Author's Note: This chapter and the next are going to include gore that will be described rather vividly. Ryoto is one of the reasons I labeled this story as mature. Chapter 28 will be where you can pick up again if you are uncomfortable with brutal deaths. These two are gonna be longer than any of the others.
Also, my friend helped me find music that I feel is fitting for Ryoto. "Through the Darkness" by Panagiotis Karayannis.
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Powerful wings beat against the cold night air, "Can't believe she played me like a fiddle. Idiot. She's gonna make me look soft with that request." The man beneath the silver raven skull mask muttered, "Don't hurt anybody other than those baroque workers." he mocked shaking his head, "It'd be easier to just wipe 'em all out. Faster too." He laments as he continues his flight through the night sky.
Eyes forward he continued to fly, as fast as he could towards Alubarna, "Straight east. Damn it Ryoko, why do you have to be a soft spot for me." He growls to himself as he glances at the sand below, he also sees only a couple miles away a large river that runs through the island.
Black feather-coated wings beat harder as he grits his teeth, "so annoying. She's lucky she's my sister." he hisses continuing to fly, cutting through any winds that threatened to push him off course. The rattle of metal clanking together made him grin widely, "It's been a while since I've gotten the chance to cause some problems. Best be sure to make it count."
Flying low over the stretch of water, Ryoto lowered one boot-clad foot to skim the surface, causing a wake to spray up behind him. "Glad she's at least starting to try with the fruit powers. Being scared. Such a dumb excuse." He mutters looking at the reflection below he scowls beneath the mask.
Dark eyes shone behind the metal raven skull mask, and black feathers shrowded his neck and hair. The feathered cloak he wore stayed in place over his wings, while his human body was covered in black and grey clothing which was pinned to his form by metal chains. Just as soon as his vision of himself looked back at him, it disappeared into the sands.
"Must be boring to live in a place as dry as this. Ko could probably just start up a rainstorm to calm things down. What a pain." He hissed as he flew over dune after dune, "Now how am I gonna make sure everyone knows that I am not part of Strawhat's crew? I could just say it after the fight... Or I could just avoid people." he sighed heavily as off in the distance he began to see the lights of the capital.
"Better get a lay of the battlefield when I get there." He says as he soared up to the base of the main stairs. The tap of his boots on the sandstone stairs filled the air with each step. He continues carefully up the steps, eyeing the guards at the top. Hopefully, there wouldn't be any altercation.
"Stop right there, state your business within the city at this time of night." One of the men says holding out his weapon towards Ryoto, clearly ready to strike.
Ryoto was silent for a moment, "I'm here simply to rest, I have been traveling through the desert for days and am exhausted, hungry, thirsty, and tired." He says somewhat truthfully his aggressive tone calming with his effort to avoid conflict.
The man looked at him, narrowing his eyes, "Quite the outfit you are wearing." he said crossing his spear to stop him from continuing.
"Is my choice of dress your biggest concern? I simply dressed heavily for night travel. The mask is to keep sand out of my eyes. The weapons are for dealing with unwanted creatures testing their luck." He says lowly, scowling beneath the metal. "So, can I go in and find a safe place to rest or not."
The other guard looked to the first and nodded, "Sorry, we just have to monitor those who come into the city. There is an inn further to the center of town, be careful." he said as the first guard stood down.
"Have a good night gentlemen," Ryoto says walking up the steps completely and beginning to walk on the street. He glanced over his shoulder briefly as he noted the guards seemed to at least be honest.
Once he was out of earshot he muttered his thoughts to himself, "I could go to the palace... but that would be a lot of people. I could sneak in... No... if I want to talk to someone in particular it's going to be a problem." He rubs the back of his neck and yawns, "Maybe I can get a little nap in first, it would be boring just to wait..."
Continuing down the streets, he began to take note of each alleyway and crevice he could use to his advantage. Turning down one alley he swiftly flew to the rooftop and landed. "High ground is always a good place to start a fight." He says stifling a yawn. His eyes flicked over the walls of the buildings as he hopped from roof to roof toward the center of town. "Could try and funnel where the fight has to be. Maybe some points of cover for both sides. Give me a challenge and limit the injuries on both sides."
His shoulders slumped as he hit the center of town, leaping down to the street once more and looking towards the palace, grumbling. "I gotta tell someone..." he mutters heading up the steps to the doors which were guarded. Taking on a more amicable tone he spoke up, "I have come at the behest of Princess Vivi. I request an audience with the one in charge of organizing the troops."
The guard to the right looked at the strange figure, "I'm afraid we can not fulfill this request at this time. Chaka is very busy readying the royal army."
"I don't think you understand. I am not just requesting. I am demanding to meet with Chaka. Immediately. Time is not on our side." Ryoto growled out eyes flicking over the man, landing on a tattoo that barely peeked out from under the uniform armor. His eyes then shifted to the other man who was clear of any markings.
The tattooed guard looked at the bird-masked figure, crossing his blade in front of the entrance. The other guard followed suit, "I'm sorry, but you will have to leave." He says kindly but also firmly.
"I suggest you let me in. I can not leave. Not when things are so important." Ryoto says, voice shifting to a gentler tone when speaking to the kind guard. Upon the replied shake of the man's head, Ryoto sighed feeling awkward. "I tried to be nice. Sorry about this," he says before swiftly moving forward and striking the kind man in the base of his neck causing him to crumple to the ground.
In the same motion, Ryoto turned and pulled one of his sickles out, clashing with the spear of the baroque worker. He shifted out of the way before releasing the clash of blades, allowing the man to lurch forward. Ryoto's fist slammed into the man's stomach and launched him back across the landing before the doors. The man's helmet clattered down the steps behind him.
As the man coughed up his supper onto the ground while trying to get himself onto his feet once more, a black-gloved hand gripped his hair and pulled his head back. The sharp inner curve of the blade sliced through his throat while aiming the man away from the main door. Blood immediately erupted from the wound and sprayed across the ground as the man clutched at his throat trying to stop the blood in vain. A quick jolt to the back of the man's skull had him fall into the growing puddle of blood, unconscious and in a state of rapidly bleeding out.
Ryoto flicked his weapon before using part of the man's cape to clean the blood entirely off of the blade before sheathing it once again. He then pulled the man's sleeve up and off of the tattooed arm, revealing the baroque work tattoo to the world. "Unfortunately, you didn't just let me in. Would have let you live to the next morning at least."
Wiping his gloves off on the cape as well, Ryoto stood up once again and straightened himself out a bit before kicking the body swiftly into the nearest crevice of the building. Calmly, Ryoto headed back to the large entrance doors, pushed one open, and stepped in. The door whined quietly in protest as he shut it behind himself before continuing through the entrance hall.
The silver bird mask continued to face forward as he walked into a hallway, sniffing the air. A faint smell of soap and food drew him further into the palace. Hall after hall, door after door, minute after minute he stalked wary of any sounds coming toward him. He took up the wall to one of the elegantly carved pillar heads, eyes following after the duo of guards who passed beneath him unaware. He then silently continued, now staying up near the higher ceilings to avoid more attention.
He stopped outside the room that had originally caught his attention with the smell but heard the sound of someone working away inside the room. Ryoto took a deep breath before opening the door to the room. It was a large kitchen, which caused Ryoto to pause for a moment.
The other person in the room paused their dishwashing, looking straight at the new person. The woman was larger in size, with four distinct curls surrounding her face. Big red lips parted in a seeming loss of words, as she began to dry her hands on the towel next to her, "I'm sorry, the kitchen is closed for the night. I was just tidying up." she apologized straightening her red tunic that rested over a light blue shirt.
"I'm sorry I was just trying to find Captain Chaka. I didn't really get any directions." Ryoto says feigning sheepishness as he rubs the back of his neck much like his sister was prone to doing. Inwardly he thought about how much he had talked, just in the past few hours, too much for his liking as he swallowed audibly to attempt to soothe his throat.
The woman looked at the younger man, seeming to take a bit of pity on him, "How about you have a drink of water, and I can show you to Chaka myself. I don't know why the guards wouldn't have escorted you in the first place. Probably felt too busy, preparing for tomorrow." she sighed before grabbing one of the clean cups and bringing some clean water from a barrel. She then placed the glass on the end of the counter before turning back to her dishes.
"Thank you... Oh... I didn't get your name did I...?" Ryoto asked trying to be polite and failing as he lacked the right information. He moved over to the cup and carefully picked it up with both hands, stopping momentarily, debating what to do about his mask.
"I'm the royal chef and seamstress, everyone knows me at Terracotta." The woman explained glancing back briefly towards the boy before looking back at the dishes as she washed.
Ryoto eyed the woman for a moment, "Thank you Terracotta." He says correctly, still eyeing the cup before setting it down silently and lifting his mask just enough to expose his lower face. He then picked the cup up again with both hands and began to greedily drink the cool water in one go. Finishing the cup of water, he let out a relieved sigh and sharply nodded his head forward to flick his mask back into place.
As the woman continued cleaning the dishes Ryoto set the cup on the still decently large portion of dirty dishes. "Do I need to wait for you to finish the dishes?" He asked quietly, only getting a nod of confirmation as his shoulders sagged and he went back to the door and sat down on the floor next to it. He fiddled with the chains on his arms, rather inconvenient when it came to household tasks. However, there was no way in the new world that he would take the time to fully remove the chains. "Such a pain to put them back on after..." he mutters and tilts his head down so the beak of his mask rests on his chest, shutting his eyes to listen to his surroundings.
Occasionally, pairs of footsteps marched past the door, clearly patrolling the area. However, each time this occurred, Ryoto stiffened slightly, although it was hard to see beneath the outfit he wore. The time wore on, almost feeling like hours but in reality, he knew it only had been at most thirty minutes. The approaching footsteps from within the kitchen had him look up at the woman. "Well, follow me." She says as she unties the white cloth from her forehead and heads out the door beside the still-seated man.
Ryoto blinked a few times before hopping up to his feet and hurrying after the woman, eyeing guards who passed by on their rounds of patrol. Fixing his gloves on his hands, Ryoto stopped hearing the sound of running feet coming back from the main entrance. "Terracotta, get away from that man!" A male voice called from down the hall.
"Chaka? What's wrong?" The woman questioned, turning around. Ryoto sighed heavily and turned to look at the guards running down the hall led by a differently dressed man. The man was tall, around 7 feet in height, with a larger and muscular frame. His skin was darker, clearly built to deal with the desert sun. His medium-length straight black hair framed his face momentarily before his head shifted into something best described as part human and part jackal. A sword that was sheathed at his waist was swiftly drawn as he continued to fly forward.
Ryoto glanced towards Terracotta for a moment, as if weighing his options on what to do. He came to a swift conclusion, not having much time to choose as he unsheathed both weapons. A click of metal sounded as Ryoto leaped over the charging jackel, spinning his left crescent blade before throwing it. The chain around his matching arm unwrapped rapidly, with practiced grace, as the weapon wrapped twice around the jackal's left leg. The other weapon was swiftly thrown to catch the window sill as he spun once, the two sections of chain locking around each other.
The jackal's momentum carried him forward, as he fell to the floor for a brief moment. The taller man pushed himself up as he bit onto the handle of his large sword, moving back slightly so the chain's tension relaxed and he pulled free from the metal's grip. He then swiftly ran towards the murderer who swung the same chain up towards him. Chaka swiftly dodged around the strike as he managed to connect his strike with the death collector's mask.
Ryoto had strangely moved his head, colliding the metal beak of his mask, with the blade of the stronger man. His left hand grabbed onto the man's throat, pulling him forward as the masked man fell onto his back. However, as the larger man toppled forward, two feet planted onto his sternum and tossed him over the prone young man. Both men lie on their backs for a split second before the younger of the duo rolls swiftly backward onto his neck before shoving himself up into the air, one-foot planting on the man's upper chest, the second landing on his abdomen.
A sharp set of talons clutching tightly around his neck, along with clutching painfully into his left side, which had the larger man pinned for the moment. Chaka's jackal eyes glared daggers toward the collector as his hands gripped tightly around both talons. "Who sent you to attack the royal army? The rebels?" he growls out in a low tone.
"I didn't come here to fight you. I came here to take care of the rats." The collector hissed digging his weapons into the sandstone floor, "I'm surprised you haven't sniffed them out." He scoffed, glancing at the guards who lined both directions of the hallway. "I believe the princess sent word of your actual enemy, his reach is more than she had thought. Rebels and Royal Guards. The rats are already within each side, ready to cause more chaos." Ryoto explains as he releases the man's throat, talon returning to the normal boot along with the other as he gets up once again.
Ryoto wrenched back both of his weapons, spinning the chains around his arms once again, before sheathing both of his weapons unclasping the chains from the end, and stepping away from the man who was getting up off the ground. "Given that you killed one of the royal guards, why should I believe you? I already have a lot on my plate, preparing for the coming fight."
"Believe me or not. That is your choice." Ryoto says tilting his mask forward slightly, "I am following a request on behalf of Vivi." He grinned widely at the use of his technicality, "I won't apologize for what I am going to be doing." Shifting his mask slightly with a gloved hand, he looked at the man who stood almost two feet taller than him.
Chaka looked down at the man for a few seconds before sheathing his blade reluctantly, "What exactly are you going to do?" He asked, hand still resting on the hilt of his sword as he watched the man begin to walk towards the group of guards slowly.
"Exterminating the pests that are starving the people of life. I recommend not getting in my way. I won't kill anyone innocent on purpose, but I will protect myself." Ryoto warns before hopping up onto the nearest windowsill. "I can go about this in two ways. Either I do an inspection now, and be careful with who I erase or I can do it in the morning at the same time as the Rebels." Ryoto's eyes trailed over the head captain, watching him trying to make the tough call. The same grin crossed vindictively beneath the mask, finding the same sort of twisted joy he was looking for. "The clock is ticking." He says, turning to continue out the window.
"Wait." Chaka's voice stopped him as he was about to leap, "If you insist on hunting rats. Allow me to accompany you." Ryoto slowly turned to look at the man, "If only to limit the casualties."
Ryoto hops back into the hallway, seeing the conflict passing through the man's eyes, "Where are the barracks?" He asked looking towards the man, the light catching to briefly reveal the slightest glimpse of cold grey eyes.
Chaka clenched his jaw before turning, "Follow me." he said lowly, beginning to walk down the hall. Ryoto trailed after him as they continued in silence for a time. "All I ask is that you don't hurt any of the good men within the royal army."
"I have my orders. The baroque workers, the rats, die. No one else has to." Ryoto explained coldly while walking slightly behind the man, yet off to the side to still be within Chaka's peripheral vision. Seeing the man tense and place a hand back onto the hilt of his blade, "So long as they don't get in my way. Even then it won't be death for them." He adds attempting to be reassuring while looking forward to a door that leads outside.
Chaka remained silent as he walked, a frown set on his face, and brow furrowed as he continued moving forward. Out the doors, he walked, leading the man to the barracks.
Ryoto stopped at the door to the barracks, "I would have them come out here if you don't want to have to clean the blood off the ceiling." he muttered to the taller man who trudged into the barracks and began to rouse the troops. While Ryoto heard the people within begin to move quickly, he swiftly flew up to the top of the building to watch each person as they exited.
Some of the men came out in casual wear, clearly having just been roused from their deep periods of sleep. Some came out wearing armor. Still, yet, some of the men came out wielding weapons. It was clear that this wasn't every royal guard, as some were out patrolling and doing lookout. All of the men seemed somewhat confused as to what was occurring at that moment.
Throwing his voice around the area Ryoto began to speak, "Come out little rats. Run while you can." He mocked, sitting cross-legged on the edge of the roof, slowly twirling both blades in his hands.
"Those of you who are loyal to the king and country, do not panic. You will be safe. I swear to you." Chaka called out to the group, as he emerged from the doorway. "Death will not befall you," he assures while clenching his hand on the hilt of his sword.
Ryoto stood up on the top of the roof, clicking both clasps on the chains to the loops at the end of his weapons, "I won't let you rats escape."