It took a number of attempts and curses but Eustass Kid finally managed to sit without having his head spinning like a stupid top.
With a grunt, he released his head and looked around the desolate beach.
What the hell was taking you so long? Was Killer not okay?
A couple of unconscious supernovas were lying nearby but he couldn't care less about them. If it weren't for his anxious need of seeing Killer on his feet, he would have been blinded by rage.
That fucking freak kicked his ass and was now rampaging over the island. And just to add more fuel to the fire, the Marines...
His amber eyes suddenly widened.
He had heard the announcement before.
The Marines! The fucking Marines were there, while he and Killer were down, and the rest of the crew was busy moving the Victoria Punk.
You... you were there a second before, you checked on him, you checked on Killer, but there was nobody checking you!
«Y/N!»
The roar came out of his throat before he could even realize it while his eyes frantically scanned the beach.
Your figure was nowhere to be seen. Everything was horribly still and silent.
No. Nononononono.
How could he be so stupid?!
«Y/N!!»
«Captain!»
Kid's head jerked around so fast he was about to puke again.
Heat and Wire were approaching from behind. Wire was carrying Killer on his back.
The redhead's fist closed on a stray rock and smashed it in his grip.
«Killer!»
The two pirates closed the distance and kneeled beside their captain.
«I'm fine.» Killer groaned when Wire eased him down on the ground.
Kid's livid gaze quickly studied him before darting to his comrades.
«Where's Y/n?»
Heat and Wire exchanged a glance, eliciting a low growl from him.
«I've asked you a fucking question!»
«I don't think we have time to worry about her, Kid.» Killer interjected, pulling himself up «We need to go back to the ship and find a way to break through the Marines' alignment.»
«WHERE THE FUCK IS Y/N?!»
Kid's bark startled both Heat and Wire but they didn't reply.
A short silence fell on the beach until Killer decided to speak.
«She left, Kid.»
The redhead's lost eyes flicked on him.
«What?»
«She left. And you know it.»
Again, the beach fell quiet.
Kid dug his fingers into the ground and the terrain cracked under his grip. A snarl of rage deformed his features.
«I see.»
His low voice was so shaky with fury that Heat and Wire retracted a little.
«Then I'll just have to go down there and kill all the marines.»
Killer shifted.
«I don't think it's a good idea. You can barely stand, and you should really think about your crew first.»
That made Kid snap.
He grabbed the blonde's collar and abruptly tugged his helmet inches from his face, eyes rabid.
«SHE'S FUCKING MINE!»
A pained grunt escaped Killer's lips. His hand reached for Kid's wrist and swatted his hand away from his shirt.
«Pull yourself together, you idiot! You're lucky that she isn't here to see you like this.»
Kid gritted his teeth and a terrifying growl rumbled in his throat but he didn't retort.
«Boss... we need to go back to the ship. The town is swarming with marines and there are even admirals around. Not to mention the... monster up there.» Heat hesitantly murmured after a while.
The captain scoffed and turned, his gaze searching the beach again, even he knew it was no use.
Killer let out a sigh.
«Fine.»
Kid felt a light object falling onto his lap and lowered his attention to the small Den Den Mushi before shooting a questioning look to his second in command.
«If you're so tormented about her, call her.»
«Wha–»
«I slipped my Den Den Mushi into her pocket before she left. She was quite distracted.»
«What the... Why didn't you fucking stop her then?!»
Killer groaned in frustration.
«Take a look at me, Kid! Even she could kick my ass now.»
Kid spat on the ground and glared at the snail.
What was the point?
The old town was now reduced to a chaotic, smoky battlefield.
Marines and pirates were clashing everywhere. On the shore, in the streets, even inside houses and buildings.
As if it wasn't enough, that giant black monster towered over the island and smashed whatever was so unfortunate to be too close. His every move was making the earth rumble and raising a dark cloud of dust that fell to cover the port.
Up until that moment, you had managed to slide under the radar of both pirates and marines. Well... mainly marines.
You were still wearing that casual outfit and the mask, so you looked more like a pirate at the moment.
Taking advantage of the overall reduced visibility and your small size, you sneaked alongside walls and alleys and brought yourself near the shore. And yet, you still hadn't lost that damn mask.
You hid behind a semi-destroyed building and inhaled deeply.
A group of marines was raiding the wider street closeby but very few pirates were around. That was the perfect moment to step out and reveal yourself.
...then why couldn't you move?
Pirupirupirupirupirupiru.
Pirupirupirupirupirupiru.
A Den Den Mushi?
Your pocket was vibrating with the familiar noise.
You slowly reached down to pull out the snail. It was Killer's.
When the hell did he give it to me?
Wait. That means...
You stared at the ringing snail with lost eyes.
Just before the sound could die out, your hand instinctively grabbed the receiver and answered the call.
«Y/n.»
Of course.
His voice cut the air in your lungs.
The Den Den Mushi assumed his snarl and glared at you.
«Y/n, where the fuck are you?»
You could only stare at the snail and try to control your breath.
The yells and clangs of battle echoed all around.
«You understand that this will have consequences, right? I'm coming down there and I'm killing every single marine standing in my way.»
...
«OR you can come back to the ship and save the life of many of your precious comrades.»
...
«ANSWER ME, FOR FUCK'S SAKE! I KNOW YOU'RE THERE, I CAN HEAR YOU BREATHING!»
...
...
...
«Birdie.»
That last word almost choked you.
For one second his voice sounded weak, almost broken.
In a surge of panic, you hung up the phone.
It felt like ice was pumping in your vein instead of blood.
Fuck.
You fell on your knees and growled in frustration.
How am I so fucked up? How am I so fucked up that I can't even take one more step and go back to where I belong?
The marines passed by your alley shouting and firing, and you cowered into the darkness, huddling your legs against your chest and grabbing your head between your hands.
Am I beyond repair?
You didn't know how long you stayed in that position.
The clashes were still infuriating around, the sirens of the Buster Call were deafening and the giant monster was crumbling the island to his will now. Yet, none of that felt scary.
Finally, you raised your face from your knees and leaned back against the dirty wall to take a deep breath.
Enough, Y/n.
Your capture, the time with the Kid Pirates, that festival. It all felt like a foggy dream now. But, sooner or later, you must wake up.
You forced your body to stand and slowly walked to the end of the alley.
With each step, uninvited images pressed from the corners of your mind to flood your memory.
The nights on the Victoria Punk, so full of lights, and booze, and mismatched music. How light and inebriated you felt. How much you laughed.
And then a change of scenario.
The small, wooden cabin, with the bed and the cheap sheets.
Kid's predatory smile as he straddled your small, naked body, his amber eyes drinking into your anxious excitement, his hands pinning your wrists to the mattress while outside the men were still singing.
His warmth.
You never felt so warm in your entire life.
You swallowed and shook your head.
Time to wake up, Y/n.
With another deep breath, you peered beyond the border of the alley.
The streets were so smoky that it was hard to distinguish pirates from marines, and there were fights everywhere. Such chaos could probably allow you to reach the shore without being noticed. It was safer than just reveal yourself to some random marines who may not even know you.
You started running among the battles.
At one point your haki warned you about the big marine coming at you with a sword. You were ready to dodge and disappear in the mess, but he was a lot faster than you expected.
«Die, you bitch!»
You jumped back, avoiding the first blow.
«Wait! I'm not...!»
Your words got lost into his yell as he charged at you again.
Before he could hit you though, a huge axe appeared from the smoke and deviated his trajectory. The man cursed and stumbled.
All of a sudden, Diez Drake was standing in the middle of the street.
He easily kicked the man out of the way before turning to you.
«This is not a safe place for a small sniper alone. You should be with your nakama.»
Before you could answer, he disappeared in the dust again.
Your fingers tormented the strap of your rifle.
My nakama...?
You let out a suffering scoff and resumed your run, but you didn't make it very far.
«STOP RIGHT THERE, EUSTASS KID!»
The sudden yell paralyzed you.
Koby?!
And... Kid.
You retreated behind a half-destroyed building and crawled towards the direction the voice came from. It didn't take long to spot the marine captain, with the long white jacket waving in the grey chaos.
He was giving his back to your hiding spot, but you could have recognised those pink hair and the minute figure everywhere.
A few seconds later, the small group of pirates came into view.
Kid, Killer, Heat and Wire stepped out of the smoke, blood staining their unsheathed blades and Kid's metal arm. Killer was limping but apparently that didn't stop him from killing his way through the battle.
They were all running towards the shore before Koby called them.
Kid stopped and turned to the young marine.
The look on his face had your heart skip a beat. He was a pure beast.
His eyes sharpened for a second before a glimpse of realization darted in his gaze.
«You.»
You saw Koby's fists closing in rage.
«Where is she, Eustass?»
Killer cursed and slashed a soldier who tried to attack him.
«Kid! We don't have time for this!»
But you could see that the redhead had already set his mind on his prey. He fully turned to Koby, a mad smile deforming his smudged lips.
«You guys go on. I'll be there soon.»
«Fuck. Fine.»
Killer gestured the others to continue and they soon disappeared from sight.
«I'm not joking, Eustass! Where's Y/n? Is she here?!»
«Oh, so that was her name.» Kid tilted his head to the side, his tongue slipping out to collect some droplets of blood from the corner of his mouth «I ate her.»
«DON'T YOU MESS WITH ME!» Koby shouted, assuming his fighting position.
No!
«Oh, yes. You will do nicely.»
Kid raised his arm and broken blades from all over the battlefield started to whirl around his hand.
«You won't get the upper hand this time!» the marine barked.
But you could see it in Kid's face.
He's going to kill him.
The two men faced each other before the attack and your body acted before you could think.
It all happened in one second but it felt like time stopped.
Kid's wild eyes suddenly widened as they looked beyond his opponent and focused on you.
You tore the mask off your face and stared back at him with pleading eyes.
Okay, I'll come. I'll come to you. You win.
The smile disappeared from his face and he stretched his flesh arm in your direction.
Come to me then.
You dashed towards Koby just as he started to turn.
You covered the distance and jumped, pressing your hands on his shoulders to use him as a support to backflip forward while evading him at the same time.
The belt tugged at your waist and you closed your eyes.
Kid's arm jerked around you in an iron grip and you found yourself squeezed against his chest.
«Wha...? WAIT!»
Koby's voice sounded already far as you felt Kid running away.
Your fingers clenched at his vest and you pressed your face against his skin, keeping your eyes closed, choosing to remain in the dark.
His scent invaded your nostrils and the clashes of the battles invaded your ears.
Kid never loosened his grip on you during his run toward the sea, not to kill the enemies that tried to stop him, not to resist the earthquake the monster caused when he fell.
You never tried to move.
It was only when he jumped on board of the Victoria Punk that he abruptly let you go, making you almost tumble on the deck.
The pirates around turned to you and gasped.
«Y/N?!»
«SET SAIL!» Kid barked, redirecting everyone's attention «Let's get the fuck out of this island.»
You grabbed the railing and pulled yourself up, eyes glued to the waves.
Maybe I am beyond repair, after all.
A/n: hey guys! Just a quick note to let you know that next chapter will be the last for this special. Thank you for all the support! :)