MARINES - A ONE PIECE story (ENGLISH) - Part I

CHAPTER CXL - The King of fools

A few foolhardy people had chosen to stay in the casino after hearing the security alarm, clutching their tokens like greedy parasites. Yet, when the entire building shook and the ceiling separating the gambling room from the VIP lounge collapsed, they ran for their lives like everyone else. After all, they were still men : even the stupidest of them put survival ahead of gain.

When Kegaro tried to get up, his eyes and lungs full of dust, he realized that one of his ribs was cracked. Some blood trickled down his arm, but he was unable to find the source of his injury. A furious buzz was piercing his left eardrum. However, in spite of the terrible tinnitus, his haki warned him of the threat that was lurking in front of him : in one leap, he dodged the enemy's attack that ravaged the ground and rolled behind debris to hide.

Auguste was not a great warrior : his movements were muddled, he did not master haki and the colossal mass granted to him by the powers of his devil fruit was slowing him down considerably. However, the golden pill he had ingested was making him the fiercest fighter : his physical strength and his ability to focus had been increased tenfold, and the euphoria that animated him was now so great that he was fighting without fear, but rather with excitation. He remained solid and powerful, like a battleship of wood and metal. At the end of his arm, like a single, deadly claw, the Garra was glowing. Kegaro couldn't take his eyes off it : if he could get his hands on it, he would defeat that damned clown without any difficulty.

- Pagliacci's power, Pierrot's composure, Mime's euphoria. My colleagues are much stronger than me, but I only need one of these pills to approach their potential. This raw power that flows in my veins is... delicious ! he growled with pleasure.

- For me, the combat has nothing of a joy. It is an art in which we indulge with pride, but also duty. We fight only when necessary.

He raised his palm in front of him, ready to strike Auguste again.

- This fight seems more than necessary. Come here, clown. As soon as I will have my Garra back, I will slice you like a dead fish.

Auguste chuckled, his amused face twisted by a demented smile. Behind the mask of the Red Lion, he was shaking with excitement.

- He who laughs last laughs longest, savage!

...

- Hurry up, come on !

Haru's orders echoed through the sewers like the cries of ghosts. The children were fleeing, led by the young woman, but they could not outrun their pursuer : everywhere behind them, eyes were appearing on the cobbled walls, multiplying. Suddenly, the haki of the young woman warned her and she stopped her race, preventing her young companions from advancing : at once, on the ground which they were about to tread, large spikes rose. "A trap ? she thought. We need to watch out". They immediately turned to the left, and as they were on their way, a thick stone wall formed before their eyes, brick by brick.

- This will not stop me ! she shouted. Iron body !

As she had seen Arthur and Jorge do so many times before, she put all her energy into her right leg to make it as strong as steel and destroy the wall that had just appeared. Others, like the first one, appeared again. But each time, Haru managed to destroy them or to lead her young group in another direction.

This crazy race, full of pitfalls, led them to a vast entrepot where large wooden crates were stored. She scanned the vastness of the room, looking for other traps, then hurried to the strange freight. Immediately, the children began to tremble.

- You shouldn't open those boxes, miss ! They contain the clowns' precious treasures !

Haru replied with a reassuring smile.