Malice was on edge as they docked at the island in search of supplies. Since they’d gotten within range, she’d used her haki time and time again to scour the island searching for a threat. She wasn’t able to detect anything. Desperately she cast out her senses again, something was wrong. They had to be here, laying in wait to spring some sort of trap.
Her grip tightened around the bone blade she’d kept concealed beneath the simple black cloak she wore to protect herself from the light misting of rain. It was a much less dreary island than the one they’d visited before. The plant life was lush and green and lined the well kept paths neatly. There were villages off in the distance on the hillsides, cute little homes built right into the sides of the rolling slopes.
Kid looked over at the stoic girl as she nearly stumbled on a rock in the path too lost in her search for enemies. “Oy!” He lashed out and caught her by the collar before she could tumble to the soggy path. “Watch where you’re going!” He barked.
Malice broke from his hold in silence only succeeding in further irritating the already irate captain of the Kid Pirates. He took a step forward and reached for her arm with every intention of shaking her until she told him what had her so vexed.
In the next moment Malice sensed an overwhelming presence. It made her stomach drop and caused all the color to drain from her skin. She spun on her heel as she sensed an attack speeding their way and caught Kid by the collar with the back of her forearm. Forcing him to the ground, she managed to avoid the spinning bladed disk that whizzed right through where the captain had been standing.
Splinters of wood shot out like shrapnel from the tree that had been directly behind them, as the bladed disk pierced right through the trunk of the tree. The Kid Pirates jumped into action causing Malice’s heart to sink. They were no match for the enemy lying in wait in the surrounding forest.
“What the hell?” Kid growled in annoyance.
“We need to run.” Malice snapped.
“Like hell.” Kid got to his feet with a cocky smirk, “They clearly want to figh-.”
“Kid, this isn’t a fight any of us are going to walk away from.” Malice shot.
The masked first mate looked to the cryptic girl curiously. Was this what she’d been so terrified of? Her dark hellfire garnet eyes were wide in pure mortification. Killer looked between the pair waiting for a command from his captain.
“I’m not running away with my tail betw-.”
He cut off as Malice vanished from view. His gaze was drawn to the left of their path where two arcs of crimson spray appeared in the air before splashing to the ground. Malice appeared a few feet away from the spot the blood had landed gripping the crude bone blade in her hand. A small cut oozed blood on her porcelain cheek making her gaunt features more pronounced.
Her stomach churned as she sensed an overpowering aura just beyond the next set of hills. It was on par with that of her father’s, a yonko…Kaido. He was a true monster. A monster she had never wanted to run into after dealing with his subordinate.
“Kid.” Her voice came out pleading.
Kid clenched his fists at his sides. His feral eyes burned with determination and rage, “I’ll protect you.”
Malice sensed the approach of more silent assassins and shook her head, “I can buy you time.” She tightened the grip on her crude weapon. “If you go now, you can make it off the island.”
The entire crew looked at her as if she’d lost her mind. They never ran from any opponent.
“Repel.” Kid growled and cast his hand out. A beautiful magnetic purple glow emitted from his hand and Malice watched in awe as three of the silent assassins were suddenly sent flying, he’d repelled their weapons with enough force to hurl them back giving the rest of his crew time to attack. He was amazing, but it wouldn’t be enough.
Malice tensed, they’d have to fight their way out. Kaido had taken an interest in her when she was younger, perhaps she could use that to her advantage, perhaps she could become a bargaining chip for their freedom. She swung to the left as she began plotting a course of action in her mind and didn’t even bother to check where her blade had slashed her enemy. Her body was moving on autopilot, the ghost shedding away her humanity as she ran through their options of escape. Instinct would ensure her opponents were dead.
The Kid Pirates were fighting all around her some already struggling to keep up with the first barrage of assassins and fighters. Kaido had picked some his top ranking subordinates for the task. Kid and Killer appeared to be the only two not hindered by the skills of their enemy. The others were starting to fall back. An axe wielding beast of a man lunged for an unsuspecting Titan as he struggled to fend off an attacker from the front.
Malice darted forward without a moment’s hesitation and sprung on the giant of a man’s back with expert poise and grace. She plunged her crude weapon into the man’s neck completely obliterating his carotid artery. The moment her blade wrenched free a fountain of blood sprayed from the man’s wound and he crumbled to the ground.
Titan spun about too late to sense his attacker and stared at the now blood soaked girl in awe. There was something in her gaze, something dark, primal and hellish that had him frozen in terror. This wasn’t the Malice they all knew and adored, she’d transformed into a demon hell bent on carnage. “M-malice?” His voice shook as he called out to the girl.
“Don’t get in my way.” Was all she could utter as she lost herself in the battle.
Kid spotted the raven haired girl darting between foes with her wicked bone blade cutting through anyone and anything that stood in her way better than the strongest steel. She left a trail of blood and gore in her wake as she charged the enemy. Her body twisted and contorted in unimaginable ways as she fought to tear her targets into pieces with her blade. Swift stabs, slashes and gut wrenching strikes, she moved almost animalistic not giving a care that she was leaving herself very open to attacks, only concerning herself with going in for the kill.
More cuts and slashes began appearing on her already scarred skin, but she didn’t seem to notice or care. No matter the wound she didn’t slow her pace. She ducked low to avoid fatal hits and rallied with upsweeping slashes gutting anyone that dared to attack her.
Heat stumbled into her path as he fell away from his own attacker and for a moment stared in horror as the girl continued her mindless bloodthirsty advance. He attempted to scramble away from her thinking she’d attack him. Somehow holding on to some of her rationality, Malice managed to leap over the fallen Heat and launch herself at his foe slitting his throat with one fluid motion before continuing on.
A guttural roar boomed in the distance and Malice halted her advance as her eyes widened in terror. The beast, Kaido, was approaching. They had to run, now! A gruesome vision of Kid being torn to shreds by a brutal attack shot through Malice’s mind instantly snapping her from her instinctual slaughtering spree. She had to get to Kid’s side, she had to protect him. Time froze as she spun on her heel and she felt her heart drop as she realized how far away he was.
Adrenaline pumped through her veins as she ran as fast as she could toward the captain. Her hair stood on end as she heard the attack being launched; it was going to hit him!
“KID!” Malice screamed at the top of her lungs though her scream was drowned out by her speed and the whirr of the attack that whizzed toward the red haired captain. “NO!” She shrieked in agony as she saw him being ripped apart in her mind. A burst of haki ripped forth shooting away from her body and heading straight for the captain of the Kid Pirates. Her haki enveloped the captain instantly rendering him unconscious causing his body to fall toward the ground.
She wasn’t fast enough, the attack grazed the captain’s left side, blood sprayed everywhere, his blood. Malice felt something within her snap. Kid was hurt, possibly dying, there was so much blood. Her body trembled uncontrollably as rage consumed her.
“CAPTAIN!” The Kid Pirates panicked as they watched in horror as their captain fell to the ground.
An eerie calm washed over the cryptic girl and she turned to catch the first mate by the shirt front as he made a move to run to his fallen captain. “Get everyone back to the ship.” She muttered tonelessly.
Killer hesitated, “What about y-?”
“Take care of him. If he dies I’ll slaughter every living thing on this god forsaken island.” Her voice lashed out like hellfire instantly stinging the first mate.
“Malice, what about y-?” Killer called as the cryptic girl released him from her hold and turned in the direction the attack had come from.
“I’ll buy you time.” She shrugged as she dropped her bone blade in the dirt and opted for a fallen battle axe that was at least twice her size.
“Mali-!”
“GO NOW!” The raven haired girl screeched as she spun in a circle using her body as a pivoting point for the revolving axe. She picked up speed twirling faster and faster, the blade singing as it sliced through the air. Once she’d picked up enough momentum, Malice released her hold on the axe and sent it splintering through the forest cutting down everything in its path.
Killer bit his lip and abandoned the girl as he ran to his captain’s aid. They had to get the captain immediate medical attention. He looked around at the rest of the crew. Everyone was nursing some kind of injury, some severe and life threatening, even he had taken quite a bit of damage. “Let’s go.” He barked at the crew and waved to Wire to help him with the captain’s motionless form. The first mate threw one last look back at the crimson ghost.
In that moment she was every bit the atrocity society had labeled her as. Drenched in the blood of her victims, not regarding her own safety or stamina in the least as she charged headlong through the debris strewn path she’d created. She was sacrificing herself for the crew…Killer shook his head at the thought, no it was only for Kid. He knew she cared about them all, but it was only for Kid that she’d throw all reason to the wind and lose herself as she did.
“What about, Malice?” Titan croaked as he nursed a bad head wound.
Killer shook his head, “Move.”