Terminal’s Top Dog

Sprinting forward I struck out with a series of stabs and sweeping strikes. The second, third and fourth pirate that came at me folded in half like they were made of cardboard while the fifth crumbled to the floor after a kick to the temple.

"What the hell!" Bluejam yelled. Ace, Luffy and I tore apart the pirates facing us with practiced ease, scaring the supposedly fearsome pirate captain. Fighting back to back as he we had a hundreds of times before, we made quick work of the remaining men.

I made the next move by knocking out the four men closest to us with a few well timed strikes before Ace and Luffy attacked the others in the openings I created. With this method we systematically took out the Bluejam pirates one by one.

Ace turned to face Bluejam, standing between him and Luffy. His face was set in stone and there was a strong resolve burning in the depths of his eyes. Placing my hand on his shoulder I looked down at him.

"Go watch Luffy's back. This one's mine." Pushing him aside gently, I cracked my neck with a satisfying pop and looked over at Bluejam. Ace hesitated for a moment, but in the end he turned and moved to engage the remaining Bluejam pirates alongside Luffy.

Bluejam tensed up when he saw me and gripped the hilt of his sword. Running forward I didn't hesitate to slam my fist into Bluejam's stomach. I didn't give him a chance to fight back either. I kicked him hard in chest, cracking his ribs and sending him skipping across the pavement like a stone over water. Leaving him face down, sprawled out in the dirt.

"Tch! You'll have to do better than that if you want to kill me you stupid kid." He practically roared after he had picked himself out of the mud. He held his arm across the wound to his chest and took a long breathe before drawing the ornamental cutlass at his waist.

I replied by plunging my trident into the ground and drawing my scimitar from the sheath I recently acquired. The trident isn't quite ready for a full on combat test against a pirate of his calibre. It's already done fine for a practice test. I don't want to damage it the same day I built it now do I?

Bluejam pulled his sword back and stumbled slightly, the pain in his rubs no doubt effecting him more than he thought. He attempted to lash out nonetheless, disregarding the pain.

The blade I gained from killing Porchemy collided with Bluejam's as the pirate captain desperately tried to parry a blow that would have surely killed him. In his panic he sloppily stabbed towards me once more. Sparks rang out. Steel sang as the blades crossed. Chips of metal flew from his sword as mine bit into it with every swing.

I deflected his blows with ease, allowing them to slide gracefully off the tang of my blade, before returning with a strike a my own. Faster, stronger and more precise than anything he could respond with; it was all he could do just to pull his sword up to block the incoming strike.

I continued to toy with the most dangerous man in all the Goa Kingdom as if he was nothing but an angry child throwing a tantrum. He slashed, I parried, he stabbed, I deflected. All the while he grew more and more enraged at his inability to cut even a single strand of my flowing purple hair.

But it's not because he is weak. No, far from it. Even though he is panicked and off balance every one of his blows carries enough force to cut deep into my flesh, even with my Atlantean skin. It's no wonder he has a bounty of 14,300,000 berries on his head. It's well deserve. His swordplay on the other hand? It's sloppy, predictable and downright sad to watch. He relies too much on the reach of his arms, and his shear strength.

He's too aggressive. Likely because he's focused on not dying and trying to finish the fight with a single blow. On top of that he is pissed as hell and injured on top of it, making his movements all the more predictable, and easy to follow.

"I'll kill you!" Bluejam roared for the upteenth time. He threw his navy blue captains coat to the ground behind him and lunged forward with furry burning in his dark eyes.

A 12 year old kid vs a 40 year old pirate. The outcome should have been obvious, but things don't always turn out the way one would expect.

Namor's biology and Naguri's training, coupled with the natural inclination toward combat of the Son of Poseidon and Sinbad's innate ability to read the flow of all things; all combined with the fighting experience I gained in the last three months. When it came to learning how to wield the sword and how to fight properly all I had to do was follow my instincts and train with them as my guide. The more I fought the better I became.

Like when you hold a pencil, or pen, wrong, your brain subconsciously tries to fix it. Sometimes it felt like my fists, and my weapons were the ones leading, as if my hands were moving on their own to better instruct me. It was a marvellous and intriguing sensation. One I could never get enough of.

I'm not some great, or masterful swordsman. Nothing like that, not yet at least. That being said, I'm not your typical fighter either. And Bluejam is paying the price for underestimating me.

"You should have ran when you had the chance." I remarked as I shifted my stance and gripped my scimitar tighter in my hands.

Parrying his wild thrust I returned with one of my own, cutting into his left thigh as I did. Another wound added to the several others I dealt him so far. Slashing out from below I blocked another of his overhead swings by meeting it head on.

"If you had left with Sabo's father you might have left here alive." I said, further agitating him and throwing off his rhythm.

We traded blows momentarily. But the wounds on his body kept piling up. He grew more and more tired as the fight continued. While I was just starting to warm up.

I aimed for the gaps in his movements, using his strength against him to lead him around like a dog on a leash.

'I can feel it. How he'll move. How I should move. All the different possible actions I could take and even my opponents emotions. Everything is spread out before me. I can read the flow of his movements as easily as I can read the flow of the tide, or the words of a book.' I thought while avoiding yet another telegraphed overhead swing.

I can feel just how far I've come since I arrived in this world. I spent the last six months fighting everyday, hunting in the woods, training with Sabo, Ace and Luffy near Mount Corvo, and fighting in the grey terminal and the deep sea surrounding the island.

After every fight I reflected and thought on how I could improve, gaining experience and honing my technique with each passing day. Someone like Bluejam, who relies on others and only gets his hands dirty when he has too, never stood a chance.

"It's time I finished this." I said while responding to another of his pathetic attacks.