Destroyers at Sea Chapter One: The Conquest for a Sword

Iken slowly walked over to the group of men attacking Emillio and the long armed man. By the time he entered his striking distance the long armed man had already taken out two more the bar patrons. Iken knew that he men were only drunk and normally wouldn't act this way. Seriously injuring or killing them was defiantly out, they were part of the town that had saved them before. It would be a good idea to keep good relations with such a place, once they got a doctor, it wouldn't be a bad idea to send them here to train their skills.

As Iken walked in between the two opposing forces the boar man that seemed to have started the whole ordeal picked up a chair. In the blink of an eye the chair fell into pieces. Sheathing his sword, Iken turned his attention back to the boar of a man. With another swift movement Iken landed a powerful blow to the man's midsection. Iken's punch was on a whole different level than Kh'Ryll's, and therefore did much more damage. The man's fat seemed to swallow the swordsman hand for a moment before the power of the punch actually hit.

Iken's ribs were barley able to hold up from the punch he just unleashed. Pain shot through Iken's upper body causing him to stammer backward as if he had actually been hit. However the effects of Iken's punch were soon obvious, the boar began with a cough until the vomit came. After the vomiting stopped he stood bent over drooling until he collapsed onto his knees. If it wasn't for the Boar's weight he would have been sent flying into the wall of the bar. A smirk crossed Iken's face when the man went down from his attack. However Iken's ribs took damage since they weren't completely healed from the last battle.

Sitting down on a bar stool, Iken sat back and turned towards the bar counter and bartender. Grabbing a menu from nearby Iken scoured it looking for something. Despite the ruckus going on behind him Iken was in a totally different zone. After searching the menu he ordered a bottle of rum and a large portion of meat. The last time Iken ordered something like this he was about to meet the crew for the first time. It seemed that bar fights were a recruiting method for this crew.

The scene became bloodier by the minute. It seemed that the crew was attracted to action, both Thor and Iken came to assist in the fight, and with an almost even number of warriors on each side, the bar fighters had no chance.

After Ikne dropped the boar man, who seemed to be the leader of the group, one of the drunken bar fighters sneaked up beihnd him as he ordered his food, such a weird man. The bar fighter took a butterfly knife out of his pocket, ready to stab the swordsman in the back, but a tap on his shoulder stopped him. As the knife holder turned to see who touched him, a splash of extremely spicy tabasco sauce was fired right into his eyes and mouth. It was Emillio, with his improvised sauce guns. "Adios!" Emillio shouted as the man ran towards the tables, looking for water to ease his pain. Emillio then sat next to Iken and murmured: "I should make this a style... Hot sauce.... Tabasco shot... The name needs some work...". He kept an eye on the fight, just so he could have some entertainment while he could.

After receiving his sword Cat couldnt help but stare at it, this was what they intentionally came down here for, this was the sword that Cat had been trying to get since he heard about it. A tear went down his face as he laid in bed, he was happy he had such strong companions, he was sure to become a legend with the sword. Cat held its Handle, it was made to protect the hand of the one wielding it, the shieth was also perfect for his style of fighting, since it was made of a hard material. To Cat the blade was beautiful in every sense of the word.

"Doctor, i have a surprise for you.. i need to give you something.." The women at that instant broke through the door wearing a cute little Nurses outfit. "Oh i thought you'd never ask!". Cat was confused at just what happened but he gave her a check, the women was confused but turned angry when she thought of something. "You silly you dont have to pay for it!" Cat looked at the sword and back at her, of course he was going to pay for the sword, it was made of Seastone. Cat looked at the women insisting on giving her the check. She looked at him with a vain on her left eye brow, "I am not a freakin Prost-" she was cut off by Cat. "The money is for the sword, the villagers need the money for what they have been through, this should be more then enough for everything.. you can even have my sword." Cat gave her the check and his sword, he now had nothing. The lady gave a look of disappointment, she took the check and sat next to Cat, holding the check in her hands. It was all of his money, in total with the sword it was 100,000,000 Belli. Cat didnt want to tell his crew mates he had so much money before, but now he was broke. The lady held Cats hand as he laid in bed, now with the sword next to him.

After getting his order, Iken dug into the meat, however he held off the booze taking it a little bit slower. The last time he drank a whole bottle if liquor he went and joined a frigging pirate crew, Iken's not even a pirate. With Iken's perception he could hear the man's footsteps and the sound of him taking the blade out of it's holder. However Iken also heard the clank that he came to know as Emillio, his comrade. Hearing the man run away screaming, Iken looked at Emillio as he sat down in the next stool.

"Heh, why not make a bullet full of spices and whatnot or maybe a pepper shot. Then you can have some type of attack that stuns instead of killing. It would sure be helpful for situations like this. However I doubt we'll get into another situation like this....Although on second thought, we seem to only recruit members over bar fights. Eh whatever, you're the gunslinger not me." Iken said between bites of food.

From the room Cat was hearing noises from the outside, he was on top of the house kind of like a tower, yet he could still hear the ruckus coming from a nearby bar. Cat started thinking of the possible things that could be going on.. but only one explanation popped into his head.. The crew. It seemed like every time they went into a Bar they got into a fight, it seemed unnecessary but every time they went into a bar either someone said something stupid, or did something to upset someone without them knowing. Half the fights weren't even their fault to begin with. Cat had no doubt that it was yet another bar fight, and the sound of slashing and grunting led him to believe that his team was doing the ass kicking.. they always do.

"Um.. nurse can i go to the restroom in that Bar down there? it's a guy thing we need to Pee in places like that." Cat said this with a serious face, the women got up from her Seat and got a Urine Bucket and placed it next to the bed. She stood by waiting. "Unless you want me to break something you better not move, im gunna be waiting outside and if i come back and theres nothing in that Bucket.. lets just say this Bat is gunna be a part of some swinging lessons" The Doctor left the room, and Cat yelled out

"FINE you got me.. can't i go into the Bar! My friends might need me". The Women doctor came back in and threw the Bat landing on his Leg, you could hear a Crack coming from it. She then sat down next to him, "Cat.. no offense on what you are capable off.. But your friends are Monstrous in strength, I have no doubt that they could defeat everyone in that Bar if they were given a chance.. So you don't have to worry." She stayed on the other side of the bed, sitting down on her chair, watching him for any signs of escaping.

Cat noticed he could move his arm again.. and so soon.. he really did think he'd never be able to move it again and now its almost like it never happened, although he didnt know that the bone was still brittle.

"Yes! Yes I am the gunner..." Emillio answered to Iken, trying to sound as professional as he could, which was quite unprofessional. Iken suggested a relatively nice idea that Emillio never thought of, and admitting that someone else was a more creative gunner than him that he didn't want to do.

"Hey, barman, I'd love to get a refill on this one" Emillio said, gesturing with an empty tabasco bottle. The barman was busy worrying about the ongoing fight that was going down on his floor, so a random busboy took care of Emillio's weird request, handing him a bottle of the flaming sauce and taking the empty one back to the kitchen. Never in all of the time this bar was standing did so many tabasco bottles got emptied in one day. Hell, it was more tabasco than the bar used in an entire month. "Thanks!" the foreign gunner said before opening the bottle and taking a long swig of the red liquid, enjoying the stinging sensation in his mouth and throat.

"Say..." Emillio said as he continued to watch the ongoing fight. "The last time I saw you you were unconscious, with Cat, where is the lazy ass?" Emillio asked, remembering that the crew had another member that was hurt.

Although the fight had cooled down a bit, it was still going, both sides had a couple members left standing. Despite it being a smart idea for the bar patrons to step down from the fight as they were clearly out matched, no one ever said a drunk man was the smartest. Finishing his meal and about the quarter of his bottle of rum Iken looked around. The whole bar seemed to be watching the fight, it was probably the first time such behavior would have been allowed since the marines taking over a little over two years ago. That made Iken worry, was it really a good thing to take out the marines and leave the village without any form of law. This surely would be a prime time for the lawless to move in and takeover.

"Sigh....I wonder...." before Iken could get the rest of his mumbling out he was cut off by Emillio. "Oh Cat, I guess his legs were broken, so he wasn't able to walk around like us. He did try to get out of the room by screaming bloody murder. I suppose it wasn't to far from that either, the nurse was really intense. Although I think it was more of a way to flirt with him more than anything. Damn she was a cuttie too, oh well, there's others out there." Iken said downing more of the rum

Cat was undoubtedly In shock, the peaces were falling together. It was so obvious to him now.. the women beside him was unquestionably with PINK hair, it wasn't red. Cat had been entertaining himself now for quite sometime with random events, one of them trying to find out the difference in colors and finding out their names. The Doctors was indeed Pink. Looking around his room he accidently moved his leg, but it didn't hurt. Cat was now able to MOVE his leg, which freaked him out.

"What was in those things you injected into me?" Although the women had explained it before Cat never understood it. The women realizing this had to find a way to explain it to him in a way he could understand. "Ok these tubes and shots have very TINY Bacteria that help your body heal, but it only happens once in your lifetime." She summed it up about as quickly and as easy as she could. Cat nodded, but the second he thought of Bacteria he thought of the Cold, he checked his own head.. Nope he didnt seem to have a fever, and he wasn't coughing. This was a very weird bacteria. He kept moving his legs, in a few hours he might be able to move. The most would be a Day.

"I wonder how the crew is doing..."

"Well hell new guy, can't ya take a few weaklings like these guys?" Iken said getting tired of waiting for the man to finished the remaining man.

However before the assassin could make his move Iken was back up. Pulling his sword from it's sheath it looked like the drunken Iken was about to commit the worst crime possible. Quickly advancing on the remaining man, Iken attacked before the man could even attempt to react. Using the broad side of his saber Iken slapped the man across the face. With the mighty blow to his head he fell into a crumpled position on the bar floor. An instant later Iken sheathed his sword before looking back to the crew.

"Well now that's done, why don't you say we go collect Cat and head out for the next island." Iken said walking towards the exit.

"Don;t be so hard on him, he was injured as well!" Emillio said to Iken, who was too drunk to listen. Emillio smiled after seeing Iken sending a man, who was probably twice his size, to the ground. "At least he didn't kill him this time..." Emillio said to no one in particular before taking a long sip of tabasco sauce.

After Iken was finished, he suggested that they'll leave the bar. "I'm up for it! Better get out before any problemas occur" He said, and then looked down at the defeated group of men and the poor guy who was still running around tables looking for more water. "On second thought, too late for that" Emillio said. He took out a few coins from his pocket and placed them on the counter. "Sorry for your trouble" He said before fixing his sombrero and getting up from his uncomfortable sit. This crew was exciting, all of these bar fights and the taste of tabasco made Emillio remember the good days in Las Espaninto. He left home, but he was also taking home with him wherever he went.

As Iken walked to the door, he thought of all of the injuries the crew had sustained in the previous battle. Stopping dead in his tracks, Iken began to wonder if leaving was really the right thing at that point of time. There were so many what ifs at that point, what if bandits attacked the town as it was now, or what if the crew was attacked in such a weak condition out at sea. Turning around Iken looked over what part of the crew that was in the bar and spoke.

"On second thought, I think we should stay here for a bit longer." Iken said before exiting the bar.

[A Few Days Later]

Iken awoke in the room he and Cat had been occupying for about a week now. He almost felt like he could get used to this kind of life, just sitting around all day. However it got terribly boring and neither he nor his nakama could achieve their dreams just sitting on their asses. Iken had done a little bit of training over the past few days, but he felt like he accomplished little. Sighing Iken looked at Cat, being in a room with the man for quite some time he, got to know him pretty well.

"Well my friend, I'm going out, want to come with me?" asked Iken.

Cat had been laying on his back all throughout the week, healing his leg. By this time the leg was healed completely and the finishing touches were the day before, Yesterday was Cats last day in the closed room. The nurse was taking care of both him and Iken throughout the time, and Cat even got to learn more about Iken. It seemed like staying on the bed all day was a lot like the Style Cat only dreamed of in the past. His Lazyness was getting worse throughout the days as he actually became dependent on the Clinic lady to give him food, it became worse the more he healed up to the very day he was completely healed.. he didnt want to leave the bed but Iken was deffinetely in the mood to explore. Cat had healed completely and had even managed to work on his Senses while in the confined space. Cat got up, with the nurse tired out from all the days he made her work around the house.

"Alright Iken, lets go explore a little before we leave." Cat hadnt actually had a chance to explore the place properly other then the brief day he was running across town from Ex-Marines. This seemed like a perfect time to go into the open and have a little fun. He got his new Sea-Stone sword and left the bed, attemtping to follow Iken to his next destination. "So where are we going anyways?" Cat had his uncaring look, almost as if he were in a daze.. but that was mostly because he was getting used to the Lifestyle of having someone do everything for you.. this really did impact him in a negative way, probably making him even more lazy then he was a week ago.

His eyes were half open, and his face emotionless.

The door to the local tavern was opened gently and slowly, to reveal a rather skinny individual, with messy greasy with random tuffs sticking around the place, and a rather calm and relaxed smile on his thin face. The man was not in his usual attire, he was dressed in a loose fitting dark yellow cotton tunic acompanied with rather well fitting pair of green breeches and rather dull brown boots, with added light mteal plating on the man's shoulders, knees, and shins. He reeked of dry sweat, much to the distrees of the bar's patrons, though avoided saying anything to the new customer as they heard that a group of visitors of the island attacked customers of a bar not to far from the tavern, and thought it would best to be safe in case of if this man was among the violent visitors.

He happily strolled up to the bar and rather cheerfully greeted the tavern landlord; "Bonjour Mousieour! I am a mercenary who has heard that this place has been in some sort of turmoil from the local law enforcement here! I dont suppose you have heard of any possible employers in the area for such thing to be, ah let's say, corrected?" The stranger spoke with a rather soft and calm voice, the voice that would belong to a local priest or a kind policeman.
The landlord, a large bald individual how was a rather kindly soul, trying to hide his disgust from the smell of dried sweat and the sudden pungent odour of the grease in the man's hair, carefully replied; "Sorry to tell you this sir, but, well before you came a group of individuals took out the marines, there's pretty much just a few scrambling around now, most of them no longer anything to do with the marines anymore."
The gentle mercenary sighed, a little downhearted that he traveled here for nought, though returned to his rather cheerfull self quite quickly and asked the landlord; "It is a shame, though I suppose at least the corrupt oppressors are gone so there is good in this. I suppose this is what I get from running from home and stealing that boat. If it is okay with you mousieour, I would like to stay a night here, just so I can rest for a while and then journey away."
To which the landlord replied; "Ofcourse sir, It costs a mere 20 berri per night, I'll just put your name in the lodger Mr...?"
The mercenary smiled at the landlord. "Ah treis bien! What a wonderful price! I am Pierre Quirel Riverti mousieour, a pleasure to meet you!", Pierre said warmly and handed the man the money he owed him. "I shall return later for dinner, until then I bid you, adieu!" Pierre then waved a pleaseant goodbye and left the tavern in high spirits, much to the puzzlement of the tavern's patrons, afterall, the man had lost out on work and was yet, extremely cheerful.

Sounds of cheers and excitement could be heard from the outside inside the little room in which Iken and Cat were. The source of the sounds was no other than a group of people who were surrounding a single person. The crowd was screaming and whistling, cheering the man inside the ring to go on and on. That man, was none other than the the crew's foreign gunner, Emillio, who was now refered to as "The Windmill", an old nickname he had back home in Las Espaninto.

That nickname wasn't given to him without a reason, and the reason was his special little hobby. On his spare time, when he wasn't practicing his aim or fixing some old cannons, Emillio liked to practice his coordination, by juggling. In the time the crew spent on the island, Emillio occupied himself by practicing his juggling skills, earning himself the same nickname he had when he was in his home island, replacing his marine-given name: The Stupid Foreigner.

"He can do it!" A voice in the crowd screamed. "One more! One More!" A kid shouted. "This is crazy!" A woman said to her friend.
"Uno momento mi amigos!" Emillio shouted to the crowd, too occupied with the task at hand to notice he was speaking in a foreign language. He was standing in the middle of the crowd, his arms flailing about, and not less than three of his pistols were tossed between his hand, he was juggling guns. "Alright..." Emillio said as he managed to steady his rhythm, "Toss the next one!". After the command was told, a boy in the crowd tossed Emillio his forth and final revolver. The gunner caught it with his left hand and threw it into the mix right before a different revolver slid into his palm. "He did it!" The crowd shouted.
"Ok... now who's tossing me my cherry bombs?"

Iken looked at the small room they had spent the last week in, it wasn't much. However it was more than they had waiting for them back on the boat. Iken knew that he and the crew were getting fond of the island and hospitality of the islanders. With a sigh Iken walked over to Cat to see if he needed help to his feet after his legs had healed. After helping Cat, Iken lead the way out of the door of the room. The nurse was nearby, she was sleeping and looked totally exhausted, she was such a nice lady to put up with a group of filthy pirates for so long.

Walking down the haul Iken and Cat came across Emillio, he was entertaining the crowds by doing a strange juggling act. Iken had heard of his old nickname the "Windmill", but had never know why he had. After seeing the spectacle that had a small crowd cheering, Iken was able to figure it out with ease. Iken smiled when he seen how brightly his nakama could make the children smile and laugh. Walking by the group Iken didn't want to bother him with such a small task.

"Come one Cat, we'll just leave them alone. If he wants to come he will, but let him play with them without us bothering him.

At this point Iken only hopped Cat would be mesmerized by the incredible act of pure talent. Iken's mission at this point was to scout the outskirts of the town in the treeline. Ever since he was in the bar fight, Iken had been worried about the town being attacked by some outlaw group of bandits or pirates. They left them without the military powers they used to have whether or not it was for the best the town seemed happy. Despite that Iken wasn't able to get over the sinking feeling in his stomach, it really was the problem with his whole philosophy. He wanted to overthrow the current government and establish and new one in a more perfect image, however the problem was there would be a lot of suffering. The lawless would run rampant even more so than they already do.

Upon walking out of the door it didn't take Iken long to stop a suspicious looking group of men. There were five of them all wearing worn out brown clothing that hid their identities. It appeared to be some type of advanced scouting party, and Iken figured it was the local bandits he had heard rumors about. Once again Iken's stomach sank deeper into the pits called despair. Putting his hand on the hilt of his saber Iken casually followed the men trying to gauge the level of the men as well as find out what they were up to. After only a few days Iken felt like he was completely healed thanks to the woman's miracle drugs, but he knew he most likely wouldn't be able to take all five men at once. Iken looked over his shoulder towards where Cat would be if he followed, thankful he had asked Cat to come.

Cat left the room giving the clinic lady some time to rest, she had done enough for him these past few weeks. Heading outside with Iken, Cat saw Emilio do a juggling at, one which he himself was mesmerized by. The People were all laughing and having a good time, and Cat enjoyed it. The view of the entire situation was breath taking, Cat had only imagined this view in but a few books and fairy tails.. Iken insisted on leaving Emilio alone with the people surrounding him, he nodded his head and left with Iken, if he had indeed wanted to come along he would follow them.

Walking forward Cat noticed 5 men wondering the streets, he tried not to pay too much attention to them but Iken seemed interested for some reason, although Cat couldn't find out why 5 men wearing Raggedy old clothes would be important he continued to follow them with Iken. If Iken saw something wrong with these people odds were there was a reason. Iken might have a hunch on something, but on what Cat could not find out. His hand was now at his swords hilt as well, noticing that Iken had his hand on his as well, this meant battle might come at any moment.. something he had learned from experience watching Iken in the past.

After following the group for a while it seemed that the men slow made their way towards the marines compound. They walked into the court yard causing the view of them to be severed momentarily. By the time Iken and Cat walked in front of the gate, they seen only the backs of the men go into the mansion. The bandits clear the court yard at an incredible pace. This made Iken wonder if they knew they were being followed. It certainly seemed like they could be setting up a trap inside the mansion, or attack them while they entered the narrow door way.

"Cat stay on your guard, I'm guessing they're setting up a trap in the mansion as we speak. They also out number us by more than two to one." Iken warned as they walked through the gate.

Walking into the courtyard Iken was focused on the front door of the mansion so much that he barley noticed a twig snap behind them. Looking over his should two of the bandits held a pistol to both Iken's and Cat's heads. Iken's whole body tensed up, he had lead Cat right into a trap, a trap he should have predicted. The bandits had played him with such ease that he felt like he was no more than a child. Iken's anger boiled inside him, however he knew for both his and Cat's sake he needed to stay clam.

"Okay, bandit what is your game? Why have you come into this town?" Iken inquired.

"That's not of y'r damn business! All that you need to know is how to keep your yap shut!" Yelled on of the bandits.

The man then pistol whipped Iken in the back of his head causing him to fall on his knees. The blood began to flow from the back of his head and drip onto the ground. With his hand Iken wiped off the blood and looked at it on his hand before replacing the hand to try and stop the bleeding. Iken then gestured to Cat so he didn't try anything. Clenching his bloody fist tightly Iken stood back up to the bandits amazement. He hadn't seen someone take a hit like that and get back up so soon, he also hadn't seen anyone like any of the members in the Destroyers. Looking back to the man, Iken stared down the barrel of the gun.

"What do you plan to do with us?" Iken asked concerned for Cat.

"Well I suppose we'll take you back to the base and you'll be bartered for. I'm sure your captain would be willing to pay a pretty penny for you two and leave the island at the same, that way no one will bother us. How does that sound you pathetic swordsman?" the bandit said mocking Iken.

"Iken.. i think we're trapped.." Cat had just stated the obvious. While being held up by these men he felt a gun being pressed against his head. He was in a very bad position, there was no doubt about it. No matter how fast Cat was on attacking one man, the other could just as easily shoot him. Cat didn't care about his own safety, but Iken's was priority. Cat was alright with following their orders until he witnessed Iken getting hit above the head with the mans pistol, Cats eyes opened with rage, His fist clenching.

Cat thought he was dead or knocked out, but he stood up. Iken had shown his Endurance on this. Cat was now mad beyond reasoning,his comrade now had a bloody face. Just as he was about to try and calm himself and listen to Iken another thing made him lose his head.. Cat was going to be used as a problem to the Destroyers at Sea, something he only sought to help. His promise was to join and help them, getting caught and being used as Ransom was NOT part of the deal. Cat was now furious his sences now reaching their peak. He stood perfectly still, watching and smelling the objects around him until he counted all 5 men.

"Iken.. Im sorry.. but you have to JUMP!" Cat lowered himself and used his sheath to swing it in a circle, effectively hitting the 2 men on their knees. They instantly dropped in pain. Cat in that instant rememebred where the other three where and moved towards them, having his sword still in his sheath Cat swung it in a fast motion, unsheathing it. "Elegant Slash" He ran past the one that muttered their fate as a bribe, being behind him the man suddenly dropped to his knees and fell to the ground. Cat sheathed his sword.

He had only bought time, since the 2 bandits were on the ground hurt. They soon took out their pistols and aimed at Cat, he turned around and heard a loud gunshot. Cat had been narrowly missed thanks to the darkness. But his cheeks had the scratch to prove what could've been his death. Cat ran behind one of the three that were in front and used his body as cover, taking out his blade from his sheath and stabbing him through the stomach. Cat now had a dead hostage (he didn't think leaving him alive would be useful.. which is wrong since it might've helped somewhat). Cat had defeated two of them but the gunshots that were about to come from the two in front would certainly kill him.

Cat was hoping Iken could defeat the two in front, and have one guy alive to explain everything.. since Cat had no idea why these people were even here.

Pierre grined to himself as he walked along th streets, waving at a number of locals he had never met before, and stopped for a moment to watch a street performer juggle a few items, some guns among the many items lobbed up in the air, and applauded at the man before moving on down the street, commenting to himself; "What a wondeful performance that man put up, he obviously has some skill."

When the mercenary had left the tavern he had reserved a room for the night, he had quickly returned to his ship in the town's docks. Well, ship was a generous discription, and even calling the small one man dingy a boat was also a stretch. He had returned to the vessel to pick up his one strapped backpack, one of extremely simple design and rather dull colour of beige, and change into his usual clothes for when he wasn't working as a mercenary or his other job as a part time cleaner. His outfit consisted of a light blue tank top, so what tight fitting on his thin physice, as well as an ordinary pair of white laced trainers and some baggy black nylon trousers.

The only reason that Pierre was walking around town was simply to explore the town and admire it attractions and local community, and also for a pleaseant walk for a breath of fresh air from tedious sailing on his rather miniscule dingy. Though unexpectedly, he heard the sound of fighting not to far off from where he was strolling, and ran along towards the suprising sounds of swords being unsheathed and shots being fired to see a pair of swordsmen fight off some rather shady looking individuals, who looked as if they were loosing magnificently. As Pierre watched in intrest from an alleyway which he had ran into to discover the source of the violent sounds, not entirely sure on who he should back up or in fact if he should just stop the fight all together, he saw as one of the swordsmen was having pistoles aimed at him by a pair of the last remaining assaultants, to which Pierre decided that it ws the swordsmen that were being wronged.

The mercenary quickly dashed next to one of the bandits, much to their suprise, and quickly transformed his hand into some kind of furry paw, which he rolled into what appeared to be a fist and punched the badit in the head, loudly exclaiming the words; "Pooch Punch!" As the the other bandit was shocked on what had just unexpectedly occured, Pierre quickly transformed his leg into one of some type of furry creature, and viciously roundhoused kicked his opponent while loudly announcing the name of his second attack; "Cainine Kick!", stepping back a few feet in case if his recent attacks were of little effect and was hit with a counter attack.

Emillio was focused in his act, juggling his guns around, and didn't even notice Iken and Cat, nor the stranger who passed by. But, there was one thing that could throw Emillio out of his focus, and that was the sound of a gunshot.

Emillio's ears picked up the familiar sound that came from his left, probably a few dozens of meters away. The sound was somewhat muffled by the noise of the excited group of people who were surrounding him, but over the years, the foreigner learned to recognize that particular sound. With peace surrounding the village after the crew defeated the Ex-marines, Emillio could only thing of one possible source for this sound: his crew. In that split of a second in which his focus was lost, the revolvers dropped to the floor, followed by the crowd's sounds of disappointment. "Try again!" One of the kids shouted, creating a wave of cheers and requests to start over. "Sorry, but I have to go" Emillio answered, faking a quick glance at an imaginary watch as he picked up his guns. As he ran past the group and towards the sound of gunfire, he greeted the crowd goodbye and promised he'll be back tomorrow.

He ran in his usual slow pace, slowed down by the kilograms of ammo and his overall lack of stamina, he ran straight, having no clue to which direction he should turn. Just when he thought of giving up, he heard an unfamiliar voice shouting a few words in what sounded like a battle cry. He turned to face the ally from which the voice came from, only to face the picture of two of his crew mates, surrounded by a gang of people, both of them bleeding, and another man who appeared to have a strange furry leg and a matching arm. "What the hell is going on here?" He shouted, reaching for under his poncho to grab a pair of his guns, without extracting them from their holsters. For all he knew, the strange legged man could be one of the attackers as well.

In the blink of an eye a battle erupted from the once semi calms scene, all thanks to Cat's sudden attack. Leaping into the air Iken was able to avoid Cat's quick slash thanks to the advanced warning he gave him. Landing was a bit different however, Iken stumbled a little before catching his balance. The sudden dizziness was most likely due to the head trauma he had just revived. Being the soldier he was, Iken shook it off and soon regained his footing only to see another join in the fray. The new comer seemed to be fighting on their side, he had some strange powers that allowed him to transform his leg and arm into a furry, what looked to be a dog's legs. Iken hadn't seen anything like this, he had heard about a class of devil fruit that turned people into animals. Could this be the zoan devil fruits that he had heard of before? There was no way to tell since the man was only partly transformed.

With Pieree having knocked remaining two men back, gave Iken the time he needed. Slowly walking over to the two stunned men Iken looked like some evil figured as he towered over them. Lifting up the two men by their collars of their shirts, Iken mashed the two men's heads together finishing them. Unlike the marines before Iken didn't feel the need to kill the two men at that vary moment. Dropping the two unconscious and bleeding men a small burst of dust shot up from the soft soil of the dry ground. Turning his attention to Emillio Iken answered.

"Oh we're just deal with a little scum, have to annihilate them or they'll just keep coming back like any other fungus." said Iken with words pretty contradictory of his previous actions.

"Worthless bastards!" was heard as two gunshots rang out.

The fifth and final man walked out of the mansion baring two riffles, one in each hand pointed at the general area of the group. Both guns smoked from having just been fired an instant ago however it seemed no one had been shot. Looking around frantically Iken looked at Cat to Emillio to the new comer then to himself, none of them were shot. Upon further inspection the victims of the gunshots soon became evident. The two men laying in front of Iken both had bullet holes in their skulls, the last bandit had shot his own nakama. He could have shot anyone of them, but he shot his own two men, the last two living.

Iken's blood began to boil, he remembered the feeling he felt when he had led Cat into danger, and this guy just straight up shot them. This confused Iken, the ones he calls nakama are precious and if they got hurt, Iken would be fuming, but this man not only seen his nakama hurt but he killed them. The confusion only caused Iken to become more and more angry as he thought about it more, what kind of monster could this guy be to kill his own. Clenching his fist tightly around the hilt of his saber Iken was about to attack the man. However Iken hesitated, it didn't take precipitation haki to feel the aura wrap around the man. There was something more to this guy something that wasn't visible to the naked eye. What could it be, was it all in Iken's imagination?

"Wh..who the hell are you?" Iken said with a shuddered.

"Raghahagahagaa! I'm Iwa Ishi, the second in command of the Iwayama Bandits. Now since you killed my friends here, I'm going to have to kill all but one of you. That way I can lore your captain out in the open to finish him off." Iwa said with a devilish grin.

Stats:

As soon as the familiar gunman had demanded what had happened, Pierre automaticly began talking as his arm and leg reverted to normal. "Bonjour mousieour! I am Pierre Quirel Riverti! Mercenary and part-time cleaner! I have little understanding on what has just happened but for what I roughly guess is a group of muggers, possibly bandits, had attacked your friends here, and after witnessing a pair of the point there guns at one of the swordsmen here, I attempted to dispatch them! Ah! I recognise you, your the man who was juggling a variety of items in the street! Your act was wonderful, fantastique!", the off duty mercenary explained quickly to Emillo, before turning round to see Iken having knocked the pair of bandits out, and then loudly praising; "Treis Bien! You seem to have undestood that not all foe's have to killed, for that I am impressed, as well as the skill of you and your fellow swordsman! Treis Bien!"

Suddenly one of the had just called them worthless scum bandits. the one that had fled earlier. He appeared from a mansion nearby, and returned with a pair of rifles that he started firing, as Pierre closed his eyes and grimaced, expecting to be riddeled with bullets.

Much to his suprise, he opened his eyes to find himself unharmed by the surprise attack, and as he looked at the two swordsmen and the man he had saw juggling, he saw they mere completely unharmed also much to his confusion. He then noticed out of the corner of his eye some blood was on the floor, to which he turned to look at it and was disgusted by the sight that the unknown enemy had killed his own comrades. "How cruel! To slaughter your own comrades purely because they are no longer needed!", Pierre exclaimed in disgust. He then whispered at the swordsmen and the street performer; "I doubt I am able to put up much of a fight with an experienced bandit as I am merely beginner! I shall serve as distraction, the rest of you take him down quickly!", and dashed at the bandit, bellowing out loudly; "I shall take you down, canaille!", preparing a punch for the bandit.

Emillio's eyes shot open as he witnessed the blood coming out of the dead bandit's heads. That guy, Iwa, was either and evil bastard to shoot his own comrades, or a drunken blind gunner who just made his best shot. Either way, Emillio was terribly confused. As every former resident of Las Espaninto knew, "when in doubt, empty your holster", and that's exactly what Emillio intended to do. Under his poncho, metallic sounds could be heard as he took out a total of 24 bullets from one of his many pockets, placing six in each of his guns. After this was done, all it took was one quick motion that was more or less hidden under his long poncho to make two of Emillio's revolvers pop out of their holsters and jump into each of his hands, fully loaded and ready to go.

Now when he was armed, he stretched his arms forward and out of his poncho, crossing his left arm over his right arm and pointing both of the revolvers at the armed bandit. These actions took place in about 3 seconds.
"I'm glad you liked my act senior" Emillio said, without taking his eyes off of his intended target as the mercenary began dashing forward, Emillio will try to back him up as best as he could.

Thor, who had gone back to his bed and fell asleep, woke up and looked around. No crew, why was he not suprised? He got up and began walking to the bar they were at last, but when he got there, they were not there. He sigh, frustrated and walked out of the bar, and down the street, calling his crew.

"Iken, Cat, Emilio, where are you?" he yelled and sighed

Iken noticed a strange change in the man as the mercenary that had just joined in the fight, ran towards him. It was like the man's skin turned grey and lifeless almost like he was stone. Seeing the Iwa standing his ground with out any attempt to move back or reload the weapons worried Iken. Something was defiantly not right something was happening that wasn't so obvious. Despite his better judgment Iken charged forward using his superior speed to catch up with the mercenary in time.

Smiling Iwa just stood in front of the doorway of the mansion like he didn't have a care in the world. Even when Pierre took a swing at the man he just stood there letting the punch connect. What Pierre would soon learn was punching the man was like punching a brick wall, well more accurately a stone wall. Now with his skin a grey color it was now pitted and the pours were deeper and more grainy. Iwa Ish truly lived up his name, he was a rock-man, with the ability to turn his body into various types of rocks. His current composition was some what like the man made concrete.

With his superior strength and speed Iwa would certainly crush Pierre with only one blow. However that's exactly what Iken figured the man would do and was prepared for it. Before Iwa could land any type of possible blow Iken was able to intercept it. Block the man's punch with his sword, Iken blade cut into the man's hand from the sheer force of it being pressed in between two physical power houses. Unfortunately even Iken was a level under the bandit as far a strength, and it was shown when Iken was pushed back by the man's single punch. The bandit was over a foot taller than Iken, making him at least 7ft tall. Turning around for an instant, Iken shot a look at Emillio before yelling.

"Emillio shoot the bastard in the head, unload everything you have while I try to keep him still. Cat use Emillio's fire as cover and get up here and attack him" Iken barked out.