CH - 6 [ in the line of fire ] part -2

Halcen jumped into action, and ran up to Valentina, who was still at the wheel.

"Captain!" she shouted, seeing him. She was nervous.

"What's over there?" he asked, hoping she knew the immediate area.

"It's mostly trees and rock. It's only a few miles across. Not big enough for a city so nobody's ever really done much exploring."

"How long would it take to circle it?"

"Probably around an hour."

Damn it! That's too long. If somebody IS in trouble, they'll be long dead by the time we get done with a perimeter sweep. "Alright, let's get this baby over there! We need to find a place to anchor off shore, then Grey and I will jump. And we'll signal if it's safe for you to come. Make sure you prepare cannons once we get off. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Captain!"

"Alright, let's go!"

Soon they were close enough to the shore of the island that Halcen felt comfortable diving in and swimming the rest of the way. Before he leapt, he grabbed Jory, shoved a rifle in his hands, and told him "This is what you're here for. You make sure nobody gets aboard this ship without us, alright? You stay here and protect these people."

And then they were gone. Grey, an old man; and Halcen, the young Captain. They were off to mount a rescue for someone in need. The water was cool and their bodies weren't accustomed to it. It had been a while since their need for diving into ocean water. But that was the life of a pirate. You never knew when what might happen. And this was one of those times.

Halcen swam strongly, but Grey got to the shore before him. He was already standing lookout when Halcen pulled up. He looked to Halcen and put his finger to his lip. He was listening. This was one of the greatest things about Grey: he was experienced. He knew what to do and when. And now was the time for caution. Halcen had learned a lot about caution from him. But not just when it came to matters of piracy.

Halcen heard ruffling far off. And then a crying out. He couldn't tell if it was a man or woman, but it was definitely human. They sounded in pain. They're here. Whoever shot off that flare is nearby. But did they do it because they had an accident and there was nobody around, or was it because there's somebody here trying to hurt them? If it was the second, they needed to be extra careful.

Halcen and Grey pushed forward through the brush, trying to be as quiet about the forward progression as they went. Once they were on the other side, all they could see was green, and the smell of lush forestry. But it felt humid. It was gorgeous, but hot. Halcen could hear the insects, and see the birds flitting about. This place definitely had its own ecosystem.

But along with that, Halcen could feel the pressure of others… not how many or where exactly, but there was definitely more than one. He had trained in Haki while with Whitebeard, not just armament, but sensory too. Though he was struggling with it, it was coming to him slowly.

And as they made the clearing, Halcen felt an aggressive presence, and looked to see a glint of metal far off to his left. He pushed himself in front of Grey and covered himself in Haki. Immediately, black coated his body. And a millisecond later, a bullet bounced off him, a loud cracking sound following it.

Halcen grunted in pain. He'd taken bullets before, but this one was strong. Snipers. "Grey, stay back!" Halcen shouted as he remained standing in front of the much taller man. He put his arms out to widen his coverage, producing a human shield.

"Halcen! Are you okay?"

"I'm Fine! There's a sniper here. At least a few other people too."

"We gotta get back to the ship!"

"No! If we do that, we put the crew in danger. We gotta take these guys out!"

"Alright, what's the plan?"

"You do some recon. I'll stay and fight. There are more of them here. Find out how many! Go!"

And like that, Grey slipped away.

Halcen relaxed his body, and smiled a knowing, wicked smile. "Now that he's gone," he said out loud, almost shouting, "I don't have to worry about protecting anybody. I can let loose." And he began to walk forward, still coated in Haki.

A second bullet shot from elsewhere, hitting Halcen right in the forehead. His body took the force from the impact, and his neck snapped back. But he was still smiling. He brought his head back and looked up to his right where the second bullet had come from. "So there are two of you, eh?"

"Actually," said a grumbling, accented voice, "There are more of us than that." And out from more brush, stepping into the clearing in front of Halcen, was a Marine. He was huge, at least a foot taller than Grey, and he was bulbous. His body was rounded, but he still seemed very strong. He was wearing a long flowing Marine cape. Halcen knew he was an officer.

So the Marines set a trap for us. Halcen laughed to himself, and smiled. What a nice test this will turn out to be. Halcen stood up tall and braced himself. He had no idea what kind of power this man might have.

The giant Marine man had an older face and long black hair tied back in a ponytail. He was at least forty. But he looked to have taken very good care of himself. Apart from that though, he really wasn't very distinguishable other than his size. He had no special equipment or weapons to set him apart.

"I am Commodore Reluji," he announced. He stood as if he was a hero, but Halcen could tell he had darkness within. "Avarik Halcen, by the power of the World Government, you are under arrest."

Halcen laughed in response. "You think I'm going to just go with you?"

"Not at all. That's what the snipers are for."

"Except they've already failed. You would think a man of your position would be able to recognize a pointless fight when you came to it. I suggest you turn around and leave before you and your crew get hurt."

"I can't do that. I guess I'll have to take you out myself. But what happened to the old man, 'Saint' Grey? He's the one I came for."

"Grey?" Halcen laughed. "He's my backup. I'm sure he's around here somewhere."

"Your backup? He's not… the Captain?"

Halcen shook his head, smirking. "Oh you poor man. You didn't know who you were up against. Let me give you a little detail. I'm the Captain of the Chaos Pirates, Avarik Halcen. And Grey is my first mate."

The man stood dumbfounded, with his mouth agape. He had thought Halcen was going to be an easy fight. Only a fifty million bounty? That sounded pretty easy to most of the higher up Marine officers. But this guy was way out of his depth. They had underestimated Halcen; that was good… for him.

"Would you like to reconsider running away?" Halcen offered.

"And ruin my reputation as a Commodore? Ha! Never."

"You're a moron," Halcen laughed, shaking his head.

Reluji got prepared. He turned sideways and stuck his legs apart, bending his knees. Then he stuck out his left arm and kept him right close to his chest. He was getting ready for a fight. He was serious.

Halcen was already coated in Haki. So he waited, testing the man's mettle.

Reluji charged. He was big so Halcen was sure he was also going to be slow. But Reluji was relatively quick for his size. That wasn't supposed to happen. Halcen's confidence was bashed almost immediately.