Daxam

Young Justice

Vincent and Pei

---

Vincent’s bare fists slammed against the punching bag, each punch fueled by his anger. At first, his mind focused on the debriefing, how almost everyone was so ready to, the way he saw it, punish KJ for something he didn’t do. In hindsight, however much he didn’t want to admit it, he knew they were right. It would be best if he didn’t join them on any missions, at least until he could get…whatever that was under control. But that wasn’t why he was pissed.

He knew why he was angry. The real reason. He was furious with himself. Furious at letting himself end up in the position he did, furious at the way his ribs screamed at him with every breath. He was angry that he had let himself be weak, again, like he was when his parents were killed or when he didn’t stand up to himself when his cousins were being cruel, or when–

He grit his teeth and let out a roar as he slammed his fist into the punching bag with all he had. He felt his knuckles split open as the bag bounced on its chain, but other than the warm blood that seeped from his knuckles, he hardly felt it. He stood there, breathing heavily as he glared at his shaking hand, irritated that he couldn’t tell if it was shaking from anger, pain, or something else.

Pei peeked around the corner of the gym. When he wasn’t in the training area or the infirmary, she guessed he might be in the gym. He didn’t seem to be the type to lock himself in his room. Compressing her lips, she saw the emotional state he was in. Screaming and punching himself bloody. Not great signs. A far cry from the happy-go-lucky guy she first chatted too about fighting Nightwing. It was a little scary. She stepped back, took a deep breath to compose herself, and then stepped into the gym.

She walked slowly, meanderingly, taking steps to the side. Slow, unsteady progress towards him. ”Hey, buddy. How, uh, how ya holdin’ up?” She asked.

Hearing Pei’s voice, Vincent looked up from his hand. Pulled from his thoughts, his body reminded him that he was injured and he winced. Unsure of whether to rub his knuckles or his ribs, he settled for both, rubbing his ribs with his injured hand while he placed his other hand on top. ”Peachy,” he grumbled. He was quiet for a few moments after that, then asked, ”Did you guys decide what to do?”

Locking and unlocking her fingers, Pei grimaced. ”Well, yeah. We gotta bench him, Vincent.” She said quietly. ”Are you mad?”

A long sigh, then Vincent spoke. ”No. No, not about that. It sucks, but I understand why we have to. I just hope he understands, too.”

He walked over to one of the benches against the wall and slowly sat down with a groan. ”Damn ribs,” he muttered, more to himself than anything. To Pei, he added, ”Sorry I blew up like that. I’ve never had the greatest handle on my temper and I’ve got shit on my mind, so…yeah.”

Pei brightened. Vincent had given her an opening. She planned on taking it. She plopped herself down next to him, swinging her legs a little. Reaching into a zipped bag in a belt around her waist, a fanny bag if you will, she produced a first aid kit.

”So, you’re not mad about that. But if I had to hazard a guess, you’re definitely mad about something. That shit on your mind; Could I take a look?” She asked, absent-mindedly fiddling with some soap to clean Vincent’s cut knuckles.

”Gonna have to take a look at that, too.” She murmured so quietly Vincent could barely hear her.

Then she spoke up again. ”My dad says: Words have weight. You gotta say the words you’re thinking, otherwise your head’ll get too heavy and you’ll fall over. Something like that, anyway. Kind of like a bunch of people were doing out there in that AAR. Just hopefully less scary this time.” She said with a little smile.

Vincent looked at the soap in Pei’s hand, then down at his own hand before he held it out to her. ”Go nuts,” he said with a shrug. A moment later, he added, ”Thanks, I mean.”

”Oh, uh. Okay. We’d have to get it washed and stuff, too.” She muttered, wrapping his hand with some Justice League supplied bandages. ”If nothing else it’ll stop all the dripping.”

After that, he was quiet for a little while. On the one hand, he hardly knew Pei and he wasn’t sure about baring his soul to someone who was essentially a stranger. Though, on the other hand, after their first one-on-one talk, he could consider her the first friend he made since he had joined the team. He sighed quietly, then said, ”I hate feeling weak. If I have to die, I don’t mind it so long as I’m on my feet and I can do something about it. But when I was pinned on my back, underneath whatever Kila had become…I was as helpless as I was the night my parents died…”

Pei bit her lip. She set her hand on Vincent’s shoulder and stared into the middle distance, trying to choose her next words carefully. Both the AAR and her conversation with Kila after the bank had been playing on loop in her memory. Clearly, if she was capable of choosing the right words, she hadn’t done it yet. Her heart rattled against the bars of her ribcage. Do something right for once! It can’t be that hard, right?

”Uhh…hey. I’m sorry that happened.” Pei said. Still not really sure what else to say to someone’s trauma. But she still felt like she had something to offer. ”But no way you’re weak. I don’t really buy that. Losing doesn’t make you weak, y’know. When you’re a superhero, you’re taking hits for people who can’t take them for themselves. That means you’re gonna fall over sometimes.” Pei said.

”Maybe even a lot times.” She added.

”I get what you’re saying and I appreciate it,” Vincent replied, ”but it’s not just the fact that I lost that’s getting to me, it’s the way I lost.”

He sighed and looked at his hand. ”The Old Man got me as far as he could, he quietly said. ”I wouldn’t be who I am without him and what he did for me…but it’s not enough, not anymore.” His fingers curled and he clenched his fist. ”I need to talk to Nightwing. If anyone can help me get stronger, it’s gotta be the bat’s first sidekick.”

”I mean, go for it. By all means.” Pei said. ”Nothing wrong with, y’know, training montages. Running up and down mountains, doing handstands on wooden poles at the top of a mountain. Carrying water in two pots up a mountain. Lots of mountains. Maybe if you found a training mountain- y’know we live on a mountain now.” At that last revelation Pei gasped and smacked Vincent’s shoulder with the back of her hand.

”Still might lose, though. In embarrassing ways. Like running into a burning building, bonking your head on one of those pull-up bars some people put in their door frames, not realizing it dislodged your mask and then passing out on the stairs. Just uh, y’know, as a hypothetical example.” Pei said.

Vincent looked at Pei for a few long moments before he finally burst out into laughter. ”Can you…can you imagine? I go flying into a fight, like at the docks, ready to fight, and get taken out by a fucking crane?”

Pei grinned wide, doing an exaggerated shrug. ”I dunno! It could be dark!” She laughed.

He probably laughed more than he should have, but given how he had been feeling since the previous night, he didn’t care. He felt himself relax and the anger he had been feeling all morning fade, not completely, but enough to not be so intrusive at the moment. He wiped his eyes, gave Pei a pat on the back, and said, ”Thanks, Pei. I needed that.”

Pei was over the moon. ”Always happy to do a help. To help.” She said.

”Think you might be done with boxing practice for the day, or..?” Pei asked.

”Yeah, I think so,” Vincent said as he looked down at his bandaged hand and added, ”I gotta go get this treated and figure out lunch for everyone. Might cobble together a pizza or something. Other than that, thanks for coming to check on me, Pei. I appreciate it.”

Pei stood up and saluted. ”What are friends for, right? Good luck with the treatment. And the cobbled pizza.” Pei said. ”I’m gonna head on out.”

Rounding the corner and out of Vincent’s sight, Pei pumped her fists. ”Yesss!” She raised them victoriously. ”Iceburn!”

JRPG-inspired magic school RP with a heavy focus on story and characters!

Hey, I know you've got a bunch already interested, but is there room for one more? This kinda thing really seems right up my alley.

I'll be able to get a CS written up after work tomorrow!

Operation Eclipse

Hey, if there's still room in this, I'd like to throw my hat into the ring. Seems like it could be pretty fun!

One Piece: The Devil's Due (Always Accepting!)

---

It was early morning when the island came into view. Like the briefing said, it was a small island, the most dominant features being the large forest that gave it its name, as well as the tall lighthouse that dominated the center of the island. The light was out, though whether that was the work of the pirates or simply because the sun had started to rise, Sol wasn’t sure.

“The island was deserted when we claimed it,” Lieutenant Nelson said. She and Sol stood at the bow of the ship and watched the island, silhouetted by the early morning fog, as they approached. “It became a small observation post, manned by a handful of Marines and their families. Their job is to report on the comings and goings of all sorts of vessels, civilian and pirate alike. If need be, the lighthouse is fitted with cannons on each level, all the way around, so they could fire on threats from all sides.”

”According to the report, the pirates made their approach early yesterday morning, when the fog was at its thickest, just like we are,” Sol said. ”It explains how they were able to sneak up on them, given that our men would have a full 360 degree view from that lighthouse. I just hope we aren’t too late.”

Suddenly, his ear twitched as a low rumbling reached him just before something splashed into the sea to their portside. “Cannon fire!” a crewman yelled.

”Evasive action!” Sol yelled as he stepped closer to the railing. He glanced at the rising sun behind them, getting his bearings, and added, ”It’ll be hard for them to get a bead on us with this fog, but stay sharp,” he told Nelson. ”You’re in charge. I’ll go on ahead and try to draw their fire. Tell the helmsman to keep heading due west and you should find the port pretty easily.”

Before Nelson could argue, Sol kicked off of the air and, using “moonwalk,” he quickly ascended above the fog. He drew his sword, the very same one that the young man from the day before dueled him for, and felt the weight in his hand. It wasn’t a heavy sword by any means, but it never felt right for him to wield it. The rapport of a cannon rolled along the sea, drawing his attention back to his job. He kicked off of the air and shot forward as a cannonball hurtled toward him. With ease, he swung his weapon and cut cleanly through the cannonball.

Sol passed between the two halves and continued his approach on the island as more cannons roared to life. Each cannonball met the same fate as the one before it, cut cleanly in half while Sol practically waltzed through the cannonfire. On one hand, he was protecting himself, but his own ship and crew were never far from his mind, often going out of his way to cut through a cannonball that may have hit his ship, otherwise. Before long, when Sol had reached the halfway point between his ship and the island, he let out a breath. ”Shave,” he said.

One moment he was there, but the next, he was gone, a soft boom left behind in his wake. As the defenders in the lighthouse peered through their viewports, trying to see where he went, Sol moved with incredible speed toward the lighthouse, combining his moonwalk with the speed of his “shave” ability. Combining the two techniques made his legs cry out in protest, but Sol ignored it for the few seconds it took him to reach the lighthouse. ”Symphonic Blade: Prestissimo!”

He lashed out with his sword, slicing through the stone wall of the lighthouse as easily as if it were paper just as he crashed through. The pirates on the other side cried out in surprise, suddenly face-to-face with a Marine captain. Sol slowly scanned the pirates gathered around him, noting the shock and fear on their faces. ”My name is Captain Maxwell Rackham. Take me to the one who commands you and I promise we’ll be lenient,” he warned.

Those words seemed to shock some sense back into the pirates, many of whom reached for their weapons, though the look of fear never left their faces. Interesting. They’re more afraid of their own captain than they are of me, he thought as he readied himself. I’ll find out why soon enough, I suppose.

One Piece: The Devil's Due (Always Accepting!)

---

A misshapen club of an arm crashed down on the spot Luna had been standing just a moment before, cracking the earth. Her ear twitched and she threw herself into a back handspring just as the other creature swung one of its arms, this one sharp as a sword, nearly cleaving her in half. ”The hell are these things?” she muttered as the pair began to advance on her again. Is this that Low guy’s power? He’s gotta be close, then! she thought, but a quick glance around showed her that the only people nearby were the two henchmen she had knocked out, the workers having taken the chance to run off.

Her attention was brought back to the golems as they sped toward her, surprisingly fast for their twelve-foot frames. The one with the club arm swung downward again and Luna sidestepped, then watched in surprise as the second one melted into the first, rather than step around it to get to her. She punched the flat side of the second’s sword arm, deflecting its downward slice. Her ear twitched again as the first’s club arm morphed and shot a spike out toward her. She dodged it, but just barely, wincing as the spike grazed her side.

Luna jumped back to put some distance between herself and the constructs, holding her side as the pair separated again. ”Alright, you assholes are getting annoying,” she growled as electricity began to spark from her body. Rather than let them close in again, Luna dashed forward as her cloak fell from her shoulders. She jumped over a swing from the bladed golem and lashed out with a kick in midair, connecting solidly with the lump that jutted out from its shoulders, which she guessed could be considered a head.

Her leg sank into the soft, malleable clay, then stopped. ”Shit!” she exclaimed as the lump suddenly extended into a long tendril. It lifted her into the air, then slammed her to the ground, hard enough to knock the wind from her lungs. She laid there, stunned as she watched the club-armed golem approach. It raised its arm and she closed her eyes as she braced herself for a sudden end to her journey.

I’m sorry, Sol…

“Hey, you bastards, over here!”

She opened her eyes just in time to see the club-armed golem get hit by a jar filled with some kind of liquid, the stench of it potent enough to Luna’s sharp nose to make her eyes water. She covered her mouth and nose as the golem’s raised arm suddenly fell to the ground, the clay having crumbled almost like soil. A second jar crashed against the clay tendril that had trapped her leg and she watched as the same thing happened. Before she could react, she felt someone grabbing her by the wrist. “What’re you waiting for? Stand the hell up before they can put themselves back together!”

Luna looked up to see a man with dark, disheveled hair, his face criss-crossed with scars, pulling her to her feet with his left arm. Where his right should be, there was nothing but an empty sleeve folded up to his shoulder and sewn closed. She scrambled to her feet and followed the man as he ran through the vineyard. ”Who are–”

“There’ll be time for that later, Princess!” the man interrupted, his grip on her wrist ironclad as he pulled her after him. “We’ll talk more once I get you somewhere he can’t see us!”

Questions swam in Luna’s head, but she held her tongue as she and the stranger entered the town. They zigged and zagged, sped through back alleys and side-streets as they took a circuitous route through the town. Eventually, they came to the wooden door of an old, run-down building. The man walked up to the gate and knocked on it three times, paused, then gave four more taps, each one spaced out seemingly at random. A moment passed in silence, then Luna’s ears picked up the sound of a lock disengaging just before the door opened into darkness. The man, without pausing, walked into the building and disappeared into the darkness. Luna hesitated, then followed him, unsure of what to expect on the inside.

Young Justice

Location: Harbor
Interactions: Stormcaller @Blizz

---

Before Talos joined up with the team, any time he fought was in a ring or cage, so he rarely had the chance to cut loose against a group of people. Save for the occasional street fight, of course, which would always end with a chastisement from his mentor. To Talos, there was nothing quite like going up against impossible odds--For regular people, anyway--and coming out on top. As he carved his way through the people firing at him from both sides, he felt the same familiar surge of adrenaline flood his system, his face split in a wide grin as he felt each bullet bounce harmlessly off of his dermal armor, doing less damage than bug bites. "Come on, don't you guys have anything stronger? Give me a challenge, already!" he shouted as he slammed a man against a shipping container. The metal warped around him and crossed over his chest and around his wrists, binding the man to the container.

He heard a gun cock behind him and turned to meet his new 'friend,' only to watch as Stormcaller fell from the sky, using the unlucky man as a landing platform. There was a brief flash and the man was still, aside from the occasional groan or twitch. "Good looking out, Sparky," Talos said with a nod. "And don't worry. If there's one thing I'm good at, it's keeping someone's attention." He watched as she drifted upward, then brought his gaze back downward as another gunman took aim at her.

Talos's wings flapped downward and he shot toward the man just as he started to pull the trigger on his pistol. His hand was suddenly in front of the end of the barrel, but thanks to his carbon armor, the round collided with his palm, then fell harmlessly to the ground. "Uh-uh," Talos said in a singsong voice, complete with a wag of his finger. The criminal was quick to turn swivel his aim at Talos's head, but the young hero simply rolled his eyes. "If that shot didn't do anything to my hand, you really think you'd have any better luck shooting me in the head?"

Talos didn't give him a chance to answer. The pistol suddenly fell apart in the man's hands, each neatly disassembled piece clattering on the ground. The would-be shooter slowly looked up from the pieces of his gun and met Talos's eyes. The hero shrugged, then suddenly lunged forward. His forehead connected cleanly with the criminal's, knocking him out cold. Before the man fell to the ground, Talos was already gone, laughing as he eagerly sped off toward his next encounter. "It's been way too long since I've had this much fun!"

One Piece: The Devil's Due (Always Accepting!)

---

It took a few minutes for Sol to recover from his relief at seeing Luna’s wanted poster. For fifteen years, he had thought she died that night. He lost a lot that night, losses that he still had yet to get over, but losing her had hit especially hard. Now that he knew she was alive, he felt the weight on his shoulders lessen, if only slightly…until he realized he had been looking at a bounty with her name and face on it. And for sixty million beris, no less!

He carefully read through the Northern Financial, one of the newspapers Lieutenant Nelson left behind. He ignored the bits that disparaged his homeland, though it was hard to not feel upset by what was written about Luna’s father, Comet. The part about him consorting with pirates and other criminals was completely fabricated, as far as Sol knew, but what really upset him was how the paper described the Lunar Emperor as little more than a savage beast. Comet had always been kind, not only to his daughter, but to Sol, his family, and the people of the empire. When he realized how angry he was getting, Sol calmed himself, a skill he had become extremely adept at over the years.

With a sigh, he set the paper down, leaned back in his chair, and covered his eyes, now understanding the reason behind Luna’s high bounty. In truth, Sol had always known about the part Captain Arbor played in the downfall of the empire and had planned on taking care of the captain, himself. Never in his wildest dreams did he expect Luna to beat him to it.

He once again looked at her picture. The only thing he truly recognized was that mischievous glint in her eyes. Though she was shy and quiet most of the time, whenever Sol was alone with her, she would get that look in her eyes and he’d knew they were about to do something that could have gotten them in trouble, whether that be stealing pastries from the kitchen or sneaking away into town. If anything, judging just from the picture, it seemed like Luna had grown into the type of person she truly was. At that, Sol couldn’t help but give a small smile.

The one thing he couldn’t figure out, though, was why? Did she just happen to come across Arbor, discover who he was, and let her feelings get the best of her? But how did she beat a Marine Captain? Did she really get so strong over the years? Was Marcus really harboring her all this time and how was he doing?

Sol shook his head and set the bounty poster down, placing the newspaper on top of it. He wanted nothing more than to go after her, if only to have those questions answered, but two things stopped him: he had no idea where she was and he couldn’t afford to risk everything just to see her. I’ve come too far and I have farther to go, still, he thought. If I survive, I’ll find you after I’ve done what I need to do. Until then, please, stay safe, Lu.

Ring, ring, ring. Ring, ring, ring…

The sound of his transponder snail interrupted Sol’s thoughts. He picked up the receiver and spoke, ”Captain Maxwell Rackham speaking.”

“You have new orders, Captain Rackham,” the snail said. “We’ve received word that a group of pirates have attacked a place called Green Isle. The base we have there is a small one and it seems that the pirates involved are more trouble than they can handle, so you’ve been ordered to give them some support.”

”Yes, sir,” Sol replied as he examined one of the charts ever-present on his desk. ”From the looks of it, we’re about a day’s sailing away from there, but we’ll do what we can to get there faster.”

With that, the call ended and Sol rose to his feet as he draped his coat over his shoulders. He glanced at his desk once more, at the spot he had placed Luna’s poster, before he made for the door. There would be time to think about her later.

He had a job to do.

Young Justice

Location: Harbor
Interactions: Zatara @Crimson Flame

---

Another day, another stealth mission. Or rather, recon. Whatever it was, Vincent was yet again delegated to sit by the sidelines. When he joined the team, he thought there would have been more chances to be in the thick of it. Sure, saving the hostages in his first mission felt good, but not as good as taking on a horde of bad guys. Besides, he didn't understand why they were only watching these groups, letting them complete their deal rather than take them out. Drugs are against the law, right? Breaking the law is bad, right? So, what's the harm in knocking some heads together to do good? he thought. At least, he thought it was drugs. That's what gangs usually traded, right? Truth be told, he zoned out a bit during the briefing.

In the time it took for the groups to meet up and conduct their business, Vincent had quickly grown bored and begun to pace, molding iron into intricate shapes above his hand while occasionally pestering Zach with games of "Guess What's Behind My Back," for no other reason than to stave off boredom. It was clear he had no interest in watching the proceedings, but he was still going to behave, at least until things went sideways.

Not only did things go sideways, but upside-down, too. Vincent had been sitting in a corner, dozing, when the first shots rang out. He was quickly up on his feet and standing next to Zach, an excited grin slowly spreading across his face. He heard Zatara say something, but Vincent was already rushing into the fray, his steel wings glinting as he flew through the air, practically skimming the ground as he hurried to join the fun before someone could stop him. When he was close enough, he drew in his wings, rolled, and jumped up to his feet as he waltzed into the midst of the gunfight.

The gunmen closest to him stopped firing at each other, stunned that there seemed to be someone crazy enough to leisurely walk into the middle of an active gunfight. "I guess the deal must've gone sour, huh?" Vincent asked, completely unaware of the injured civilian somewhere in the harbor. "You know, I've actually been wondering: how good is your health insurance, if you're so eager to start shooting at each other like this?"

He turned just in time to see someone take aim and fire. Vincent's reflexes took over right before his head rocked back. He staggered backward a couple of steps before he managed to steady himself. Chuckling, he straightened up, the squashed bullet falling away from his hardened forehead. "Apparently, it's pretty great!" he shouted. The steel casing around his implant burst open as he unfurled his wings and brought them down in a powerful sweep, launching himself at the man with the itchy trigger finger. As a reward for shooting Vincent in the head, the man received a hardened backhand to the side of his head.

As the first crumpled to the ground, unconscious, Vincent's body blackened as he hardened himself just as bullets began to ping off of his skin. He unfurled his wings and swept them around him, knocking everyone nearby off of their feet before he launched himself across no-man's-land to give the other side some attention. "Now, this is more like it!" he shouted, inadvertently drawing more attention to himself.

One Piece: The Devil's Due (Always Accepting!)

---

Luna wandered with no clear destination in mind, simply wanting to get a closer look at the state of the island. She walked through the town, silver eyes taking in shuttered windows, cracked walls, and overgrown walkways while her ears twitched under her hood as she listened to hushed whispers, as if everyone was afraid of being caught saying the wrong thing. Just how much of a tyrant is this Clay guy, anyway? she thought.

Before she realized it, she had left the town limits and found herself walking along the fence to a vineyard. She looked past and saw wilted grape vines on rotting wooden trellises, the field having obviously not been cared for in some time. She looked around, partly to get her bearings, but also to see if she could get an idea of the state of the nearby vineyards. There was one in a similar state, though the field was blackened, having obviously been put to the torch. From what she could see, there was only one vineyard that was still in operation. There were several people working the fields, seemingly under guard. It was a ways away, but Luna could pick out the glint of weapons glimmering in the sunlight, as well as a couple of large shapes the color of earth.

A thought suddenly occurred to her as she began walking toward the vineyard. Rufus had mentioned someone from their crew had returned to Bacchus when he heard that pirates had invaded. If that was the case, then where was he and why wasn’t he doing anything to help?

Luna was pulled from her thoughts when, now close enough for her to make out details on the people in the field, she saw someone stumble and fall. One of the armed people approached the prone figure and crouched next to them. “Aw, what’s the matter? Need a break?” she heard him ask. Before the fallen person could respond, the figure, whom Luna now realized was one of Sam Clay’s pirates, stabbed his sword into the ground in front of their face. “You know the rules. One five minute break for every four hours of work, and you’ve already had yours,” the pirate said. With a glee that made Luna’s blood boil, he then asked, “Unless you’d prefer to take a permanent one?”

“P-please, no! I-I-I’ll get back to work, I just tripped!” came the meek voice from the fallen villager. The villager attempted to stand, only to fall back down, his arms and legs too weak from overwork.

“Too late, time’s up,” the pirate said as he stood up. He brandished his sword, a wide cutlass, over his head and started to bring it down, only to suddenly stop. He tried again to bring his sword down, but found himself somehow stuck in midair. Or so he thought, until he looked back and saw a hooded woman gripping the back of the cutlass’ blade.

”Couple of big men, picking on someone that can’t even fight back,” Luna asked, glaring at the pirate from underneath her hood as she gave him a challenging grin.

“The hell?!” the pirate exclaimed as he tugged on his sword again, surprised by this stranger’s grip strength. Luna let go of the blade as he pulled, putting him off balance. She looked down at the villager and simply jerked her head to the side. The man got the hint and scrambled up to his tired feet before hurrying off.

The two pirates, the second drawing his own cutlass, closed in on Luna. “You rather we ‘ave some fun wi’ you, instead, sweet’eart?” the second asked with a smirk. His eyes moved up and down her body as he added, “Can’t ‘ardly see much with that cloak in the way, but I do like–”

The rest of his comment was lost as he suddenly received firsthand knowledge of the taste of Luna’s steel-plated glove. Her fist crashed into his mouth mid-sentence, knocking out a few teeth as he flew back, landing in a crumpled heap. His friend didn’t move for a moment, stunned by Luna’s sudden display of violence, until he finally snapped out of it. “You bitch!” he yelled as he swung his sword toward her stomach.

Luna turned toward him and caught his sword between her elbow and knee. ”Bullies and creeps, huh?” she sighed as the pirate tried to free his weapon. ”Just once, I’d like to fight someone with some manners.”

She brought her fist down on the pirate’s sword, snapping it in two. He stumbled backward, staring at his broken weapon in disbelief, then turned his attention back toward Luna just in time to catch her fist with his chin. He felt his jaw clamp shut, teeth cracking, as he was lifted off of his feet. He landed heavily on his back, knocked clean out, while Luna stood above him. She started to turn in the direction the worker ran when she heard a strange sound, like someone trekking through mud. She turned just in time to see the earthen lumps she mistook for some kind of storage buildings rise to their misshapen feet.

”That's...not good...”

One Piece: The Devil's Due (Always Accepting!)

He had been sleeping the night everything fell to ruin. What awoke him, however, weren’t the explosions or the screams, but the sounds of clattering steel and thudding footsteps that approached his room. He opened his amber eyes and sat up in bed just as his father burst in. He was dressed in full plate armor, an ornate helm under his right arm and a deep purple cape draped over his left shoulder. ”F-Father? What’s happening?” a young, sleepy Sol asked as he rubbed his eyes.

His father, Emperor Astrum Luminos, looked down at his son, barely hiding the sadness in his eyes. He knelt next to Sol’s bed and placed his helm on the ground next to him. Reaching out, he placed his hands on Sol’s shoulders and quietly said, “Listen well, my son. I need you to put on your armor and follow Prefect Istria to the safe room, where your mother and sister are waiting. Something terrible is happening outside and I need to go help our soldiers.” He moved one hand from Sol’s shoulder and gently tapped his fist against Sol’s chest. “Be strong for your mother and sister. I will return as soon as I am able.”

Though he was confused, Sol looked into his father’s eyes with a resolve that made Astrum’s heart swell with pride. ”I will, Father,” he said with a decisive nod.

Emperor Astrum returned Sol’s nod with one of his own as he picked up his helm and rose to his feet. He turned to the huge, bald-headed man next to him, and placed a hand on his arm. “Keep him safe, my friend.”

“Of course, Your Highness,” Marcus replied with a reverent nod. As Astrum hurried from the bedroom, Marcus turned to find Sol already fastening his greaves to his shins. “Let me help you with that, my lord,” he offered as he knelt in front of his young charge. Despite the size of his hands, Marcus’ fingers adjusted the straps of Sol’s greaves with surprising dexterity.

As Marcus helped Sol into the rest of the armor, the young man asked, ”Who’s attacking us, Marcus?”

The bear was quiet for a moment before he said, “It appears to be the World Government, my lord. At least, that’s what our scouts have been reporting.”

Sol’s brow furrowed. ”But…why? We haven’t done anything to them, have we?”

Marcus shook his head as he adjusted the final strap. “No, my lord. But there’s no time to worry about that, right now. I have to get you to your mother and sister, then catch up to your father.” He gave Sol’s breastplate a tug and nodded, satisfied that the armor was secure. He then pulled a sword from his belt, one quite a bit smaller than what was standard for soldiers of the Legion, and offered it to Sol. “Your sword, my lord.”

Sol hesitated. He had been training with a sword for most of his young life, but it was usually with a wooden practice weapon. The few times he was allowed to swing a real sword was when his mother or father wanted him to practice his edge alignment. That hesitation didn’t last long, however. He knew his mother would normally be able to handle herself in a fight, but with his little sister being barely two years old, she wouldn’t be able to fight as well. If their enemies made it through their guard, it would be up to him to protect them both.

He reached out and took the sword.

---

A knock interrupted the dream, much to Sol’s relief. There wasn’t much he cared for less than reliving that night. He opened his eyes to darkness, then lifted the cap he rarely wore off of his face, only to wince at the light that stabbed at his eyes from the nearby window. He had been in the middle of finishing the report that was interrupted by Rockaport’s arrival and the subsequent duel when he decided to take a quick nap. A glance outside told him a couple of hours had passed. No wonder my neck’s sore, he thought as he sat up.

The knock sounded again and he called out, ”Come in.” The door opened and Lieutenant Nelson stepped through, Sol’s freshly laundered coat and a bundle of paper in her arms. She saw Sol’s groggy expression and stifled a chuckle. “Did that duel wear you out that much, Captain?” she teased as she walked over to him.

”Very funny, Lieutenant,” Sol replied flatly as Nelson placed the items she carried on his desk. He glanced at the coat and resisted the urge to grimace, the urge more powerful with the memory of that night fresh in his mind. Instead he turned his focus to the bundle of papers on top of it. ”Newspapers?” he asked, though it was obvious what they were.

“And some new bounties,” Nelson added as Sol cut the twine with a pair of scissors. “Just a couple, this time. That gambler, Andou, escaped custody, so a bounty’s been issued for him. But, that’s not the interesting one…”

Sol raised an eyebrow and picked up the newspapers, each one from the major publishing companies in each of the Blues. He scanned the headlines before setting the papers aside to read later. An article about the anniversary of the fall of the Nychthemeron Empire, one about some disappearances on some island in the West. A “lightbulb?” That might be interesting, Sol thought, always having had an interest in science and new technology.

Then, he got to the bounties.

The first one was for ‘Snake-Eyes’ Andou. Sol didn’t know much about the guy, just that the hiss luck seemed to be unusually awful for a so-called gambler. He was also clear over in the West, so Sol couldn’t really bring himself to care enough to be curious.

He set the paper aside…then froze when he saw the ghost staring at him on the next bounty. It had been fifteen years since he last saw her, but he knew right away who he was looking at without needing to read the name. A cold sweat broke out on his forehead as he suddenly shot to his feet, one hand on the desk next to the bounty as he covered his mouth with the other, doing his best to calm down before his eyes could change color.

“M-Max?” Nelson asked, her voice coming from miles away. “Are you okay?”

Sol took a few breaths before saying, ”Uh, y-yeah, I’m fine. I just…” He shook his head. He cleared his throat as he regained some composure and continued, ”You’re dismissed, Lieutenant. I’m…I’m not feeling well, so I’m going to get some more sleep. You’re in charge until I wake up.”

Rachel opened her mouth, then closed it. “Yes, sir,” she simply said before turning around.

Only when the door closed behind her did Sol finally sit back down. He picked up the bounty with a shaking hand as he stared at the face illustrated on the paper. While she had a cocky grin, a confident look in her eyes that seemed to say “Fight me!”, and looked in no way like the quiet, shy girl he once knew, Sol knew he would always recognize her, despite how unique her half-Mink blood made her look.

”Lu…I can’t believe it…” he whispered. His eyes changed to a cobalt blue as he finally let his emotions wash over him. Covering his eyes as tears began to run down his face, he grinned for what felt like the first time in years.

”You’re alive…You’re really alive…!”