Chapter 9, part 7: Does living free make me a monster?
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The boy was a natural outdoors man and full of spunk to boot. His mind drive was akin to a that of someone 10 years older than him, but his body hadn't yet caught up with him. Being in the world of one piece provided him with some of the tools to close the gap between his ideal self and his current. A 7 year old boy born to more resources than he could comprehend was running hard with the local marines or training hard with the royal guard. He was a gifted lad born from blood that allowed even his small frame to at least in speed out run most adults in quick bursts. During extended runs he was that of a long distance track star.
His friend Sandy on the other hand was a maid close to the queen. She and Mally had grown close ever since he was old enough to like women. Though he was much younger than her, he vowed to win her over one day when he could prove himself a worthy man. Jokingly the teen girl agreed to marry him if he worked hard, but that's neither here nor there. At the moment this average girl was huffing and puffing in the hot desert city air. She reached for her throat and coughed up a storm with tears welling up in her eyes. " Please mally uhh huuuhh ahhhh huh, wait for me. give me two minutes", she said in desperate tone. Mally turned back to her and frowned. The two of them found a small shop's overhead canvas made of camel skin to escape the sun. Mally was sweating but raring to go with a childish exuberance. While Sandy was hunched over trying to gasp for air. The shop keep offered her a bottle of water, which she took without a second thought.
As she was drinking however, Mally ran off. Sandy spit half of it out and ran after him in a rush, looking up at the billowing smoke and panicked citizens around them. " Sandy what the heck a fire?
Commoners are sooo cool"! Sandy tried to sprint in a mad dash to catch him but Mally was just too nimble for her to grasp, as she fell to the floor. Mally however ran into some crowd of people, getting trampled in the process. A royal guardsman who was nearby actually cut down a few citizens and routed their path with his bloodied sword and harsh tone. The panicked citizens screamed in terror as Mally kept going right under his nose, until suddenly a gust of wind swept the area and tossed him around like a rag dog.
Sandy was low to the ground already, but crying out to Mally while covering her face from the dust cloud that ensued. Using her shirt as a filter she ran to her friend and prince, " mally are you okay?
Mally"?! The boy slowly opened his eyes and nodded. As he rose to a sitting position he rubbed his head and cringed, but kept going regardless. " Sandy that was amazing. Gotta see whats on the other side"! Sandy at this point was stumbling out of breath and panicked, but all she could do at that moment was chase him to the ends of the earth and toward the lion's den that lied ahead of them.
Amidst the groggy adults, a mix of royal guard, marines, and civilians the boy ran along with great interest. He saw Bazil and Lina, with a sense of wonder that matched her own at the sight of the floating weapons slowly spinning in a circle over her head. And the red head Bazil with a cannon for an arm that was almost his full hieght, seemingly jutting from his body like a cyborg's prosthetic. " Sandy sandy look at that. What's with that girl and guy? they're so cool n stuff hahhhh uhhh hahhh".
Just as the shot was fired, Lina had darted like a red blurr and forced both him and Sandy to ground. Before either could protest, the sound of the cannon ripped through their ears and caused everyone around them to panic. The force rivaled that of the gust which knocked them down before, but thanks to lina they didn't get caught up in the force of bazil's shot.
Lina slowly got up and slowly pulled her hands from the little ones' heads. Others in the area looked on to the girl and jeered at her. "
You damn freak get your hands off the prince! Yea you'll be sorry for messing with Alabasta! Captain Osion and the Golden Rose will make quick work of you two! Yea scum get away from him who do you think you are? Lina slowly rose to her feet, face hidden by her cloak fought back the feelings which had welled up inside her ever since she dealt with Arthur back on water 7. She thought of the atrocities he committed and the families that would never see their loved ones again. Yet she thought to herself, why would she being put in the same strain as them when their precious marines were making them suffer?
Am I really a monster for wanting to live as I please? Must I place my life in others hands to fit in with others? Her hands were slightly trembling as she turned to her attention to the direction of the cheering.
It was slight, but Lina caught a glimpse of the woman who had appeared unscathed before bazil. She couldn't be too sure but behind her tears she thought the woman seemed to appear out of nowhere.
" Yea golden rose, take that spikey haired freak down"! Lina had reached for the hilt of her blade as the sounds of rumbling filled the air. In the distance Lina saw two clouds of debris rising in the distance. Though her focus was on Bazil who she was going to help when a line of Royal guardsman formed a wall in front of her. Clad in their shiny silver armor with their trademark scarfs which billowed in the breeze, one lone soldier held his hand out to her. "
This is your last warning, step away from the prince", he said with a strong sense of conviction. Looking around Lina noticed their disgust with her, as if they were too afraid of getting closer to help the little boy out. "
Hands up girl. Yea do as he says! Let our prince go! Stop holding him hostage monster and you might live to tell the tale"! More jeers joined in, Lina wondered if they actually were thinking or if it was like an contagion that swept them up and turned them into mindless idiots. Unfortunately for her the mob mentality was going full force, with even the little boy and girl looking up at her as if they were frozen with gear. " Stand down"
The crowd gave a collective huh to her and the marines at this point were raring to go as well. With their guns cocked while others drew their swords. "
This is y---", was all the man could get off before her floating blades lashed out at the crowd. The civilians dropped to their knees as she drew her blade, while the riflemen in the crowd screamed in agony. Most of their weapons dropping in an instant, most too afraid to fire due to the prince behind her.
Lina's mind wasn't blank like before, hatred coursed through her veins. She slashed down into royal guard which prompted one to blade with his own blade, but only to for him to lose and arm as her other blades flew forward at the same time. She jumped and twirled in mid air, her blades danced with her, randomly slashing soldiers in the vacinity as some froze in horror while others tried to get their compatriots out of there. The jeering had silenced and was replaced by a cold frozen terror, which had united them all. A few civilians tried to get involved in rescuing the wounded, but none were dead, yet. Limbs littered the area and blood ran deep into whatever it had stained.
As if to reset the situation, she calmly strode forth toward the big man she assumed to be Captain Osion. She swung her blade out in a habitual fashion, sending the blood which not only stained Sandai Kitetsu, but the blood off her floating weapons to the ground. She calmly placed her sword back into its sheath and her weapons calmed themselves in the process.
She walked out to meet him stained with a few coat of red intermittently along her clothing. " Captain Osion I presume"? With that she launched herself at him barely levitating over the ground as she fast approached him with her right hand firmly planted on the hilt of her blade. Her other weapons flying along with her she darted at full speed let her blade sing its sorrowful song right as she came within range, "
Silver fang", she'd mutter to herself as she swung forth. Her extra blades as well converging on her first as if it were a magnet, each poised to stab every limb he had if he got caught by her attack.
- haki and skills stuff and other stuff:
Haki: 5/6
Haki Cooldown: 1/3
Haki turned off the moment she lost awareness
Skills used: Limited Blade works, Silver Fang, The Yoshi Jump
Other: 5 Doriki allocated to endurance & durability to bump it up to secondary
OOC: If there's anything wrong with my post lemme know.