so cold, and he spends most of his time near him than anyone else… I know I’m not a little girl anymore, but even when I was he always kept distant for most times…

<p align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:left"> The Daughter of the Seas, then, felt something on her arm, holding like a tentacle.

<p align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:left"> Grainne: (scared) Aaah! Wait this is…

<p align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:left"> It was a boa feather. A very long line of colored boa feathers, of blue, yellow, red, green… made an unusual curve leaving from Hiruna’s room and now was holding Grainne’s arm.

<p align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:left"> The boa pulled, so the one it held followed, wondering why Hiruna wanted her.

<p align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:left"> Hiruna: Oh, here you are, my dear!

<p align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:left"> Hiruna Kanpare Nu, called sometimes, due to her luxurious black and white dress and the feathers she had, “Black and White Peacock”, was looking at the mirror, putting black lipstick on her lips with the left hand, while the right one held the boa feather that brought Grainne to her room.

<p align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:left"> Grainne: You shouldn’t use your Devil Fruit like this, Miss Hiruna.

<p align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:left"> Hiruna: It’s a fruit that allows me to create, and control, mind you, how many luxurious boas I want, so why to keep things moderate?

<p align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:left"> Grainne: Well…

<p align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:left"> Hiruna: The Boa Boa no Mi is mine and I’ll use it the way I want to, fine? Now…

<p align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:left"> The lady ended her make-up and left the lipstick over the little table in front of her. She examined herself on the mirror and smiled.

<p align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:left"> Hiruna: Don’t get scared, Grainne.

<p align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:left"> She pulled the feathers out of the arm it was holding, magically making it to get shorter, and placed it over her shoulders, changing the color to black immediately.

<p align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:left"> Hiruna: I’m so gorgeous sometimes. Don’t you think so?

<p align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:left"> Grainne: I do, all the time… But why did you…

<p align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:left"> Hiruna: Let’s leave this ship. Girl’s night! And I’ll be paying!

<p align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:left"> Grainne opened her mouth, but she was not sure about the answer she was supposed to give.

<p align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:left"> Hiruna: (sighs) Oh, so young and indecisive… The beautiful innocence of youth!

<p align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:left"> Grainne: I don’t understand…

<p align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:left"> Hiruna: I like to think I’m like an aunt to you, my sweet girl, and I hope you feel the same. So that is why I, as your honorary aunt, want to take you for having some fun and relaxing… Before you answer, I know how you’re feeling with your father, specially now, that he breathes RedClaw, ugh… And, understanding as you feel, I know you need to take your mind to other things and leave this bloody ship.

<p align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:left"> Grainne: I can’t say I don’t agree…

<p align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:left"> Hiruna: Great! Grab your coat, we’ll be leaving now!

<p align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:left"> Grainne: But it’s raining…

<p align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:left"> Hiruna: Weather is never an excuse. Starting taking note, my dear, you need it once you try fishing a man!

<p align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:left"> Laughing loudly with excitement, Hiruna left the room.

<p align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:left"> Grainne, alone, blushed.

<p align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:left"> Grainne: Fishing a man, she said…

<p align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:left"> Hound had to wait until the end of the week to let his plan to unfold.

<p align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:left"> Because it was on that Saturday, that raining Saturday, that Ainer Grave left the Ernest family’s house and headed to where the RedClaw were hidden.

<p align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:left"> He didn’t know where the pirates’ hideout was, and did not intend to know, because Ainer Grave, or Ainer Ernest, would for sure detect him if he was close.

<p align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:left"> And that was what the assassin counted with.

<p align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:left"> “He’ll be leaving his family house, going to meet the RedClaw, most likely, then, I’ll make sure he declares war, that’s what a revolutionary would do, if I knew the likes of him before... Then, we won’t have to move one finger.” He had told his master days before. “And how will you do that? Using his family?”, his master asked back, and Hound was sure his master had lost all of his soul in exchange for his ideals. “No, Master Wolff, I’ll be doing something much easier.” He then replied.

<p align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:left"> Now, the masked assassin waited, his umbrella protecting him from the rain, right in front of the revolutionary’s route.

<p align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:left"> The street was empty. It was raining, after all.

<p align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:left"> Grave stopped walking about five meters away from the assassin, staring him over the wet hair that fell over his face… He held his sword.

<p align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:left"> The blade passed two inches in front of Hound’s eyes.

<p align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:left"> The blue gaze of the Red Hound met the wrathful eyes of an angry revolutionary captain.

<p align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:left"> “You had to see our fight at the bar…”, Hound told his master, “it had such a tension that I’m sure he’ll follow me no matter how, once he sees me.”

<p align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:left"> He proved he was right.

<p align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:left"> The wind gust caused by the potent strength of the sword blows cause the water of the rain over the ground, and even the drops that fell, to fly to Hound’s face.

<p align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:left"> “And…?”, already impatient, Locke Wolff asked for the final sentence.

<p align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:left"> Swords and guns surrounded the revolutionary with a sword and the always dodging bounty hunter. Their “fight” didn’t even last five minutes.

<p align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:left"> Hound, and he revealed it by his look, had all planned from the start.

<p align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:left"> “I’ll be putting us where the Marines are…”

<p align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:left"> Grave: You son of a…

<p align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:left"> Marine: (pointing a gun) Stop, you two! … Wait, those faces… you were in that bar.

<p align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:left"> Before any of them could realize, another officer had already fired his gun.

<p align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:left"> The bullet grazed on Grave’s forehead.

<p align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:left"> Ainer, in response, gazed over the officers, and they trembled.

<p align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:left"> Grave: (seriously) You won’t be losing your chance to hunt, Hound…

<p align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:left"> Hound: (emotionless) I know that… That’s not even why I’m here.

<p align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:left"> Grave: Yes, you are here to provoke me to do something you already knew I was going to do in a similar case. Congratulations, you made it, you bastard!

<p align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:left"> He pointed his long, long blade to the Marines standing there, next to them.

<p align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:left"> Grave: (whispering) I’ll be killing you yet…

<p align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:left"> Hound nodded and stepped behind.

<p align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:left"> Grave: (shouting) I, the Revolutionary captain Ainer Grave, declare, here and to all the Marines of Ver-Ashtra that I, alongside the pirate captain Macabre RedClaw, already spotted on this very island, am declaring war against the law enforcers and bounty hunters... (Looks and see that Hound disappeared) … that are on this island this moment, until one of us goes away or cancels this alliance.

<p align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:left"> The Marines hesitated.

<p align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:left"> Later, Ainer would question if that was a reasonable decision. It was. The Unforgiven Swords left very clear with that act that they were ready to start a war against the RedClaw and himself if it was necessary, to reach their bounties, or simply their heads… And now, the Marines were, because they weren’t before (not seriously enough), participating on the same hunt.

<p align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:left"> Also, the Ernest family lived there.

<p align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:left"> Grave: So, let make me clearer in case you didn’t get it: I’ll be beating you before running away… not only because I have other business to attend to, but also because I don’t want to make all the marines on this island to get unconscious all at once.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">Next Chapter