Azumi Kael, road to victory. Little garden ark (to the Jurassic period)

[[the ship]]

The pirates then began transferring Clearwater onto another bed "Dont worry maam, we will move her into the forest, she will be safer at the camp we got lots of guards... Paladin Tonga is out right now, but he will be back, we have top notch security at the camp plus medical resources courtesy of Elder Maxulus." They were refering to one of the top commanders of the Anubis pirates who had once lead the siege on this island.

[Barius, Sophie and Delia]

The woman just frowned and sighed as she pinched the bridge of her nose while shaking her head. It was a wonder these guys were moving her sister even though she said so many times Delia wasn't in the right condition yet! "I have all the right to be worried, this is my sister we're talking about," Sophie growled and flinched as she heard the young captain whimper and gasp in pain as she was moved. By their father's name, if something went wrong hell was going to break lose here.

"I can give a crap about how good your security is, if something happens to her while being moved or in the campsite....let's just say the dinosaurs out here won't be the only things you should be worried about then," the experienced pirate said in a deadly and unusual tone that can bring fear to many as she stood her ground.

Barius just frowned and while he agreed with his wife it wouldn't be good to make enemies out of allies right now with Delia's condition and her life on the line. "It would've just been better if she had stayed in the ship and you brought someone over, but if this was easier-"

"The hell it was!"

"Either way we appreciate the help greatly. Just don't mind that much my wife's behavior though. She has this big grudge on the yonkous and whoever is associated with them," the first mate said with a cool tone while looking at Sophie who was just glaring indifferently up ahead and looking as if she was staring at something else.

[[Near the Anubis base]]

One of the pirates was apologetically bowing his head to Delia and Barius "Im sorry Barius dono, but the equipment is on the island, we cant heal Clearwater sama if she is on the ship, Anubis sama would never forgive us if we didnt give Clearwater dono every effort!!!" The other pirates were worried about Sophie, they knew her from the posters, she was a strong pirate who could cause trouble for them. If only one of the division commanders were here, they would feel safer. The doctors meanwhile were working on Clearwaters body and were using heavy machinery. One of the doctors then came out 30 minutes later to face Barius and Delia "We have operated on her, all i have to say is thank god Barius dono did some first aid , if it wasnt for him, the damage would be more severe, but at this rate, she will be awake in an hour and fully recovered in a week..."

[with Sophie and Barius]

"It is my duty to protect and take care of my captain in every way possible. If it weren't for her....sudden fascination with Anubis though she wouldn't be in this mess," he said with an honest conviction while standing next to his wife who was glaring intently at anything that crossed her gaze.

She then looked at the doctor and analyzed him while crossing her arms against her chest. "I wouldn't be surprised if that fascination has diminished completely after she wakes up. When she heals we're leaving and going back to our homeland, and even if she's your captain Barius she's my sister," the woman said in a serious tone. It had been a while since she had been this serious...but then again this was her sister.

"Delia got me out of the bars and depression I was facing...I am just returning the favor," she added pointedly with an icy tone before turning away. "I'm going to fetch my companion, keep an eye out dear," and with that she Flashed away from them without any effort and picking up dust. Barius sighed and wiped his forehead with the handkerchief that had been on his head, wondering when his wife was going to calm down.

The Doctor then sighed and said "Well anyway, any of this you can tell Miss Clearwater yourself maam....." The doctor went off, she didnt want to risk the wrath of an obviously worried sister.

[[1 hour later]]

The pirates came out of the patient area and exclaimed "Miss Clearwater has awoken maam, please go easy on her as she has been through alot....." The pirates of this base were quite anxious to see how Miss Clearwater was doing, after all, she was precious to Anubis and therefore important to them too.

Sophie didn't even bother to listen to the doctor and just swiftly returned to the ship. She didn't come back to pick up her feline friend though. The woman just needed her space and time to think as she sighed and leaned on the furry animal who just growled and purred while letting her get support from him.

After a while she petted him and went back to the site not long before some pirates came out and said that her sister was awake. "Out of my way," she snapped and watched as they moved away quickly so she could pass. It was safe to say that her smile was genuine when her eyes spotted the frail looking captain sitting up a bit and smiling back albeit weakly.

"Hey Soph, glad to see you here," was just barely heard coming from the young girl's lips and the busty woman chuckled while going to sit near her sister. "Tell me, how do you feel?" she asked while watching as her husband sat on the other side.

"Are you really asking me that? But I guess....I don't feel like before and I can talk more," she said with a slight deadpan that got her sister laughing and Barius just smiling and glad his captain was alright.

[[At the camp]]

"TONGA SAN!!!" The doctors were rushing to bandage up the wounded paladin as he shook them off with his big hands "No need, it will heal with time... i must greet Anubis samas special one..." Tonga walked in and bowed before the three people, Barius, Delia and Sophie "I am Tonga.. i am beast tamer and Anubis pirate paladin..... i hope you are feeling better Miss Clearwater......" He said it in a african accent.

"Not one hundred percent better, but I'm getting there," Delia simply answered with a soft chuckle while resting her head back on the pillow below it. "By the look of your fresh injuries I'd say you've been in some kind of fight, but that is not my place to ask. Right now...I want to know what's happened throughout my sudden collapse. How's Anubis? What happened to the war?" she asked with a soft frown.

This just made her sister groan and look at her with frustration. "Let's just forget about this and we'll be on our way home to rest and stock up. Then we can head on to the New World together," Sophie said with a nod and smirked slightly.

"We're not leaving until I know what has happened, and even then I would stay since I have unfinished business to deal with," she said sternly while looking up at the ceiling. "If you want to leave you can go, but I'm not," she simply added while looking back at Sophie now.

"Are you kidding? I didn't come back from the New World just to go back home empty handed. Either we go together or I come along with you," she said with a grin while Delia just chuckled softly.

Barius, while the sisters were having their moment, looked over at Tonga and nodded in greeting before sighing. "So, any news about the war?" he simply asked while wiping his forehead with a handkerchief.

Victor stood his ground neutraly as he listened to strangers on the ship and replied calmly; "I am well aware who's territory this is, but I mean no harm and am merely gathering some minor natural resource for my current client, I merely wish for a larger vessel than I currently have, though I understand you are currently unable to do buissness and therefore, I apoligise for my intrusion and shall bid you farewell."
The buissness-mannered mercenary then turned and left as if on que, returning to the last location he had left his prehistoric meat, only to find it missing entirely, spare a few bones, to which at this point, Widdles awoke and mumbled; "It Gone!"
Bluebeard grunted in agreement, before shrugging and walking over to the nearest tree, staring carefully at it for a few moments before suddenly begining to hack at it with his zweilhander, telling his bet manticore cheerfully; "Don't worry my little friend, daddy will just get a raft made to carry the yummy dinosaur meat back with him.", as he kept attempting to cut into the iron hard and mostrously thick tree.

Tonga grinned, the girl didnt miss a thing did she, and she was brash and brave the way she stood up to her intimidating big sister like that. Even Tonga got chills when looking at her big sister. Tonga then continued "In the war of Alabasta, Anubis won the day , slaying Derge Sr in the process and also driving of newly appointed Admiral Payne..... it was a huge battle, but Anubis finally won.... however... Manjus Twilla one of our commanders, died in the battle...." The pirates around lowered their heads in sadness, clearly Manjus was someone they respected greatly. Tonga continued "Anubis sama won and claimed Alabasta but then left almost immediately after he had taken the country, leaving it in the hands of the monarch and slaughtering the cabinet......." Tonga took out a letter for Delia " The great Anubis sent you a letter and sent us a letter to be read to watch for your arrival, he knew you would come here......" Tonga gave Delia the letter. If she read it , it would read.

Dear Miss Delia Clearwater,

I am so thankful you came to fight in a battle in which i was very selfish, i hope you are feeling better now that you have recovered, i have told my squad to give you anything and everything you need to feel better. I understand that i did not stay to see you off, for that i am truly sorry, however, i must make my move on the NEw World now before i am left behind...... the world is so vast, but somehow we keep seeing each other, and each meeting is as beautiful and memorable as the last.... your battle in Alabasta has earned you quite a high bounty, they are calling you my lover. IT is very inappropriate i understand, but i cannot stop them you know, the press are all fools like that...... Delia, i want to see you again...... but i cant, not as long as im in the New World... i hope you manage to make it here, any time your here, i will grant you anything you wish.. anything you desire and it shall be yours, except the title of pirate king of course, i hope you can make it to the new world, and i hope you accept the gift i have left for you, till he hopefully meet again, in the New world

Anubis Nefertiti "

Delia sighed in relief and closed her eyes while nodding, hearing the other talk about the triumph Anubis had but at the cost of someone that was important to them. "I give you my condolences for your loss," she simply said before opening her eyes again. She then took the letter Tonga took out for her and immediately opened it when he said it was from Anubis.

"Oh my," she uttered softly and kept on reading, a small blush adorning her cheeks when she reached the part of the press mistaking them for lovers. At the end of reading the letter she was flustered and flushing while keeping a firm hold of the letter in her hands.

"Well...that Anubis bloke sure is confident eh?" he sister said while reading over her sister's shoulder and smirked. "You need to bring him down a peg or two Delia...why not work up your way to be a yonkou as well? It will be interesting seeing this sudden turn of events, hmm~?" she said, wiggling her brows while her husband just sighed.

The young captain pondered on this and stayed silent for a while, neatly folding the letter again and putting it away in the envelop before placing it on the side table next to her bed. "I really don't need new enemies right now Sophie. Besides, I find it easier gathering information when keeping it on the low," she said with a sly smile.

Sophie just laughed and shook her head before grinning. "You know what you need? You need a "D" in your name. Delia D. Bardos (her father's last name), now that has a ring to it," she said with mirth before laughing again and this time her sister and husband joining in with her.

Tonga watched them laughing and then clapped his hands "You are all welcome to stay here as long as you like, do not worry about the giant lizards, they know not to come to this place... now then, i have alot of food and beverage stored here, would you like to have anything? And do you require any supplies or gold for your ship?" Tonga had been commanded to keep an eye out in case Delia and he group needed anything before they set out, Anubis was very generous after all.

"Beverage?" Sophie instantly stood up and grinned cheekily at Tonga before Barius could stop her. "This is great since I was running dry when I was coming back from Punk Hazard. Seriously, would would've thought that cats can drink so much?" she said with a smirk while placing her arms crossed against her chest.

Delia felt her eye twitch but thought nothing of it as she unconsciously ran...or tried to run a hand through her now short hair before wincing at the movement. "I don't like staying in bed so in three days I'll be needing someone to spar and train with," she requested, not really thinking about food or drink at the moment.

"But Delia-"

"Barius, I need to get stronger. Didn't you see what happened in Alabasta? I am ashamed of even calling myself a captain, let alone pirate if I couldn't take down Derge...and Anubis did it," she said with a frown, looking down at her hands and sighing once more.

It wasn't befitting for her to be like this...but it just irked her that she's till not strong enough, and due to her injuries she had to wait longer than she wanted to start her training.

In the haze of subconsciousness Azumi relaxed herself, coming in to consensus slowly it became obvious that she had been unconscious for some time, the sky was significantly darker. She arose to remember what had happened, and couldn't help but feel a tad embarrassed, it had been a while since shed trained herself ragged like that. Standing up she remember that Fei had been there to stop her. "Fei?!" she said rather confused, standing upright and looking about the camp.

Fei was packing her things as she heard Azumi call out to her. Fei walked up with her rucksack and clothes. She looked at Azumi "I see you are awake... good, you really shouldnt be so hard on yourself.... i have an announcement" Fei then breathed out slowly "Ive been given an offer to leave this island, since a ship is ready, the camp offered me this since i negotiated with them..." Fei meant beat Tonga but she didnt want to say it out loud. Fei then said "Azumi, your welcome to follow me if you want, but i sense that your dino adventures arent complete...... if we are to part ways i want to tell you something... no matter how much training you do, you will never be happy Azumi.. you will never know peace of mind.. this training, its bad for you.... all this is doing is ruining your growth and potential as a martial artist.... maybe this wont make sense to you right now but eventually i know you will understand.... for now though, its been an honour to train with someone like you....." Fei placed her hand outright, ready to shake Azumis hand.

The advice she was receiving went a bit farther than simply irking her "its easy to say when you own the skills, but Ill try to remember what my body can handle and what its capable of, for now there isnt anything better for me to be doing than what Im doing now, the outcome is irrelevant as long as I steer toward my fate, to accomplish my destiny I have to become the strongest being on this island, that much is a bare minimum. If you dont give it your all you'll feel dead on the inside, to me a physical death would be better than that" it dawned on her that Feis leaving meant she would be entirely alone on the island and her tone changed to a more friendly one "but... that aside, Im glad that I could meet you anyway, I hope that you can accomplish what ever your trying to do in the grand line, even though were alike we seem to be from different worlds... even though Im not sure how..." friends hadnt been something in Azumis world but she couldn't help but feel slightly disheartened by her departure, how ever little she actually knew her, and then Azumi seemed to remember the only real way she ever had gotten to know anyone or anything, smiled, shook the hand and said "some day if we meet again, lets have a fight okay?" in as happy and as pleasent a tone as Fei had heard her use, there was something so disarmingly innocent about the way she said it, it wasnt a calling out, or anything with malice in it at all, it was Azumi extending the only brand of friendship she understood the only way she knew how.

Fei smiled and recognised that she had some deep seated stuff in her upbringing that made Azumi like that, she would have to learn with time. Fei was glad Azumi calmed down to say goodbye to her. And the very fact that she had suggested a fight when they met was a sign and mark of true friendship amongst martial artists back at her home island. Fei smiled and shook her hand "Yes, lets meet again and spar, i expect by that time you will be way stronger than me, ahhahaahaha, i will miss you Azumi..... take care" Fei turned and let go of Azumis hand and began walking away, she turned to wave at Azumi, she hoped that girl would be alright, before Fei moved off site, she turned and looked over to Azumi before shouting "HEY AZUMI, LET US MEET AGAIN IN THE NEW WORLD!!!!!!"

Barius brought in the tray of food for his captain, having insisted on the others for him to help her since that was his job as caretaker and first in command. He didn't bother with Sophie staying long, his wife having left to go drink and enjoy her time here. That didn't mean she wasn't thinking of ways to train Delia once she was out of the bed.

"My arms are fine Barius, I can cut the food myself," the teen said with a small pout as she watched the other cut through the meat offered while the stew cooled down. "You need to save energy and eat lots of proteins to get back on your feet captain. Wouldn't want you collapsing again," he said with a well meant smile as he started to feed her without further protest from the girl.

[[At the camp]]

Fei arrived at the Anubis camp and looked around, the pirates there seemed to have received word that she was coming, they all pointed their rifles at her at the gate "Be VERY cautious what you do in here Tempest.... we dont need an international incident ..... Paladin Tonga said you were ok to enter...." The gate to the Anubis camp opened slowly and Fei walked in, she looked around to see people preparing, maps , ship parts, food stocks, barrels, a small pub, and a medical area to top everything off. She could even see the dock area where there were a few ships, the Anubis pirates really didnt waste any time setting up here. Tonga was walking out of the medical area and finally looked to Fei "You made it... as per our agreement... i will grant you passage off this island...." Fei nodded but then Tonga continued "The problem is right now the sea is volatile.... a storm is coming according to our navigators, and will probably hit in the next 2 hours or so... feel free to use the bar..." Tonga walked away leaving Fei. Fei walked into the bar and sighed, he was surprised to see another woman on this island, drinking here. Fei watched her for a bit.

"Alright alright guys, look!" Sophie exclaimed as she looked over at the guys having crowded around her and this other guy who was put off in a bad mood and obviously dead drunk. "Obviously he is in no condition to keep on going...but who am I to stop him, a doctor?" she said with mirth while the guys just laughed.

She had entered this pub a while ago and in no time at all been challenged to a drinking game. Only problem is...there is no one that has her high tolerance to actually beat her. "Here, I'll let you flip the coin this time," she said with a smile, handing the coin to the man who barely grabbed it and waited for him to flip it into the drink. If he did then Sophie would drink it. If he didn't he would drink it.

Wasn't long before he wavered and just slumped forward before falling from his chair, everyone looking at the unconscious pirate before cheering at Sophie. "Yeah, that's right, I'm the best," she said with a laugh and ordered two more rounds.

Fei sat down nearby, she didnt like talking and she wasnt sure drinking was a good idea , after all she had drank a few times but it wasnt in extravagant amounts like a crazy person who was clearly this woman. Fei watched but then noticed some of the pirates were now next to her talking to her. "You the one who beat Tonga sama and the hunter?" Fei sighed as she replied "Yeah, i am .... so what?" The pirate leaned down "I dont care what Tonga san said.... you attacked them and blatantly disrespected us... you got to pay for that...." Fei simply flicked her wrist, just a quick flick and the guy suddenly froze and fell down. The rest of the bar went quite, using pressure strikes, she had striked his head, neck and spine , all at the same time, knocking him unconscious. Fei then stood up "Anyone Else??" The men Sophie were drinking with also commented ITs the calm Tempest... i heard she used to be a pirate captain once...... but only she got away, he crew was caught in some island somewhere.... heard she is damn strong..." Another person then said "Anyone strong enough to beat two Paladins is not someone to mess with."

At all this whispering and murmuring the ex captain just grinned and drank down her order before giving her server a tip and getting up from her seat as if to answer her challenge. This would be fun.

"That was pretty impressive Fei, bringing down a man like that and without much effort," she said with a smile while getting closer to her and then stopping as they were face to face. "How about a nice good ol' fashion fight girl? You've caught my interest and I want to see what else ya got," Sophie said while cracking some of her bones and then crossing her arms against her chest with a smirk on her face.

Fei sat down and at first she didnt look at Sophie , she looked ahead and then smirked before saying. "I know you... Sophie D Grant, or should i call you Crazy Kat.... your quite a story in the grandline... but at the same time your a mystery as well, i recognized you from one of the old bounty posters.... though you have aged slightly since then....." Fei stood up and looked at Sophie "I wonder, if i beat you senseless, how much will my bounty rise?" Fei stood in stance, she was ready to test herself against a famous pirate like this one.

"You know me, good," the ex captain simply said with an amused smiled, some feral edge on it as she examined the other and nodded. "And I'd like to keep it a mystery girl," she said with a chuckle before arching a brow. "Of course I aged silly girl! Those old posters are old news," she said with a fond but regretful tone before looking over that Fei and grinning.

"Now now, don't get too ambitious Fei. It's only ifyou are able to touch me or even hurt me that you can claim this," she said with a laugh while the whole bar started mumbling and muttering on who would win and placing bets.

Some of the pirates in the bar were worried that this was going to cause an incident, the hunter who was sitting at the bar counter eased their concerns "Its not against the rules or anything, there is no inner crew fighting allowed amongst the Anubis pirates, but those two arent part of the anubis pirates, but ladies, if you dont mind , please dont destroy the tavern.. its the only place i can drink in peace"

Fei ignored the hunters words and had her sights set on Sophie, she then suddenly dissappeared. The nearby men were all shocked "AHH SHES GONE!!! HOW FAST IS SHE?!!" The hunter sneered "She aint gone you idiots, look carefully" Fei was sliding, and sliding at obscure directions, not straight but from side to side in a sort of twisting path. Fei had developed this while running in the forest, learning to keep up with Azumi in sharp turns and when the path was no good for straight foward running, more than anything, it gave the impression that she was very fast, when all she was doing was sliding using her leg power and weight shifting to help her balance her body. She then said "Taihenjutsu... SNAKE WAY!!!!" As she closed in on Sophie she got her palms ready and extended them with force "T REX CANNON!!" She lunged and aimed her palms at Sophies chest, whatever her palms hit would be hit internally and be rattled severely.