][Malice][ =One Piece=

:: Chapter Twenty One ::

“I am too.” She growled back at him.

“Just let me protect you.” He hissed so only she could hear.

Malice stared up at him with wide eyes as her heart skipped a beat before jumping into overdrive. She met his hypnotic feral amber gaze and nodded her head in silence. Kid smiled softly at her and resisted the urge to caress her pale ivory cheek.

“Captain, you might want to see this.” Killer said in awe jarring the two from their intimate moment.

“No.” Malice paled as she glanced over Kid’s shoulder at the ship looming in the distance.

“What the hell is he doing here?” Kid stared in awe at the approaching ship. It was a huge ship with a Viking style dragon’s head for a figurehead. Their jolly roger was a traditional skull with swords as crossbones and 3 red slashes over its left eye.

“Not now.” Malice squirmed out of Kid’s arms and darted for the helm.

“What do you think you’re doing?” Kid barked as she flitted from view.

“Running!” Malice called back to him as she reached the helm but froze as she realized there was a strange man leaning against it. “Who the hell are you?” She demanded as she glared down the tall muscular man with shoulder length graying raven hair and an x shaped scar across his upper left cheek.

“Easy, little Red.” The man chuckled lazily as he took a step toward her.

Malice felt the rope around her waist tighten and she was suddenly pulled backward. Strong arms encircled her and Kid stepped in front of her protectively. “Kid.” Malice reached out to stop him, but Killer held her back.

“Captain! We’ve got a problem!” Heat and Wire soon joined them but froze as they spotted the newcomer.

“What’s the problem?” Kid asked nonchalantly his eyes never leaving the unnervingly calm man standing before them.

Malice looked up as the bubble around them began to expand. “Damn it.” She hissed under her breath, “We’re being hijacked.”

“What?” Killer and Kid growled simultaneously as the other ship pulled up beside them joining bubbles.

Kid scoffed and the metalwork on the ship began to rattle as he activated his devil fruit ability, “I have no intention of being hijacked.” He lunged forward as his arm began assembling bits and pieces of metal and weaponry.

“Kid!” Malice broke from Killer’s hold as more men jumped aboard from the other ship. The rest of the crew joined in the fight. There was no contest between the two crews. Not only were the Kid Pirates completely outnumbered, but the Red Hair Pirates were in a completely different league of fighting.

Malice flitted through the attacking pirates winding them between the rope she and Kid had been bound to ensnaring them with ease and tying them off to the mast before lunging back in the battlefield. Kid smirked to himself as he watched her out of the corner of his eye, she was pretty crafty and a quick thinker when it came to fighting.

“I thought you were supposed to handle this peacefully.” A middle aged man with shoulder length dirty blonde dreadlocks and a stubble lined chin chuckled, from the deck of the other ship, at the unnervingly calm man who had still yet to join the fight.

The man with graying raven hair shrugged his shoulders with a smirk, “They’re a lively bunch.”

Malice sensed another burst of energy shooting towards them from the other ship and quickly tackled Kid to the ground using her own Haki to form a protective mental barrier around the two of them.

“What are you doing?” Kid growled as the petite girl brought him down in one swift move and landed atop his chest as they smacked into the deck, hard. He was about to shove her away from him when he spotted the rest of his crew fall to the deck unconscious. “Malice?” He asked shakily as she swayed slightly atop him and slumped against him with a groan, “Don’t you dare faint.” His deep voice growled bringing her partially back to her senses.

“I didn’t want to be alone.” She murmured half coherently as the Red Hair Pirates surrounded them.

“Then stay awake.” Kid barked at her and shook her roughly until her deep garnet eyes fluttered open.

It took a moment for her eyes to adjust as she struggled to stay conscious. Everything was blurred and dark.  Kid sat up slowly and lifted her up as he got to his feet before shoving her behind him as he faced the Red Hair Pirates his amber golden eyes burning with fire. What did they want? How did they catch up to them so fast after the war and how did they know where to find them?

“We didn’t come here to fight you.” The man with the graying raven hair chuckled as he broke through the crowd of surrounding pirates to stand before them.

“Sure seems like it.” Kid growled angrily as he raised his arm slightly so his cloak would shield Malice from view.

“You attacked first, numbskull.” Malice grumbled softly from behind him as she finally snapped from her daze, causing the surrounding pirates to laugh and Kid’s face to redden in anger.

“Who’s side are you on?!” Kid snarled at her.

“You two always pick the worst times to have your little lover’s spats.” Killer grumbled groggily as he regained consciousness and shakily picked himself up off the deck.

“We’re not lovers!” Malice and Kid snapped simultaneously their faces burning from embarrassment.

 [EEP, the father daughter reunion is coming up! haha this should be delightfully awkward.. lol]