The day crept in ever so slowly, and I breathed heavily as I looked around for any sign of the Sky Marines that were following me. Taking this moment of safety to my advantage, I took out the Sky Knife once again to get a good look at the one who would soon join my crew…
“Hmm….looks like….a boy. Blue hair, tanned skin, and a serious outlook on life. Alright, Sky Knife, where is he?”, I asked the knife. It shone slightly as it pointed my arm towards the tall building in the distance. “Over there, huh? Looks like that’s a Sky Marine base. Wonder why he is there? ….Well, better to go and find out than stay here guessing!”
I ran across the rooftops, running towards the building. The symbol of the Sky Marines grew larger and larger with each step I made towards the building. I stopped and sat on the edge of a roof and looked at the wall surrounding the building, seeing a few places where they kept pirates who they were gonna shoot at sundown. That’s when I saw him: the boy the knife was showing me, tied up to a post.
“Ah, there he is! My new crew member!”, I said, about to jump off the building when I saw a few kids climb over to the wall and walk over to the boy with a small bundle of food.
“E-Excuse me, mister. I brought you some more food today.”, said the small girl. The boy, his face covered in caked dirt and blood looked away and said, “Keep it. I plan on escaping this place and continuing with my dream today.”
“But sir, you’ve said that five times already and haven’t broken free from this place yet! Please, you’ve got to eat something!”, the girl exclaimed.
“Look, for the last time, I am telling you to beat it!”, the boy said. He looked away and said, “I am gonna break free from here….then I shall continue my dream the way I want to.”
“Whoaaaa…..he’s so cool! He definitely will become part of my crew!”, I said, hopping down from the building. I jogged over to the wall when I heard the main gate to the crucifixion yard creak open. A few Sky Marines walked over to the young children, laughing coldly at the sight. “Well well well, what do we have here? A young girl bringing our favorite prisoner something to eat? How adorable.”, said the man in the middle.
“Ooh, sir, it sure looks TASTY. What is it, cake?”, said one of the soldiers. The man in the middle took a piece of the cake and a look of disgust appeared on his face. “What is this?! This cake is spicy! You are supposed to use cinnamon, NOT CHILI PEPPERS!”, he yelled. He slapped the cake out of the girl’s hands and started to stomp on the food, tears welling up into the girl’s eyes.
“Please, stop! That’s for the boy! I made that for him so he wouldn’t starve! Please stop, Mr. Serachi!”, the girl said. The man frowned and said, “Excuse me? Did you say MISTER Serachi? I’m the man in charge of this Sky Marine base! It’s CAPTAIN Serachi, you brat!” In a fit of rage, he picked up the girl and threw her over the wall.
When I saw that, I quickly reacted, stretching out towards her and grabbing her before she got hurt. She looked at me and I put a finger to my lips so she wouldn’t say anything. I looked over the wall and saw the three men walk away, leaving the prisoner behind. The girl tugged on my arm and said, “T-Thank you, mister…that was so scary!”
“It’s alright, little one. You stay here. I need to do something right quick.”, I replied, hopping over the wall. I walked up to the boy and stared at him. He chuckled and said, “It is very impolite to stare. What do you want, kid?”
“Why are you tied up out here? Are you a prisoner?”, I asked. He smirked and said, “I don’t think that is any of your business. Who are you, anyway?”
“I’m Rosario D. Hawkins, the next King of the Sky Pirates!”, I said confidently. The boy looked at me with a crazed look, then laughed loudly at me. “The Sky Pirate King? Don’t make me laugh. You, a kid that hasn’t even grown into his nose, the King? You look a thousand years too early to even think of such a thing.”, he said.
“Yeah, I know. But I plan on doing it anyway. It was the last wish of my father….the former Sky Pirate King. I must find the Sky Shard and fulfill his wishes!”, I replied. The boy looked at me again and thought to himself, ‘This kid…is Blackjack Hawkins’ son!? ….So, he wasn’t spouting a bunch of nonsense when he died. This kid has the key to the hidden treasure!’
“So, tell me: what’s your name?”, I asked the boy. “….Misaki. Jacob Misaki. You best remember it, for I will be the next master swordsman, just like my ancestor Roronoa Zoro was!”, he said with pride. “A swordsman, huh? How about you join my crew? The next King would need a swordsman on his crew.”
Jacob lowered his head and said, “Me, become a pirate? NOT IN YOUR LIFE. I’d rather die than become a pirate. Besides, I have my own goal to deal with.”
I sighed softly and said, “Alright then.” I turned away from Jacob and started to walk to the wall when he said, “Wait a minute! …Can you….get that for me?” I looked back at him as he was motioning towards the stomped-on cake. I picked up and said, “This? It’s nothing but mud now.”
“Don’t be an idiot! Just give it to me!”, Jacob exclaimed. I walked over to him and placed the cake in his mouth, and he ate it hungrily, swallowing it in one big bite. He coughed slightly and said, “Thanks. It was really good….” I smiled and then hopped over the wall, where I saw that same girl wave at me at a nearby café.
So, I left the execution ground to rejoin the young girl. I had told her that Jacob ate her cake, and she was quite happy that he did. But, that brought up a very interesting question….
“So anyway, why are you bringing that guy food anyway, kid? I mean, if he is in there, he must be a prisoner.”, I asked the girl. The door to the café opened as an elderly man came out and handed us both a cup of tea. “It’s….It’s our fault actually, young man. He was only protecting me and my granddaughter.”, the elderly man said. “The captain of the Sky Marine base is truly a wicked man, and he is always coming to my café and discrediting the food I cook. The day Mr. Misaki came to my café, Captain Serachi came in and threatened to kill me and my granddaughter if we didn’t pay back the money he spent at my café with interest.”
“That Captain Serachi is nothing but scum! How dare he do such a thing to you guys?!”, I said, clenching my fists tightly.
“He is a mean man, but that kid showed him what for. Did you see that large scar the captain had on his face?”, the little girl said. “Yeah, I did. Wait, are you saying that Jacob….”, I replied. The elderly man nodded his head and said, “Yes. He did do that. According to the Sky Marines, Jacob Misaki ate the Dice-Dice Fruit in his hometown not too long ago, turning him into a Dice-Dice man. He always carries a sword with him, but if he gets disarmed, he can always counter with his Devil Fruit powers.”
“S-So…he’s a Dice-Dice man….THAT’S SO COOL! He definitely has to join my crew now!!”, I exclaimed, my eyes full of excitement from learning that. Then I thought of something, and turned to the man and said, “Old man, if he has Devil Fruit powers, why doesn’t he use them to escape?”
The man was just about to speak when all of a sudden, another voice answered for me: “It’s because he knows if he escapes, I shall kill this family!” I turned around and saw Captain Serachi looking right back at me. He laughed and said, “That brat is SO gullible! He expects me to keep our deal after what he did to me?! Once I collect the money here, I plan on executing him today! That’ll show the little rogue what it means to go against a Sky Marine captain!”
I growled as I walked up to him, stretching my arm and slamming him into a nearby wall. “You disgust me.” I said coldly. The elderly man said, “No kid, don’t do this!” Serachi put a hand to his face and said, “T-T-That little punk hit me! ….NOW I RECOGNIZE YOU! You’re that kid with the 30 million beri bounty! Blood Rose Hawkins!”
“And what if I am?”, I said coldly. I looked at him and said, “A man without honor isn’t a man at all. I’m gonna kick your ass for lying!”
The two marines standing beside Serachi pointed their guns at me and said, “Rosario D. Hawkins, a.k.a Blood Rose, you are hereby under arrest. You will come with us now.” I chuckled and said, “Those things won’t work on me!”
The little girl shook nervously behind me, then felt her grandfather tap her on her shoulder. She looked at him and saw that he was holding a sword in his hand. “Listen to me, Yuriko. I want you to go to the execution ground and free Mr. Misaki. Tell him he must come and help this young man right away!”, he said in a whisper. Yuriko looked up at her grandfather and nodded, taking the sword from him and running quickly over to the wall where Jacob was.
Jacob kept looking towards the wall in concern. ‘Hmm…..what’s going on over there? I heard a loud yell and a crash…..the yell sounded like that Rosario kid….well, it’s not my problem.’, he thought to himself. His thinking process was broken when he saw Yuriko running over to him with his sword. “Hey, that’s my sword! What are you doing with it?”, Jacob asked.
Yuriko quickly started tugging at the ropes that was binding Jacob to his post, trying to untie him. “I know you don’t want to have anything to do with pirates, but please Mr. Miraki! Join Mr. Hawkins’ crew and help him! He’s fighting Captain Serachi right now!”, she said.
“Hey! Cut it out, kid! Stop it! I only have a few more days before me and Serachi’s deal is done!”, Jacob exclaimed. “Well, not quite.”, Yuriko said, still trying to untie him. “I don’t understand. What do you mean, not quite?”, Jacob asked.
“Serachi is planning to execute you today. That’s why Rosario is fighting now: because Serachi was never gonna honor you and his agreement. Please, you gotta help him!”, Yuriko replied. Jacob lowered his head, and then he said, “He’s fighting for me?”
Yuriko nodded slightly, then Jacob replied: “Ok. Stand back, kid. I don’t want you to get cut.” She stepped back slightly, and blinked as Jacob yelled “Dice-Dice Shaver!” With a gust of wind, all the ropes fell to the ground, perfectly cut into pieces. Her eyes widened as she saw two blades connected to Jacob's arms return to normal. He walked over to her and took his sword, unsheathing it from its hilt. “Thanks for bringing my sword. I’ll need it.”, he said.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the wall….
“Well, what are you two waiting for!? FIRE! FIRE!”, Serachi exclaimed, his two soldiers firing their guns at me. The elderly man gasped out loudly as he saw the bullets stretch me out. I chuckled confidently as I resent the bullets back. “I told you that wouldn’t work!”, I said, one of the bullets barely missing Serachi’s ear. He growled slightly and said, “Men, guns won’t work, so use your swords instead!”
“Now, time for Gum-Gum…..PISTOL!!!”, Rosario said, stretching out an arm and slamming one of the soldiers into the wall. He pulled back and returned to the other one, saying “Gum-Gum….WHIP!”, sending that one straight through the wall of the execution ground. Serachi frowned and looked back at Rosario. He cracked his knuckles and said, “You think you scare me, kid?! I am Steel-Fist Serachi, one of the strongest Sky Marines in the entire force! I have shattered boulders with my bare hands!”
I rolled my shoulders slightly, looking up towards the sky. “So what? Breaking a boulder isn’t that impressive. I still plan on kicking your ass and then taking Jacob with me as part of my crew.”, I said. Serachi chuckled as he held out a small transponder snail in his hand. “I don’t think so, Blood Rose. With just one word, you will be completely surrounded by every Sky Marine on this island! There is no escape for you.”, Serachi said. He looked at the snail and said, “Men, FALL IN! I have the pirate Rosario D. Hawkins right here in the middle of town!”
“Are you crazy!? All of those soldiers after just me?! You’d end up hurting innocent people in the process!”, I exclaimed, seeing the gate to the Sky Marine base open up, a bunch of soldiers heading straight for me. Serachi laughed and said, “What do I care? As long as I capture you and receive that 30 million beri bounty on your head, it all works out just fine.”
I growled slightly, seeing the soldiers getting closer to me, when all of a sudden, a loud yell was heard. “Dragon…..TWISTER!!!”, the voice cried out, and with a strong wind, I saw all the soldiers get blasted into the air, getting cut to pieces by the wind. Once the wind died down, I saw Jacob standing on the pile of Sky Marines with a black sword, smirking down at me. “Hey, kid. What was your name again?”, Jacob asked.
“My name is Rosario D. Hawkins. I’m gonna be the next King of the Sky Pirates!”, I said to Jacob confidently. He looked at me and said, “Well then, looks like you got a new crew member. Just don’t slow me down while I am working towards my goal!” I laughed slightly, then heard Serachi say, “Alright you two, DON’T MOVE! Or else the little girl gets it!”
I turned to his direction and saw him holding the girl at gunpoint, tears running down her face in fear. “You hear me?! I said to not move, OTHERWISE I WILL SHOOT THIS GIRL STRAIGHT IN THE HEAD!”, Serachi declared. “Yuriko!!”, the old man yelled, seeing his granddaughter die. “Gr-grandpa…Help me…”, she whimpered softly, shaking violently from the fear. Serachi laughed as he looked directly at me and Jacob. “What can you two do now? With this hostage, you can’t hurt me! Gya-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!!!”, he yelled.
I frowned and said, “Now that you drew your gun, are you willing to use it?” Serachi raised an eyebrow and said, “Huh? Kid, you are speaking nonsense! OF COURSE I AM WILLING TO USE IT! Do you not see me pointing this gun right at this child’s head?!” I pulled my hat off my head and placed it on the old man’s head. “If you are so willing to use it…..then you will die trying!”, I replied, looking directly at Serachi. He grumbled and said, “Very big talk from just a snot-nosed kid! I think I’ll just kill this girl now and show you I am not one to joke with!”
I grinned and said, “What girl?” Serachi blinked as he looked down and saw that the little girl was indeed gone. “Hey! Where did she go!?”, Serachi asked, looking around frantically for his hostage. “You mean this girl?”, Jacob said, sitting on a nearby roof with Yuriko right beside him. “Nice job, Jacob! Now I can get rid of this guy!”, I said, running towards Serachi quickly. He yelled frighteningly as he kept shooting bullets at me, each one bouncing off in different directions. I stretched my arms out behind me and said, “Now, it’s time for my GUM-GUM…..” “No, keep away from me!”, Serachi said, turning around and running towards the entrance of the Sky Marine base, but it was too late. “CANNON!!!!”, I yelled, slamming a hard hit of both my palms into Serachi’s back, sending him flying into the sky.
Jacob whistled softly and said, “Damn. He’s not gonna be back any time soon.” I walked over to the old man and took my hat back off his head and said, “He shouldn’t cause you and your granddaughter anymore trouble now.” The old man smiled and said, “Thank you, young child. If it wasn’t for you and Mr. Miraki, my granddaughter wouldn’t be here right now.”
“It’s no problem at all. Right, Jacob?”, I said, looking up on the roof to see him helping Yuriko get back down. “Nah. It was no problem at all.”, he said. “Please, let me reward you two for your trouble. Are you two heading to another island soon?”, the old man asked. Rose pulled the Sky Knife that was attached to his leg and said, “Actually, we are. Just as soon as the Sky Knife pinpoints the next member of our crew.”
The old man smiled and said, “Well, allow me to prepare a rowboat with some food for you and Mr. Miraki for your travels. What would you like?” “MEAT! Lots of meat! All different varieties of it!”, I said, drooling roughly. “Some kegs of sake would be nice.”, Jacob said. The old man nodded and said, “Well then, you two should head on towards the harbor. I’ll meet you two there shortly.”
I nodded and said, “Alright! Let’s go, Jacob!” Jacob nodded in reply and we both ran towards the harbor.
30 minutes passed since we parted from Yuriko and her grandfather. I kept my eyes on the Sky Knife, waiting for when it would react to another person as a possible addition to my crew….
“Come on, Sky Knife. Find our next crewmate.”, I whispered softly, watching it glow slightly. It finally flashed as a face of a boy wearing bunny ears appeared on it. “Cool, so this is our next crewmate, huh?”, I said, watching the knife point in a direction out into open water. “Alright, Jacob! I have our heading! As soon as the old man arrives, we can go!”
“Here he comes now, Rose.”, Jacob said, pointing near the water as the old man rowed towards us in a small sailboat. He walked up towards us and said, “This is my old fishing boat. It’s not much, but it’ll get you where you need to go next. I stocked enough food and drink for 7 days. I even supplied a few kegs of fresh water as well.”
“Thanks, old man. We really appreciate it.”, I said, hopping onto the boat. Jacob hopped on as well and saw me plant the Sky Knife on one side of the boat, it floated slightly and pointed off in the same direction it was showing our next crewmate. “Alright, Jacob! Let’s set sail!”, I said, watching him release the sails and turn the boat in the direction the Knife was pointing. I heard Yuriko yell at us when we were pulling away. “Rose! Jacob! Come back and visit someday!”, she yelled, waving at us with a wide smile.
“We will! See ya!”, I yelled back, we finally were out of eye range. I went to the front of the boat and sat down, looking at the Sky Knife. ‘We’re on our way. I will become the King of the Sky Pirates. I will make you proud, Dad!’, I thought to myself, looking out at the sea.
To be continued….
