40

Oh fuck oh fuck oh fuck oh fuck

"C? Go back to the ship. Now."

"But-"

Oh fuck oh fuck oh fuck oh fuck

"Now."

C looks up at the Warlord- ohfuckwhyishehereohfuckwhy- and then legs it, passing me quickly.

I stare at Kuma, and sigh. "You're going to kill me, aren't you?" I grin. "Well, you really should know something about Sabo...Kuma of the Revoluti-"

Ohfuckhe'sfast-

A gigantic palm slams into my chest, sending me crashing into the nearest wall- and the wall after that, and after that, before the rest of what I presume used to be a house collapses on top of me.

For several moments, all I can do is lay there and try not to pass out, as my body tries to knit itself together.

Maybe mouthing off to the deep-cover agent wasn't the smartest plan...owwwwww…

And then just like that there's no rubble on top of me, a distant crash and the looming shape of my fourth least favorite Warlord of the Sea telling me exactly what happened to it.

"'Butcher Bird' Yoshimura Kaneki. Bounty of nineteen million."

A hand clamps around my body, and I'm lifted to eye height.

"You will explain the source of your knowledge."

"Can't…"

His grip tightens.

"Urgh...government'll know it…'ll pull it out've your skull…Pacifista."

His eyes narrow a fraction.

The sound of shattering glass comes from somewhere off to the side, and Kuma looks to the side- my own neck is a little too shattered to turn and look myself.

"Oh god- IT'S KUMA!"

Okay, screaming, so probably a pirate.

Kuma drops me to the ground- it's not like I'm going anywhere, I'm pretty sure legs aren't supposed to bend like that- and vanishes out of my field of vision. Screaming results.

C'mon c'mon c'mon...crack- fuck that hurts!

No. Fuck this.

My tails rip free, slamming into the ground and lifting my very broken body into the air. My vertebrae click back into place, and I raise my head.

Well, Kuma's kicked the fucking anthill now. Every pirate, corsair, and buccaneer in the town- and all the retired ones who probably make up the 'civilian' side of things- is going after the big guy, an astonishing array of weapons and techniques hitting the cyborg. Bullets, cannonballs, thrown blades, fire, arrows…and none of it so much as fazes him. Christ, it's like watching a chainsaw go through butter.

"Well, you're in a pickle, aren't you?"

I turn myself, and glare at that fucking shopkeeper. "And you aren't fighting the Warlord why?"

"Now why would I do that? I am, after all, just a simple mask salesman. By the way, you may want to start running. He won't be distracted for long."

"You call that breaking my spine? You Warlord bastards wouldn't know how to break my spine if-OH GOD THE PAIN!"

I nod fractionally. "Noted."

I leg it.

Vinci looked in the direction of the town, and listened carefully to the horrifying noises coming from within.

"Nope," he said authoritatively. "We are not going to get involved in that."

There was a barely audible sigh of relief from the assembled crew.

"This is probably Kaneki's fault. Somehow," Gin grumbled.

"That's C running over here, isn't it?" Jack observed. "We can ask him."

Vinci eyed the ghoul as he ran up to where Ends Justified was docked. He didn't look injured, which was probably a good sign...but Kaneki wasn't with him. That...did not bode well.

"What the hell's going on there, kid?" he asked, pointing to the town.

Something over there exploded violently, sending flaming debris above the rooftops.

C smiled nervously. "Met someone named Bartholomew Kuma, brother told me to run away from him. Maybe they're fighting?"

Kuma.

Everyone on the crew froze.

"So..what you're telling me, is that a Warlord of the Sea is currently thrashing our first mate," Vinci said flatly.

"PREPARE TO CAST OFF!" Jack shouted, starting to run to the ship's wheel. Vinci grabbed the man's collar and yanked him back.

"We aren't leaving without him," he growled. "Understood?"

Jack nodded quickly, and Vinci let the man go.

"Well, here he comes, so looks like we don't have to worry," Gin observed, utterly deadpan.

Vinci's eyes snapped back to the docks, zeroing in on a tangle of red tendrils that were propelling a battered and bloody Kaneki onward with astonishing speed.

He got away from Kuma, then. Impressive.

Vinci realized he'd spoken too soon as the massive form of the Warlord fell out of the god-damned sky to slam his first mate into the planks of the docks.

There was a moment of utter silence as everyone absorbed the fact they were dealing with someone who could probably kill them all fairly easily.

Vinci glanced back across the harbor. Ships were already leaving, crews he recognized hauling ass. One galley, propelled by oars and skittering across the waves like an oversized waterbug, was probably the vessel of the guy who had been planning to hire them.

Fuck it. He had more important things to handle now.

"Excuse me? Mr. Bartholomew Kuma?"

The Warlord's impassive eyes panned up to where Vinci stood, and he grinned in response. Kaneki made some muffled noises from the crater he was pressed into.

"That's my first mate you're beating down on. I'm going to have to ask you to let go of him."

"No."

Vinci shrugged. "Oh, well. It was worth a try. You here on government business, hunting down pirates? Curious, that the Marines haven't tried this before."

"For fuck's sake shoot him or run away, stop talking to the damn combat cyborg," Kaneki shouted from the ground. Vinci ignored him.

Kuma didn't respond. Vinci's grin widened.

"I have to wonder...there's quite a few pirates making an escape as we're standing here. What makes us so important? We're minor players, all things considered. Why hunt down my first mate, specifically?"

Kuma said nothing. Vinci chuckled.

"You're a terrible conversationalist, you know that? What is it you want?"

Kuma removed his hand from where it was pinning Kaneki to the docks. "Information," he said flatly, looking down at the ghoul.

Kaneki snarled, getting to his feet. "Like I said, anything I fucking tell you is gonna end up on government logs, sooner or later. You think I want to put a target on my back?"

"Kaneki," Vinci said softly. The ghoul's head whipped around, staring at him. "Tell him whatever he wants. You'll let us go if we do, right?"

Kuma considered. "That depends on the information," the Warlord said.

Kaneki looked up at Vinci, and the crew lining the rails. "Fuck," he said quietly, so softly even Vinci's hearing barely caught it. "Fine. Pass this on to your boss, you bastard tin can. The Chief of Staff is brother to his son, by bond if not by blood...and the Empty Throne isn't."

Kuma froze. "Acceptable," he said flatly. His gaze turned back to Vinci. "Now. Run. We never spoke."

The Warlord stepped back. A breeze blew a haze of smoke between him and the ship.

When it cleared, he was gone.

"...Orders, Captain?" Jack asked quietly.

Vinci thought for a moment. "Get us following that galley. And Kaneki? Get aboard. We have a lot to talk about."