The Dusk Pirates; Chapter 13; Pursuing the Sea-King Hunter (Open to me and Shadow)

It had been quite some time since Koga "The sea king hunter" and prominent member of the Dusk Pirates betrayed the crew. Koga, an IQ enhanced turtle which Maximillion picked up long before he founded the Dusk Pirates, who evolved to a human-turtle hybrid thanks to the advanced methods of Dr. Quincy of the Dusk Pirates, after seeing the error in the ways of his former captain defected. And not only he defected but he also helped another pirate captain in facing off against his former captain. In the end of a climatic battle, Maximillion was finally trapped by Koga into a Devil Fruit weapon.

Not knowing the true story, the Dusk Pirates welcomed Koga back at their rankings. While trying to redeem himself, in a battle against a few mysterious pirates, Koga even took a lethal strike which almost cost him his life, protecting the crew. However, the pirates soon realized it was none other than Koga was responsible for the disappearance of their leader. As a result, Koga went into hiding, avoiding any troubles with his former crewmates and trying to figure out a way to escape with his life.

On top of that, by the time the World Government found out that Koga could potentially release the Yonko Maximillion Maimou back into the fray whenever he wanted, they placed an incredibly high bounty on his head, making him a very wanted person. Ever since then, Koga is swimming from island to island, trying to figure out a way to have his bounty revoked, something which seems impossible, especially with all those Bounty Hunters behind his back and the Dusk Pirates who are after him...

---

Grand Line, Little Garden

"Phewwwww.... Finally." a creature was swimming towards the island. The island was only a few meters away. "I had been swimming for days... I can't believe it." he remarked. As he got out of the water, he took of his wet clothes and lied on the beach, waiting for them to get dry so he could wear them once again. The creature was human-looking although he had green skin. He had white hair and glasses on his eyes. His body was well-built. "Finally... I reached the territory of Anubis... There is no way they are going after me over here." he said in delight, closing his eyes as if he found his inner peace.

[Introduction Box]
[Koga "Sea-King Hunter", "The double agent pirate"]
[Former member of the Dusk Pirates, Former ally of Samakage Iken of the Steel Village]
[Bounty: 410,000,000 Beri]

---

Meanwhile, on a boat in the sea...

A man with long dark colored hair is looking through a glass towards the direction of Little Garden. "Perfect." he remarked.

(OOC: This guy is not to be confused with the Dusk Pirates and Johhny)

"Must I truly continue this mission, boss? I'll tell you ... the idea of chasing a turtle, however important or vital, just sounds ... bizarre to my ears ... no, I didn't had any juice lately, either." Johnny speaks throught a Den Den Mushi, with what seems to be the captain of the Black Cross pirates. He was inside a bar, and considering the context, it appeared that he was on a mission. Now, normally, it'd be dangerous and irresponsible to speak about confidential missions at this part of the world. This wasn't an ordinary bar. It was in fact, a bar located at the famous Whiskey Peak, which in term was fairly notorious for its underworld infamy.

"This place doesn't have any juice, to begin with. Besides ... it has been months since our last lead." Johnny adds. "Boy, we already have a lot of deal with over here, so I'll advice you not to stray off this now of all times. So stop bitching and keep working!" A broad voice was heard, and it actually wasn't Wally; the voice probably came from Sabres. "Fine ..."

Johnny got up from his seat, and he walked towards the exit. The bar was filled with beaten up people. Reaching the exit, he rubbed his chin, confused. "Where to go now ... damn, if only I had some new Intel about this."

"Oh my... You didn't really wait for me to beat those guys, up, huh?" a male voice was heard from outside the bar Johnny got out. The man (well, not really a man) was a frightening figure. The people all around the area were screaming out of agony as the person had blue pale skin, quite rotten. His eyes were completely white and his body was full of stitches. He let out a stench, the stench of a corpse. As for his clothes? He sported a pair of jeans, black shoes and gloves and a white long coat which was open, revealing a rotten chest, almost his bones were visible. "I was willing to punch a few men! All those years in Wally's islands! I got boooooored!" he said with an angry voice.

[Introduction Box]
[Frank N. Stein "The Walking Dead"]
[First Mate of the Dusk Pirates]

"Hey, you! What are you all up to over here? Chk..." another voice was heard and a man walked at the area. He had white hair which were tied in a ponytail and he wore a black tuxedo with a white shirt below. He also wore a black hat above his head, as if he was hiding his identity. He carried a scythe on his back, making himself look like a reaper. At his chest, there also was a chicken which stood by his side most of the times. "This is the territory of Anubis! The more people you beat up here, the more we will be targetted. We might be the beasts we are, but we are over here for a certain mission!" the man scolded everyone, including Frank.

[Introduction Box]
[Manta Maimou "The Chickenman]
[Cook of the Dusk Pirates, Vice-Captain of the crew]

"Manta..." Frank replied. "You may be acting as the boss here but you know that I am the first mate, huh?" he said with an angry voice, while warming up his shoulder.

"Chk... I'd kill you if you weren't dead..." Manta said.

"Relax, everybody." another man's voice was heard. The man was a quite weird figure, very unfamiliar with those of the others. While a member of the Dusk Pirates for quite a while, serving as a special agent, the man was recruited back at Raijin Island in the New World, slightly before his disappearance. While new to the crew, the man seemed to have a very prominent role as he was entrusted with the task of performing the special missions of the crew. He sailed across the Grand Line for quite some time before reuniting with the crew, so they could finally search for Koga and release Maximillion.

As for his appearance? He sported a pink coat which was tied around his waist with a violet colored belt. He also had a purple colored scarf, purple colored shoes and purple colored gloves. As for his face? Well, his face was not really known. He had a dark purple mask with red horns. The horns were piercing a red hat on the man's head, which completed his appearance.

[Introduction Box]
[Mr. A "of the Dusk Pirates]
[Fighter of the Dusk Pirates, role unknown]

"We are here to free the captain. We are not here to argue." Mr. A spoke with a dead serious voice.

"You are right! Chk." Manta said.

"Whatever..." Frank let it off.

"So, Mr. Johnny? May we offer you some juice?" Mr. A dropped a bottle of orange juice at the direction of Johnny.

"Oh yeah..." Manta completed. "We finally got some intel about our target." he said with a smile on his face.

"Sorry brother." Johnny responds to Frank, his tone implying that he was actually genuine towards that statement, and seemed to be on good terms with the rotten man. Which was a sentiment in contrast -at the very least- with what he seemed to share with the second one to appear.

"They started it." he adds, making a grimace that showed that these two weren't exactly best friends. More of necessary allies. Then again, wasn't it known that Manta was a weird case? Or maybe Johnny was a weird case? Or perhaps incompatible weirds. Or maybe a (friendly?) rivalry.

"So, a new lead? Am all ears." He expects a briefing, while gulping down the contents of the bottle, before smashing it on the ground. The exact opposite of what he'd do about juices while he was in the Navy.

"It appears our target has actually been seen somewhere. The Bounty Hunters of Whiskey Peak have given me some information while the three of you were up to no good over the bar." Mr. A commented as he put up a Vivre Card. "I acquired this Vivre Card. It points to a certain Bounty Hunter, one of the most infamous Bounty Hunters all over the area. He goes by the name Marcantonello, although they call him "The beast of Whiskey Peak". Out of all the Bounty Hunters, he is the one to have lasted the longest in this place, escaping from the members of the Anubis Pirates." he explained.

"Yes, but how will that help with Koga?" Frank asked with curiosity.

"Marcantonello is actually after him. The high bounty Koga has, has already made him the number one target for all Bounty Hunters. Even if they are way too afraid of his high bounty, many of them are willing to take the risk and go after him. And Marcantonello, according to my rumors will not stop until he gives out Koga's head to the Marines..." Mr. A continued explaining, while the other three men were watching.

"Chk... So all we have to do is follow his Vivre Card, huh?" Manta asked.

"Exactly. It will not lead us to Koga, but it will lead us to the island Koga is hiding." Mr. A finished.

---

Somewhere in Whiskey Peak...

Koga can be seen running as a man is following him with great speeds, cutting down any trees in front of his way with ferocity. The trees fall apart one after another as the man is aiming for his target. "Damn..." Koga gulped. "Who is that guy?" he said while sweating.

"Paradise ... that place's quite squeamish you know. In the New World part of Grand Line, numbers like these are nothing out of the ordinary." Johnny explains, in a somewhat boasting demeanor, nonchalantly kicking the head of a fallen bounty hunter, from the large group of people that he easily beat up earlier on.

Indeed, that was the case, to some extent. The past few years have seen a massive surge of piracy, and with it came an abnormally big power creep between those that were considered outlaws. Added the fact that most of the monsters were lurking on the second half only, and the general weakening the Navy forces had had, a bounty of over 400 million would be normal in New World, but enormous by Paradise standards, and they were considering Koga to be operating on that half, after all. Still, Johnny was not very forgiving towards all this.

"Either case, let's get going to where that card points. I mean, if you are sure it is genuine." He says, the second phrase with a pinch of rivalry towards Manta; he clearly wanted to piss him off, for whatever reason.

"Are you mocking me?" Manta was smirking as he asked the question to the member of the Black Cross Pirates, placing his hand on his scythe for a moment. "Had you not been the member of the Black Cross Pirates you are, you would be dead by now. All I respect is the alliance between your captain and my brother... If it was not for that alliance, you would be nothing more than dust. Or may I say a dead chicken?" Manta said with an angry expression on his eyes. Then, as his eyes twitched he grabbed his scythe and launched a weird beam out of it, striking a man who was apparently overhearing the conversation, turning him to a chicken.

"Choo choo! Choo choo!" the man who was turned into a chicken was running away. "Do you see it, Johnny?" Manta stepped above the man, who had just been turned into a chicken, placing his scythe in front of his neck. "This could be you, now, if it were not for our alliance." Manta exclaimed.

"That is enough!" Mr. A interfered. "You have no right to speak to our allies like this. Maximillion would be angry if he was here, despite you being his brother." he continued speaking.

"He's right!" Frank said.

"You are right. Whatever..." Manta apologized to the two.

---

Whiskey Peak, a few kilometers away...

"So these are the Dusk Pirates, huh?" a man with an afro was looking through a telescope. "Those guys... Their bounties are way too high. If I get one of them, I will be rich forever!" he said with a smile on his face.

[Introduction Box]
[David "Sleepy" Jones]
[Bounty Hunter]

Another Bounty Hunter besides Marcantonello!

Johnny observed Manta's reactions towards his statement. He did found it to be over the top, for what was a mere statement. That being said, he had no problem to escalate things further, but he was stopped by his other ally bringing sense to them. Despite the de-escalation however, and as they were on their way to depart, Johnny did coughed to draw Manta's attention, then pointed at a blood-stained, unconcious man nearby, as if saying "That could be you", before walking towards them and away from the scene.

---

"Don't get cocky now, we need to plan this out in excellence! Or ... we might perish." A mysterious, shadowy figure remarks, his tone fluctuating from confident to cautious, to excited, then to that of a defeatist, all of these states in an over the top fashion. He was also too loud considering their situation, but they were far enough that he was certainly not heard by anyone. "Oups ... I yelled!" he says, again with a volume a tiny bit too high, considering their predicament, and again, with feelings spontaneously changing across the phrase.

A few hours later

A small ship was sailing towards the direction of Little Garden, the direction the Vivre Card was pointing. The ship was actually not one of the ships which belonged to the Dusk Pirates or the Black Cross Pirates. It was one of the lesser ships of Anubis which were docked at the port of Whiskey Peak. Without actually caring about it, the members of this vile alliance stole it when they found it, ignoring the fact that it could belong to somebody quite important.

"So... Where are we heading?" Frank asked.

"I believe the Vivre Card is pointing towards a place known as Little Garden." Mr. A remarked, answering the question of his crewmate.

"Chk... Another territory of Anubis, huh? I guess we cannot really go all-out over there." Manta remarked. "I suppose a few of you will chicken out." he said while looking at Johnny, coughing in a similar manner the member of the Black Cross Pirates did a few hours ago.

---

Several miles away, another ship was moving...

"Damn it, Booshin... Why have you sticked onto me?" David referred to a man, the mysterious figure from a few hours ago. "I don't really want to share the bounty rewards with anybody." he completed.

"Jones... How can you be so naive? There is no way you can catch them all by yourself!" the man called Booshin replied. He was carrying a suitcase on his right hand. As for his appearance? He had short dark colored curly hair. He had dark colored eyes and a slightly tan skin. He also wore glasses that made him look more serious and sophisticated although they were just serving as accessories. He had a thin neck and his body type wais slim. His well-built body was covered with his buttoned purple colored coat that reached his knees. He also wore black pants which were slighty tight and black shoes. His hands were covered with gloves and his appearance was completed with the grey colored luggage bag he carried with himself all the time.

[Introduction Box]
[Roo Bushin]
[Bounty Hunter (?)]

"If the two of us fight as one and work smart we can take out all of them. Oops. I yelled again." he said with a very loud voice in the middle of the ocean, making David smack him.

"How can you even outsmart these guys the way you behave?" David said with a funny voice.

There were two bounty hunters after the pirates!

---

Meanwhile, in Little Garden...

The shadowed man with the long hair is slowly walking towards a pile of fallen trees. "I got you, Sea-King Hunter..." he commented, moving the piles, believing Koga was below. However, Koga was nowhere to be seen. "Huh?" his eye twitched, realizing Koga had escaped.

"Chicken tastes great if you season it properly, you know." Johnny speaks, seemingly to himself, and perfectly well aware that Manta would never, ever, even consider the possibility of dining on a poltroon for nourishment, even if a life or death situation. The pirate was at that time, drinking grapefruit juice of an enormous, almost human-sized bottle. Half of the contents were already extracted; the bottle was full about 5 minutes ago.

"Regardless, we need to keep a low profile, or Boss Sabres is going to wipe the floor with us. We already have a lot of issues to address, and Anubis just so happens not to be one of them. Better not have him chase us down now, too." he nonchalantly adds. It was true, Anubis wasn't invested into the game of turf that had been going on for the past few years. At least, he wasn't in the same, somewhat rampaging way, the other forces were. Between Derge's known ruthless disposition, Mugen's radical and insane ideals, and Wally's schemes, albeit with a more benevolent intent compared to the other two, the Desert Prince wasn't someone to meddle around. Unless provoked. And if provoked, you'd be in big trouble.

"Can see the island ... oh wait, that's the Poop island, isn't it?"

"Poop Island? Can I poop?" Frank asked, scratching his head.

"How can you poop, Frank? You are a zombie!" Manta asked him.

"I am not full of bones, you know! Whatever I do, it's kinda like pooping. So, can I poop?"

"Aaaaaaaaah, just play some music already!" Manta scolded him.

"Enough!" Mr. A interfered, showing a bossy side of his character. "You two would better not argue. What would Maximillion say about your arguements?" he asked. Apparently, Mr. A was something like a bridge for the herratic personalities of Manta and Frank. He served as the glue that could connect the members of the Dusk Pirates, at least for the time Maximillion was missing. Maybe that was why Maximillion recruited him into his crew. He was reminding him of himself.

"Chk..." Manta turned his head away.

"Aaaaaaaaaaah, whatever. Maybe I'll play my violin!" Frank said, starting playing his music.

While the two of them argued, though, they would not really listen to what Johnny was saying. In fact, despite his tendecy to make Manta mad, something which made Manta react easily, he had just addressed a very valid point which had nothing to do with the rivalry between the two. He had just said that Sabres would be angry if he found out about the way the 4 men were handling the situation. The truth was that the Dusk Pirates knew that. However, the Dusk Pirates felt safe for some reason. Had it been that they trusted Wally enough due to him offering them his protection? Or had it been that they believed Wally's crew wouldn't actually betray them due to the fact that Maximillion was a very valuable ally? The truth was that there was no absolute answer over that. The answer could be somewhere in-between. But one thing was for certain. The first point of Johnny didn't really make the Dusk Pirates care.

The second problem Johnny adressed, though, was actually important. Nobody could deny that they stole one of the ships that belonged to Anubis, or at least a very lesser member of his crew. While Anubis was stationed in Arabasta ever since he took over the kingdom he came from, he had entered a state of dicline. Well, not really a decline. But it had been quite long ever since he came out to the seas. Could it be that he reached his goals? Could it be that he was invincible at his home place due to the desert? The question couldn't be answered as well. But having that in the back of their minds, the Dusk Pirates didn't really care about the stolen ship, as they knew Anubis wouldn't move out of Arabasta.

"He is good wherever he is!!!" Manta replied to Johnny with a smile on his face. "We are the vile alliance of the Dusk and the Black Cross Pirates after all. Even Anubis will eventually bow his head below us!" Manta said with a wicked smile on his face. "Do you not agree, Connie-chan?" he turned his head towards his beloved pet, petting her on the head.

---

Somewhere in Little Garden...

Koga is hiding behind some bushes, looking at a man who is walking around in silence. "He is still looking for me... Damn it! I should have stayed at the bottom of the ocean for all eternity!" he thought, while looking at the shadowed man, the mysterious Marcantonello.

"Don't get too excited. Big Boss Wally seems to like Anubis, so doubt he would actively try to screw around with him. He is more interested into bringing the world into a state of balance and prosper, rather than just turn himself into a mad monarch. Suppose that, to be associated with your missing captain, he shares at least some of these ideals or qualities. Or he just befriends too many crazy people, go figure." Johnny explains, then points at the massive turd -literally the feces- of a colossal goldfish living in these waters, to Frank, who he seemed to like the most out of these people.

Soon, the ship went past this abomination of an "island", and quietly reached the outskirts of the west coast of Little Garden; the land where dinosaurs still existed. Or in other words, every 8 year old boy's dream land. Probably. Not too far from where they docked, a massive hull of a now rotting ship could be seen. Island's older prey. "Let's wrap this up real quick. Frank, let's go handle this ourselves. The rest could stay here. Right, Manta?"

"If I did not want to ensure Koga's demise after revealing where Maximillion is, I would be more than glad to let you go to the middle of this island alone. That way I could abandon you over here for all eternity!" Manta replied to Johnny with an angry tone on his voice. Johnny really liked picking on Manta and he was very skilled on getting on his nerves. "I suppose all that time you spent with those stupid marines of the photography department made you a great troll, huh?" he proceeded to ask him as he jumped of the ship, setting his foot on the "dreamland of an 8 year old boy".

"We are all going to go together." Mr. A suggested, ignoring what Manta had just said. "There are many problems here. Not only the dinosaurs are going to make our job kind of difficult, but Koga will not be alone in this island. Do not forget that the Vivre Card we have is leading us to a very skilled Bounty Hunter who is after Koga. The four of us might be very strong but we are not invincible." he explained as he jumped off the ship, as well.

"Aaaaaaaaaaaah!!!" Frank was the last one to set his foot on the land. "Johnny, I'd have no trouble working with you all alone but as long as the others want us to stick together, I've got no choice you know!" he patted Johnny at the back while smiling. Frank apparently had some sense of humor and a few emotions, despite being the most dead out of the 4 people over there. Quite ironic.

"We need to hide the ship, though." Manta proposed.

"You could do it if you want, Manta." Mr. A told Manta.

"Chk? Me? Whatever..." Manta followed the orders of Mr. A, staying back to hide the ship.

"I suppose the three of us can go and Manta is going to follow us?" Mr. A said as he started walking towards the forest of Little Garden, with Frank following him.

---

A few miles away at the sea...

Roo and David were on a ship, the very same ship they were using to follow the 4 men. They were looking through a glass, watching at Manta who was hiding the ship the 4 men used to get to Little Garden.

"Shall I snipe him down?" Roo asked.

"No... That guy is a beast. As long as you are with me, I guess you have to follow my orders. We will wait until he hides the ship and then we are going to burn it down so they will have no means of escaping." David said.

"But what about our ship?"

"We shall wait until he leaves, we will hide our ship quickly and we will bomb the shit out of that ship, without them finding us at all." David said.

"Hm..." Roo came up with an idea.

"That bounty hunter is a strong one, but you have me around so it should be fine. It isn't like I'd ... chicken out of a fight. Eh, Manta, isn't that right?" Johnny remarked, in a nonchalant, obviously intentionally relaxed and jovial tone and vibe, quite possibly just to aggravate his conjuncture-related subordinate. Nonetheless, that was a name that was known enough even amongst his crew's high ranks. And although it was certain that the elite members would surely brush the danger off, and despite the fact that, much like back in the Navy, his exact powers were underestimated / hidden, the possibility existed that the enemy could take out some of them.

"So, stay here and guard the ship. We don't want you to die, you know." he casually explains, then tosses away his enormous juice bottle. "Hope there's some good fruits to harvest some extract out of them, too."

He decided to ignore the remarks about the time he was in the Navy. Salty was a good person and a good friend. It was a shame that he wouldn't follow Johnny when he had to leave. And that he tried to apprehend him. And that Johnny was then forced to beat him to a pulp. Hopefully when they next see each other, they could share a glass of juice, like good ol' times.

As Manta stayed back in order to hide the ship the 4 pirates stole from Whiskey Peak, the group of the now 3 people was walking towards the endless jungle of Little Garden. Mr. A was carrying the Vivre Card which pointed at the infamous bounty hunter with the name "Marcantonello". Frank was playing with a flute so that the time would pass while they were looking for their targets and Johnny was seen drinking his juice. For quite a while the three of them would walk, only for Frank to stop playing the flute in order to ask Johnny a question. "Seriously, mate... Where does that juice go at all? How many times do you piss?" he asked with curosity.

---

Somewhere else, a fair distance away from the group of the three...

"Suterosumi!" the shadowed figure of Marcantonello whispered, vanishing from the spot he was standing on silently, before reappearing in front of Koga who had his eyes twitched out of fear. Without even listening to a single sound besides the small breeze which was a result of the weather, Koga gulped before hiding in his shell, blocking the attack.

"Shit!" he thought while inside the shell.

It had been a while since Johnny had disappeared. A while after giving an elaborate, and quite frankly, regretable explanation regarding his relationship with excessive juice drinking and urinate schedule, the former marine stated that "he felt something big" -which sounded wrong after the way he explained the aforementioned correlation between juice-urine-, then vanished in front of their eyes.

"I see you."

A massive, blacked fist headed straight towards Marcantonello's jaw, erupting from the nearby, thick vegetation. The one known as "speed star" apparently wanted to jump right into the point of the mission himself, to get it completed without putting everyone else in trouble. Or maybe he hated working with others. Or needed to pee, then happened to hear something and found his target. Likely the latter.

"Stealth!" Marcantonello disappeared from his position, reappearing at a distance nearby without causing any sounds at all. The moment he stood on his feet, he took off his cloak and his hood, revealing his long messy hair and his dark red clothes which made him look like a general of an old army. "Johnny Cool, huh? The Black Ogre of the Black Cross Pirates?" Marcantonello spoke with a serious voice. "I suppose you are here for Koga and I can guess you have not come all alone..." the notorious bounty hunter made a guess.

[Introduction Box]
[Marcantonello "The Pirate Bringer]
[Bounty Hunter]

"HUH?!" a voice was heard from a bush. "They found me? How?!" Koga spoke to himself loudly, revealing his location. "Are you not bored of going after me?" he raised the tone of his voice, referring to Johnny as he grabbed his shell, prepearing for battle.

"Impressive speed." Johnny calmly remarked at the man. This was not a fluke, either; this person was obviously not a rookie nor a fraud. He was strong and experienced. Which, in contrast, was more that he could ever say or think about about the troublemaker that Koga was. Thankfully, aside from being a trouble to handle, he was also prone to be stupid.

"Will deal with you in a minute." He nonchalantly remarks, and with an equal vibe seen in his movements, he reached out for something in his pocket, and threw it at the direction Koga was heard. Seconds later, a large explosion took place.

Unfazed from all this, Johnny removed his upper garment, revealing a strong, muscular build. "No need for foreplay. You are strong." finishing his sentence, the pirate lunged himself towards the bounty hunter.

"Shit!" Koga said as he noticed the explosive, before hiding inside his shell in order to endure the powerful explosion which was about to take place soon after from the bomb Johnny threw at the man. The explosion was powerful indeed, strong enough to deflect Koga, who was unfazed inside his hard as steel shell, several miles away, helping him escape by luck from the two men who were after him.

"Cool... You are not really cool." Marcantonello remarked as soon as he realized that Johnny's explosion actually helped Koga escape, at least for a few minutes. "I do not really know whether I should begin with you or with the Sea King Hunter, but I suppose you are not alone so I will have to take out Koga first." Marcantonello said, thinking that it was not really in his best interests to face off against a man who had a few men to back him up. Then, he drew his sword, having second thoughts "Or I suppose I can take you out in silence, before your comrades arrive at the area. Your habit of separating from the rest of your crew is actually not really helpful..." he said with a pretty serious look on his face, rushing towards Johnny.

"Suterusumi!" he mumbled before disappearing from his position, reappearing in front of Johnny. He would then try to slash Johnny at the chest in order to cause him some damage.

LITTLE GARDEN, STOLEN SHIP OF THE ANUBIS PIRATES

Apparently, the two Bounty Hunters were walking on the ship which the Dusk Pirates and Johnny stole from Whiskey Peak. Manta was nowhere to be seen. He thought that he had hid the ship well enough and most likely he had moved towards the jungle so he could reunite with the rest of his crew.

"Soooo... Are we ready, David?" Roo asked his fellow Bounty Hunter.

"I don't really know. You are supposed to be the expert in this kind of things!" David replied.

"I think we are ready." Roo said with a smile on his face as soon as he closed his luggage. The two bounty hunters were up to something.

"I guess we can search for Koga, now." David said, making Roo twitch his eyes as soon as he looked at the Bounty Hunter with the afro levitating somehow. "Grab onto me so we can go." David said.

"That was a terrible pun." Johnny responds with a tone of mild indifference and solemnity. That bastard was very fast however, he would have to give him that. Well, in his mind that was; no way he was going to praise somehow that would invoke such a terrible calembour.

Upon close proximity, he decided to first analyze the foe some more, since the technique utilized appeared to be quite a peculiar one. Thus, he resorted to merely leaping backwards and away from the range, all the while putting his guard up, arms turned pitch black in the process, the combat any potential lobg-range aftermath or an energy or air slash. "That move of yours ... it is not like Soru, is it?"

---

Ironically, the bounty hunters were also watched by a figure. One hidden into what seemed to be thick tree branches and leaves. A crooked smile formed, followed by a crackling, almost silent laugh; it probably came from a female voice. "Novices."

"Huh? Soru?" Marcantonello smirked. "How can you compare my technique to that inferior skill anybody in the Grand Line is capable of using?" Marcantonello commented making a few self-absorbed gestures as he turned serious once again, staring at Johnny. "Look Cool. I have a job to do here and your interference is preventing me from completing it. The more time I waste on you, the easier it will be for Koga to escape. And I will not tolerate any loss of money because of you. Do you understand?" Marcantonello commented as he launched an air slash towards the direction of Johnny, only for it to be blocked by another air projectile. A shockwave was launched, colliding with the air slash before Johnny blocked it, saving him from the trouble.

"Ηello, over there." Mr. A and Frank appeared at the scene. "I suppose Johnny found you before we could. That tendecy of separating himself from the group is quite annoying. That is why we preferred Sabres as our partner. But at least we had the Vivre Card and we found you... Marcantonello." Mr. A remarked.

"Ahhhhh... What a lovely scene. I guess I can play my fiddle!" Frank started playing his music.

"What is going on here? You are all crazy! What is wrong with your crew?" Marcantonello stabbed with his sword the ground, an action out of anger. "That guy... He is the man of the Dusk Pirates with the Billion beri bounty, isn't he?" he gulped.

"Ι suppose we can now talk some business." Mr. A proposed. "Johnny, do you agree?"

---

MEANWHILE, SOMEWHERE ELSE ON THE FOREST

David and Roo were flying, thanks to David's peculiar technique or ability. As the two flew, Roo was checking with a sniper the whole area, searching for Koga or any other potential targets.

"Do you see anything?" David asked.

"Yes, I can see something... But it doesn't look like Koga at all." Roo said.

"Huh? Who is it?"

"It's Manta... And he is looking at us." Roo replied.

"Oh, shit."

"Ah, my apologies. Meant to imply that your trick appears to be more refined." Johnny humored the bounty hunter, since at this point, his fate was more or less sealed, considering that he was surrounded by adept combatants. "Speaking of Koga ... use that little device that was given to you earlier guys. Managed to throw a T-Explosive on him, so it is almost certain that enough shrapnel got on him for the tracker to locate." he then adds, explaining some technology, likely a courtecy of the 2nd Division of the Black Cross, all the while in the tunes and jolly mood of Frank.

Meanwhile, a colossal dinosaur picked up the scent of some tasty meal. Turtle. Its favorite kind of meal.

"Ι am not the guy who is co-operating with Pirates. Unless you offer me more money than the World Government does." Marcantonello decided to start a discussion with the members of the Dusk Pirates.

"Oh really? Do you think you can negotiate?" Mr. A replied under the melodies of Frank's fiddle.

"Of course I am. I am an expert bounty hunter. I will not only help you complete your mission before the commanders of the Anubis Pirates realize you are here, but also I will not catch you, as well." Marcantonello spoke with a confident voice.

"You are lying. Your confidence is pure trash. You might not be afraid of me and Johnny, but you know that Frank is here... And I suppose that is something you do not really like." Mr. A explained.

"I will work with you as long as you offer me the sum of Koga's and Johnny's bounty. Those are my conditions."

"700,000,000 Beri and a few more? Your services can be considered expensive, I suppose." Mr. A said.

"So?"

"So... Shockwave." Mr. A performed the signature Shockwave attack of Maximillion and Manta, a technique he was also capable of performing, striking Marcantonello on his armor.

"I see... There is no deal after all." Marcantonello said before he disappeared in silence, using his technique.

"Νοt so fast!" Mr. A rushed behind him, keeping up with the Bounty Hunter until a loud sound was heard and the ground started crumbling.

---

MEANWHILE, SOMEWHERE ELSE ON THE FOREST

As the dinosaur approaches Koga, Koga is taking a battle stance prepared for a battle against the creature.

[Sorry, I didn't know what to say]

"Well that was a bust. Was expecting something like that to be executed by Manta, to be fair ... but not from you. You should have agreed." Johnny nonchalantly complained, minutes after the bounty hunter vanished in front of their eyes, all the while as he was, of all things, washing and hanging his jacket and shirt to dry up. He didn't seemed worried about it, which was because of his earlier remark about a special explosive he used. They could now track Koga, as long as he was on the island that is. "Captain has a fortune. That sum wasn't that much." he added. "Plus, we would just kick his ass once done."

---

The massive beast lunged for an attack, only to be side-tracked by an unknown assailant, one that was seemingly powerful enough to sent such a massive creature flying onto the large, rocky hills nearby. "That will do." the figure remarked to itself, then turned to Koga. "Hello there, Turtle."

"To be fair..." Frank stopped playing the fiddle. "This is not the first time we deal with Marcantonello." he explained. "Long ago, that son of a bitch was hired by Maximillion... At that time Maximillion was a rookie with a bounty of 50,000,000 Beri and Marcantonello was an assassin for hire. His mission was to kill the very first crew which Maximillion had formed, which abandoned him on an island. However, not only Marcantonello didn't succeed in his mission, but he also scammed the money."

"I hoped he would co-operate, but I did not really want him to take Wally's money and then have trouble with Wally. He has done more than enough providing us with a place to stay and helping us with a few men on our way to free Maximillion and completely revive the Dusk Pirates. I could not leave him with a debt." Mr. A completed, explaining why he attacked Marcantonello and replying to Johnny.

Suddently, the Den Den Mushi started ringing, having the face of Manta.

"Chk... Where are you?" Manta's voice was heard.

"We were dealing with Marcantonello but Koga is nowhere to be found." Mr. A replied.

"I see... I am on my way too you... But I have to tell you that Marcantonello is not the only Bounty Hunter here. There are also two others which were after me." Manta said.

"With the recent increase on our bounties, I suppose we will get to face more of them, huh?" Frank made a comment, although it was stupid as it was more possible for the two bounty hunters to be looking for Koga instead. After all, what kind of hope could they have against the Black Cross and the Dusk Pirates.

"You dealt with them, did you not?" Mr. A asked.

"I did... But when I was about to finish them off, they used a smokebomb and they vanished. One of them has several weapons under his arsenal. And they both fight with peculiar battling styles..." Manta answered.

"Nice!" Frank clenched his fists.

"I guess they are going to cause us more trouble. We are here looking for Koga, we have Marcantonello who is after Koga and now we have those two random Bounty Hunters... So our enemies are four." Mr. A made a review of the situation. "Anyway, we need you here. We need to reunite."

"I am on my way... I am following your Vivre Card already."

---

MEANWHILE, IN THE FOREST

"Don't call me a turtle!" Koga complained. "I mean, I am a turtle but I am a superior turtle! I am a mutant turtle!" A teenage mutant turtle!" Koga said with a loud voice, speaking words that made no sense at all. "I'd have to thank you, though." he thanked the man who dealt with the dinosaur before he actually did anything. "If you are here for good, of course." he completed.

---

ANOTHER SIDE OF THE FOREST

"Argh..." Marcantonello was panting, coughing blood for a moment. Apparently, the attack he received from Mr. A was unexpectable and he took more damage than he predicted. "That bastard... He attacked me without any hesitation... And his voice... That emotionless voice. He reminded me of somebody, but who is he?" he wondered. "With those guys on the island there is no way I can take off Koga's head and the bounty!" he said, slashing a tree in his anger, slicing it like butter.

"All alone there is no way you can win, Marcantonello." a man whose head were spinning like a helicopter's helix revealed himself, arriving at the area. The man was flying with his hair, hovering two meters above Marcantonello. He was none other than David.

"But if the three of us work together, then we can take them out with our brains." Roo also revealed himself from behind a tree.

"Who are you, guys?" Marcantonello asked.

"We all are bounty hunters and we all happen to fight with different styles..." David said. "I am a brawler, you are a swordsman and my partner, Roo, happens to be a sniper. If you follow our plan, you will not only get the bounty of Koga's head but you will also get the money of Cool, Maimou and of course... That of the zombie!" David smiled.

"Huh? The zombie?" Marcantonello twitched his eye, smiling wickedly. "The bounty over a billion?!" he took an evil look on his face.

"Exactly." Roo said.

A three-way alliance was being formed!