[Arc] Shadows of the Past: Part 1 - Demon's Revolt

Quest:

Ever since the inspection Minion Island had been a hive of constant activity. Construction efforts were still ongoing around the island, building up not only the base itself but the town around it. Now, after formal permission from marine HQ greenlit Anton's Pirate Rehabilitation Program had arrived, incorporating the former pirates into the Guardian Knights had caused the workload to grow exponentially. While the loyalty they had shown Anton during that day certainly helped ease the process, there was still much to be done. Paperwork, training, making sure everything was in order. This was a new undertaking, and the Guardian Knights had a lot of eyes on them.

Celia strode down the halls of the manor turned marine base. Unlike most of the others in the crew, she actually felt at home handling the paperwork and bureaucratic responsibilities. However, right now there was something weighing on her mind. She stopped in front of the door that led to Anton's office. Without a word, she reached up and knocked.

"Come in," came the voice on the other side. A part of Celia had hoped that he wouldn't be in. But ever since the inspection Anton had rarely left his office. While Celia had been happy to see Anton's work ethic, she was also growing very concerned.

She opened the door and stepped inside, seeing Anton bent over his desk, his eyes scanning over numerous papers scattered across it. He didn't even look up at her. Celia quietly cleared her throat. "Anton-" "Ah, Celia! Good to see you. Have the new uniforms for our new crewmates arrived yet?" Celia paused, "Oh, erm, yes they have. But-" "Good, good. And I assume the training exercises have been going well? I haven't been hearing any reports as of late." "Yes, everything's been going fine. But Anton-" "Excellent! Oh, do you happen to have the newest construction estimates as well? I just want to see if everything's in or-" "ANTON!"

Anton finally looked up from his desk, blinking in surprise. "Celia? What's wrong?" Celia gave a small sigh. "Look, Anton, I appreciate all the hard work you're doing. We all do. But you're working yourself to death! When was the last time you ate? Or slept? You've taken it upon yourself to shoulder all the work. It's not healthy!" Anton's expression hardened. Indeed the Rear Admiral had the tell-tale eye bags of one who had gotten very little sleep this past week. Celia even noticed numerous empty coffee cups along his desk. "Celia, it is important that we get this going as smoothly as possible," Anton replied, looking down at the paperwork, "You know everyone's watching us. I can't afford to let anything go wrong. I can't let all this effort go to waste."

Celia strode over to the desk, slapping a hand down on the paperwork Anton was trying to look at to get his attention again. "Anton, you have an entire crew willing to help you. It doesn't just have to fall on you to handle all of this by yourself!" Celia's expression softened slightly, "Look, I know Ryoichi and Yumiko's departure hurt you. But that doesn't mean you have to burn yourself out making sure everything goes right."

Anton looked like he was about to argue the point, but paused as he opened his mouth, before his expression sagged. With a small sigh, Anton flopped back into his chair, showing just how tired he was. "I just...I just want to make sure this all works out. I know this will be a good thing overall. I don't want everyone to think this is just some naive ideal. This program can work. I know it can." Indeed, Ryoichi and Yumiko's resignation from the Guardian Knights cut Anton deep. While he had managed to convince Ryoichi to remain in the marines, Yumiko had simply vanished. The fact that both were willing to walk out over this stung. If he lost them because of this, then he wanted it to be at least worth it.

"We know you do Anton," Celia replied gently, "I'll admit, I was a little skeptical at first, but the new recruits really do seem to be integrating into the crew quite smoothly. Sure, there are a couple of hiccups here and there, but nothing out of the ordinary, considering how we were before." Indeed, the Guardian Knights weren't exactly perfect before all of this anyway. "But please, just let us help you. That's what we're here for after all."

Anton took a deep breath before a small smile crept across his face, followed by a small chuckle. "Still making sure I do things right, huh Celia?" Celia returned the smile, shrugged, "Well, that is why I was assigned to you initially, wasn't I?" Despite how things had changed since back then, it was reassuring to know that some things always remained the same. "Now, go get yourself something to eat and get some rest. We can take over things for a while."

"Oh dear, did I come at a bad time?"


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Both Celia and Anton spun around at the same time. Anton didn't have his swords on hand, but thankfully it seemed like Celia was always carrying. The smaller woman drew two derringers from beneath her cape, pointing them towards the window.

And standing by that window was a rather curious individual. A blonde woman with long blonde hair, dressed in a formal white dress, almost like a noble, and what appeared to be far too much makeup. But there was something...off about her.  The woman raised her hands defensively, though the smile she wore never left her face. "Now now, I know this is a surprise, but please, wait a moment before you fill my beautiful body with holes." The voice suddenly caused everything to click into face. The shape of her body, the square features of her face, despite the makeup. Suddenly what seemed strange about her made perfect sense. This woman was actually a man, an okama.

Though that didn't change the fact that this person had still somehow gotten in here uninvited. "Who are you?" Anton demanded. The newcomer gave a small chuckle. "Oh, of course. How rude of me. I'm Tremane, of Cipher Pol."

Tremane:

Celia raised a disbelieving eyebrow. "You're a Cipher Pol agent?" Last she checked, Cipher Pol tended to favor dressing in suits. Not...like that. Tremane gave a small laugh. "Oh please, not all of us are stiffs in suits you know," he struck a pose with a smile, "Some of us do like to have a little flair now and again." It was still a little hard to believe. "How did you get in here?" Anton asked. Tremane smiled. "Oh, I came in through the window." There was a brief pause. "The window?" "Yes." "That window, right there?" "Um, yes. I don't see any other window here." "We're on the third floor." Tremane chuckle. "Oh yes, a bit of a climb, but nothing too hard." "Why?" The okami shrugged, "Just seemed like fun."

Anton and Celia were silent for a moment, processing all of this. Anton then let out a sigh. "Ok, well, that still leaves one very important question. Why are you here!?" Tremane blinked and laughed. "Oh! Silly me, that's right. I actually came with some information for you." He walked over towards Anton's desk, reaching into her dress and pulling out several photos. "Tell me, do remember these faces Rear Admiral?" he asked, spreading them out over the table. Anton looked over the photos strewn before him, his eyes widening in recognition.

Destroyman, Death Metal, Bad Girl, even Nise no Akuma. He recognized all of these faces. Tremane had a small smile on his face. "Ah yes, you remember all of them don't you? Assassins sent after your head, or just generally turning up, wanting you dead. And all roughly around the time you became a Rear Admiral, if I do recall." Anton gave a quiet nod. It had been a while since then, but those incidences stuck out purely in his mind. They had come out of nowhere, and the reason for their attacks had never been explained. After that though, everything had gotten so busy that Anton had just pushed the incidents into the back of his mind.

"Well, I've come with a bit of information regarding those attacks." Anton pulled his eyes away from the photos to Tremane's make up covered face. "Tell me, Mr. La'croix. Have you ever heard of the term Demons Revolt?" Anton went back over the fights in his mind. Now that he mentioned it, Nise no Akuma DID mention something like that during the cyborg's enraged rantings. However, before he could speak up, Celia cut him off. "I looked into that after the Nise no Akuma incident. It's the name of a disgraced extremist faction of of the Revolutionary Army. They were disavowed by them for their overly violent actions."

Anton blinked, looking over at his second in command. "Wait, you knew about this and you didn't tell me?" Celia looked a little flustered. "Sorry, I could only get a little bit of info before everything started picking up. Besides, it was a dead end. Reports say that Demons Revolt were all wiped out several years ago."

Tremane shook his head, a knowing smile on his face. "That's what we believed at first as well. But after some searching we've come to realize our intel was wrong. Demons Revolt is very much alive."


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Anton strode down the halls of the Grand Steamer, heading towards the ship's meeting room, where he was to brief the others about what was going on. It had been a rather sudden departure, the entire crew ordered to mobilize, while leaving a good number of men back on Minion to make sure the island was running smoothly while they were gone. In fact, most of the marines aboard the ship were the former pirates Anton had brought in. Even if he had faith in them, Anton at least knew that command wouldn't appreciate him leaving former pirates alone in a marine base without his supervision.

Celia quickly caught up with him as the walked. "Anton, wait a moment. Are you sure this is a good idea?" Anton kept walking. "Did you send the message to command like I asked?" Celia sighed. "Yes. I sent off a coo to explain the situation. But shouldn't we wait until we hear back from them before we head out like this? It's not like you've been ordered to go find them or anything." Anton shook his head. "This is the only lead we have on what happened back then. I'm not going to allow it to slip away now that it's been given to me." Celia paused. She remembered back in the day when Anton would gladly not do any work. Anything to avoid a dangerous situation. And yet now, here he was, overworking himself and willingly going out after a dangerous group of people without being ordered to. "Anton-"

Anton suddenly spun around, taking a deep breath. "Celia, I understand what you're trying to say, but I HAVE to do this. I just..." he paused and sighed, "I just have to know why. You saw what they did Celia, all to try and get to me. I can't just ignore this." Celia empathized with him, she really did. They at one point even locked him in a holding cell for his protection. Even after everything that had happened since then, it was still a major mystery. But she still had a bad feeling about all this, like they were rushing in too quickly.

The pair continued down the hall before finally stepping into the briefing room. Everyone was already there. Doc Black and Melanie had already taken there positions, and also sitting at the table were Cicero, Barnaby and Greed. Though the three former captains were now technically seamen, the lowest rank on the ship, their experience was valuable, and the influence they had with their former crewmates would make it easier for all this to get across the whole crew. The Kaiser sisters, Lune and Sol, had also come in on the briefing. Granted, they didn't need to be there, but Anton had a feeling the two wouldn't leave even if he asked them to. Besides, there was no harm in them knowing what was going on.

At the other end of the table sat Tremane, who slowly rose to his feet as Anton entered.

Anton looked to everyone. "Thank you all for coming. I'm sure you've taken the time to get to know our guest here, but all me to introduce him regardless. This is Tremane, agent of Cipher Pol." "And quite a curious one at that," Melanie replied. "Yes, yes, indeed. Now, if he hasn't already filled you all in as to why we departed to abruptly, allow me to." Tremane nodded. "Don't worry. I left the honor all to you."

Anton cleared his throat. "First, some context. Back before many of you joined this crew, before I even became Rear Admiral, a number of assassination attempts were made upon my life." There was a small gasp from Lune before Anton continued, "Naturally, these attempts on my life failed. Another such attempt occurred shortly after my promotion as well." "Ah yes, I remember that." Doc Black spoke up, "Hmm, if I recall correctly, we never did find out where they came from." Anton nodded. "Indeed. With everything that had happened, we had no information on them. Until now."

He gestured to Tremane. "We managed to learn that they were hired by a group known as Demons Revolt. Demons Revolt was formerly a sub faction of the Revolutionary Army, known for their highly extremist methods. It reached the point that the Revolutionary Army publicly denounced the group, ejecting them from the army entirely." Cicero tapped his chin in thought. "The Revolutionary Army, huh? Can't say I've heard of this Demons Revolt group though." "That's to be expected," Celia replied, "According to reports, the group was wiped out by marines some a few years ago. Um, yes Lune?"

All eyes turned to Lune, who had her hand raised. "Um, question. So, are you saying we're dealing with ghosts?" Everyone stared at the frosty woman for a moment as her sister gave her a flat look. "Seriously?" "What? She just said they all died, and yet they're sending assassins after Anty! For all we know we could be dealing with vengeful revolutionary ghosts from beyond the grave!"

Tremane gave an amused chuckle. "Oh, don't worry. It's not something anywhere near as outlandish. While we thought they group had been destroyed, recent evidence has come to light that the group might still be active and in hiding." Now that made much more sense then vengeful spirits. "Even if that's the case, it is curious that they would target you specifically captain," Barnaby spoke up, "If their goal was revenge, it would make more sense to target the marines that almost destroyed them." Anton nodded. "That's exactly what I want to find out. Fortunately, Tremane has also been able to provide their possible whereabouts as well."

Tremane took back control of the conversation. "We have reason to believe the group may be hiding out on Carnholme Island. Carnholme is one of the island unassociated with the World Government, which is how they managed to avoid our notice for so long. But we managed to gather evidence that places them there."

Anton's eyes looked over everyone in the room. "Since Carnholme isn't part of the World Government, we as marines technically do not have jurisdiction there." Though the part he didn't mention was that it also meant that the laws of the world government didn't apply there. By all accounts, they would effectively had free reign to do whatever they wanted. However, Anton wasn't going to let himself, or his crew do any of that. He wanted to keep things professional and by the book. "Our goal is to get there, track down Demons Revolt and bring them in. We are not to get the local government and the civilians involved, understand?"

The rest of the table nodded. Though some of them did have questions about all this, there was just something about Anton at the moment that caused them to keep quiet. Whether it was something in his tone, or something in his expression, it was hard to pin down. At their silence Anton nodded. "Very well. It will still be a few days before we reach the island. Until then, continue work as usual. Be on the lookout for any potential threats, you all know the drill by now." He looked to the three former captains and the twins, "This will be your first real mission as marines. I know you all have what it takes, so let's show the rest of the world as well." The former pirates nodded, with the Kaiser sisters giving Anton a smile. Right now they were all thinking the same thing. Anton had stuck his neck out for them repeatedly, not only saving them, but granting them this new lease on life. It was more than anyone else would have granted them, and they were determined to prove that faith wasn't misplaced.

Without another word, Anton turned to leave the room. "That is all. Dismissed."


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The trip to Carnholme Island went by rather smoothly. The Grand Steamer's seastone hull allowed them to cross the Calm Belt without any issues and the path to their destination was surprisingly clear. No accidental run into any pirates or anything. Just full steam ahead from start to finish. Anton, for the most part, kept himself confined to his cabin, only coming out occasionally to make sure everything was in order, receive updates and the like, before retreating back into seclusion.

The rest of the crew were starting to take notice now. Something was certainly weighing on their captain's mind. Lune and Sol had attempted to try and offer some comfort to him, but even they were getting shut out.

Mercifully, after a few days of travel, their destination would come into sight. Celia went to inform Anton, only for Lune to beat her to the door. The spritely ice woman knocked on the door. "Antyyyy! We're heeerreee!" she sang, "Can you please come out now? We miss yooouuuu." Celia couldn't help but give her a flat look as Sol joined her by her side. "Yes sis, because that doesn't come off as desperate at all." "What? Don't act like you weren't missing him too!" "I do. But I'm at least trying to maintain some dignity about i-" The sisters were cut off by the door opening, Anton quietly stepping out. The Rear Admiral paused, looking at the three women by the door before looking to Lune. "Thank you," he said quietly, before pausing and giving a small, regretful smile. "And...sorry about that. Guess I've been a bit lost in my own head lately."

Celia nodded, "Well, I guess we can forgive you for now. Let's just try to get this over and done with. I think we all prefer our commanding officer out and about instead of hiding in his room, or his office." He knew that last part was a jab at the last few days, but Anton couldn't deny that he deserved it. The Kaiser sisters nodded in agreement and Anton gave a small chuckle. "Yes, let's."


As they got closer to the island, they could make out the details more clearly. The island seemed rather built up, a large city dominating the rather small island. It seemed gothic architecture was the order of the day here, with numerous tall buildings and spires. In the center of the city appeared to be a massive tree of sorts, with the buildings seemingly built around it. As they got closer there seemed to be...something in the air. Anton couldn't put his finger on what it was. It almost seemed thicker, but he wasn't entirely sure. Maybe it was just all in his mind.

He turned to his crew who were gathering on the deck. "Ok, remember. We don't have jurisdiction here, so the population here aren't obligated to help us. I ask that you respect that. We're here to find the terrorists," he felt it would be almost disrespectful to the revolutionaries to lump them in with them, "And capture them. That is a-" "ACHOO!"

Anton blinked and looked over as all eyes fell on Sol, who was rubbing her nose embarrassingly. "S-sorry about that. Go on." Anton gave a hesitant nod before turning back to the crew, "Anyway, that is all we're here for. There's no reason to bother the locals any more tha-" "ACHOO! ACHOO!" Anton looked over. "Sol, are you sure you're alright?" As the fiery woman wiped her nose, Anton could see something was certainly wrong. Red rings were forming around her eyes,, her face getting a bit puffy. "I-I'm fine, rea-ACHOO!"

Doc Black crossed the deck towards her, looking her over. "I think it's very safe to say you're not Miss Kaiser. You seem to be-" "ACHOO!" He jumped back when Sol sneezed again,, the woman desperately trying to regain her composure. "I'm  fine! Something's just tickling my nose, that's all." Anton wasn't convinced. Nobody was convinced. "Sol, perhaps you should go and get some rest, sit this one out," Anton reassured her, "We'll handle this." "Well, you heard the man!" Lune piped up, a little too happily as she took her sister's shoulders and started directing her towards the door back inside, "You just sit back and relax sis. I'll be sure to take care of Anty enough for the both of us." "Lune, I swear if I hadn't promised Anton we would fight..."

Everyone watched as the two sisters disappeared from sight, before Celia turned to Anton "She IS aware this isn't some sort of vacation, right?" Anton sighed, "Pretty sure she does." Even now that the two sisters had buried the hatchet, the two still took the opportunity to snipe at each other whenever they could.


Anton had hoped that their arrival would go relatively unnoticed, but as the Grand Steamer slowly pulled into port, Anton could see a crowd starting to form, watching them approach. He cursed under his breath. Would they start getting some pushback from the locals for being here?

As the ship was tied to the dock, and the walkway lowered, Anton quietly stepped off of the ship, flanked by Celia and Tremane, while Lune and Melanie trailed behind them. As he stepped down onto the dock, A rotund man in a fancy coat and a tall hat stepped out through the crowd, sporting a well kept beard and a set of glasses resting on his nose. The two of them stopped a few feet from each other, looking at one another.

The man spoke up first, glancing past Anton at the ship behind them, more specifically the marine flag flying up high. "Well, I guess I should first welcome you to Carnholme," he spoke up, "I'm Mayor Baratos, the head of this city. I must admit, I certainly wasn't expecting the marines to be arriving here." It seemed like the mayor already knew who they were. Whether that would help them or not, Anton didn't know. "Indeed. I'm sorry to have to intrude upon your island like this, but we have reason to believe there are some dangerous criminals here on the island."

The mayor rose an eyebrow. "Oh? And pray tell, what exactly makes these criminals so dangerous? I don't think I have to remind you that we in Carnholme aren't bound by the laws of the World Government." Anton was afraid of this. Of course things were going to be difficult. Before he could reply, Celia stepped forward. "Sir, I can assure you these criminals are a threat not just to the World Government, but to everyone around them, including you and you're people!"

"Mayor Baratos." A voice spoke out from the crowd, "I can vouch for this man. If he says these criminals are dangerous, I see no reason not to believe him."

Anton froze. There was something about that voice. A sense of familiarity he hadn't heard in so long. All eyes looked over and Anton felt his heart freeze in his chest as a woman stepped out of the crowd. A slender, pale woman of almost tragic beauty, her long white hair matched the white dress she wore.

Sylvia Albany:

Mayor Baratos nodded. "Well, if you think we can trust him Miss Albany, then I'll have to take your word for it. After all, you were a marine yourself, right?" The pale woman nodded, though her eyes were firmly locked onto Anton as she stepped towards him. Anton's own eyes were fixed on her, his face one of stunned shock, his mouth opening and closing silently before a single word croaked out. "Sylvia?"

A small smile appeared on the woman's face. "It's good to see you again Anton. You've certainly grown."

The woman's words caused Anton to snap out of his shock. He blinked rapidly, his mind still trying to process who he was seeing. "I...I just. I had no idea. It's so good to see you again! You were here this whole time?" His face split into a smile as Sylvia gave a soft chuckle. "That's right. After I resigned, I moved out here. The people here have been very kind to me and I've been able to make a good life for myself after..." Her voice trailed off, a look of sadness appeared in her eyes. Even Anton's own smile faltered. She quickly regained that friendly smile. "My home isn't far from here. There's so much we have to catch up on. Though, far be it from me to distract you from your mission Anton." Anton shook his head. "No, that's ok. I'd be more than happy to. Please, lead the way."

Sylvia nodded and then turned, starting to walk away with Anton in tow. Celia blinked, staring at the woman. "Sylvia Albany...wait...is she..?" "Care to share?" Celia blinked as she looked to Melanie, before noticing that Tremane and Lune were looking at her as well. "Yeah, who is she?" Celia couldn't help but pick up a slight tone of jealousy in Lune's voice. Celia looked back towards the retreating pair. "Sylvia Albany, former Lieutenant Commander of the Marines. She...she served in the same crew as Basil La'croix...Anton's brother."


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Sylvia's home wasn't too far of a walk away, a rather high quality apartment located deep within the city, with a clear view of the massive tree in the center of the island. At the moment, Anton, Celia, Lune, Melanie and Tremane were sitting in the living room, Sylvia having poured each of them a cup of tea and was now chatting with Anton.

"A Rear Admiral. I'll be honest, I never would have thought," Sylvia said with a smile, "You were always a shy boy, back when you were helping your parents' inn. I never took you as the sort to ever join the marines." Anton gave a rueful chuckle. "Well, I wouldn't have thought so either. It wasn't as if I had decided to join. My parents basically pressured me into it after..." His voice trailed off as his expression fell, Sylvia's matching his own. The last part of that sentence didn't need to be spoken. Anton quickly brought the smile back to his face. "Anyway, I honestly didn't think I'd make it through basic training. Really, by all accounts, I shouldn't have. But my instructor outright refused to allow me to drop out. It got even worse whenI got my devil fruit." Sylvia blinked. "You have a devil fruit?" Anton nodded. "Yes. A zoan fruit actually. Grasshopper." Sylvia couldn't help but chuckle. "So, not only a Rear Admiral, but a grasshopper man as well? The world simply is full of surprises isn't it?"

At this point, Lune spoke up. "So, um, you used to work for Anty's brother, right? What was he like?" Sylvia blinked, looking over at her before nodding, her expression falling somewhat. "Basil was a good man," she said quietly, "Strong, dependable, honorable, kind..." Melanie rose an eyebrow. "The way you talk about him, it almost sounds like you were..." Sylvia looked over at the kuja, "I was. We..." she looked down at her cup of tea, "We were engaged to be married." Lune gave a small gasp, but Anton's face remained sullen. "So that's why you resigned..." Celia murmured. Sylvia just gave a small nod. After Basil had died, Sylvia had just quietly turned in her resignation and faded away. One couldn't blame her, after losing the love of her life.

Anton took a deep breath and leaned forward across the table. "Sylvia, we need your help. We have reason to believe that there's a former revolutionary sect here on this island. A group that calls themselves Demons Revolt. They even sent assassins to kill me." Sylvia's eyes widened. "They...tried to kill you? But why?" Anton shook his head, "I don't know. That's one of the things I want to find out. Please, if there's anything you can do at all to help, I would be most thankful." Sylvia was quiet for a moment before nodding. "Yes, I'll do whatever I can to help you."

It was then that Anton suddenly felt it. A sharp jolt running up his back. An entire career of awaiting danger at every turn had caused Anton to develop a sort of sense for when something was about to go horribly wrong. And right now, that sense was screaming in the back of his mind.

"Get down!"

Suddenly, the wall behind them exploded. Everyone sprang to their feet as clouds of dust filled the air, debris flying everywhere. Anton's sword was already in his hands as he looked back towards Sylvia. "Stay back!"

As the dust cleared, two figures stepped forward. The first was a tall, muscular man, with dark skin and long, white hair. Clad in ruined brown leather, armor over one arm and what appeared to be shackles, he held a mighty spear, the weapon he just used to destroy the wall.

Cagnazzo:

The second, by contrast, was a petite woman, slender with pale skin, short blonde hair and wicked red eyes. Clad in rather skimpy brass armor, she held two daggers in her hands.

Barbariccia:

The woman's eyes looked straight at Anton, her face twisting into a cruel smirk in contrast to her companion's stoic expression. "Anton La'croix," she spoke, even her voice was tainted with malice, "I believe you've been looking for us." Her eyes narrowed. "Or rather, we've been looking for you."


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Anton's eyes narrowed as he glared at the two before him. "Demon's Revolt, I presume." He glanced off to his right to where Tremane was standing, "It seems like your intel is right on the money." The okama gave a quiet nod, stepping back to be closer to Sylvia as he eyed the pair.

The vicious woman gave a chuckle. "Shishi, that's right! I'm Barbariccia, and tall, dark and stoic over here is my comrade, Cagnazzo." The larger man didn't even respond. He just stared coldly right at Anton. "You know, after all that money the boss spent on sending assassins down to the Blues, I never would have guessed you would have just walked right on in here. Would have thought you would have scurried off and hidden somewhere," she shrugged, "Well, guess that just makes things easier for us then." Anton's glare sharpened, "Well, I'm so glad to make things convenient for you. But I'm not the same man you sent those hitmen after. So, why don't you tell me just what the hell you and your boss want with me?" Barbariccia giggled as she crouched down, her knives at the ready. "Now, now, where's the fun in that?"

Suddenly, she shot forward. She moved so fast that Anton could barely see her coming, only managing to bring his sword up in time to stop her blades from stabbing into him. The sheer force of the impact sent Anton flying back, his back hitting the wall as he tried to push back at Barbariccia's blades.

"Anty!" Lune spun around, ready to hurl some ice towards her before something moved out of the corner of her eye. With surprising speed, Cagnozza had moved behind her, drawing back his spear in preperation to swing. "Look out!" Lune suddenly found himself tackled to the ground by Melanie as Cagnazzo swung, the blade of his spear flying over where her head had just been. A shockwave erupted from the swing, blasting out a chunk of the wall behind them.

Celia had jumped back, drawing two derringers from her cape and opened fire. The two bullets caught Cagnazzo right in the shoulder, but much to Celia's surprise the large man barely even flinched. Cagnazzo looked back over his shoulder towards her, before slowly turning, his spear gripped tightly in his hands.

Meanwhile, Anton was trying to push back against Barbariccia. The smaller woman was surprisingly strong for her size. She cackled cruelly as she leaned in. "Oh, come on now. I thought a great rear admiral like yourself, would put up a bit more of a fight than this!" Anton grunted, pushing back with all his might. "Don't...sell me so short...just yet!"

Anton suddenly lashed out with a foot, catching her in the side of the knee and causing her to buckle. The woman gave a sharp growl as Anton's body suddenly changed, his skin hardening into green chiten before a second set of arms sprouted from his sides. Before Barbariccia could react, one of Anton's extra arms swung up and drove a fist into her stomach, knocking the air from her lungs and causing her to ease of the pressure. Anton moved fast, grabbing the mad woman and lifting her off of her feet. With a mighty heave, and finding her surprisingly light for someone of her strength, Anton threw Barbariccia across the room, right into Cagnazzo, just as he was winding up to swing at Celia. The large man stumbled slightly as Barbariccia hit the ground with a frustrated thump. "Well, that was certainly underhanded." she growled, more to herself than anyone else.

"Get down!" Barbariccia looked over as Anton jumped up, his now insectoid legs aimed right at the pair. There was a sharp rub and suddenly a powerful burst of air and shockwave, fired right at the pair. Barbariccia only had time to get into her feet before they were caught by the blast. Both of them were sent flying back, crashing through the wall and sent falling down into the streets below.

Anton looked over to Sylvia. "Are you alright?" Sylvia nodded, looking a bit shaken up, but otherwise fine. Tremane stood by her side. "I'll make sure she's safe rear admiral." Anton nodded, turning his eyes back to Celia, Lune and Melanie. "Come on! We can't give them a chance to get away!" Sword in hand, he charged for the hole the wall, jumping through it after the pair.


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Total Word Count: 5,887

There was already panic in the streets below, as Anton lept down to confront his two assailents. Citizens were fleeing the area in a panic as the two former revolutionaries were already climbing back to their feet. Behind him, he could feel Celia, Lune and Melanie landing as well. Despite being just sent through a wall, the pair of them seemed little worst for ware. Barbariccia gave a giggle as she stood up. "Ok, now THAT'S more like it." She gripped her twin blades tightly, "And now look, plenty of room for us to play!"

She crouched down, ready to lunge towards Anton before suddenly gunshots rang out. The mad blonde spun to the side, avoiding the bullets fired from Celia. Barbariccia growled. "Hey! Keep out of this shorty!" Celia's eyes narrowed, not saying a word and instead drawing another pair of derringers. Barbariccia snarled and looked to her companion. "Cagnazzo! Deal with the peanut gallery, will you?" The large man said not a word, but instead raised his spear to swing. Howeever, just before he swung downward, the weapon was instantly stopped by Anton, who had moved in front of him with surpising speed. "I think not!" the rear admiral growled, pushing back against him.

Barbariccia's eyes widened. "Hey! You're supposed to be fighting me reme-" As she turned to attack Anton, there was a sudden burst of cold and the woman found herself stopped in her tracks. She looked down, seeing her feet frozen to the floor. Nearby, Lune giggled. "Sorry. You're not the one deciding the show here!" Barbariccia snarled before quickly bringing her blades up, just in time to block an incoming strike from Melanie. The kuja navigator smirked as she pushed down on her. "I'm afraid you'll have to deal with the 'peanut gallery' for now," she teased, much to Barbariccia's anger.

Meanwhile, Anton and Cagnazzo were pushing back on eachother. Anton found himself struggling. Even with four arms, the larger man's brute strength was something else entirely. It was taking everything he had just to keep them at a stalemate. Slowly, Cagnazzo pulled a hand back, fist balled and ready to punch. Anton's eyes widened as he braced himself for himself. However, before the blow was swung, two gunshots rang out, catching Cagnazzo right in the knees. The large man granted, his legs buckling as he fell to one knee, his eyes looking past Anton to see Celia with a pair of smoking derringers.

"Thank you.." The distraction had been what Anton needed. Cagnazzo's strength had eased up enough to allow him to act, swinging out with a powerful kick and catching him in the side of the head, causing him to stumble. Now free to act, Anton swung his blade with all his might, striking him not with the weapon itself, but the arc of compressed air that formed as a result. Blood flew from Cagnazzo's torso as he fell back, crashing into the immobile Barbariccia as Melanie jumped back to safety. "Gah! Watch it you hulking idiot!" she snapped, trying to shove her companion off of her. Out of the corner of her eye though, she spotted the three women leaping back away from them. "What the...?"

Then she looked up, as did Cagnazzo. Anton had lept up over their heads, looking down on them as he descended. "Let's wrap this one up, shall we?"

What followed next was an explosion of sound. The ground cracked and tore as the shockwave hit them. Lune, Celia and Melanie braced themselves, mercifully just outside the blast range. Any cries of pain let out by either Barbariccia or Cagnazzo were drowned out by the din, their bodies battered relentlessly by the force.

Almost as quickly as it had erupted, the sound died away and Anton quietly touched down to the ground. It seemed to take a moment before sound returned to the area. Barbariccia and Cangazzo were still for a moment, before the two of them slumped to the floor, unconscious. Anton was breathing heavily, as he allowed himself to calm down. "Are you all alright?" he asked, looking to his three companions. "Yep yep!" Lune chimed, "Not a scratch!" Melanie smirked, "I do say that was a rather flawless battle, all things considered." Celia just gave a small nod before looking down at their unconscious foes. Anton followed her gaze down to them and nodded. "Make sure they're both bound tightly. I'm going to go check on Silvia."

Anton turned and lept up towards the hole in the building as the others went to work tying them up.


Word Count: 764
Total Word Count: 6,651

Anton leapt up, jumping in through the hole in the wall they had made back into Sylvia's apartment. Sylvia and Tremane took a step back, giving the rear admiral some room. "Everyone alright?" Sylvia nodded. "Yes, we're both fine, thank you." In all honesty, Anton should have expected this, with Sylvia being a former marine and Tremane being a cipher pol agent, but it was good to have some confirmation. The okama in question sighed and shook his head. "To think that Demon's Revolt would act so quickly after we arrived." He looked towards Anton, "Whatever reason they have for wanting you dead, they must want it bad."

It certainly seemed to be the case. "Not only that, it took them little to no time at all for them to find me." Their arrival hadn't exactly been subtle, what with the crowd being there when they came into dock. But at the same time, he had figured if Demons Revolt had been here, they would have tried to remain hidden, not jump at the opportunity to attack him. He looked over at Sylvia. And they were willing to just charge into her place like this. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to bring this down upon you." Sylvia shook her head, "It's alright." She looked around the ruined apartment, "It's only a house. It can be repaired." She looked back to Anton and smiled. "But I must say, after seeing that, I can certainly understand how you got your rank. You really have come far, Anton."

A brief smile appeared on Anton's face before it quickly vanished. He looked to Tremane. "Tremane, can you take Sylvia somewhere safe?" Tremane blinked, "Well, yes, of course. But what are you going to do?" Anton turned back towards the hole in the wall, looking back over his shoulder briefly. "They already know I'm here, and I can assume they already know what happened to their two comrades down there. I'm not going to stand around and wait for them to strike at me again. This time, I'm going after them."

Before either of them could respond, Anton leapt back down to the streets below, where his companions had just finished binding Cagnazzo and Barbariccia. "Lune, Melanie, you two take them back to the ship and lock them up. Celia, you're with me." Melanie nodded while Lune grinned and saluted. As they started to pull the unconscious terrorists away, Celia looked to her commanding officer. "What's the plan Anton?"

Anton looked at the city around them, his expression hard. "There's no doubt that they're going to try attacking us again, now that we know they're here." His hand unconsciously gripped his sword tighter, "This time, we're going to be ready for them."


Post Word Count: 457
Total Word Count: 7,108

Mephisto:

Mephisto quietly looked down from atop the steeple, looking down at the city below. Behind him, the massive tree that grew from the center of the island stood tall. He simply couldn't keep the smile off of his face. He was here. Everything was moving into motion. He had seen the battle between Anton, Cagnozza and Barbariccia, and the young man had not disappointed him. He had come along way since their initial attempts to assassinate him, all the way back in Logue Town. "Perhaps he was right," Mephisto murmured to himself, "Perhaps it was a good thing he's survived this long."

Behind him, he could feel a presence stirring. He chuckled softly, closing his eyes. "Yes, I know. You've been quite impatient as well. Don't worry. Soon it will be at hand. He's here now. There's no escape for him." He extended out an arm. "Now then, let us continue, shall we? Give him no rest. He's had plenty of time to grow. Now it's time for the harvest!"

From beneath the steeple, two shadows emerged and took off into the city. As Mephisto watched them disappear into the alleyways from on high, he gave a small, satisfied sigh. "Perhaps I should go down and see him personally as well. After all, it would be rude of the host to not welcome his guests." With a graceful leap, he dove from the top of the steeple, down into the city below.


Post Word Count: 242
Total Word Count: 7,350
Arc Word Count: 7,350