Missy

Call of the Ocean

I don't own One Piece. If I did, Buster Calls would have no right to exist.

Quick warning for non-native English speakers: There's a small part at the end of the chapter which will be a little difficult to read/understand. It's intentional! Don't worry!

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"Hah... hah... hah..."

Oh Kronos. Your heart... was pounding. Your breath... shallow... How long had this fight gone on for? The enemies were beginning to blur into each other at this point. It was just block parry slash parry slash block block dodge slash dodge slash parry slash dodge dodge again parry-

This wasn't anything you hadn't expected. These were marine warships, and large ones at that. Each one of those things could house a small city. You couldn't even begin to think how outnumbered you and your crew were. So you knew you had to do your part. You knew you had to keep on fighting. Although...

You readjusted your grip, Mello once again beginning to slide out of your sweaty fingers. Despite your best efforts you'd been gifted a few new gashes on your cheeks and arms and torso. Gashes which you really didn't have the energy to heal right now. Nor the time. And the more of that strange blood of yours that dripped down your face, the greater the frenzy it seemed to drive the marines into. At this point it was like facing a pack of rabid animals instead of people. It didn't matter how much you conserved your strength, or how much you tried to limit your movements... You'd been running on empty at the very start of this battle. Now you'd dipped way past zero.

"Ngh!" Mello was slammed into the stonework once yet another officer was tossed unceremoniously to the writhing currents below. A slight pause. A respit. At least before you got your balance back.

You weren't sure if you could keep this up for much longer.

"Hah..." You barked out a breathy laugh. "Pathetic... I'm letting everyone down aren't I..."

"Now why would you think that...?" Even Mello sounded tired and more distanced than usual, having been forced to retreat back into his non-verbal form to conserve strength. "You should... You've been told by now that it is perfectly acc... acceptable to feel vulnerable... Everyone came here to rescue you after all... It's okay... to take a... maybe fall back a li-"

"Nah." Swaying on your feet, you arched backwards to allow some of your blood to drip harmlessly across your face. "I need to be better... Need to keep pushing..."

"Why are you being so-"

"That's the only way we can make it through this."

You didn't know why, or even how, you'd become fixated on this strange strain of logic. If it even was logic. Really didn't feel like it, if you were being honest with your... ah who cares? All you needed to do was act as if you weren't pulling your weight. Pretend that the survival of the entire crew rested on your shoulders and your shoulders alone.

Otherwise you would become more complacent. You would start to slow down. And then you would...

The crash of lightning a few feet away sent shudders up your spine.

At least with Nami's new Climatact your adrenaline levels were constantly being sent through the roof. Not that you had something against the weapon exactly... but yeah. Lightning. Electricity. Eneru.

Not exactly happy memories.

You heard a loud crack as the person sneaking up behind you (you were getting to him) got his neck twisted in half.