Chapter 14: Ice Prince

__________________________________________________

LEAVE A REVIEW!

___________

" WWWWWWAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!! " Garp screamed as snot ran down his nose and his jaw fell open, " But! I was planning on taking a vacation after this! " Garp shouted a droplet of tears running down from his eyes.

__________________________________________________

___________

Standing atop a pile of dead pirates, Kuzan crossed his arms, a wide smirk on his face.

" Damn, he's so strong... " Kuzan muttered, watching a bright spark go off in the distance. After a deep sigh, he said, " Anyways, I have a mission to do... " Turning around, Kuzan jumped off the bloody pile.

" Alright, let's see if I can do this... " Kuzan crouched and looked up at the towering tree. Inhaling deeply, he leaped high into the air and kicked off the air below him.

Puff* Puff*

Kuzan propelled himself further into the air, kicking below him once more. However, this time, like a baby finding its step, Kuzan lost balance and started falling back down.

" WOAHH! " Kuzan screamed, quickly kicking below himself, propelling back into the air. " I think I got it now... " he said, sweat running down his forehead. Kuzan kicked below him again, slowly but surely propelling himself higher and higher into the air.

" I'm doing it! " Kuzan exclaimed with a genuine sense of happiness in his heart. Climbing higher into the air, he moved as if he was jumping on invisible stairs. Kuzan glanced upward and spotted a window. He grabbed onto the window ledge, pulled himself up, and kicked open the window. 

" Alright, now where are these hostages? " Kuzan looked around with a nonchalant expression on his face. Hands in his pockets, he continued walking around. Suddenly, the sound of laughter came from further down the hallway.

" Haha... What are you gonna do after this? " the pirate asked, raising a bottle of rum to his mouth and taking a sip. Meanwhile, the other pirate struggled to stand up, " Me?... burp* I wanna... I wanna go to a brothel...burp* " The drunk pirate said.

Suddenly, the pirate fell over, his eyes rolling back into his head. Standing behind him, Kuzan had his arms extended with a bloodied index finger. " Adam! " the pirate exclaimed, dropping his rum and reaching for his cutlass. However, he was too slow.

" Finger pistol... " Kuzan whispered, dashing over to the pirate and closing the distance in a millisecond. He stabbed his index finger into the pirate's forehead, penetrating deep into his head. The pirate's mouth fell open, and he slumped to the ground dead.

" Where's the hostages..." Kuzan nonchalantly said, walking off with his hands in his pocket. He then turned around a corner before hearing a subtle noise above. Kuzan looked up, getting into a crouching stance, and jumped up punching through the ceiling. 

As he busted through the ceiling and landed, Kuzan found himself face to face with a group of pirates, all wearing shocked expressions.

" Who? " the pirate said, eyeing Kuzan up and down before realizing, " He's a marine! " The pirate charged at Kuzan, with the rest of the pirates behind him. 

The pirate leading the charge swung at Kuzan, but as he did, Kuzan disappeared from his spot. In an instant, the pirate dropped to the floor, a wide hole in his forehead. Just like that, each and every pirate dropped their weapons and slumped over dead, with a wide hole in the middle of their foreheads. 

" Quick and painless, " Kuzan muttered as he walked off. Turning around a corner, he heard quick footsteps, as if someone was running.

" Another pirate?... " Kuzan sighed, removing his hands from his pocket. Squinting his eyes, he spotted a white-haired woman—the most beautiful thing he had seen in ages. As Garp's apprentice, he was always surrounded by men and only had time to train.

" A... woman... " Kuzan stuttered, his finger twitching. He didn't quite know how to react, but he remembered a book, 'How to pull,' the main idea was to act cool and nonchalant around women. Trying to embody this advice, he casually adjusted his posture.

' Play it cool... ' Kuzan repeated to himself, attempting to hide his nervousness.

The white-haired woman suddenly stopped, taking a step back as if frightened. Kuzan raised his hands, about to speak, " It's f— " But before he could finish, he felt a sudden, sharp pain in his family jewels.

" That's what you pirates get! " The woman screamed, delivering a kick to Kuzan's family jewels. In agony, Kuzan reached for his balls, rolling on the ground. " MY SACRED TREASURE! " he screamed, tears falling from his eyes. 

She looked down at the squirming man, and upon noticing the marine logo on his back, her eyes widened, " Oh! I didn't realize you were a marine... " she then bowed apologetically, saying, " I'm sooo sorry... " She averted her gaze, pitying Kuzan.

" Cough* It's fine... my name is Kuzan... " Kuzan said weakly as he got up off the ground, still holding onto his balls. Olvia stopped bowing and wearily smiled, " It's Olv— " She was cut off by the sound of metal clanging and loud steps behind her.

Olvia's eyes widened, " We have to go now! before they catch us! " Olvia dashed past Kuzan, but a sudden yank stop her in her tracks as Kuzan held onto her arm. " What are you doing! Let's go! we have to run! " Olvia screamed, struggling to break free.

Kuzan flashed Olvia a smirk, ' How to pull 101: Act cool. ' The thought crossed his mind as he let go of her arm. Stepping forward, he faced the group of pirates running down the hallway.

The lead pirate raised an eyebrow, " A marine?... KILL HIM! " the pirate lunged forward, swinging his cutlass at the Kuzan's neck.

" Tekkai.. " Kuzan said, cutlass sliced at him, but as it connected it bounced off as if it hit iron. " Whaaaa!? " everyone in the hallway screamed. Their mouths fell open, and their eyes popped out of their heads

Kuzan clenched his fist and punched the pirate square in the side of his face. The impact slammed the pirate's head into the wall, rendering him unconscious. Blood dripped down, and his eyes rolled back. Those who were behind him took a few steps back, gulping nervously.

" Shitt... RUN! " The pirates turned around, dashing in the opposite direction. However, that proved to be their fatal mistake. " Finger pistol, " Kuzan muttered, dashing forward and jabbing his index finger out. Each pirate, like dominoes, fell face-first to the ground with a gaping hole at the back of their heads, blood gushing out of it.

Kuzan casually wiped off his index finger on his pants, then turned around to look at a shocked Olvia. " If you don't mind me asking, have you seen a group of hostages... or any idea of where they are? " Kuzan asked, maintaining his 'cool' demeanor.

Suddenly, Olvia's face snapped, " Right... Follow me! He's in big trouble. " Olvia grabbed onto Kuzan's arm, pulling him as she ran off, jumping over the lifeless bodies of the dead pirates.

" Whoa... let's calm down. We just met... " Kuzan nervously uttered, offering a hesitant smile. However, Olvia paid no attention to him, continuing to run until she reached a wide open door.

Kuzan cleared his throat, " Ahem*... so this is where they are? " he said, his eyes narrowing. He gently pulled his arm away from Olvia, taking the lead as he walked forward into the room.

" How'd you get away? " Kuzan asked, walking through the open door. His eyes looked up and down at the door, spotting bloody palm marks. Olvia closely followed behind, responding, " Well, there was a frien... my brother was protecting me so I could escape... " her eyes hidden by her bangs.

" Oh... I see, it must've been hard for you to leave him behind. " Kuzan looked at Olvia, smiling. Though he never had siblings, he knew what it was like not to have one.

Olvia clenched her fist, " It should've been me fighting instead of him! " she said, biting her bottom lip in frustration.

Boom*

Before Kuzan could utter another word, a loud noise came from a distance.

" We have to hurry! " Olvia urged, pushing Kuzan forward, and they ran off. Kuzan his eyes widening. " This place is massive... " he whispered beneath his breath as he looked at the absolutely massive bookshelves, endless books, and long aisles.

It was like an ant running through a maze, then snapping him out of focus was a loud voice, " Hey! there he is! help him quick! " Olvia pointed at a man and a dark haired boy, who was currently covered in blood and on the verge of passing out. Kuzan was shocked; the kid was holding his own against the man, but he was only barely holding his own..

Then, the kid went out for the count with a slash across his chest. Kuzan quickly dashed over, grabbing the man by his forearm just as he tried to stab Ray in the chest. " Ara Ara, "

_______________________________

" What a kick that was, " he grunted, wiping a streak of blood from the corner of his lips. " Now it's my turn! " The man screamed, charging at Kuzan. Closing the gap between, the jet-black-haired then lunged himself high into the air.

" ONE SWORD STYLE: CLEAVE! " He shouted, swinging his sword overhead. A mighty wind blade rippled through the air, hurtling toward Kuzan. Kuzan however, dropped into a crouching fighting stance, his eyes narrowing.

" Hmph! " Kuzan grunted, using Tekkai to harden his entire body until it became like iron. He then extended out his hand, palms open.

ZZTT*

The wind blade collided with Kuzan's palm, but he only smirked. " Compared to Garp's training... this is nothing. " he muttered, clenching his fist the wind blade dispersed completely. The jet-black-haired man fell from the air, lunging himself back at Kuzan even faster.

The man's frustration etched across his face. " You people are like summer ants! You keep coming back, even after death! " he growled. Swinging his sword horizontally, he aimed for Kuzan's stomach. However, Kuzan swiftly stepped back, narrowly evading the slashing attack.

Though, the man retracted his sword and thrust it forward, aiming for Kuzan's chest. Unfazed, Kuzan clasped his hands together, grabbing a hold of the blade. He flipped his hands over, snapping the blade in half with apparent ease.

The man's eyes widened, " How did you— " but before he could finish his sentence, Kuzan kicked him in the stomach, sending him hurtling backward. While the man was still midair, " Soru! " Kuzan appeared right in front of him.

Kuzan delivered an uppercut, slamming his fist into the man's jaw and propelling him high into the air. Using both Soru and Geppo, Kuzan appeared beside the man midair, delivering a powerful punch to the man's chest, sending him flying backward. In a split second, Kuzan appeared right behind the man, landing a powerful kick to the spine.

" Blegh! " The man vomited a massive load of blood. Kuzan grabbed the back of his hair, forcing him flat in midair. Vanishing from his spot, Kuzan reappeared directly above him, the broken sword piece still in his hands. He plunged it into the man's chest, slamming him into the wooden floor and creating a small sinkhole.

Kuzan landed down beside the sinkhole, reaching in, he grabbed the man by his collar and pulled him out. The man was in a terrible state—covered in blood, battered, and bruised. Red bruises covering his entire body and his left arm twisted in an unnatural direction. Blood streamed from his eyes, nose, and the top of his head.

Kuzan's expression shifted to a nonchalant " Oh... my bad, " with a subtle smirk on his face. Dropping his body, he turned around, looking at everybody who had been watching from the sidelines and peeking from the bookshelves. A brief silence hung in the air before wide smiles broke out on their faces.

Jumping out from their hiding spots, a collective scream erupted from the crowd, " HE WON !" Rushing towards Kuzan, they picked him up and tossed him into the air. Grinning widely, the crowd surrounded him, showering him with smiles and cheers, all admiring him.

A warm sensation grew in Kuzan's chest, and a thought crossed his mind, ' I could get used to this! ' he mused. 

" WOAH! " Kuzan exclaimed, a wide smile lighting up his face. For the second time in his life, Kuzan was praised for doing something good. As the apprentice of the Marine Hero Garp, he had just started a new chapter in his life as a Marine and a defender of justice.

. . . .

_____________________________________________________

______________

TO BE CONTINUED.