"Now then, let's chat."
The two men glared daggers at each other with a thirst for vengeance.
"I'll make a simple deal with you, Black Leg," Amore said, not breaking eye contact. "I'll let you go. No Marines, no chase. It'll be just like you were never here. In return for your freedom, you leave me my treasure." Bianca winced at the pain of the hard metal of Amore's pistol pressed against her face.
"And what if I say 'hell no'?" Sanji plainly asked.
"Well if you do that, obviously I blow everyone's brains out."
Sanji stared menacingly at the King, still not wavering.
"I think it's an easy choice, what do you say?"
Lacy and Bianca both looked toward Sanji with terror. Sanji finally said, "Yeah, I agree that seems like a simple and obvious deal."
"I'm happy to hear it, Black Leg." With Bianca still in his clutches, Amore then pointed the pistol now aiming it right at Sanji's head. "Now, turn your ass around and get the hell out of my club."
"Woah woah, that's not the choice I made." Sanji waved his hands in front of him apologetically and then casually placed them back in his pockets. "I thought you understood this was obvious. No way I'm leaving without these ladies. You're out of your mind if you think I would leave them here with a shitty bastard like you."
"When he is faced with tough situations, he really can keep his cool..." Y/n thought in amazement. "How is he so calm with a gun pointed at him?" Y/n then remembered how Sanji talked to her about his adventures at sea. This man has faced countless dangers and has even come close to death. "My crew and I have faced many dangers together; battled many strong foes, and faced the harshest weather... there have been times when we've almost died. But, my crew though is the best there is, and I'm proud to be a part of it." This is what a strong pirate looked like. This is what y/n aspired to be, and she was watching it firsthand.
"Bastard Strawhat..." Amore growled through his teeth. "I'm not letting you out of here alive!!" An ear-blasting pop of Amore's pistol went off. And then another, and then another...
"Sanji!!" Y/n cried.
With each bullet, a blur of black dodged each shot that was fired. Screams could be heard outside the curtains in fear of the booming sounds of bullets cracking through the atmosphere.
"Piece of shit!" Amore yelled at the agile cook, not able to land one shot.
"Ditto," Sanji said, appearing behind Amore. Before King could utter another insult, Sanji slammed a leg into his ribs, sending him flying from backstage, through the curtains, and into the club. Bones were broken as he crashed into the tables below. He groaned in incredible pain and anger. Y/n yelled for Bianca as she scuttled to her aid, while pirate Sanji leaped from the stage and landed on top of the evil man, once again placing a forceful foot on Amore's bruised and vulnerable neck. People ran around in a frenzy at the chaos. "Well, this seems familiar," Sanji said condescendingly.
"S-screw you, pirate." Amore grabbed Sanji's foot and pushed with all his might to release himself but to no avail. "You think you can just come into my establishment, take away my dancers, and then make off leaving a mess of everything?!"
"Yeah, I guess I do." Sanji pressed his foot harder into Amore's neck, making him audibly choke. "But at the same time, you think you can steal and lock up helpless women, exploit them for your own wealth, and then feed me the blandest steak I've ever had? It's terrifying to think what these beautiful women have been forced to eat. Unforgivable."
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Back on the stage, Bianca regained her composure. "This is our chance, Lacy," she said catching her breath. "Let's throw the bottles and get the hell out of here."
"But Sanji..." Y/n bleakly objected.
"I'm sure he'll be fine." Bianca placed a hand on y/n's shoulder. "The Navy will be here any second I'm sure. Let's get out of here, he can clearly handle his own."
Y/n glanced over towards the ferocious pirate that was crushing her greatest hatred under his heel. It was frightening to see such fierceness come from such a kind-hearted soul. This man really could do whatever he pleases, and he chose to rescue her. She had to believe in him. "Fine, you're right. Let's go."
The two ran to the back and grabbed the glass bottles that were hidden away. On the count of three, high on adrenaline, the pair threw the bottles through the air one by one, igniting them with Sanji's lighter. Shattering glass and embers engulfed the once-posh establishment. One could not recognize it anymore. Once extravagant and grand, and is now a blur of intense fire. Bianca and y/n began guiding the girls safely out the windows letting them know there was a change of plans.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Are you gonna burn to death with me, Black Leg? Seems awfully foolish, why don't you go run away with your love?" Amore taunted sarcastically towards the pirate that had him pinned down.
"Oh no, don't worry about me. I'll be just fine." Sanji smiled down at King with a look of triumph. "I don't know about you though."
"Is that so? When you've already taken enough from me. All that I've worked for..." He struggled to say through the pressure on his neck. His vision began to fade. "I won't let you...take...anymore from me!" A gunshot rang out through the room.
Y/n head snapped in shock towards the noise, seeing the sight of Sanji falling back onto the floor. Her expression grew filled with anguish, and let out a desperate scream. "Sanji!!!"
A bullet blasted through Sanji's leg that stood firm on Amore. He groaned from the intense pain that pulsed through his thigh, clutching the wound tight to keep the blood from pooling out.
Amore gasped for air as he rolled to his side, and slowly rose above the injured pirate. He cocked his gun, and in a fit of rage fired two more shots into Sanji's other leg. Sanji cried out in agony. "Aww, what happened? Can't fight now, Black Leg?" he taunted. He grinned ominously, getting revenge by stomping down on the pirate's neck. Sanji choked, the King now pressing his gun against his golden hair. "Looks like the Strawhats lose a member today."
"Screw you..." Sanji spat, gathering his energy for an attack. Just before he could land a hit, a flash of red soared above him.
"HAAAAA!!!" A brutal and desperate cry echoed through the chaos and flames. Y/n flew from the stage with tears flowing from her eyes, impaling a knife deep into Amore's back. King didn't have a moment to react as the duo landed on the floor, y/n continuing to stab her knife into Amore's chest. "YOU WILL NOT HURT HIM!!"
"Y/n, stop!" Sanji shouted out but it was useless.
"Get off me, wench!" Amore kicked y/n hard in the stomach prying her off of him and sent her rolling across the floor.
She wiped the tears from her eyes, not staying down for long. The smoke began to build up in the room, the flames now roaring to the ceiling. "You've hurt us enough." She pointed the knife at the King that lay bleeding out on the floor. "I'm not scared of you."
Amore coughed up blood from his wounds. He barely managed to sit himself up to get a look at the vengeful woman. Her scarves blew around like the fire that surrounded her, her eyes glowing amber just as bright. "My vixen...my Lacy..."
"I'm not your vixen. You can't hurt me anymore."
Blood began to pool around Amore's body. His injuries were too great, and a black tunnel began forming in his vision. His head collapsed to the ground. There was nothing he could manage to say.
Y/n sprinted to Sanji's aid, kneeling at his side. "Sanji I'm so sorry! Don't worry!" She frantically ripped apart her dress for pieces of fabric.
"Don't rip apart your dress...It's beautiful." Sanji muttered.
"I can get another dress, dummy." She wrapped the fabric around his wounds as tightly as she could to stop the bleeding. "We need to get out of here now. Bianca and the others have already escaped." Y/n placed Sanji's arm over her shoulder and hoisted him up to his feet. "Can you walk?"
"Yeah, I can. I've had worse injuries than this, dear. Let's go."
As the building was consumed by fire, the two managed to trudge through the debris and escape. King Amore was left there to burn away with his castle, his vision fading away into the darkness of the smoke. Jewel and Bianca had waited for them outside and helped them make it through the window and away from the scene. Sounds of sirens could be heard screeching into the early morning. Fire engines had just arrived.
The four did not look back as they ran for their lives through the streets and down towards the docks for their freedom. Y/n blood ran rapidly through her veins, her heart levitating inside her. She was elated she and her friends escaped the cursed place, but she knew she had not crossed the finish line quite yet.
"There!" Jewel pointed to a small wooden hatch through the wall that boarded the island. "The Marines don't use this hatch anymore. We can get through here and then out to the docks. The rest of the girls are there with Bela."
"How did you know something like that?" Y/n asked.
"Those men will say anything if you give them a good time. You're not the only one that had planned on escaping one day." Jewel took hold of the hatch's handle and pulled it open, letting everyone take cover inside. A dark tunnel ran downward with a trail of stone stairs. "They used to use this as an old port. This leads right to the sea. The ships hopefully will be in decent shape."
Their footsteps echoed through the chamber as they descended. Y/n continued to assist Sanji, and Bianca squealed at all the cobwebs, making the bunch let out a couple of laughs. At last, the group reached a doorway at the bottom. Jewel opened the door, revealing a small beach.
As Y/n walked outside, feeling the sand between her toes, she looked out into the sea with awe. The sun had not yet risen, the sky painted with beautiful dark blues and violets. Small specks of stars decorated the sky above. The air was crisp, and the sea was calm.
"Hey!! They made it!" Cheers were heard near the dock, and girls came running toward the victorious group.
Sanji's eyes turned into hearts at the sight of so many beautiful maidens running in his direction, and the others waved back with excitement. Many hugs and tears were shared as they rejoiced for their new freedom.
"I can't believe it...we actually did it." y/n said. She sat the blonde pirate down in the sand to rest his legs, and she took a spot next to him. She glowed with pure joy. "We actually did it!" She embraced Sanji in a tight hug and shed a few tears of her own. "I couldn't have done this without you. Thank you." She smiled at the pirate, wiping her tears.
Sanji placed his hands over her cheeks, wiping away the remaining tears. "I told you, you don't need to thank me. I would do it all over again if I had to."
"Can you not get shot again though please?" she tried to laugh, but couldn't stop her crying.
"No promises, but I'll do my best."
Y/n pulled Sanji in close, and the two shared a sweet, and intimate kiss. They both smiled into each other's lips as they continued, finally basking in the feeling of true bliss.