CH - 54

Halcen and Grey finally made it back to the docks later that day. Their journey across Loguetown has taken some time and the sun was already setting. Once they reached the Black Tail, they were greeted by Jory, Morkine, and Shira. Jin and Fein had not made it back yet.

"Do you know where they are?" Halcen asked. "Have they checked in at all?"

Jory just shook his head.

"They have not returned," Morkine said.

Shira whined.

"Well, what the hell is going on?" Halcen was beginning to worry. He didn't think their task would take this long. "We need to get going."

"Do we have a heading?" Morkine inquired.

"We do. Shanks headed for another island in the East Blue."

"We should head out as soon as possible," Grey said. "Likely, he's already done there and is going to be leaving, or has already done so."

"We can't leave without them!" Jory shouted, getting worried.

"Of course not," Halcen replied. "That's not what we're saying. We're just in a rush and trying to get out of here quickly, and their holdup is very inconvenient."

Shira made a move with her nose. She began sniffing the air.

"What is it, girl?" Halcen asked.

Shira rushed off the ship and onto the docks, barking in joy.

The rest of them looked out over the docks to see Fein, running his hardest, towards them.

"What the fuck?" Halcen said under his breath. This can't be good. Where's Jin?

Shira caught up with Fein and began to dance around him.

"Calm down, Shira! This isn't the time!"

She whined and backed off, letting Fein pass her.

Fein kept running until he reached the ship. His white hair was a mess and he was sweating pretty badly. He had something in his hand. It was stack of papers. "Bad news!" he shouted.

"First thing: where's Jin?" Halcen demanded.

Fein looked back. "Oh, he… he's back there." He was out of breath. "He'll catch up." He heaved. "We had to separate. I had to get this to you ASAP. I'm faster than he is."

"But he's okay?"

"Yeah, yeah, he'll be here in a minute. LOOK!" He waved the papers in their faces. "You guys have bounties!"

Halcen sighed. "Really? That's what's so important?! We've had bounties for a while."

"No, they're recent."

"Yeah, Grey and I got new bounties when we left Whitebeard. That's why the Marines sent snipers to have us taken out."

"Not just you two!"

"What?" Halcen grabbed the papers. He took a minute to look at each of them.

Avarik "Carbon Carnivore" Halcen: Wanted Dead or Alive. 75,000,000 Beri.

Axcel D. "Saint" Grey: Wanted Dead or Alive. 115,000,000 Beri.

"My bounty didn't even increase," Grey said in surprise.

"No, but they got a new picture of you. Look."

Grey's bounty did indeed have a recent picture. Up until then, they had been using an old picture of him from back in his Roger Pirate days. For years, he had been out of sight. Now, they had actually laid eyes on him.

"This is bad."

"Mine went up a lot," Halcen said.

"This is probably from when the Marines set us up. I didn't do as much as you. You told Reluji it was your crew. You fought him pretty hard and scared him off."

"I even got an epithet." Halcen had to admit, he liked it. He was brimming with pride. "Carbon Carnivore."

"Carnivore?" Jory laughed. "More like candy whore."

Everyone started chuckling, except Fein.

"Those aren't the ones you need to be worried about," Fein said. "Keep flipping."

Halcen thumbed through the stack and found the problem. There were two more bounties.

Ureha "Raining Steel" Kazuki. Wanted Dead or Alive. 20,000,000 Beri.

Yusha "Death's Trigger" Bosopp. Wanted Dead Or Alive. 15,000,000 Beri.

"Fuck," Halcen said.

"This isn't good," Grey noted.

"Your friends seem to have gotten themselves the short end of the stick," Morkine said.

"What do we do?" Fein asked.

"What are we supposed to do?" Halcen said. "We have shit to take care of. We can't just drop what we're doing. We don't even know if this is going to stick."

"Didn't they save your ass?"

"Yes, but we saved theirs first."

"So we're just gonna leave them?" Jory asked. "To die?"

"We don't know that they're going to die, Jory. Don't be overdramatic."

"Halcen," Grey shouted.

Halcen grunted and pulled a chocolate bar out of his jacket pocket. It was already partially eaten so finished off what was left. He could feel the sugar immediately kick in. Fucking good.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm stressed! Leave me alone!" Halcen said with chocolate shoved in his mouth.

Grey shook his head.

Halcen finished and gulped. "What do you want from me, Grey? Why do I always have to play the hero? I'm a pirate! They're Marines! They're grown men. They made their own decisions. They joined the Marines. They decided to go back even after they were betrayed. It's not my fault, not my business. We have other business to attend to."

"They basically just turned themselves in for being pirates. They're wanted men! There's no coming back from that and you damn well know it! Are you really okay with that? Either they die, or spend their remaining days in prison!"

"Kazuki's a smart guy. He can work something out."

"There's no talking their way out of this one. Why are you being so stubborn!?"

"Because Shanks is out there! We actually know where he is for once! I'm tired of playing catch up! We have him in our sights! We need to catch him before he slips away!"

"Is that really your argument? You're too hellbent on getting revenge that everything else goes to the wayside and fuck anybody who gets hurt in the process?"

"It's not my fault if they get hurt!"

"It doesn't matter whose fault it is! What matters is that you have the ability to do something about it, and you're choosing not to!"

"Damn right I'm choosing not to. I set out on a mission. To find Shanks. That's been the plan this whole time. I need his help, dammit! And yeah, if Bo and Kazuki get hurt because I chose not to act, then I can live with that!"

"Do you know who you sound like right now?"

"Don't you fucking dare!"

"Halcen, you need to get the fuck over this revenge mission. It's a lost cause! You're only gonna get more hurt if you keep this up!"

"I HAVE NOTHING ELSE, GREY! What else do you suggest I do? Go play nice with the other pirates? Go back home to sit and rot for an eternity?! My name has been stained because of that prick! And I have nowhere else to go! No one else to help! This is about pride!"

"Pride? You wanna talk to me about pride? Are you proud that you're abandoning your friends? Are you proud that you can let others get hurt and not feel a thing?! Are you proud that you're letting your emotions control you?! Are you proud that you're letting the Marines get away with this tragedy? The same exact tragedy, might I remind you, that you yourself just went through! Bo and Kazuki were innocent, betrayed, and cast out! Sound familiar? You would think that you would revel at the opportunity to make this right!"

Halcen seethed.

"Listen," Grey said, calming down. "If we let Shanks get away, we can catch up to him again. I know the order of the Poneglyphs. Even if it takes us into the Grand Line, we can still find him. And yeah, it'll probably take longer this way. But at least we wouldn't forego our souls for it. Are you really in so much of a rush to get back at Whitebeard that you'll let your friends die for it?"

Halcen sighed.

"Come on, Halcen. I can't let this go. I can't go on without at least trying. I would have hoped the same would be true for you."

"...Alright."

"Damn it, Hal- wait... what?"

"You're right." Halcen walked across the deck of the Black Tail and stared out over the island of Loguetown. "We can't just leave them here. They've been betrayed and branded as pirates. I understand their situation. And when I was down and out, you were there to believe in me. I need to be that person for them. I just… I'm so angry. I can't see past it sometimes. But Bo and Kazuki are good men, and great warriors. We can't leave this alone." He turned back to look at the rest of the crew. "We'll go save our crewmates. Besides, it's not like a pirate to pass up giving the Marines trouble."

Bo and Kazuki were shoved inside an office, with their hands in cuffs behind their backs. The door swung open and the two fell of their knees. It was a rather large room for a Marine office. Before them was a large desk, with a man sitting patiently behind it.

His black hair was in a bowl-cut that connected to lightning bolt-shaped sideburns. He was wearing thin sunglasses with gold frames, even inside. He had a very strong face and thin nose. He was still relatively young, early 30's.

"Cap-Captain Vergo," Kazuki stuttered.

"Shit," Bo cursed under his breath.

Vergo waved off the men that had ushered the two snipers into his office. "You may leave," he said in a very low voice. The sound left chills in the air.

The crowd of Marines that had gathered looked about. They had been hoping to be immediately rewarded.

"I said leave," the Captain commanded.

They all looked to attention, then quickly dismissed themselves. Vergo held true authority.

"Captain, please!" Kazuki shouted.

"Silence, Chief Petty Officer Ureha. I'll get to you in just a moment." Vergo's eyes returned to his desk where he appeared to be in the middle of his lunch. He had chopsticks and was shoveling ramen into his mouth. They watched in silence as he accidently got a stray noodle stuck to his left sideburn. When he was finished, he sighed in delight. Then he turned his face back to the intruders on his meal time.

"Now, where were we?" he asked the two Marines.

Captain Vergo picked up some papers from his desk, then stood up. He wasn't particularly tall; just over six feet. Taller than them for sure, but he was still shorter than Grey. In spite of that, he was ridiculously buff, and his uniform pulled far too tight on him. He was not fond of the formalities of military wear. He took slow, deliberate steps. He stopped before them, and stood still. He pulled the papers up to his face and began reading them off.

"Ureha 'Raining Steel' Kazuki. Twenty million beri."

Kazuki stuttered. "Wh-what?"

Vergo continued. "Yusha 'Death's Trigger' Bosopp. Fifteen million beri."

"What?" Bo's face contorted.

"Your bounties," Vergo stated simply. He took the papers and flashed them in front of the snipers, who were still bent down on their knees.

"What the hell?!" Bo shouted.

Kazuki's face held only a horrified expression.

"Kazuki?" Bo said.

"Yeah?"

"Why's your bounty bigger than mine?"

Kazuki closed his eyes in shock. "Is this really the time for that?"

Vergo chuckled. "It seems Kazuki's intellect made him appear to be the brains behind the operation."

Kazuki's body shook, but he needed to say something. "Sir, I don't know what Commodore Reluji told Headquarters, but I'm sure it's all just a misunderstanding."

"Are you calling Rear Admiral Reluji a liar?" he asked.

"Rear Admiral?" Kazuki gasped.

"That bastard got promoted?!" Bo shouted.

"Indeed. He has been promoted for weeding out traitors."

"Sir?" Kazuki said.

"Traitors?" Bo asked.

"I was surprised that you would betray us, Chief Petty Officer Ureha. You were such a good soldier."

"I did no such thing, Captain. I swear!"

"We didn't do anything!" Bo shouted.

"You, I was less surprised about, Petty Officer Yusha. You have always had an explosive attitude. It was only time before you snapped. Though your family was quite convinced you were one of the good ones. They were distraught to hear about you turning pirate."

"My family?" Bo seethed. "What did you do to them?! What did you do to my wife and son?!"

"We had to take some precautions, of course. I had them locked up for consorting with a pirate."

"They're innocent! We're innocent! We don't deserve this shit! You better not have harmed them, or I swear to God!"

"I can't very well take your word for it, can I? Given your family history, I was surprised you were allowed to join the Marines at all."

"I have nothing to do with that scum!" Bo shouted. "I'm a good Marine. I've never done shit to anyone that didn't deserve it! I follow my orders like everyone else! We were betrayed! Reluji ditched us on that island."

"It is not your place to question the decisions of your commanding officers," Vergo said plainly. "It is most fortuitous that you decided to attempt this attack on base before the inspection. Now I can ensure you are both out of the way for the welcoming of the HQ representatives."

"Inspection?" Kazuki asked, confused.

"Yes, HQ decided upon a surprise inspection. There will be a few upper rank officials coming in in a few days. You two will not be out to muck it up. You will be Court-martialed. You will be given a trial and you will have the chance to tell your story there."

"You gotta be kidding! You know these courts are rigged! We don't stand a chance in hell in getting out of there alive!" Bo raged.

"We're screwed," Kazuki sighed.

"If that is the decision of the court, it is not my place to question it," Vergo said.

"So you'll send us to our deaths, with no remorse?" Bo spat. "Is this really the Marine you wanna be? Is this really the system you wish to serve?"

"I'll have you taken to your cells."

"Fuck you, Vergo!" Bo spat.

Jin finally made it back.

Halcen had a hard time not laughing as the chubby boy ran across the docks to their ship. He was heaving pretty badly.

"Took you long enough," Halcen said.

"Sorry," Jin panted. "What'd I miss?"

"A pretty heated argument, a moving speech, and a great plan."

Jin nodded. "Cool. So we're gonna save Bo and Kazuki?"

"Yeah, but we're gonna need a distraction."

"Okay," Jin heaved. "But first, I'm gonna need some tea."

"Bo," Kazuki said quietly.

"WHAT?!" he growled.

"Apple Tree."

Bo sat in quiet for a moment, his face open, staring, dumbfounded. "Are you sure?"

Kazuki whispered. "There's only one."

"What are you two concocting? Whatever you're thinking about doing, I would recommend for your own safety, you don't."

"Sorry, Captain," Kazuki said, looking up into Vergo's eyes.

"What are you planning?"

Kazuki suddenly jumped up, both hands free of the shackles. His body sprung onto Vergo's torso. Kazuki wrapped his left arm under and around Vergo's right arm, his right arm around Vergo's throat, and his legs around Vergo's waist. "BO NOW!"

Bo stood up, his arms not yet unbound. He charged forward and kicked his right leg at Vergo's left, trying to trip the tall man.

Vergo was ready for that one. His entire left leg turned black with Haki. The Haki sustained the blow and kept Vergo stable.

"Dammit!" Bo shouted.

Vergo transferred the Haki to his left arm. He used it to grab Kazuki by his collar, and then yanked him from his grip and flung him across the room. Kazuki sprawled into a bookcase against the wall, smashing it to pieces.

"Do you really want to continue this battle?" Vergo said, confidently. "Think carefully about your next move. You can either spend your remaining days in prison or I can kill you both now!"

"Or…," Kazuki said, "getting himself up from the rubble, "We can take you down, and escape!"

"Do you really think that you two can take me down?" Vergo said. He moved his Haki from his left to his right arm, then swung it at Bo's head.

Unable to block, with his hands still in cuffs, Bo was just barely able to dodge in time. He pulled back just as Vergo's arm passed by. "I think so!" Bo shouted. He then kicked his right leg toward Vergo's stomach.

But Vergo had moved his Haki to his abs.

Bo's leg hit stone body.

"I'm not so sure about that," Vergo said, stalwart.

"BO! Pull back!" Kazuki said.

Bo jumped back to stand next to Kazuki. "Are you sure we can keep this up? Turns out Cap is as tough as Halcen."

"Not quite," Kazuki said.

"Halcen?" Vergo asked. "You mean the captain of the Chaos Pirates? I knew it. You really are in league with them."

"Oh, shut up!" Kazuki said.

Vergo was getting annoyed.

Kazuki resumed talking. "He's strong for sure. But his Haki only covers one portion at a time. It doesn't help if he can't cover all his vitals at once."

"Got it!" Bo said.

And then Vergo was on them. He bull-rushed the both of them, two massive black arms swinging at them.

The two snipers found themselves strong-armed into the nearest wall. They went toppling over with the weight of Vergo's full force.

"I was only using one at a time because that was all that was required. Why bother using full strength when only half will suffice?"

Kazuki trembled in anger. We can't keep this up. Captain Vergo will demolish us. I guess…this is what it means to be an Officer in the Marines. He can take on two seasoned snipers with little effort. We need to get out of here… or he'll kill us.

Vergo stood, emotionless, staring down at the two ensigns he had helped train. "You two have gravely disappointed me," he said, coldly.

Kazuki's face twitched. "I honestly don't give a damn."

Vergo took offense to the snide comment and swung his Haki-coated foot into Kazuki's stomach.

Kazuki yelped in pain and rolled on the floor, clutching his stomach. He was losing this fight, badly.

Bo was ready to go, but couldn't do anything alone. "Kazuki, what are we doing?"

Kazuki ground his teeth, and pushed himself back up on his feet. "We already started. There's no going back! We fight or we die!"

Vergo chuckled. "You think this is admirable? Do you think your sacrifice will be mourned? You have disgraced yourselves, the Marines, and your families. There is no one in this world who you can run to. There is no one to save you."

"You're right," Kazuki said, plainly. "We're wanted men now. There's no coming back from that. That's why we have to fight, to save our own selves!"

Bo smiled.

"I'll go high, you go low," Kazuki said low to Bo.

"Gotcha."

Kazuki flung himself off the ground, launching his body in the air with his right leg swinging toward Vergo's head. His body remained in the air for a few moments, until his leg came into contact with Vergo's face.

As Kazuki expected, Vergo had moved his Haki to protect his head, his most vital area. It needed more protection than anywhere else.

At the same moment, Bo struck his left leg to Vergo's side, which Vergo was able to also block with his Haki.

Kazuki was already back on the ground and then he swung his left leg at Vergo's left leg.

Vergo didn't have enough Haki to move that quickly, and he took the hit, knocking him down to his knee.

This is where Bo launched a massive right kick with the bottom of his foot at Vergo's right leg, knocking him down to both of his knees.

Vergo roared in annoyance and pain.

"NOW!" Kazuki shouted.

At the same time, both warriors thrust all their might into a single simultaneous kick to Vergo's chest.

Vergo was able to use his Haki to stop the majority of the damage, but the force of the kick still threw him back across the room. His body landed near his desk.

Bo laughed. "It worked!" They were finally getting a hand over Vergo.

"Don't be so smug," Vergo said, staggering to stand up. "That was always your downfall, Yusha. You let your emotions control you."

"Better than being a heartless robot," Bo said back. "Always following orders, never the freedom to make the right choice. Never the freedom to follow your heart. Maybe I did make a mistake joining the Marines. I thought so badly that this was what I wanted, because I never got along with my brother. But maybe he was onto something after all."

"Your brother is a piss-poor excuse for a sniper. He could have used that talent for the good of this world. And look what he's become!"

"Bo," Kazuki said, "Don't let him get you sucked in. He's trying to play you."

"And you," Vergo moved to Kazuki, "of all people, I thought you would understand the most."

"Enough of your prattling!" Kazuki looked to Bo. "Let's end this, now."

Bo nodded.

Kazuki rushed forward, leading Bo to do the same. Kazuki stayed on the right side and Bo stayed to the left.

Vergo came swinging his left arm at Kazuki.

Kazuki was able to dodge the blow, but grabbed onto Vergo's wrist and latched one side of the handcuffs he had picked earlier and locked it. He had hidden them in his pocket, just in case.

"What the hell!?" Vergo shouted. He yanked on his arm, trying to gain more strength by pushing Haki through it, but Kazuki kept a tight grip. Vergo tried to use his right arm to grab the man.

"Bo!"

Bo jumped up and flung his feet as one into Vergo's right shoulder, knocking him back and against his solid desk.

Kazuki took the moment to grab Vergo's right arm as well and cuffed both arms together.

Vergo struggled to get free, but his arms were bound to his desk. Kazuki had run the cuffs through a small hole on the back. "What do you think you're doing?!" Vergo raged.

"I think we just won," Kazuki laughed. He didn't have time to waste. He ran to Bo and began picking the lock that bound him in cuffs too.

"So you couldn't beat me in a fair fight, so you had to cheat, huh?" Vergo laughed.

Bo laughed. "I wouldn't put it that way, but if it helps you sleep at night, sure."

"Don't be mad at me cause I was able to outsmart you," Kazuki said. "For an officer, you would think you would have been a little more cognizant."

"Do you really think you'll get away with this?"

"I think… that it's no longer any of your concern," Kazuki said.

Then the cuffs were undone and Kazuki tossed them aside.

"Alright, let's go!" Bo shouted in glee.

They began for the door.

"Don't you think this is over!" Vergo shouted.

Then Bo said, "Sir, with all due respect, shut the hell up!"

And then the two of them headed out the door.

"Where do you think they took our stuff?" Bo asked. "We can't very well leave unarmed."

They could hear Vergo shouting and grunting still in his office as they began to move through the base.

"That guy doesn't stop."

And as they ran, they were almost immediately met by another foe. The dark of the night made him hard to make out at first. But they got close enough to see him, and they halted.

The man was about their height, slightly taller than Bo. He had short white hair, semi tan skin, a large brow and a thick chin. He wasn't wearing a shirt so you could see his bulky muscles. He was wearing standard issue Marine blue pants and brown boots. And there in his mouth, he was carrying a lit cigar.

"Lieutenant Smoker," Kazuki gasped.

And suddenly there was a bang behind them. They turned to see Vergo had broken through his cuffs and broke down his own door in a rage, and was now stalking towards them, with two black arms.

"Fuck," Bo swore. "Now what?"

Kazuki gulped.