Star Gaze, Chapter 1: I Am Star Gaze

“Prepare yourself”, came a cry as light radiated through an open door and illuminated a dark tavern. A maiden, dressed in pure white, walked through the opening. Her boots ran up to her thigh and her white dress came down to greet them.. In her right hand was a odachi covered by a white adam wood scabbard. The gilt was made pure gold and the handle was wrapped in rare white leather. Flowing in the wind was the maiden’s long golden hair that shined like the rays of the sun. Its length long enough to reach her lower knees.

“The hell”, spoke Red Cap as he sat around a round table. Most of his crew were sitting right next to him. On his right was his Bluu Falcon, the penguin swordsmen. On his left was Decan Jones the crazy bomber. Down the middle was Decan kent and next to him, pointing directly at the door was his trusty cannon. Sir Pounce a Lot was somewhere around the bar, and Nishi Nii was probably hanging around with him.

This was the entire Red Cap crew. A group of pirates who had made some waves in paradise. They were not weaklings, but this young marine thought she could take them on. Without a ounce of fear she kicked opened the door and stated her intentions, giving away the element of surprise.

“Oh for fuck sake”, gruffed Decan Kent as he kicked his cannon. The hunk of metal went off in a boom! The ball of solid iron sped forward at speed faster than any ship could sail, however the maiden did not flench.

With speeds faster than the human eye can see, she held her hand forward before the flying ball of iron. Her delicate white flesh meet the iron ball in the air and a loud thunder filled the room as the ball exploded into a cloud of smoke.

Everyone in the tavern coughed and groaned as the dust filled the room.

“Dude did you have to…”, stated Red cap, when his father suddenly drew his swords. In a flash he appeared in front of his human son and brandished his blades. A sudden clank filled the air as the three foot pinguin flew through the air and slammed straight though the brick wall.

“Father”, started Crimson, but his haki sense kicked in. He saw a vision of his head being busted openen appear before him. Quickly, and taking time less than a heartbeat, he drew out his blade. The fine edges groaned against the pressure as a white scabbard slammed into them. The force caused Red Cap to buckle as his eyes stared up at the 12 foot tall damsel bring her sheathed blade down onto his blade.

“She lived”, chuckled Decan Kent as he drew his pistol. A fearsome kick from her long slender legs sent him doubling over in pain.

“Kent”, roared Decan Jones as he removed two grenades from his belt. Red Cap took the opportunity presented by her counter attack on Kent to free himself from under the blade. He jumped back, just in time for Bluu to come raging through the wall.

“I hope you did not think that would finish me off”, declared the old Penguin as he launched a F shape flying slash at the maiden. The letters soon turned to fire and rushed to meet her..

“Pathetic”, she scoffed as she took a deep breath and blew out a jet of wind. The air was cold, cold as ice, as it not only destroyed the flying slash, but sent a stream of freezing air toward the duel wielding bird. Bluu, however masterfully dodge.

“Stand clear”, declared Jones as he tossed his grenades. The maiden quickly shifted her legs into a roundhouse kick over her head. The speed of her legs created a gust of air that blew the bombs back into the face of the thrower.

“Crap”, declared Jones as he jumped for cover. As the explosion rocked the northern wall of the tavern. The maiden shifted to using her sword. With the speed of summer lightning she brought down her scabbard hoping to pop open Kent’s lowered head in a single blow.

“As if”, roared Red Cap as a siege of spiked bones erupted from the ground and raced to impale her skin. The tips were covered in a black sludge that meant death even to the slightest of puncture.

“Pshaw.” The maiden jumped back clearing Kent’s body. The spikes however continued to erupt from the ground around her attempting to impale her. In the distance Red Cap, could be seen with his hand meling into a pile of decayed flesh and skeletons. His devil fruit power, was now in effect.

“Thousand Bone Lance”, roared Red Cap as spiked Bones appeared all around her. The projectiles launched at her from all sides attempting to pierce through her delicate moon skin.

Without wasting her breath the maiden drew her sword from its’ scabbard. The force of the release created a massive upheaval of air that ripped the entire tavern apart. Bones, brick, and people flew in all directions as the tavern exploded. Only two people remained unfazed, the first the marine and the second was none other than Bluu himself.

Without skipping a beat the Penguin hopped off the ground with is peg leg and slashed at the maiden with his twin sword. The slender beauty reacted quickly and blocked the first blade with her sword and the second with her adamn wood sheath. Bluu’s swords creaked under the pressure. It was no doubt that he equipment was of high quality.

The maiden was far to tall for Bluu to force a clash. Instead Bluu used her own block as a springboard to jump off her blades. He then attacked from the air with a quick flying slash. The attack was meet with a unlikely defense. The maiden’s hair, the golden rays of sunlight, whipped out with the speed of a serpent and severed the flying slash into twain. The blow caused the attack to dissipate.

“What”, spoke Bluu in disbelief, but before he could say more another lock of hair struck out at him. Bluu quickly defended with his blade, but another soon took its place. Bluu was instantly put on the defensive as the maiden’s long hair began to strike out at him like hungry serpents.

Bluu attempted to cut the hair themselves, but the strands were far to tough for that to be possible. Bluu was not sure if it was some kind of genetic trick, or if the maiden was applying haki to her hair, but one thing was sure, he was not going to be slicing through them any time soon.

As Bluu fended for his life against her serpent like hair the maiden regained her composure. With a quick twist she brought her sheathed blade to bare. The scabbard slammed into the crossed swords sending the light weight Bluu flying away like a arrow.

“Alright no I am pissed”, roare Red Cap as a gigantic bone hand launched in form her blind side. The attack however was stopped multiple whipps of her golden hair. The unconventional blade slicked the harden bones down the middle causing the gigantic hand to shatter into countless bone fragments.

“Damn! With her hair”, spoke Kent in disbelief. He had just recovered from the previous attack and to be honest he wanted nothing more from that women. Still …”

Before the cannoneer could get back into the fight the maiden’s golden locks sent a flying slash at the man. The attack was swift, faster than anything he had ever seen. It took everything he had to get out of the way of the attack, but the attack was not aimed at him. The flying slash cut clean though his cannon causing the contraption to exploded into a fearsome inferno. A inferno that kent was caught in.

“Kent”, Jones mourned! The demolition man had shifted from using simple grenades and moved to a launcher. Rather than shoot at her he instead shot at the ground. The explosion piled up as he fired away without care. “Die”, he roared as he held the trigger.

“Childish”. The word hung in the air as a sudden gust of wind ripped though the air. The force of the explosions dispersed as the shining edge of her sea stone odachi glinted in the morning light.

With another swing the maiden created another fearsome attack. The air cracked and rushed forward in a wave of destructive energy. There was no time for Jones to dodge, nor did he have anything that could block such a attack. Death awaited him.

Suddenly a wall of skeletons appeared between Jones and the blade of wind. The resulting explosion blew it all away, but force of the attack had been halted. Charging back into the fight was Red Cap. His body was now completely covered in bones.

“Bone Armor”, roared Crimson as he charged in with his twin swords. His blades clashed with the white scabbard and like his adopted father’s they groaned under the pressure. “Must be Adam Wood”, he stated.

“Of course”, spoke the maiden as a sly smile crossed her face. It was as if she was waiting for this moment the entire fight. “Star Gaze only uses the finest of quality. Any lesser would would not due for a blade wielded by me.”

“Star Gaze”, spoke Red Cap in confusion.

“Pshaw, country bumpkin”, she scoffed as she put pressure on her sword. With a single powerful swing she tossed Red Cap, covered in his thick Bone Armor, though the air like a child tossing a rock.

“Look now and know of your doom”, spoke spoke with elegance as she brushed a strand of her hair behind her right ear. “I am Star Gaze, Captain of The Dazzling. I am the face of glorious Justice and the instrument of your doom. And before you ask the answer is no. I will not marry low born filth like yourselves.”

“What”, question Red Cap as he stared with disbelief.

“Z”, came a cry as Bluu brandished his blades. The swordsmen crossed his swords into a X and vanished from human sight.

“Oh I see”, she spoke, as suddenly Star Gaze touched the hilt of her sword. The maiden suddenly closed her eyes and then drew her sword from its sheath. The movement was so fast that Red Cap did not even see her draw her blade. However the area in front of her suddenly erupted violently as the sea and air cut wide open.

“Magnificent”, spoke Bluu suddenly as he stood behind the maiden. A moment later two halves of his swords slammed into the dirt.

“Your skill is great”, she spoke as she placed her sword back into its scabbard. “However your weapons were weak. If you …”, she started, but suddenly a Z appeared on her chest and the maiden’s body erupted in black blood.

“You underestimate the technique, young one”, started Bluu Falcon as a slash suddenly appeared on his chest as well. The fearsome penguin however held his ground despite the blood and pain. “The swords don’t do the cutting. The water particles …” Bluu Falcon then lost the balance in his legs and fell over into the mud.

“Father”, roared Red Cap as he rushed over to him.

“Damn it”, roared Star Gaze as black blood began to flow from a Z shaped scar in her chest. The maiden focused in on herself and ordered her body to stop the bleeding. The flow of blood to the wound stopped and the flesh began to place itself back together. “Life Return”, whispered Star to herself as she stared up with hateful eyes at the retreating pair.

Star Gaze was prepared to follow the two of them and finish the battle. Her flesh had been mended and her resolve was strong, but. The maiden looked down at the black blood staining her clothing. If people saw …, if they knew. Star bit her lip. She would have to let them escape for now. It was better to let them escape than to let people know. Picking up her sword she ripped her dress off her body and tossed it into the sea. Looking down she picked up a tablecloth form the tavern and prepared to wrap it around herself when she noticed her own reflection in the sea.

“Such perfection”, she started as she began to stare at her exposed flesh. The Z shape wound was now gone and her skin was a pure as the day she was born. Blood began to rush to her head and small drops of crimson began to drip from her nose. “Oh my”, she spoke as she used the cloth to contain the blood. “I need to go”, she stated before she looked back just once more to look at herself. How she loved that divine image. Without further delay she wrapped the cloth around herself and jumped into the sea. Her ship was not far, but she did not want to risk anyone seeing her in such a shameful state.