Mitsuki didn't respond to Hibiki. Not immediately. This was where he wanted him. The sharpshooter might be good, but Mitsuki's senses were superior. He would deal with the immediate threat first. Then Hibiki would be defenseless at close range.

However, he already recognized these two. Will was hot headed. Especially when it came to Hibiki. He could use that.

Stepping to the side, his own sword lashed out, deflecting it away from his body. He made no move to get around him, though. Instead, he adjusted his wrist and brought the hilt forward, aiming for the man's nose.

If that succeeded or failed, the swordsman still began talking. "Nice of you to let your weaker companion flee to higher ground. I didn't know you required a sniper to win a sword duel, though. I guess Commander is the right spot for you."

~ ~ ~

Baku grit his teeth at the sight of this boy withstanding his first assault. However, while that was impressive on its own, the boy's words suggested differently. Ryu didn't know how to use his powers properly yet. He was still green.

An idea formed in his head at that moment. He brought the cannon up, but in the same motion, brought it around to slam into Ryu's side. He wasn't fighting back with strength. Without the ground bracing him, that blow should throw him into the nearby building if it should hit.

Will's blade met Mitsuki's and it was deflected to the side. However, he swordsman was quick to right himself and return to his ready position, holding the sword's hilt downward and the blade slightly to the side. He was then at the ready for the blow Mitsuki attempted to strike, backing away from the blade, avoiding it completely. He moved as though to lunge back in again...but hesitated. His reaction to Mitsuki's taunt was immediate. His expression shifted from one of perfect concentration to anger, brow furrowing and his mouth twisting into a slight frown.

"I don't-!" he started, but was cut off by another gunshot from behind him.

During the brief struggle, Hibiki had quickly lined up another shot, unleashing a bullet toward the center of his skull.

---

Ryu quickly realized that he might have needed to keep his words to himself. He had just been so relieved by the results of his quick, on the spot experiment that he had momentarily let his guard down. but once the Marine finally lifted the cannon off of his arms, he was finally able to move again. However, the Captain did not take a break in his movements. The cannon that was raised was suddenly pulled around and swung at his side.

Even from the brief moment he had to see it coming, he was able to realize what would happen if that attack scored a direct hit. He would no doubt be launched to the side and slammed into some of the nearby buildings. While his armor had protected him from the brunt of an overhead swing, it would not work quite as well if his opponent were able to actually follow his swing through all the way, especially without the ground to brace against.

He could only dodge this attack.

Ryu allowed his scales to vanish, transforming back into his normal, human skin. As soon as his armor was gone, he immediately performed another transformation. This time, however, he focused his attention on his right leg. Crimson scales formed around it as his lower leg transformed into the leg of his dragon form. A form that had more power in it. He lifted his left leg and kicked off of the ground with his stronger right. Thanks to the extra strength, he was able to leap upward, barely clearing the cannon's swing in time. At the same time...he realized that an opportunity also presented itself.

His leg quickly reverted back to its original state once more. In its place, his lower back began to change color. He focused his mind on the base of his spine...and soon, a new appendage began to appear. A thick, crimson tail appeared behind him.

With that, he quickly tried to spin in the air, attempting to swing his tail around in an attempt to smash it into Captain Baku's face, hoping to at least inflict some kind of damage....

Mitsuki swayed to the side, letting the bullet sail harmlessly past him. His sword flashed up again, batting Will's to the side with a surprising show of strength. He twisted quickly in the same moment, grabbing for Will's wrist. If successful, he would twist it back, bringing it behind his back as he finished his sidestep. It would take Hibiki a moment to reload. Now, though, Mitsuki was between the sharpshooter and the swordsman, a tight grip on the latter's wrist. There was enough time to continue his taunt. "Case and point," he said softly, pulling in closer to the swordsman. "You aren't skilled enough to handle me. So you need to rely on that coward hindering me. You lack honor as a swordsman. I'm ashamed to share the same craft with you."

By now, the rifle should be reloaded, using a standard Marine's rifle as a point of reference. Regardless, the moment he would hear the next crack from the gun, he would fall back, hitting the ground and rolling away into a crouch. If timed correctly and pulled off, the bullet should be cutting through the space he had been occupying a moment before, right behind Will.

~ ~ ~

A loud crash boomed as the tail struck Baku's face. He collapsed to one knee, but his free arm took advantage of this moment. Reaching up, his arm wrapped around the scaled appendage. He tightened his grip, using his superior strength to hold the boy still and drag him back into the ground by force. The Captain ignored the bent form his nose had taken or the blood spewing from it, focusing entirely on wrestling the dragon boy down.

The Marine's eyes widened as his attention was grabbed by the man in front of him once again. His blade was easily batted to the side, demonstrating a clear difference in power that even he would have a difficult time denying. He hadn't felt somebody knock his blade away this casually since Captain Baku himself. But before he could even concentrate on that thought for even the briefest of moments, he felt a powerful grip grasp his wrist and he quickly realized that Mitsuki had closed the distance even further in that brief moment of distraction. He was incapable of even uttering an exclamation of confusion before Mitsuki pulled his arm behind his back, causing his eyes to go wide with shock.

His target was right where he wanted him. Hibiki was quickly reloading his gun as fast as humanly possible. 'Damn these rifles for taking so long...' he growled to himself in his mind. He had the perfect shot lined up, but he couldn't do anything about it. He had to take all this time to reload, despite his clear shot. But he soon had his rifle reloaded and it was raised back up to his shoulder and he lowered his eye once more, readying to take aim with his now-loaded weapon.

"You're dead!" he shouted before the explosion sounded that symbolized his gunshot going off, aimed down toward Mitsuki's back.

"How dare a criminal like you say that I have no honor!?" Will growled back, wincing slightly in pain from the arm pulled behind his back. You're the one who-" However, he was cut off by Hibiki's sudden exclamation. His eyes widened slightly, realizing just what was about to happen. "Hibi-!" but he was cut off once again. This time by the bullet his comrade had launched. As Mitsuki rolled away to safety, Will's arm had been released, but it was too late. The shot that rang out pierced through his back, causing his eyes to widen and his weapon to be involuntarily dropped from his hand. "You...idiot...." he growled lowly as his body fell forward, collapsing to the ground as his blood began to drip from the new wound in his back.

Hibiki, meanwhile, stood frozen in place, his gun in the same spot it had been when his shot was fired. He didn't need to be told his mistake. And he was clearly somewhat shaken by just who he had ended up shooting instead.

---

Ryu was actually rather surprised his blow managed to land as easily as it had. He smiled a bit to himself, pleased with the results. He had acted quickly and without much thought, but it had turned out for the best. And now, he could press the advantage and continue his attack!

...Or so he thought. Before he could do anything more, he felt something grasp his tail with a firm grip. And before he could even utter a cry of surprise, he felt himself getting pulled through the air. His back crashed down heavily onto the ground, causing him to let out a gasp of pain while he laid sprawled on the ground at the Marine Captain's feet. He stared up toward the Captain, his eyes widening when he saw the condition of his face.

'He just took a strike like that and powered through it to do this...? Th-that's crazy...! What is this guy made of...!?' he thought to himself. This was going to be even more difficult than he thought, it seemed....

Mitsuki offered a calm look at Hibiki, not even watching the swordsman fall to the ground. One down. He flicked his wrist up quickly and his sword left his hands, shooting out at Hibiki. He wasn't aiming for the man, though, letting the blade stick into the ground right in front of him. He was hoping the attack would throw him off even more.

Regardless, the shooter had to reload. He shot forward, closing the distance in only a few strides. Almost instantaneously, he lunged forward, landing lightly on the hilt of his sword. He swept his other foot up, striking the barrel of the rifle in the crook of his ankle and dragging it down so it would point at the ground. In the same movement, he leapt from his sword, spinning back to plant his other foot into the man's face. He grabbed the hilt of his sword as he passed, slashing down as he finished his spin to slice the gun in two.

As he landed, his sword came up, resting lightly against the neck of his foe. "Surrender and you can get medical attention for your friend," he stated. "Don't and you'll regret your choice."

~ ~ ~

Baku lifted his arm up, the cannon coming up with it. "This is the power of the Marines, boy. You would do well to remember that," he growled out, slamming the metal form down on the boy's stomach if Ryu didn't attempt to escape.

Hibiki was stunned from his own missed shot. By the time he realized that Mitsuki was throwing his sword, it was far too late to get a proper reaction. He cried out in shock as the sword flew through the air. The trajectory of the blade caused him to mistakenly believe it to be heading straight for his body, which caused him to recoil. He gasped and stumbled back a couple of steps before quickly and desperately trying to raise his gun again.

"N-no, back-!" he cried out, but it was far too late. Before he could do anything more, and before he even really saw the movements his target had been making, the swordsman's foot was slammed directly into his face, which caused him to cry out in pain and fall backward. In that same motion, he helplessly witnessed the gun he had been clinging to get sliced in two. Now the weapon was effectively useless! And even worse, his opponent wasn't finished yet. The blade came down, resting just above his neck, threatening to end him in one swift motion.

"A-alright, alright, I-I get it!" he cried out. "Don't kill me...!" His eyes were panic-stricken and his voice shook...clearly, he was not used to being so close to a blade.

---

Ryu's eyes widened slightly as he watched Baku raise his arm, the cannon coming with him. He knew that he had to get away or else he'd get crushed beneath the huge barrel! Luckily, escape was rather simple. He reverted his transformation, causing his tail to shrink and disappear completely, thus causing the Captain to lose his grip entirely. At that point, it was a simple matter of rolling to the side, narrowly avoiding the crash of the cannon slamming into the ground.

"Gah...!" he cried out, however, as he got caught up in the shock wave, which tossed him to the side. He rolled slightly, ending up on his stomach a couple of feet to the side. "Th-that was close...." He looked up to check on the damage...as well as Captain Baku's position. He had to be careful and think about his movements carefully. His opponent was definitely far stronger than himself. If he was to get out of this mess, he would need to think more tactically....

Mitsuki lowered the blade slightly. "Another thing. If you bother the kind citizens of this town again...I won't let you off this easily," he said, his voice lowering into a growl as his eyes narrowed. "I don't want to have to have this talk again. I can assure you. If I do, it will be your last. Am I understood?"

~ ~ ~

Baku's arm had already lifted as Ryu got his bearings. The cannon was now pointed directly at the boy. Without giving him a chance to recover too fully, he let the cannon launch, intending to break the boy quickly before he could recover. He refused to let this upstart have his way out here. It was already a travesty that anyone would dare defy him, a captain of the Marines. He would snuff this upstart out and regain full control of this island. He had to in a hurry. This would be an embarrassment if the Admiral's agent arrived to inspect the port during this issue.

Hibiki fervently nodded, clearly not wanting to risk this man's blade being raised toward him again. He knew very well that there was nothing he could do without his own weapon. "Y-yeah, o-of course. Y-you got it!" he managed to stammer out, still frozen on the ground at Mitsuki's feet.

---

Ryu's eyes widened as he realized that Baku's cannon was already aimed directly at him. And then there was the loud sound of cannonfire and a large cannonball headed straight for him. "Armor-!" he managed to cough out, crossing his arms before the collision. A loud explosion erupted from the area as the cannonball made contact, kicking dirt and dust into the air. There was silence for a few moments as the wind started to blow the debris away and make the area more visible....

At that point, a figure emerged from the smoke, rushing straight for the Marine Captain. He had managed to survive the blow by activating his Red Dragon Armor like how he'd survived the direct blow from the cannon itself earlier. Once the explosion had passed, he was able to revert to his normal form and kick off of the ground, hoping to take advantage of the momentary smokescreen and catch the Marine off-guard.

Ryu's target was in sight; his knowledge of the human body was going to come in handy here. He pulled his right hand back, palm stretched, as his arm transformed from the tips of his fingers to the elbow, resulting in a dragon claw being formed. He then leaped forward as quickly as he could once he draw close enough.

"Red Dragon...Claw!" he shouted, thrusting his arm forward and aiming to slam his claw as powerfully as he could into center of Baku's torso. His goal was not to strike at his stomach nor his chest. But rather, strike directly at the area in-between. His hope was that apply enough pressure to cause the celiac plexus some damage. He was well-versed in human anatomy and knew that enough force to this area would cause this collection of nerves to feel it, causing the owner greater pain than normal as well as shortness of breath. If he could just strike with enough force, he could probably stun the Captain long enough for him to deliver his finishing blow...or so he hoped at least.

"Now, get the hell out of here," Mitsuki stated, turning away from the broken Marine. He was just in time to see Baku smash down at the prone Ryu. Luckily, the boy was still quick on his feet. He managed to get away, but Baku wasn't going to let up. Gritting his teeth, Mitsuki shot forward, dashing towards the two in a flash.

~ ~ ~

Baku growled in annoyance as his cannon fire seemed to do nothing to his adversary. He wasn't armored anymore. The claw slammed into his chest and he felt the sharp edges dig into his flesh. That was what he wanted, though. He brought his arm up and grabbed the boy's arm, slamming the end of the gun into his stomach. He grinned. "Game over, kid," he stated, readying to fire...just before a blade sunk into the man's wrist.

He let go of the cannon in pain, the metal figure crashing to the ground haphazardly as he whirled around to face his new annoyance. He swung the dragon boy, attempting to use the boy's body to bludgeon the swordsman. Mitsuki was ready for it, though, sliding underneath the swing. He grabbed his sword on his way through, slicing clean through the man's arm.

Baku let go of Ryu at that moment, roaring in pain even as Mitsuki leapt away from him, creating distance when he tried to swing blindly at him. "Kid, knock him out!" the swordsman yelled over the cries of pain.

Ryu felt his claw slam hard into the captain's body, and he couldn't help but smirk slightly. He felt a strong sense of satisfaction come over him as his blow landed directly where he wanted it to. And from here, finishing the battle would be a simple matter of-

Before he could even finish his thoughts, he felt Baku's large hand grasp hold of his own arm. Ryu's eyes widened as he felt the cannon's mouth get slammed up against his stomach, causing him to grunt in discomfort...only to realize what this actually meant. He looked up fearfully at the Captain, paling slightly at his words. He pulled desperately at his arm, trying to pry it away, but the grip was far too strong. He was helpless.

No...no! He couldn't get caught here! He wouldn't lose here! He had so much he needed to do; he needed to keep his promise...!

"Let...!" he started...but before he could even get the word out, a blade sank into the Captain's wrist. He had no idea what to think. He barely even had enough time to process what was going on. He watched small splashes of red fly through the air in front of him. It was the swordsman's cry that snapped him out of it. He looked down, realizing that his arm was free again. That was all he needed. Now he had to move before it was too late...!

Ryu quickly utilized the same move he used earlier; he kicked off of the ground using the much-stronger transformed leg and leaped upward as high as he could go, several feet above Baku's head. Once he reached the peak of his jump, he cancelled his transformation, returning his concentration to the base of his spine and causing his tail to emerge from his lower back just like before. And then, he began to fall.

As Ryu descended, he began to spin himself forward in the air, doing somersault after somersault. He might not be strong, but he was well aware that momentum could make any given impact even more devastating. And that's what he was going to capitalize on here.

Ryu continued to somersault in the air, steadily gaining momentum. Finally, he reached Baku again and gave himself one last spin...before aiming to slam the thick part of his tail as hard as he could into the back of Baku's skull.

If he had managed to knock his target down successfully, he would finish his final spin and land heavily on the ground in a three-point stance, using his right arm in a desperate attempt to keep his balance beside the fallen Baku. But if Baku didn't fall so easily, he would find himself rolling toward the Captain's back and ending up hitting the ground himself. Regardless...he kept his eyes on his foe to make absolutely certain that his blow had been enough this time....

Mitsuki watched the boy move, knew what was coming from it. He had potential. He had a lot of potential. He was still green, though. He was a one trick pony, trying the same move repeatedly from different angles. He wouldn't be able to last on his own. Despite his misgivings, he knew what he needed to do as he watched the dragon child fight.

The swordsman launched himself forward as he watched the boy twist, seeing the tail grow just as he had expected. He pivoted in place, slamming the hilt of his sword into the Captain's face as the same moment that Ryu brought his tail down on the back. The combination of both of their strengths crushing his skull between them was enough to end it. The sickening crack of the man's nose was heard as he slumped forward, crashing to the ground as Mitsuki stepped to the side. The Captain's body crashed with a resounding sound as he laid on the ground, his arm bleeding profusely. The villagers were gone at this point. The fight had scattered them. Even if the Marines had cleared out. If the Captain and the Commanders couldn't handle these two, there was no way the foot soldiers would be able to.

Mitsuki flicked his sword lazily, blood splattering across the ground. The sword found its way back into his sheathe as the man let out a small sigh. "Kid, we should leave. Reinforcements will be coming for you soon. There might be someone more competent among them."

Ryu landed on the ground after he crashed into the top of the Captain's head. He looked down, taking in the sight of the fallen Marine before turning to look back at the swordsman who had helped him. He still wasn't sure why this guy had come back to save him, but he wasn't about to look a gift horse in the mouth here. But one thing he was certain of, however, was that he needed to thank him. But just as he opened his mouth to do just that, the other man had started to speak, having just sheathed his blade.

"Ah...y-yeah, I guess you're right," Ryu replied. "No doubt they already called before they came out to find me. For some reason, I wouldn't be surprised if that Admiral were to show up once he got word...." However, it was at that point that he paused, quickly realizing an implication in Mitsuki's words. "Wait, but...how did you know that?" He realized that this might not be the best time to be asking questions, but this stuck out to him. "That I was important enough for them to have called for someone of greater skill...?"

Mitsuki raised an eyebrow. "Your Devil Fruit is unusual," he replied. "I told you, I study them. Zoans aren't all that uncommon, but something along the lines of a dragon? Your transformation was strong. A normal lizard Zoan wouldn't have scales that tough. Not at your stage of experience, at least. That's entirely different. Even if that wasn't the case...you just knocked out the one in command of this island." He pointed to the Captain. "The natural course of action would be to send someone to subdue the troublemakers. Albeit...he's a weak one...but there are stronger Captains in the Marines. If they think you're a threat...which, they might, considering your Fruit's power, it might draw the attention of even a Vice Admiral. Far above your grade right now." He didn't need the boy to know his true intentions or his position for the time being.

Instead, he gestured towards the harbor. "I don't know what brought you to this island, but I suggest we leave. Now," he continued. "The Marines won't be able to leave for some time, but if we wait long enough for reinforcements to come in, the ports will be closed off. I'll need to teach you the way the Marines work if we don't want to get cornered by them. This'll be a good first lesson." It almost sounded like he was changing his mind on whether or not to come with Ryu at this point.

Ryu stopped and listened to what Mitsuki had to say as an explanation. He supposed the swordsman was right, he had mentioned that before. Still, though, he couldn't quite shake the feeling that there was something more to this than he was letting on. He glanced back down toward the Captain that lay unconscious at their feet for a moment as Mitsuki continued, thinking about what he had to say. Apparently, this Marine was one of the weaker Captains? There was no way he would have been able to handle this guy on his own, that's for sure. He had come close, but he was definitely not strong enough to win. Not yet, anyway. And if there were stronger Captains than this, he couldn't even begin to imagine the monsters that would make up higher ranks.

...Well, he supposed that that wasn't entirely true. After all, he had witnessed exactly what a high-ranked Navy monster could do. It was forever burned into his memory, after all. And he even had reason to believe that it wasn't the extent of his ability.

When Mitsuki gestured toward the harbour, he nodded. But then he paused, looking at Mitsuki again, realizing just what the swordsman was saying. Was he really changing his mind about training him after all...? Well, he supposed the answer was obvious enough.

"Right. Thanks. Lead the way then," he replied. "Do you have a ship yourself or are do we have to commandeer one?"

"Ah...something like that," Mitsuki replied with a small smile to himself. He was already moving, though, preventing a reply. He moved swiftly, cutting through the abandoned streets until they reached the more crowded areas, far from the site of their battle.

He looked around the crowds and, satisfied they weren't being followed, continued towards the docks. "You're lucky, you know," he commented. "The Marines have an inspection today. Most of the troops are tied up with that. Captain Baku likely came to stop you from making a bad name for them. We'll have a small window. They'll find out soon and call for reinforcements. They'll block the ports and we'll be stuck. We won't be able to hold that many off. Also lucky for us, a ship is currently being inspected to potentially be sold to Captain Baku. It is being prepped to set off as we speak. That is our way out."

"Some-?" Ryu started to reply, but couldn't get his word out before Mitsuki had already started walking away. "H-hey...!" he called after him, beginning to follow right behind him. Though he had to admit, that was somewhat easier said than done. Mitsuki was moving rather quickly; a pace he was not really used to maintaining. If he had been moving quickly before, it was usually in a full-out run.

"Lucky?" he asked as he finally caught up to his helper. He soon got his clarification. "A-an inspection...? They're busy today, huh...?" His gaze drifted to the side, looking forward as the two of them made their way toward the docks. "So that was just all that they had to spare?" He paused for a moment, stopping to think about what this situation would have been like if he'd been forced to deal with even more troops. "Does that mean there are even stronger Marines on the island than that Captain? Or already headed here at the least...?"

Mitsuki shook his head. "Baku is the strongest on this island. A Vice Admiral and his Captain were doing an inspection, though. The Vice Admiral and his Captain should be busy overseeing the training and supplies of the base, so they're preoccupied. It wasn't something the higher ups needed to be around to oversee," the swordsman explained. "At least, I wouldn't think so. They likely sent the best they had to quickly subjugate us before the higher ups heard about it. Once they do hear, though...they'll be sure to come for us. Luckily, I heard the Captain has his hands full. The Vice Admiral is newly appointed. Likes to wander off on his own. Not very organized. With any lucky, they'll be a bit disorganized in trying to rally a counterattack. Which is how we'll make our escape."

As he finished explaining, the two broke from the buildings to the large docking area of the village. Ships lined the harbor, but Mitsuki ignored them, making his way with purpose towards their destination. "We'll subdue the crew and take the ship before they realize we're gone. By the time they realize we've left the island, we'll be a good hour out."