Serious: The Dusk Pirates; Chapter 4: The big move (Open to the Dusk Pirates)

It seemed that Frank's attempt to tie Miguel's shoe laces together was a success, this should make things a lot easier. Taking advantage of the fact that they were still above Frank's body, Frank burst out of Miguel's shoes, that were now tied together, and rush into his gun, attempting to posses it. He didn't mean to finish Miguel off with his own gun though, he wanted the pleasure for himself. As his spirit flew into the gun, Frank's ghost tail extended from it and entered into the ground. The tail connected with Frank's body.

"Yomi Yomi no HALF LIFE!" Frank shouted form withing the gun, announcing his strongest move. Frank's body then jumped up from the snow, rising like a phoenix from the ashes. It seemed more lifeless then usual, it's movements were clumsy and slow, but with Miguel's shoes tied and his gun immobilized, it was one step from a sure hit. The body raised it's right arm and produced a long sigh, like zombies do in every horror film, preparing for his final blow.

As Koga was running towards Maximillion, the man sneezed. Could the cold temperature of the area make him catch a cold or was somebody talking behind his back? He would not bother about it. His main objective was to save his captain and he had almost done it. Without wasting time, he run towards the cells. There, he saw a few prisoners standing on the floor, chained and with their bodies injured, probably from the guards. However, one of these prisoners was still okay... Maximillion Maimou, his captain, was safe and sound except from the fact that he was chained in a cell of an underwater prison. The turtle smiled as he looked at him and said "I am here, Maximillion. You are going to be out soon...".

As he looked at him, Maximillion was surprised. He could not understand who he was, because of his appearance. The voice reminded him of Koga, and the skin color, as well, but the rest was completely different. Koga did not have a human looking appearance. It was impossible to be him. How did he turn in that form? The only explanation Maximillion could give was that he ate a Devil Fruit... Before he asked, though, he realised that Koga was not normal, anyway. After all, he was a talking turtle. It could be possible that his mutation was responsible for this. Nonetheless, Maximillion decided to ask who he was to ensure that he was his comrade. He asked "Hm... Who are you to dare to say that you will free me out?"

Koga sighed. He thought that Maximillion would understand that he was him. "It's me you idiot! Don't you recognise me?! I am KOGA! YOUR DEAR TURTLE!" he responded while yelling at his captain who frowned in order to annoy him more and said "Don't ever call me an idiot again, unless you want to be punished.". The two of them were finally reunited and Koga was ready to free him out.

Before he did so, though, he realised something! The man did not have the keys with him! Without the keys it would be impossible to open the cell. The only way to do it would be to break it, but that was definitely something difficult. "DAMN IT!" Koga shouted as he wanted to show his anger for himself for not having the keys. "I guess I will break them by myself..." he continued and he started using his Shell Stamp technique on the lock in an attempt to break it. And as he did so, Mercury was looking at him, surprised that he managed to reach this part of the underwater prison... Maximillion could really help him, after all.

Meanwhile, in the building in which Wako and the giant wolf were fighting... As the poker cards moved, the wolf attempted to dodge them. However, before he jumped out of the way to avoid the attack, his body was slashed by the steel edged poker cards that were definitely not card games for children. Upon getting slashed the wolf screamed in pain, but tried to keep the balance of the body. Surprising Wako, the wolf started speaking "D-Damn it... I have sworn to Jack that I would be protecting this place... And I'm failing..." before turning into a human form. He coughed some blood. He looked at the many scars he had on the chest because of the steel cards. The blood was coming out of them endlessly... He said "I-I am not letting you win..." while sweat started coming out of his body because of the pressure his body was suffering. "I WILL NOT LOSE!" he shouted before turning into a wolf-human hybrid this time, with white fur on the body. "I have eaten a Devil Fruit called Inu-Inu no Mi: Model White Wolf... If you wonder." and then he rushed towards the man in order to impale his right shoulder with his sharp claws and make it difficult for him to use his right hand.

At the same time, Miguel was surprised with the technique that the zombie used to stop him. That was impossible! With his shoes tied, it would be very difficult for him to move. Even if he untied them quickly, the zombie would tie them again. If he stopped wearing them, his feet would get cold and he would not be able to use his full power! That was a very bad situation for him! Not knowing what to do, Miguel raised the gun in an attempt to shoot towards the zombie. However, he noticed that he could not as it was taken over by the zombie! Then, he raised his second gun in order to shoot. He realised, though, that it had run out of ammunition and so it was impossible for him to shoot. "DAMN YOU!!! I SHALL GET YOU BACK!!!" he screamed as he looked at the zombie raising his hand slowly in order to punch him. For the first time since he appeared, Miguel took a frightened face. "WHO ARE YOU?!" he yelled as he looked at the zombie's fist coming on his face and breaking his nose, as well as his jaw before sending him flying away and unconscious. The man was finally defeated by Frank of the Dusk Pirates...

[Flashback]

Long, long ago... Many years ago... In the prison of Impel Down, many pirates were being sent. Extremely dangerous crimilans would be sent to level 6 and level 5, dangerous ones would be sent to level 4 and 3 and the weak ones would be sent to level 2 and level 1. On each one of these levels, one man would be responsible to take care of them. A man who had shown his potential and was thought to be a monster to beat. A sharpshooter who never missed his mark. Miguel D. Soto, otherwise known as "The Immortal" due to himself not dying easily and being already too old, was reponsible for dealing with the criminals by having the position of the Warden. He was well-liked by his subordinates and everyone used to admire him. He used to be a guy who would always smile on every circumstance, whether it was sad or not. Many people wondered what the source of his smiles was... Only a few knew that his wife and his son, who also used to live in Impel Down with him, made his days. By looking at them, he thought that he had a reason to live... A reason to protect the world from these criminals.

As the days passed peacefully inside the prison, the man was more and more eager to work. He wanted to get on vacation with his family, one day, so if he got tired from overworking, he could have the chance to get it. That was not a good thing for a man with his position to do, but he wanted to make his son happy. After all, the place was not a good one to live at...

One day, though... Something bad was about to happen. After finally getting a letter from Marineford that said that he could go on vacation for around seven days, he packed his stuff and prepared to leave to an island. He was ready to get out... He was at the elevator of level 4 and waiting for his wife and his son... Until...

A scream was heard. A guard was screaming for something. The prisoners were having a riot. They wanted to take advantage of the man's absence and escape from the prison. Without losing any time, the man started moving towards them. Apparently, they were freed by somebody and level 4 was in chaos. They were killing any guard they happened to encounter, so that they would have less trouble in getting out. As he noticed that they were attacking everyone recklessly, the man started shooting at them without a second thought, killing many of them, while injuring others and sending them back at their cells. He sighed as he stopped the riot... He started walking towards the elevator... There, he waited... And waited... He thought that his wife and his son were hiding at their room, in order to not be attacked by the pirates. That was what he told them to do before in case a riot happened. As he waited, though, a scream was heard once again... And this time, it was a familiar scream. His wife was screaming for something. He had to get there to see what was happening!

As he started running quickly towards the place the scream came from, he whispered and repeated to himself "Rosa...Juan! Wait for me! I am coming! I am here, I-AM-HERE!". As he arrived, though, he looked at her dead body, as well as his son's and a prisoner smiling for killing her. "What do you say Warden?" the man said with a smile on his face "I say nothing." he responded before shooting him in the head instantly, killing him with a single shot. Afterwards, he moved towards Rosa and his child and grabbed them. He started crying above them and saying "I am here... I am here. I AM HERE! WHERE ARE YOU?!" and his tears fell on their corpses. Unlike in fairy tale's though, the two of them were not revived... They were dead and there was nothing Miguel could do...

[Flashback ends]

In an uncoscious state... Miguel is thinking of all these things. His life comes through his mind... The important events of his life that led to him having this personality. "Rosa... Juan... Since that day, I'd sworn that I would never let a pirate win... I'd never suffer a loss... Even if I retired from my position, I was still fighting for justice... I promised to avenge you... But, I failed... I suffered losses... Lion and Draculo are dead... The prison was once rampaged, during a short absence of mine... And now, it is rampaged again... And I am dying... Rosa. Juan. You are the source of my power. I hope I'll find that power back in the other world... I am coming... To meet you again." he thought before leaving his last breath. The Immortal had just let his soul leave from his body...

Upon seeing Alexander passing out from sheer exhaustion, Jack walked towards him in order to say something to him. Surprisingly enough, Alexander managed to cut down the building and avoid much damage from the attack. However, his sword was broken and now his body could not handle the exhaustion. It seemed like the Vice Warden won the battle. As he did not have much time, the man moved his hand and created a very small swamp around Alexander's body, making it sink very slowly. It would take quite a while for him to sink, but Jack couldn't afford the time to create a bog that would swallow Alexander in an instant. "That was great, Alexander D. Remmington. I was just lucky enough to battle you while you were exhausted. Hmph." were his words and he turned his back on him and started running towards Koga.

As he run and had almost reached the cells, he started thinking once again...

[Flashback 2]

While returning from his vacation, Jack looked at the prison. There were many things going on wrong. The building was almost collapsed, great amounts of chewing gum were out of the building, and there were holes inside the building. Without losing any time, the Vice-Warden approached Lecter who was dealing with the repair of the building. He asked with a worried voice
"Lecter! What happened here?!"
"Oh, well... I was told that the prison was attacked by Seshomaru... The yonkou..."
"What?! A yonkou while I was away?! And where were you?!"
"I was in Marineford... I was called there so that I would be informed about the new prisoners that would come. You see, after the war in Enies Lobby, quite a few pirates were captured. With you away, I was the one to work for that." Lecter said as he raised his hand in order to put his glasses back at his eyes. As, he put them, they shined, making him take an evil face for a single second...
"Damn it... I leave for a little bit, and the prison is ruined."
"You should not worry about it... We did not have a mass break-out."
"Oh really? SHOULD THAT MAKE ME NOT WORRY?!" Jack said with an angered face, while grabbing Lecter from the chest.
"Wow... How would you react, when I said that Kazuma betrayed us for Seshomaru?"
"SAY THAT AGAIN AND YOU ARE DEAD!"
"Hmph... It is my fault for saying the truth..." Lecter responded, while taking Jack's hand off his chest.
"I am sorry, Lecter. I did not mean it... It is just that... I... I promised to myself that I would not let myself suffer what Miguel once suffered... How is my father?"
"He is okay... He got injured from battling Seshomaru along with Vice-Admiral Jiper. The two of them failed, but still... Oh well, they tried their best.
"Thank God..."
"As for being sorry... Do not even mention it. There might be times that I will have to be sorry, too."
"Hahaha. Right."
"Just like me, think of the bright side..."
"And that is?"
"From now on, you will never let yourself leave from the prison and you should concentrate on dealing with pirates. Just like I will do. That way, you can swear to yourself that you will protect the prison and you will really achieve it."
"You are right... I swear to myself that I will never let the prison be in trouble again."
Then, Jack started walking away, thinking of how he would help the prison get repaired again and of ways to make himself stronger to really keep his promise.

[Flashback 2 ends]

"I promised Lecter that I would concentrate on catching the pirates and never get distracted by anything else... For the sake of the prison! Beware Dusk Pirates! I am on my way!" he said and kept running towards Koga in order to stop him.

Wako was dumb-founded and awestruck by his opponents sudden speak of the tongue, "Oh MY GOD!! A talking animal its the end of the world!!". Wako was freaking out, "I haven't had enough fun in life for Armageddon!!"Wako had no idea his opponent could speak the way he did, never the less Wako expected him to be weaker once he was slashed by his cards. He was counting on the cards as something that had weakened him, Wako expected the man to have lost in that moment but forgot one important thing.. if this man was hiding that he could speak and that he had a weird type of Devil fruit.. then what else was he hiding? The Wolf man immediately turned into a Hybrid and ran towards Wako, from which he was incapable of defending himself do to his superior speed. Wakos Right arm was slashed by his opponents claws, during which Wako tried to lower himself and rolled up to the side, stopping with both his feet on he ground and him in his ready position, his right arm was now Gushing blood.

"If you think a small wound like this is going to stop me think again!!!!" The wound suddenly opened more Having a small squirt of blood leak from it like a fountain. "I meant to do that.. now how do I stop myself from doing it..." Wako noticed how warm His opponent must have been feeling under all of that fur he had on, Wakos movements were gradually getting slower and weaker do to the weather conditions and their effects on muscles. Wako really did have no choice but to try to end this as fast as possible.

Taking a deep breath Wako put his right foot forward, looking as if he had stepped on something with that singular foot. "Alcohol.. Takeover.." his right legs muscles tensed up, but to the opponent he was just holding motionless. The attacks on his right foot were temporarily 4 times as powerful, but he would be unable to walk with that foot for the remainder of the day.. 2 days if he used it for as long as he could. However Wako was going to try to end it with the next shot if possible. This was Wakos chance to prove to the crew what he was made off, this was his resolve... that.. and..

"Sorry wolfy, but I need to steal your Fur coat.. it looks warm hehehe.." Wakos voice suddenly got colder. His shoes swords were put back inside his shoe as he waited for his opponents next move.

As Wako looked at him and waited for him, the wolf-human hybrid fell on his legs, due to the fact that his injuries were great. He could not stand for very long. If he got hit once by one of Wako's powerful attacks, he would probably end up gettind defeated. He only had one chance to win and that would be to take the mysterious drugs he found a day ago in his room...

[Flashback]

As the man entered his room one day ago, he looked at a few drugs that were on his bed. These drugs was quite strange. He did not remember having them in his room and most importantly, he did not know what they were. As he moved towards them, he spotted a letter next to them. He picked it up and read it. The letters of the letter seemed to be familiar to him, but he did not pay attention at all. He read "Mako... Something is going to happen soon, and you are needed... These drugs will be quite useful when you have a problem in a battle... In case you have a problem, eat them and you will see the results. Do not try to find out what they are. Just eat them.". At that time, the letter was quite surprising. The man wondered who had given all these things to him...

[Flashback ends]

However, now the man was in a desperate state. He did not know what to do in order to defeat his enemy. He was clearly very tired and could not do many things at all, due to his injuries and his fatigue. There was only one thing that could probably save him and that was to eat the drugs that he was given by that unknown person who gave him the letter. "Let's risk it..." he said as he started eating them...

Suddenly, his body started changing. It was turning into that of giant sizes. It was getting bigger and bigger and the sharp teeth he had grew out of his mouth. White fur surrounded his hole body and he got a very big tail. His claws were turning extremely long and sharp and the building started collapsing as his size was increasing to sizes greater than it could handle. The man had turned into a monster form.

As he turned into that monster form, he looked at Wako who was below him. He swiftly tried to stomp him with his right foot in order to damage him, before he would start a rampage in the prison. Mako, a Chief Guard of the prison, had lost his sense and would attack anything and anybody he would encounter.

[OOC NOTE TO EVERYONE: THE WOLF IS SO BIG THAT HE IS VISIBLE FROM ANY PLACE OF THE LEVEL. SO, BE REASONABLE AND RP NOTICING HIM. THANKS!]

As events began unfolding, Ellen stired a little, and then actually woken up, staring at her leg in confusion as she noticed that it was bullet free. She then sat up clutching her head, and then quick realisation, came and looked around franticly. She then spotted her tube with her remaining cherry bombs, sighed in relife as she went over to pikc it up, and then stared in shock. "What the f**k? What the hell is that?", she exclaimed fearfully as she saw a large wolf like creature in the distance, and even from where she was the creature was huge! She then stared at in fright for a few seconds, and then smiled to herself, saying as if she had already decided; "I wonder if I can blow him up?"

Frank after losing the grasp of Miguel's pistol, Frank's soul shot out of it and back into his body, now fully possessing it. He stumbled to the floor from exhaustion, using the Half life technique took a huge part of his strength. He turned his head up to look for his crew, but he could only see a gigantic wolf roaming around the level. He had no strength to run from it or attack it, his afterlife were up to fate now.

"Who am I?" He repeated Miguel's question. "I am Frank N. Stain, the man who cheated death" He said before collapsing. He watched as Miguel took his last breaths before his body gave up. With he bullets lodges in his back and the exhaustion catching up with him, Frank closed his eyes and entered a deep slumber.

As Alexander was sinking in the bog that Jack created, everything looked like he was doomed. Most of the crewmembers were not there to save him. Frank had just defeated Miguel, Ellen had just woken up and was not nearby to get him out, Wako was battling the monster-like wolf, Quincy was with Ellen and Koga was desperately trying to get Maximillion out of his cell. There seemed to be nothing that was able to get Alexander out of the bog... Until... As the flying swordsman was sinking inside the swamp, a man swiftly moved and grabbed him, taking him out of the bog. He looked at him with a worried face and put him down in order to let him rest, without being in danger.

Then, he sighed. He looked towards the cells. From afar, he could see Jack, who was running towards them and had almost reached the place. He smiled and started looking towards the place, hoping to see what he expected to see.

Meanwhile, next to the cells... Jack had arrived next to Koga and was looking towards him as he desperately used his Shell Stamp in order to break them down. The turtle had seen the monster wolf and he was trying to be faster so that he would free his captain before it was too late. He attacked and attacked... But the results were the same. The cages would not break no matter what. After all, they were made of sea-stone. It was difficult to impossible to break it. Even in his new form, Koga was unable to do it. That was a real pain... How would he free Maximillion when Jack was approaching him?! He was panicked and did not know what to do at all.

Jack arrived at the place shortly. He smiled to the turtle and touched him on his right shoulder. Koga could feel a breeze hitting him. Jack's pressence creepled him. He could feel the element of swamp touching his back. It was covering him slowly and Maximillion who was looking at him was shocked to see Jack swallowing him. Mercury on the other side, moved his head downwards in order to not see because he knew that in his current state this scene would cause him nightmares for a very long time.

"What the..." Koga said with a shocked look on his face.
"It seems you are way too late... Turtle..."
"Run Koga, run!" Maximillion said with a worried face about his comrade.
"Running away from me is impossible..." Jack said as he smiled at the pirate with an evil face. "You are losing, Maximillion."
"Th-This is impossible! Did he not keep his end of the bargain?! Damn you K-"

"Who did not keep the end of his bargain, you imbecile?!" a man said behind Jack, while stabbing him on the back with his weapon. The man was having a strange look on his hair. Half of them were yellow and half of them were black. He wore glasses on his face, which he moved back at his eyes and he had a jailor's suit. The man was none other than a man that the crew and especially Frank and Quincy knew very well...

Upon listening to that sentence, Koga deeply opened his eyes. That voice belonged to a man that he had seen and listened to before. And precisely, a man the crew had battled a little bit ago.
Jack's reaction was also the same. He could easily understand the voice of the man that stabbed him. He had talked with that voice for quite a long time. It was a familiar voice. A voice he trusted. A voice he was friends with...

[Flashback 3]

In the depths of level 5... Jack was checking the cells of the prisoners. The man was doing his usual job. Since Sheshomaru infiltrated Impel Down, Lucifer, the Warden, was away in order to heal from his injuries. As a result, Jack was taking care of his responsibilities. However, that was about to change. As he was checking, his Den Den Mushi started ringing. He answered. Lecter's voice was heard. The Chief Guard and the Vice Warden started talking

"Hello, Jack." Lecter said with a normal voice.
"Hey, Lecter. Do you need something? I am busy."
"I know you are busy... But we received a call from Marineford. Your father is finally coming back.
"Really?! That's great to know. You know, I started getting tired... Acting as both the Vice-Warden and the Warden is quite tiring."
"Yes, I know. But your job is your life Jack. Haha. I wonder what would happen if this place was attacked by somebody."
"Well... You are right. But still..."
"Haha... Anyway, he will be here soon, so come over his office. I have to report something to him, too."

---

A few minutes later in the Warden's office... Lecter enters the office and greets the Warden. He says "Head-Warden, I have come to report to you... I have been informed that the prisoner we had been waiting for has arrived. Maximillion Maimou is here. Also, I have been called by Mariejois by some Government Agents. They all say that they and the Gorousei are more than happy to see that you are back at your position.". Then, the man raised his glasses to his eyes as they seemed to be falling and they shined for a while, hiding his eyes while he started speaking. He said "Also, I have to report that a number of prisoners has disappeared from all the levels during your absence. Many level one and level two prisoners have disappeared, as well as a few level three, level four and level five. Level six is fine, though. I have started an investigation in order to find out what is going on. Everything will be clear soon. Shall I continue with the investigation?". However, Jack, who was already there, responded before the Warden "Sorry Lecter, the old man isnt feeling well.... hes been like this for 2 months... it doesnt look good.... still ill look into the missing prisoners". "NONSENSE!!!!!" The earth began to shake , as Jack tried to hold on. The big man spoke while coughing "GAH GAH..... YOU THINK I CAN'T RUN THIS PRISON!!!!?? YOU ARE TWO MILLION YEARS TOO EARLY!!! GURGHHH.... Either way, look into the missing prisoners, and Lecter, take Maximillion whats his name to his cell and I can care less what the GOROSEI have to say , those morons have nothing better to do than sit up there..... Now both of you out of my office, I have to work on these stupid papers....Morons....".

Jack sighed as he walked away "Yes father.... we will do it...." Jack saluted and walked out, he turned to Lecter "Let's go eh? Lots of things to do and what not.....". "We should go, indeed." Lecter said while he moved his glasses to his eyes again with his middle finger and the glasses shined, hiding his eyes once again. Then, he turned his back at Lucifer and said "I guess I will accompany Maimou to his cell... Level 5 is waiting for him..." while walking out of the office. Afterwards, he turned towards Jack and said "Indeed, we have to work. So much work in Impel Down... I can barely take it. It is making me tired. I wish I was as old as Head Warden so that I would retire and live a peaceful life without any of these scums around me. However, there are so many things that need to be done first, that I am forced to stay here... Ah...". Afterwards, he started walking away. He completed while slowly walking "I will be investigating level 5 while I will be brining Maimou there... If that makes you feel any better." and he slowly left away...

[Flashback ends]

"Kageroza... Lecter..." both Koga and Jack said as they turned their head and witnessed the Chief Guard, who was looking at them with a different face than before.

[Flashback 4]

And while Maximillion was being accompanied to level 5... As they entered the level, Lecter started smiling. Maximillion could not understand why in the begining, even if he thought of something... Lecter said
"Perfect... Everything is just perfect...".
"What do you mean?" Maximillion said with a wondering face. "Could you be...".
"Indeed, Maximillion Maimou. I am the one...".
"A traitorous Chief Guard, huh?"
"Hmph? Traitorous? No... I am just avenging the dead..."
"And how are you doing so? By betraying your comrades and helping a pirate? That is against your justice, is it not?"
"Justice? Let me laugh. There is no justice in these world. There is only power... And those who have the ability to wield it."
"And let me guess... I do belong to these people, right?"
"Of course..."
"So, is this why you called me here?"
"Indeed... I have found out about you, through the Government's files. You see, the files of each pirate are sent to me everyday... I was looking for somebody that could help me. I wanted somebody very strong that would help me get my revenge, somebody linked and somebody that would have to earn a lot of things from this story."
"And is the reason you trusted me?"
"You are quite smart... You got it with the first try."
"Hmph... Is a pirate like me trustworthy?"
"Well, the guards here are not trustworthy, either. If they were... My family would not be killed..."
"So that is why you turn against them. Quite interesting. But, how can I see that you will keep your end of the bargain and give me Anty."
"You do not know... But you are a smart man, so you will believe in me.
"Hmphmphmphmph! I guess I have nothing better to do..."

[Flashback ends]

"You got it right... Vice Warden...".

Wakos jaw dropped once he saw the Wolf mans Size grow to be what he was, he had broken the ceiling that was on top of them. His sheer weight and presence almost knocked Wako on his butt. If it were not for the position he left himself in he definitely would've fell. The Giant wolf man monster took his massive foot upwards, and attempted to step on Wako. "So this is a Kick to you huh?? let me show you what a REAL kick can do HAHAHA!!!" Wako used his Tensed up foot to push himself upwards, with his powered up foot Wako unleashed his foot, forcing himself forward in a much faster manner then usual. "LIQUOR KICK!!" a powerful kick was sent towards the enemy. Normally a giants kick would completely defeat Wakos, but in this occasion his kick was 4 times more powerful, as well as him going 4 times as fast then his normal jumps.

If Wakos attack had hit his opponents foot it would preferably send the opponent backwards, making him lose his balance. The attack might hurt the giants foot if it hits.

"HAHAHA!! if these freaks of Nature don't accept me after this Giant then I'll give them your Long coat as a Bribe!!!" His right arm felt almost worthless now.

The wolf's foot was hit by the clown's kick and the wolf-human hybrid growled because of the pain he received. However, in his "awakened" form, the attack that would normally make him fall unconscious, made him just take some damage before regaining a part of his strength. Then, as the wolf-human did not have control of his senses, he jumped towards Quincy's and Ellen's side, getting a little bit away from Wako. Thanks to his powerful legs, it was easy for him to move through the level. However, any kinds of attacks would be able to hit him because of his giant size. The battle with the giant wolf would be one of the greatest battles that would take place in the underwater prison.

Meanwhile, in Maximillion's cell...

After getting hit, Jack stopped using his swamp powers on Koga and pulled the blade of the naginata out of his body. He looked at the hole that Lecter made on his body. He touched it with his hand and looked at the blood. Why? Why did Lecter do this? What would he have to earn from this?
"L-Lecter... Wha-What is the meaning of this?" Jack said with a pale looking face.
"Is there a reason I should explain this to you?"
"I am your higher up..."
"Not anymore, Yomi. I shall retire from my position... After all, I have almost achieved my goals..."
"Wh-What... do you... mean? What... What are your...goals?"
"Is it not clear? I shall explain... After I got my Chief Guard position, I learned something... My family was killed because of your father... And since then I vowed to get my revenge on him and his relatives."
"What the... heck?"
"It is over, Yomi. Your family's generation is going to end with you."
"Why would you take your revenge on...me... And not on my father?"
"It is obvious, Yomi! You are the only one that can move Lucifer out of his office! If he gets here quickly, when he learns from me that you are in danger, he will fall for the trap and Maximillion will get his chance to eliminate him! And guess what... I informed him while I was coming here, so he should be here now..."
"Huh?!"

"Yes... Come out, Maximillion." were Lecter's last words as he moved towards the man's cell and unlocked his cell, as well as his chains. Maximillion got up and looked at his hands. His pads were safe and sound... And Koga was safe, too. The only one who was not outside was Mercury. With an evil look on his face, Maximillion pointed towards him and asked Lecter "Can you free "The Dark Lord, too?"

Lecter sighed. He knew that as soon as his betrayal was found out, he would be in trouble... So what would he lose if he freed him? Without even thinking twice, the man moved towards the Dark Lord's cell and unlocked him. Mercury looked towards Maximillion and Lecter with a thankful, yet frightened face and he started following them.

"Let's end this..." Lecter said as he slashed Jack at the chest, making him fall on the ground unconscious because of the damage he had already suffered. "Farewell..." he said to the Vice-Guard, expecting him to die soon.

On the other side, Maximillion did not care for Jack. He wanted to demonstrate his power. After all, he had not demonstrated its full potential even in the Unholy War... He wanted to show the prisoners who were standing in the same cell as him that he was nothing compared to them. "Get moving..." he said to Lecter, Mercury and Koga, who were standing behind him. Then, they moved away and he said "Venom Hydra!" as he unleashed great amounts of venom from his left hand, poisoning all of them. Then, he laughed evily and headed away, in order to follow his comrades and finally get out of the prison... They were all heading towards one direction... And that was the wolf-human's direction. That was probably the spot where everyone would gather. The perfect place to find all of his comrades...

Meanwhile, in level 4...

At the stairs that led to level 5, Manta and the rest of the crew were guarding so that nobody from the guards would move there. However, as they guarded, a big man with a white afro and a white beard approached them...

Ellen stared catiously at the behemoth of a wolf as it came towards them, full of malice and aggresion, to which Ellen grinned, trying her best to hide her fear, and speedily lit and threw two of her cherry bombs into the canines tooth ridden maw, expecting to leave terrible burns, causing her to quip; "Here, chow on something spicier!", with a manical giggle, and then clutching her arms in pain, forgetting about the fact they where shot earlier.

"Uuuuh..." Alexander's eyes fluttered open. "Wha...? So cold...I can't...urgh..."

His eyes closed once more and he fell once more into darkness. His last thought was: Why didn't Alex say anything?

Seeing Alexander waking up, the man who was standing next to him was surprised. The man turned his back towards Alexander as soon as he listened at himself speaking, but at the moment he did Alexander was sleeping once again... The man was probably resting from getting tired. The place was not perfect for resting, though. He would have to carry him somewhere else... He would have to carry him at a place where he would not be in danger by the likes of Jack or any other guards of the place. And so, he grabbed him on his shoulder and started running towards the giant human-wolf hybrid in an attempt to reach them.

As he was running, though, he listened to a voice. The voice was very familiar. It was the voice of Lecter, who was calling at him in order to make him stop and wait for them. With a surprised face, he turned his head and took a look at three familiar faces. One of them was Lecter, the second one was his captain, Maximillion, and the third one was Koga, his very best friend.

"R.A.M. 2!!! I knew you were alright!" Koga said with a smile on his face as he started running towards him. In the begining, R.A.M. 2 could not recognise his friend. The transformation his body had made him inrecongnisable. His voice was similar, though, so he could understand him. He stood in his position and looked at him with a smile on his face.

"I am safe and sound." was the message that appeared on his tiny screen on his forehead. The message was something more than enough to calm Koga down. When he got to this level, he thought that he had lost him... But now, he was there with him. His friend was there to assist him, after all. They would be again once again, and this time they would not be seperated from each other no matter what. The two of them would continue being together as partners to fill for their lack of strength, making a strong fighter together...
"Do you promise that you will never leave me again?" Koga said with tears in his eyes, while waiting for R.A.M. 2's answer.
"I promise, Koga. I promise. " was the message that appeared on the cyborg's forehead. Then, the two of them hugged each other in order to show their happiness for meeting again, before the moment was interrupted by Lecter who said
"Can we get moving now?"
"No, you are not going anywhere!" Koga said with an angry look on his face, as he looked towards the Chief Guard. "I can't let you go, you b@stard after doing this to R.A.M. 2!". Then, he prepared to go with an attack, before being stopped by R.A.M. 2, who moved his hand in front of Koga's chest to stop him. Another message appeared on his forehead that said "He is with us... He is the one who fixed me... That's all I can say at the moment.". "Hmph, whatever..." Koga said as he decided to not do anything for the moment as his friend asked him to do so.

"Now that everything is okay, can we get moving? I want to get out of this place to get my gift from Lecter, for helping him." Maximillion said, interrupting the scene.

"Right!", "Indeed.", *nod*, were the reactions of Koga, Lecter and R.A.M. 2 respectively, and the four people, with Alexander on R.A.M. 2's back kept moving towards the wolf-human monster hybrid, hoping to meet the rest of the crew. As they moved, Maximillion wondered where Mercury was... But he had an idea about where he could be...

Meanwhile, in a small hut on the level, right next to the cells... Mercury opens the door and asks "Dark Lord... Where do you are? I can hear your voice calling me... Is there something you need me?"

Also, at the same time... The giant wolf looked at the bombs that were launched on him. The creature screamed in pain as the explosions hit him. However, he was still able to stand. His monster form gave him godlike stamina and it was difficult to defeat a monster like that easily. With injuries in his face, the transformed guard attempted to perform a punch on Quincy and Ellen in order to deal with them and continue his rampage in the level. The creature did not want anything else except from destroying the place... How would he be stopped?!

Quincy lifted Ellen seeing that she saw still injured, and ran began to run away before the wolf before it killed them both. He threw a chemical ball along Ellen's bombs in order to increase the damage of the attack. Hopefully this would be enough to stun the beast. "Where is a leash when u need one? Somebody help!!!!" Quincy couldn't fight the beast, and protect ellen at the same time. Why were females so much trouble? Then he thought of an idea. He threw a chemical ball at one of the cells blasting a piece of bars. Quincy put the ellen in a safe place, and picked the bar. He ran toward the wolf in order to weaken him, since all the bars were made from sea stone.

Wako could not believe he was ignored, after hitting the giants foot Wako expected for him to fight back and deliver a strong blow, but instead he charged towards two members of the crew.. "hmm... I wonder if i left the stove on all those years back in my house.. before I was taken by the marines... I think i did.." Wako stood thinking before he realized something that should've stayed on his mind before, if the two people are hurt by HIS opponent he might not get his spot in a crew. Wako immediately went into action after realizing this. He jumped with his tensed foot and began to spin forward, attempting to build up momentum with the spins, he was trying to make his kick even more powerful then it currently was.

"Spining taquila!" the attack was made from above the wolf, aiming at the top of his head, if it hit Wako hoped it would send him downwards instead of forward, preventing him from hurting his potential crew mates. "Didn't you know beast? when you mess with one clown, you mess with us all HAHAHA!!"

As the giant wolf attempted to attack Quincy, he noticed the doctor trying to hit him with a sea-stone bar. That was a very smart strategy, indeed. That would be troublesome for the beast. Apparently, the beast did not know about the effects of the sea-stone in his current state. He had lost his mind and so he cound not even think of avoiding the attack. As a result, the sea-stone bar hit him, causing him to get weakened, before getting hit on the back from Wako's Spinning Tequilla on the back that broke his spine and made him fall on the ground unconscious, causing a very loud sound. Afterwards, the wolf turned into his normal form, and because of the huge damaged he received while in the monster form he screamed in pain, with a scream that showed that he was letting his soul leave from his body and travel to the other world. All those serious injuries Mako suffered from Wako's, Ellen's and Quincy's attacks were enough to bring him down. Wako's kicks and tricks caused him serious damage, as well as Ellen's cherry bombs, while Quincy weakened him with Sea-stone. The three of them worked perfectly... Mako was finally defeated.

As he got defeated, the rest of the crew arrived. Maximillion, Koga and R.A.M. 2, who was carrying Alexander, were there. Lecter was also with them. Maximillion smiled and raised his hand in order to greet everyone "Hello, my friends." he said while expecting an answer from his loyal subordinates, as well as from Wako, the new crew member. "Where is Frank?" Koga asked, but before he completed his question R.A.M. 2 run towards him, grabbing him on his other shoulder. Now, the only ones missing were the crew members of level 4 and Mercury...

Wako was surprised when he saw another man head towards them, however he regarded them as friends. Looking around him Wako saw the defeated body of Mako.. the man whom was much tougher then Wako could've imagined, if it would've been a one on one, Wako might've lost. Looking at the new fellow Wako decided to release his current tensed leg, making it limp and numb, he started hopping with one leg, since the other was now worthless. His left leg was the only thing keeping him from falling. "Hehehe nice to meet you, you must have been the reason these people released me from my BORING~ prison, it is nice to meet the cause for my departure from the third hell." Wako sounded strangely civilized and much more intelligent then he usually lets himself look like, in that moment through he tilted more to the right and fell flat on his face, forgetting that his right leg was basicly worthless for 24 hours. His leg muscles were all numb, and unable to move properly.

His head was now stuck on the snow, he used his good hand (the ones that isnt bleeding and almost worthless), to try and take his head out, but was unable to. "I am willing to give the guy that takes me out of here a VERY colorful string I found in the prison cell."

Seeing the clown, Maximillion was surprised. He turned his head towards Koga to ask for an explanation and Koga took a funny look on his face while whispering "Don't mind him..." at his captain's ear. Upon listening to that, the captain nodded and took a look towards the clown once again. "Well, I am Maximillion... I guess you decided to follow us... Luckily enough for you, you proved your loyalty already by coming here... So you are welcome to join me...". Then, he turned his head backwards. He wanted to see where Mercury was. However, there were no sightings of the man. He sighed and said "I guess he will follow our tracks... Let's move everyone..." and he started walking towards level 4, in order to get out of the prison. Lecter, Koga and R.A.M. 2 who was carrying Alexander and Frank were moving... Now, Quincy, Ellen and Wako would have to follow them... And Shrieker, too, who had disappeared for quite a while...

However, as they walked, a huge trembling was heard from above. What could be possibly going on? Maximillion run quickly in order to find out by himself...

Meanwhile, in the small hut of level 5... Mercury smiles evily as he wears his helmet. He finally wore the suit of the "Dark Lord". He laughed and said "Kahahahahahaha! It's time for some fun!" as he got out of the hut and headed towards the cells in order to get his revenge on the last standing prisoners who were mocking him most of the time...

Quincy nearly caught a heart attack seeing his former captain "Max you're free!!!! We did it. We defeated the greatest prison in world. There is nothing stand in our way now." He fell to his knees nearly crying full of joy of seeing Max. Then he saw who he was with him. It was R.A.M. He was alive!!!! The only bad thing he was Frank and Alex who RAM was carrying. Quincy ran toward them in order to give any medical attention they might need. They had come too far just to die now. Then just to make things worse the ground started to shake. "Maximillion you had a nice rest inside your cell. The next oppenent is yours."

As Ellen was leapt down from Quinct after being carrried, snapping at him; "Who said you could use my last cherry bomb?", and punching him in the arm in annoyance, wincing as he once again moved her injured arm.. She then turned to the reunited crew members, with an unfamiliar new ally, to which she commented; "Thats you boss then? I expected somone creepier. Ah well, like I care who I work for, I just want to see my beautifully designed and crafted explosives create large fiery rt, then dwindle away sadly." She then felt the ground rumbling and wobbled a bit before falling over from it. Damnit, there's more? All I have is the tube now, and if I use that it's only 50/50, and even if it does work it's still pretty dangerous, she thought to herself, stressed about the new opponent.

Maximillion smiled as soon as he listened to Quincy's words. The man had faith in him and believed that he could help the crew get out on his own. That was something he did not expect at all, as he was the one who surrendered at the place... Even if he had reason at doing so, he had done that. It was unbelievable for him to believe that his crew believed in him so much. Glad because of the opinion of his comrade, Maximillion started running towards level 4 after saying "You are right Quincy..."

As he started running, though, something else happened. Ellen, a woman that was carried by Quincy woke up. Upon looking at her, the man smiled. He was not the kind of person who would feel things some time ago, until he had his life saved in the Atlantis War. Ever since then, he started developing a few emotions, including the one of caring about his comrades. That woman made him feel like that... Even if he had not officially said it, he would accept her in the crew... "I am glad to meet you..." he said and then he started running for real, heading towards level 4, where the shake came from.

Seeing him running, Koga, R.A.M. 2 and Lecter started following... They all wanted to see what was going on...

Meanwhile, on level 4...

"What the... What is he?!" Manta said with blood around his body.
"You are way too young to battle with the Warden..." the man said as he grabbed him from the head and smashed him on the ground, knocking him unconscious.

[[Deep inside Level 5]]
The swamp grew larger as Jack Yomi climbed out of his hole "Pfft.... Lecter, that traitorous bastard." Jack got away barely, but now it was a serious problem, it was no longer just that easy. He was going to face those 3 morons. But doing this by himself was stupid. Jack adjusted his suit, he used the moisture from the swamp to fill in the wounds. Jack walked foward watching the carnage, he then called on his den den mushi "Lecter betrayed us, father if anything, you stay in your office, they are aiming for you....." The voice crackled "Dont be stupid boy, i dont need your sass, let them come, i do not fear them...." Jack then shook his head "Impel Down has not that much left. Soon they will breach Level 6 and that is something i cannot allow under any circumstance, not to mention the Dark King is out.....but sir, let me get Lecter for you....." Jack walked in front of Lecter and group "Ohh, interesting, mind letting me in on your little reunion......"

"What? Are you still alive Yomi?" Lecter said with a smile on his face, as the crew was running towards Level 4. He was surprised to see Jack arriving at the place. He expected him to be dying. He did not know that he could fill his injuries with his swamp and keep walking. That was very surprising... "Get moving everyone." were his words to the Dusk Pirates as he turned his head towards Jack in order to talk to him.

"I honestly did not want to end it like this, Yomi. I did not want to kill you on the spot. The years we spent together made me be sad for you, so I could not finish you off... It would be better if you died from your wounds... But it seems as if you really want me to kill you... Do you not?" were his next words to Jack, while he started spinning his weapon slowly. "Naginata Art # 10 - Cheetah!" he said, as he moved towards Jack with Soru speeds and attempted to slash him on the chest with his unique weapon. The battle between the two was about to start and it would be one of the greatest ones in the prison... Who would emerge victorious?

Meanwhile, in the middle of the stairs that led to level 4... The rest of the crew was running, following Maximillion to level 4 to see what is going on...

Alexander's eyes flickered open and he took a look around. He was being carried by someone or something. The individual looked like R.A.M. 2. Huh. That was strange. He must be dreaming. R.A.M. 2 had disappeared a while back. Besides, he had been injured, or so Frank had claimed. There was no way he could have caught up with them.

Alexander settled in and closed his eyes. Oh well. There was nothing else he could do about it right now. So, he was going to take this time to rest. For a dream, he sure felt tired...

Frank opened his eyes. The pain in his back was starting to fade now that Quincy pulled the bullets out. His arm was also getting better after it was cleared of bullets as well. "Are we out?" Frank asked no one in particular. He noticed he was being carried, which surprised him since not many members of the Dusk Pirates could run while carrying a heavy man like Frank. The person had a weird texture, almost metallic. 'Metal?' Frank thought as he opened his eyes again. He was carried by non-other than RAM. "You're alive?!" Frank shouted with surprise, looks like he wasn;t the only one who could cheat death. He then noticed they were running upwards, which meant that they were heading out. 'Wait, that means...' Frank thought as he ran a quick scan of the crew, looking ofr one particular man. "MAX!" He shouted, "WE MADE IT!". "Get me down RAM. I can walk" Frank said, now powered by the joy that filled him as a result of one simple fact: They were getting out of hell.

Quincy followed the stairs with his crew to the fourth level. They were on their way out the prison finally. After this he was going to buy all the rum he could afford, and spend the entire day with some wrenches. Quincy was tired as hell after escaping death twice. He need to get to the ship in order to perform proper surgries. Quincy could only wonder what would the 4th level look since last time they have been there it was covered fire. "Whats the plan captain?"