Walk the Dragon

Ok I have not finished this story yet, but I do want to put it up for a grammar review by the guys at the ship of fools Grammar Nazi Club. This will save me from being stone to death later.

Walk The Dragon
Dab Blasted”, I shouted as I threw down a folder filled with papers. Articles about pirates and revolutionaries spilled from the sides and began to rain down upon the floor. “Great”, I spoke as I reached down and picked them up. I stuffed them back into the folder in an unorganized mess.

   It was three days before the deadline and I had nothing. I was supposed to be writing about a notorious pirate and figuring out what lead up to their bad turn in life. It was not a mandatory assignment, western Ink only paid for actual news not educational fiction. It was a volunteer project, a challenge of sort for all the writers inside of the news department. Old Zed was even bribing us all with a price, a Devil Fruit no less. Who in their right mind would pass that up? As a result everyone went to work immediately scooping out criminals and writing up stories, not me though. I was too busy, I signed up, but instead I spent my time in front of the water cooler. There were plenty of funny stories and snacks to chew on, not including the actual work I was doing as well. Instead I simply keep putting it off, and now twenty something days later I was here, no story, no criminal, and very little chance at winning the prize.

“Just my luck”, I spoke as I looked down at the desk. I wondered what in the world was that fruit. What power lay in its scrumptious looking frame, thought I have to admit I heard devil fruits tasted horrible.

“Hey Noodle”, spoke Inuyasha as he walked up to my desk. “How is it shaking?” As he spoke his eyes turned down to my desk and the folder of sloppily placed criminals. “You have not started yet have you”, he spoke as he looked at me with disappointed eyes.

“No I have not”, I spoke as I lowered my head in shame. This was Inuyasha, the greatest writer the Western Ink had ever seen. He was a five time Noble Letter Prize winner and the author of The Age of Whitebeard. Needless to say he was my role model and though I would never tell him that. We have been friends since we were kids and have written some good work together. “Too much water cooler too little work”, I spoke as I rubbed the back of my head.

Inuyasha gave off a sigh as he looked me up and down. “Well Noodle you still have three more days. That is enough time to throw something together. At least then you can save face, don’t expect to win that fruit”, he chuckled as he walked away.”

“Good to see you again too”, I spoke as he walked away. Man that embarrassing, still Inuyasha was right. I had better come up with something. If I did not write up anything I would end up being laughed right out of the department. “I will come up with something after lunch”, I spoke as I rose from my seat and walked toward the stairs. A dark cloud loomed over my head as I knew good and well that it was not going to happen.

Distraught and hungry I shuffled my way down the stair case. As I reached the bottom I was meet by an old geaser. “Tomas”, I spoke with surprise. I did not expect him back for weeks. He was supposed to be doing a job in the Eastern Blues, what was he still doing here.

“Noodle”, he spoke with excitement. “Just the man I wanted to see actually.”

“Oh”, I spoke as I looked him up and down. He did not look dirty, nor did he look like he needed money so I could not guess what he wanted to talk to me about. Though Tomas did take notice of my eyes. It seemed I did not hide my facial expression.

“I don’t need to borrow any money”, he spoke. He hammered the nail on the head. “That was one time Noodle, it is not like I borrow money from you every day.” Quickly I tried to place on my poker face, but the smile in my cheeks gave me away easily. However Tomas was one not to linger and in order to get past this acquired situation he coughed to clear his throat. “Any way Noodle I have some big news. The Seven Flags are sailing in this region of the Blues, though the marines have not pinpointed their location.”

“The Seven Flags”, I shouted with shock and surprise. The Seven Flags were no small crew of ragtag pirates. They were the real deal. Each member of their crew had a bounty over a hundred thousand were considered some of the most dangerous people in the world. They were so dangerous they were on the Royal Task Force most wanted list, and that spot is usually reserved for Revolutionaries. If the Seven Flags were around that usually meant trouble, and the fact Tomas was talking to me meant. “You don’t”, I spoke.

“I do”, spoke Tomas as an evil smile crossed his face. The perfect pay back, that was most definitely going through his mind at the moment. “Noodle you are one of our greatest investigative journalist.”

“You mean the one who dodged the most bullets Tomas”, I shouted. “That last assignment you sent me on nearly got me blasted by a buggy ball! I thought you all said I had two months off from high threat level investigation!”

“No we said you could have two months off, note the could Noodle”, spoke Tomas. “It was not guaranteed.”

“Ah the technicalities”, I spoke as I realized my defeat. One always had to be careful with news companies. They always love to catch you with the fine print.

<p class="MsoNormal">“Look Noodle this is a once in a life time opportunity”, spoke Tomas. “We will never know when we will get a chance to meet up with the seven flags again. For all we know they could be dead by tomorrow, but while there is a chance Western Ink will get the story, and by Western Ink Noodle I mean you.” My sour expression told him exactly how I felt about the matter. “Look kid we are willing to pay you double for this one and give you four months off once the job is complete. All you have to do is try to get a interview with at least one of their members and you would have completed the job. It is a sweet deal.”

<p class="MsoNormal">“Sweet if you like nearly being cut in half”, I spoke as my mind drifted back to the Job with Blue Beard.

<p class="MsoNormal">“You’re an investigative journalist, near death experiences are part of the job. “

<p class="MsoNormal">“Sure was not in the job description”, I added.

<p class="MsoNormal">“Look Noodle are going to take this job”, he spoke while giving me a stern look. “You are going to take this job or you are going to walk out that door”, he spoke as he pointed toward the marble door frame. “So Noodle are you going to take the seven flags job or are you going to quit. Those are the only two options available to you.”

<p class="MsoNormal">Curse you, I shouted in my head! Curse you to Chiaubhuhluhu! “Fine”, I spoke in anger. I had already put six years into this organization and I needed the money. Walking out now would be a full choice, but then again doing this job was just as foolish. “That four months better be guaranteed”, I spoke as I looked into his eyes.

<p class="MsoNormal">“Four months guaranteed”, he spoke as a smile crossed his face. “Now I need to make preparations to travel to the East.”

<p class="MsoNormal">“Safe travels”, I spoke as I turned away from the door leading outside the building and walked to what seemed to be a closet door. Angrily I opened it up to see another door, but this one was made out of steel and had no handle to turn. Next to it was a number pad in which I typed the numbers 879. Upon receiving the code a large machine on the other side of the wall woke up and began to rumble.

<p class="MsoNormal">“Great another interview with pirates”, I spoke to myself as I waited for the metal door to open. With a loud boom the door shot up and a meal locker was pressed forward. Inside of the locker was combat suit personally tailored to me. In the office we call them interview suits, but their real names were Kings Model A5. They were the latest combat suits developed by the mercenary King himself. We wore them whenever we interviewed pirates and other dangerous people. It was better to be safe than sorry. These type of battle suits had saved my live on more than one occasion in the past.

<p class="MsoNormal">Taking the suit from the locker I walked to the bathroom and placed it on. The building had a no hat policy, which was enforced by a five hundred dollar fine, which meant that I could not place the helmet on till I got outside. The fine had nothing to do with manners or building educate. It was more like Tomas trying to get back some of the money he pays us, but I never really wore a hat so it did not bother me much.

<p class="MsoNormal">“I swear that old man will drown in his own money one day”, I spoke as I finally walked out the door. Now my list of things to had just expanded even further. I have to first get lunch, and second come up with a story. After that I have to go to the local marine base and see if I can bribe information out of them about the whereabouts of the seven Flags. If I somehow manage to get out of there without either being mauled by recruits or thrown into prison for corruption I would have to find the pirates and then try and get an interview. “Well my month is going to be cap”, I spoke as I pulled the helmet up to place on my head.

<p class="MsoNormal">“Stop at once”, a voice shouted in a commanding tone! Immediately my body froze in place. At the moment I did not recognize who the voice belonged to, but my body knew fully well who it was. As I turned to see were the voice was coming from my eyes were meet with a peculiar image. There it was, a woman with a snake body. Her skin and scales were the same pale white and her hair a pitch black. She wore a deep red kimono with a light pink trim. Despite being half snake she carried herself with a unique dignity that only could belong to one person.

<p class="MsoNormal">“Yoza”, I spoke as I stared on. I moved the helmet from my head and turned to greet her. Yoza was a hammer, or in more common tongue a devil fruit eater. She had eaten a rare devil fruit and as a result she had gained her snake body, thought from what I understand she does not have to look that way. She could turn into a complete human or snake if she so desired, but I, and I doubt anybody else in the village, had never seen her do so. Yoza always looked like a Lamia, she seems to like that form.

<p class="MsoNormal">“Yoza”, she spoke with surprise. “Here I thought you would call me grandma Yoza or Granny Yoza like all the other kids”, spoke the serpent woman as she arrived in front of me. “You do remember that I am two hundred and five years old right.”

<p class="MsoNormal">“Yes yes Yoza we all know you have eternal youth”, I spoke as I moved to place on my helmet.

<p class="MsoNormal">“You put on that helmet and I am going to have to punish you”, she spoke as she gave an innocent smile. Immediately my blood ran cold and I removed the helmet far away from my head as possible. I remember well how cruel Yoza punishments were when I was a kid. It was unpleasant to put it lightly. “Oh look you are starting too sweet”, she spoke as her tail moved up and whipped the liquid from my forehead. “It seems you remembered the book training from when you were a boy.”

<p class="MsoNormal">“How can I forget”, spoke Noodle in horror as his mind ran through the memories. “You made me carry a thousand books around the island for a thousand laps. Who does that too a child”, he spoke as he stared at his hands.

<p class="MsoNormal">“People who want them to grow up into gentlemen”, spoke Yoza as she pulled her tail from his face. “Now are you going to buy me lunch or am I going to have to bring back even more of your child hood trauma”?

<p class="MsoNormal">Reluctantly I let off a sigh. “Where would you like to eat at my lady Yoza”, I spoke as I gave a slight bow and stretched my right arm across my chest. At the sight Yoza face lit up like a charismas tree. It seemed I was not the only person who could have flash backs. Immediately the maiden grabbed me and pulled me close. Her grip was strong, despite her being over two hundred years old, if I did not have my combat suit on she might have even cracked my spine.

<p class="MsoNormal">“Oh Noodle I remembered when you did that when you were a little boy”, she spoke as she began to swing me around.

<p class="MsoNormal">“Yoza, yoza”, I spoke barely able to get the words out. “Come on Yoza you are crushing my spine!”

<p class="MsoNormal">“Oh”, she spoke as she let me go. My body fell straight to the ground and my face fell flat into the dirt.

<p class="MsoNormal">“As strong as ever”, I spoke as I got up. My helmet still remained on the ground. As I reached to pick it up Yoza wrapped her tail around it and brought it up to her own hands.

<p class="MsoNormal">“Sorry about that”, she spoke as a slight blush crossed her face. “I forget how strong I am some times”, she spoke as she held my helmet. I reached my hands out to get it back, but the maiden showed no sign of handing it over.

<p class="MsoNormal">“Umm”, Yoza, I spoke, but the maiden refused to give it.

<p class="MsoNormal">“Nope”, she spoke. “You will get your helmet back once out little date is over. If I gave it back to you now you would put it on and run off. Remember this is not the first time you promised to buy me lunch only to run away once we reached the store. I will keep this a collateral till our exchange is over.”

<p class="MsoNormal">“Whatever”, I spoke as I turned toward he street looking for the cheapest restaurant around. Yoza was right though, I was totally planning on running off. Not only was she detrimental to my health, but she was also a very big eater. The last time I took her out to eat she ate half of my monthly pay check. “Well how about we go to Joes”, I spoke as I pointed to a restaurant not far down the street. Joes was cheap and had an interior that Yoza would not complain about, and as a plus sigh Joe usually gave Yoza a discount.

<p class="MsoNormal">“Nope”, she spoke as she slid up and grabbed my arm. The serpent woman clamped down on her grip sending a small wave of pain rippling through my body. “Considering the fact that you left me hanging last time”, she spoke as she tighten her grip. “Don’t you think you should make up with some better quality food?” I cringed not at the pain in my arm, but the thought of what this was going to do with my wallet. Yoza was always one to get her vengeance. You were either going to pay for it with your body or with your wallet.

<p class="MsoNormal">“Well then how about Tom’s”, I spoke, but the maiden was not going to have it.

<p class="MsoNormal">“No we are going to go to Elven Wood”, she spoke with a sinister smile.

<p class="MsoNormal">“Elven Wood”, I spoke in horror as I knew my wallet was dead. Elven Wood was the most expensive and fancy restaurant on the island. It was the place to be if you were rich and the place you did not want to be if you were middle class. That restaurant was sure to send you back down to the bottom.

<p class="MsoNormal">“Good then you agree”, she spoke as she began to drag me off. At the moment I was contemplating leaving the helmet behind, but the maiden’s firm grip pretty much set my destination in stone.

<p class="MsoNormal">“I am sorry poor wallet”, I spoke as tears began to flow from my eyes. It seems I might have to void my vacation time. I was really going to need some money after this.

<p class="MsoNormal">After twenty minutes of walking I had finally accepted my fate. Yoza and I were sharing stories from my youth. Some of them I wish to never remember and some of them were good times. There was a good feeling between me and Yoza. She was always an important part of my life, and a person I valued more than others. However the weight of my wallet always weighed heavily on my heart as she made it her personal goal to lighten it.

<p class="MsoNormal">As the two of us approached the restaurant a commotion erupted in the streets. Something was going on down the road and apparently everyone was getting down on their knees. It was the first time I had ever seen such a thing. All the people were bowing and placing their faces into the dirt.

<p class="MsoNormal">“What is going on”, I spoke with curiosity. To my surprise Yoza had let go of my arm. From what I could see there was a strong man with a very strange hat walking down the road. It was almost as if he was wearing a helmet to breathe underwater with. The sight nearly made me chuckle, but I remembered hearing about this somewhere, I just could not put my finger on it.

<p class="MsoNormal">“Get down you idiot”, shouted Yoza as she grabbed the back of my head and forced me into the ground. The maiden has stuffed my face into the dirt as she placed her own.

<p class="MsoNormal">“Hey Yoza what in the ….”, I spoke, but she cut me off.

<p class="MsoNormal">“You idiot I taught you better than that”, she spoke prompting me to shut up and listen to her. “That person walking down the road is a world noble. If you stand up you will be gunned down”, she spoke.

<p class="MsoNormal">“World Noble”, I spoke as I pulled my face out the dirt. I turned to get a better look at the man. Yea there was no mistaking it. At first I did not realize he was such as I had never seen a World Noble before. Now that I was thinking about it he fit the description perfectly. “So that is a world noble”, I spoke as I looked on. I wondered what was the difference between him, and me. We were both men, though he was a lot older, and we were both born from our separate mothers, except he was a noble and I was a commoner.

<p class="MsoNormal">“Head in the dirt idiot”, spoke Yoza as she pushed my head back down and stuffed my face in the dirt. “I swear, why are my kids so stupid”?

<p class="MsoNormal">Obedient to the village elder I kept my head down and my mouth shut. The noble continued to walk down the street looking at everyone he passed by. His eyes specifically focused on the women, which was not weir for one of them. However he seemed to be looking for someone. Finally he came down to the section of the street were me and Yoza were. The moment he laid his eyes on her serpent body his eyes lit up. “There”, he spoke as he and his escorts walked past everyone else and came up to our positon.

<p class="MsoNormal">Holy crap I thought to myself. A World Noble wanted something to do with us. I was not sure if I should be frighten or excited. There were very few people who actually meet a world noble. This could be good for the news at Western Ink, or it could be my introduction into a lifetime of slavery.

<p class="MsoNormal">“You there snake woman”, he spoke. My eyes immediately shifted over to Yoza who seemed to be just as shock as I was. What did he want with Yoza I thought to myself? Yoza was young, well young in the face. She was really over 200 years old. Still she had the look of a beautiful maiden. Could the noble man want to make her his bride?

<p class="MsoNormal">“Me sir”, spoke Yoza in a meek tone. It was the first time I had ever heard her speak so. Normally she was always high and mighty. She had been the village elder for so long that everyone in the region respected her. Even the lesser nobles would not dare talk down to her.

<p class="MsoNormal">“Of course you, you stupid snake woman”, he spoke. His harsh words and his disrespectful tone sent a wave of anger through my body. I wanted to jump up and punch the old man in the face, but my reasoning skills kept me in place. I clenched my hands into the dirt grinding up the sand inside of my fist. From what I could see everyone else from the village was feeling it too. I saw marks on the ground were other people had done the same and a few faces in windows biting there tongs. However nobody moved. Everyone knew better than to just go out and attack a World Noble.

<p class="MsoNormal">“Forgive me”, spoke Yoza as if she was the one in the wrong. Her meekness only further enrage me as she simply sat there and took it. The maiden kept her face in the dirt. The World Noble did not tell her to raise her head so she did not do so.

<p class="MsoNormal">“Are you Yoza”, he asked. His words caught everyone by surprised and made everyone raise an eyebrow. Even Yoza herself was surprise the noble knew her name. Sure she was popular, but she was only popular in this region of the Western Blue, she did not think anybody outside of it would know who she was.

<p class="MsoNormal">“Yes I am Yoza”, she spoke. “The village elder of Apple Village”.

<p class="MsoNormal">“Hmm”, he spoke as he looked at her. “Raise your head woman so I may see your face”, he spoke and Yoza obeyed. The maiden raised her head from the dirt and gave the nobleman and his guards a view of her face. The World Noble looked on with surprise as he looked into her black almond shaped eyes and pale white skin. He had expected to see some signs of aging, but she looked as a teenager. “So it must be true”, he spoke. A puzzled expression crossed her face as she looked at the World Noble.

<p class="MsoNormal">“What must be true”, she asked in a questioning tone. As she spoke the world noble pulled out his gun and raised it to her face. Her eyes opened wide as she looked down the barrel. Everyone in the crowd held their breath as they saw their precious elder being held up by this aged man.

<p class="MsoNormal">“That you have consumed the fruit of The White Snake, and gained its legendary powers”, he spoke. Yoza stared on as sweet began to pour down her head. It had been a long time since Yoza was close to death. In her entire life nobody had ever held a gun at her face, especially one so powerful as a World Noble. “Why should I die like a normal human when a commoner like you gets to live forever”, he spoke as he put his hand on the trigger. “That power was obviously meant for somebody superiors like me. You did a good job holding it for me, but now it is time for me to take it back”, he spoke as he pulled slowly on the trigger.

<p class="MsoNormal">“Lady Yoza”, a voice shouted out. The sound stopped the World Noble and took the guards by surprise. Everyone eyes turned to the source of the voice. There standing in the middle of the road as a man, and to my great shame it was not me, but rather it was Cooper. Like me he was an orphan and as a result he grew up like the rest of us with Yoza. Many of us considered her to be our mother. For her sake he was standing there, standing up to a World Noble. “How dare you threaten”, he spoke, but a quick flash soon removed his head from his body.

<p class="MsoNormal">My eyes opened wide as a shadowy figure swung his hand clean through Cooper’s neck. It was almost as if he was cutting with a sword, but instead he was doing it with his hand. The man dressed like a monk, but he sure did not fight like one. He was old, just like the noble he was guarding and seemed to have a calm demeanor around him. His eyes quickly turned and looked at me. “Are you next boy”, he asked. It was almost as if he could sense the anger burning through my heart. The flame however was immediately put out by a wave of fear.

<p class="MsoNormal">“What”, spoke the noble as he turned his gaze toward me, but his attention was soon turned to Yoza who pounced off the ground and rushed over to Cooper?

<p class="MsoNormal">“Cooper”, she shouted with pain and agony as tears began to pour from her eyes. The pain in her tears struck a chord in the hearts of all the villagers looking on, but the fear and power of the World Noble kept them from acting. “Cooper”, she shouted again as she grab onto his headless body and held it in her arms. It was clear that she loved him, like she loved all the children she raised.

<p class="MsoNormal">“Yoza”, I spoke as I looked on. Tears began to form from my own eyes as I looked at Coopers severed head. He was like a brother too me, and now he was dead. He was dead for doing what I should have done, but I was too much a coward to stand up. The idea of death was frightening I could not even move even when my mot… I mean Yoza was being assaulted.

<p class="MsoNormal">“Ugh so annoying”, spoke the nobleman as he raised his gun to fire at the back of Yoza skull. My eyes opened wide as I looked on. They had already had taken away Cooper and now he we about to take Yoza. My muscles tense as I was about to move my body, then it came in a flash. The old man I had seen earlier. He never took his eyes off me. Before I could even move he was upon me. His hand at my neck. The pressure pressing against my veins ready to cut.

<p class="MsoNormal">“Stop shooting”, the words stopped him and caught everyone off guard. The guardsman looked surprised and even more so was the World Noble. There standing in the middle of the road was a young woman with a blank expression. Her eyes showed no sign of life, but her body moved as if she was. “I said stop shooting”, she spoke again as she crushed the World Nobles’ gun in her hand.

<p class="MsoNormal">“Who dares”, spoke the World Noble as he looked on with shock. The old man removed his hand from my neck leaving a small cut. He then instead turned his attack toward the maiden who to his very surprise blocked his attack with her arm.

<p class="MsoNormal">“Your arm”, he spoke as he jumped backwards dodging a flying slash and grabbing the World Noble and clearing the space.

<p class="MsoNormal">   “Motaru”, spoke the World Noble as he looked at his bodyguard. This was the first time the old man had ever touched him. Normally he would simply block an attack or get in between him and whatever the problem was.

<p class="MsoNormal">“Careful Lord Hardon”, spoke Motaru as seven people stepped forward out of a nearby shop.

<p class="MsoNormal">“Here we go again Shinobu getting us in trouble”, spoke a young voice.

<p class="MsoNormal">“Hush”, spoke a swordsman as he sheathed his blade. “Now is not the time James. You can do so once we get out of this situation.”

<p class="MsoNormal">“Yes Greggory has a point”, spoke a green hair maiden. “It seems we have found some real trouble.”

<p class="MsoNormal">“Real trouble indeed Gwindalin”, spoke another female. “That looks like a world Noble.”

<p class="MsoNormal">“A world Noble, you don’t say Nya”, spoke another voice. “He may be our excuse to get the task force off our back.”

<p class="MsoNormal">“More than likely it is going to get them glued to us Morgan”, spoke a big man as he looked out upon the crowd. “He looked around and saw all the eyes glued to them. “It seems we are well known in these parts, that or our sudden exit of a shop pegged us a Shinobu’s friends.”

<p class="MsoNormal">“I think it is probably the later Borgus”, spoke a walking Lizard. “The guards were giving me a weird look when we first entered port, but none of them acted crazy.”

<p class="MsoNormal">“You have a point Talick, but”, spoke Greggory as he monitored the situation. “I think we have already found some trouble.”

<p class="MsoNormal">“Holy crap”, I spoke as I stared on at this group of people. I knew them, and I knew them well. I was not the only one to realize who was standing before us. The World Noble’s gaurds had taken notice as well and at the sight of them their eyes widen.

<p class="MsoNormal">“That, that”, spoke one of the guards as he stuttered. He looked down at a pile of wanted posters.

<p class="MsoNormal">That is the Seven Flags he shouted

<p class="MsoNormal">Don

<p class="MsoNormal">