One Sea: 3rd Treasure

Heya all, Zeon1 again! Second day, which means two more One Sea chapters. I plan to wrap up the flashbacks today, and get started on the Saobody Arc, which doesn't lead a New World Saga. Just to let you know.

This chapter is dedicated to Rawful the 1st. May you always forget doors, even in heaven.

3rd Treasure: Extinction Contract
A small wolf pup moved carefully along the ground, his nose pressed against the dirt, sniffing for food. Anything would do, really, though the pup especially perferred ground beef. However, with the local village's cows a long way off (and guarded after the pup's recent conquest there), the puppy had to make do with whatever he could find.

Suddenly, the puppy's nose came into contact with a small hollow in the ground. Leaning down a bit farther, the pup sniffed around. Telltale traces of boot came to his nose, as well as the scent of pine wood, which most Marine ships where built of. Of course, the pup didn't realize how much danger he was in just SNIFFING the darn ground.

A boot seemed to come from heaven, landing strait down on the pup's head. The pup let out a short yelp before being silenced, its heart going still. Above it, the killer, Commander Jacques, paid no head to the life he had just taken. Instead, he stared up at the village towers in the distance. Another grin came upon his face.

---

"He'll be fine," the doctor said, taking a step away from Penn's unconscious form, layed out on his examination table. Kaien gave a sigh of relief. Finally, one less life of his shoulders.

"What about the fruit he ate?" Kaien asked.

"It's hard to tell," the doctor replied, "but right now we're thinking it's one of those 'Devil Fruits'. Specifically, considering his body's current state, the Onji Onji no Mi."

"Sponge Sponge Fruit?" Kaien's eyebrows tightened.

"Yessir. His body is now pretty much made of sponge... but, if our records of the fruit are correct, when he wakes up he should know how to control it."

Kaien sighed, leaning on a plush chair for patients' relatives. "When he be able to leave?" he asked, rubbing his forehead.

"As soon as he wakes up," the doctor said. As though some god had heard him, Penn's eyes flickered open, and he sat up with a yawn.

"Whatsgoinon?" he asked in one breath, pausing to take yet another yawn. "Yo~sha! I'm hungry. Hey, Doc, got any food?"

Kaien thumped him lightly on the head. "I'll get you something on your way home. Now let's go." He walked out the door, not bothering to see if Penn was following. What he saw when he left stopped him in his tracks.

Dead bodies. Littered all over the ground, blood still fresh. A small group of Marines surrounded the square, each holding a simple rifle, smoke being emitted from most of them, showing evidence of the massacre. At the head was the Commander, a dark-skinned man with an ugly scar down his left eye.

"What the-?" Kaien barely got out before another round buried itself in his shoulder. Grunting, he dropped to the ground, rolling and coming up on his feet, lifting up a pistol aimed straight at the Commander. Jacques grinned, then raised a finger. His index finger quickly made a flicking motion.

The pistol shot out of Kaien's hands, clattering behind him. Kaien scowled. "Haki?" he asked, his brow furrowing even more.

"Of course," Jacques said, "I'm the master of this fleet! No one can beat my Haki. Now die!" He raised his index finger again, pointing towards Kaien's shoulder. A force slammed into Kaien's shoulder, lifting off his feet, as some blood escaped his mouth. He crashed to the floor again.

Jacques walked slowly up to Kaien, raising his finger again. He made a jabbing motion aimed at Kaien's throat. Kaien closed his eyes, bracing himself for the impact. The noise of a blow landed came, but nothing hit him. His eyes creaked open.

Standing in front of him was Penn, part of his forehead caved in, right in line with the Commander's Haki shot. As Kaien watched, the caved in section of his forehead snapped back into place. Jacques took a step back. "Who the hell are you, kid?!" he asked, lifting both of his hands up.

"My name?" Penn asked, his eyes hidden by his hair and veins popping out of his neck, "MY NAME IS COLUMBUS D. PENN! AND YOU WON'T HURT KAIEN-SENSEI!"

End 3rd Treasure