CP9 Recruitment Test Subject #004:Shigan[Complete]

[BEX]

For a long time, the Director stared at this slightly round faced boy sporting short black hair. Although there was an athletic look to him, he seemed far too tame—maybe that was what made him a bit apprehensive about immediately tearing into him about his fragile looking appearances; he wasn’t a heartless man, simply one who knew how to disembowel a human being emotionally and leave them groveling at his feet. We’ll call him a ‘rehabilitator’.

That ring that edged off that description of his brutish tactics wiped away a few uncomfortable spots from his core, but that remained invisible behind the impressive show of might in its full flaunted form. Donned in an extremely overpriced suit, complete with a tie, the man wearing gloves looked the sort to kill for money and yet there was elegance to his straight backed posture that made such work seem beneath him. Placing such a person before the innocent faced Seaman Recruit seemed unfair and the Captain at the boy’s local Navy Base…Bricks or something, had certainly believed to be the case. Where Neyruk’s bronze skinned flashed beautifully in the moonlight—night had come quickly by the time the young man had been transferred to the island—the Director’s skin was completely invisible thanks to the many layers and accessories he wore on his being.

Reeking of political authority the standoff ended with a flourishing of the Director’s near-giant sized right hand, as he pulled tightly at the end of one glove in a businessman like way that said some shit was about to go down. “You are Neyruk Integer, are you not?” The first question driving home with drill like force and missile guided precision, but it didn’t end there as in the time the interrogation had been thought of and initiated the Director had now drawn closer, almost nose-to-nose with the simple looking manchild. Before the lad could finish a sentence or even begin one if he was the slow sort another declarative question was belted out in equal palavering dominance.

“Of course you are. I interviewed you so I should know, but…what I didn’t ask and is now of paramount importance is…” If Satan’s eyes could somehow be viewed through a human’s the Director possessed them now for his eyes shone slick with malicious intent or goading might have been the more accurate word. Even the ninja standing guard in the clearing edged closer simply because the tension had grown so awkwardly dangerous in such a short span of time.

“…if ordered to do so, could you kill me, right here? In this very spot?”

[miguelangel12345]

What's going on? that's all Neyruk could ask as he found himself in a dark plain, the stars shined and the moonlight wickedly lighted a bit of the field, it was nighttime. He saw an elegant dressed man in front of him, a real fancy suit, one which only business man wore but his eyes shone like those of a wild animal watching his pray.

He had no idea what had happened, all he remember was going to his cabin after a training session at Illuya Kingdom Base and when he woke up.....well....this.

''You are Neyruk Integer, are you not?'' he said on a voice that simply put.. intimidated, he tried to answer with more questions... ''Where am I?, Who are you?, What's going on?'' and more importantly ''What do you want with me?'' but couldn't ask, he looked around the field looking for his scythe but noticed...to his surprise, Ninjas. Ninjas, but no scythe.

“Of course you are. I interviewed you so I should know'' now he remembered, the fancy suited man who had called him two days ago, he answered some questions, quite serious questions for an undercover unit, as he had put it, imperative for the security of the World, he remembered the tension and the fear but he answered with all honesty, even if it horrified him what he was finding about himself.

Suddenly, it hit him, was all this because of that interview he had? Was this because of that unit? but, why him? he was just a recruit with little skill but he was now thrown into a unit who's purpose was to.... defend World Peace under any price, a gleam of excitement shone on his eyes as he saw himself destroying pirates, capturing revolutionaries, saving people from evil and becoming a defender of the world.

but…what I didn’t ask and is now of paramount importance is…” he asked slowly and melodiously yet intensely dangerous and frightening, Neyruk again felt his soul sinking in fear as he waited for the man to finish the sentence.

“…if ordered to do so, could you kill me, right here? In this very spot?”
Neyruk at first thought to have heard wrong, but he realized the seriousness of the situation. He knew the answer, yes, if ordered to do so, he would kill him, he was a marine and that was his duty, he knew that if he tried, he'd die. But that was irrelevant, he had a duty to the marines and he would fulfill it to the end, what was up with that question? Did he want a fight to the death? Was it a command from the unit?

Neyruk slowly rose from the ground and said with a pretended confidence ''Yes sir, I would. But without my scythe, I would have a bit of a hard time''
Ok, he had done it, he had punked a man who could kill through stares, he was dead. ''Neyruk, you damn idiot'' he told himself as he stared at those eyes that looked into his soul.

(Sorry if I took long, the hour gap is an annoyance)

[BEX]

''Yes sir, I would. But without my scythe, I would have a bit of a hard time''

“Your body is your weapon, boy. You will learn that quickly or you will learn it painfully.”

Those words were the only warning that Neyruk would have before a flash of black silk and sinewy muscle tore from the behind the formidable looking Director, cutting through the skies, and driving home a sledgehammer roundhouse kick that made the leg delivering it appear as it was made of rubber. The deliverer of the devastating blow stood impassively, his stance suggesting that any action he made was simply commonplace and no matter how much pain was inflicted anything short of death was acceptable to him. Clicking his teeth in remorse that such fine specimens as the ninja of Crysiland were so devout to their peaceful ways, the Director stepped forth placing a calming hand on the man who had so dutifully made the first move; he would work with what was given to him. Snapping his fingers several ninjas stepped forth with shaved bamboo shoots in their hands—two to be exact and one was tossed the firm bodied nin that stood next to the orchestrator of the developing Cipher Pol 9. “Mr. Integer. Your first Rokushiki technique will be Shigan…and I do believe it will be your favorite.” The black suited man’s words touched the air with lavish as he strode in a linear pattern for a few paces before stopping.

“You will learn to tear a man apart with nothing more than your hands…but first you will learn to do it with that piece of a tree, there.”

Following that statement, a slender, green staff-looking tree branch was tossed towards the undoubtedly hurting Neyruk. It was very similar to the one held in the ninja’s hands and could very easily be said to be its exact copy. The ninja’s eyes blazed something just short of murderous intent, but the Director paid no heed to the bloodthirsty atmosphere hanging around the man; each ninja had been given proper training on how to deal with recruits. After all they’d been doing it for over a decade now and they were all very aware of what would happen should they intentionally kill an employee of the World Government.

“You first lesson. Learn to make that stave an extension of your body in combat. You will learn to pierce any boulder I with it should I ask you to. Only then shall you be ready to learn Shigan. With those instructions, the day’s training began and the ninja ringed around the two fighters holding their weapons, their dignity, and for now…their livelihoods.

[miguelangel12345]

“Your body is your weapon, boy. You will learn that quickly or you will learn it painfully.”right after the phrase had been spoken, a sudden, stabbing yet intensely painful black flash struck the young man's body effectively cutting his breath away for a second.
As he struck the ground he noticed his vision increasingly blurring and a strong taste of blood spreading through his mouth. His chest hurt and his heart was pounding like a jackhammer.

''Why did he hit me?'' he painfully asked himself. Was it to show how he would not tolerate insubordination nor disobedience or was it perhaps a sample of what he could accomplish if he struggled hard enough on this training? To forsake his scythe for a more refined, quicker and deadlier fighting style?.

None of it really mattered as he struggled to get up, he was determined to show him his limits and to then go beyond and pass those new limits even further until the final limitation was death, unfortunately, it was easier thought than done as he realized that flash-kick was a lot stronger than he first thought when he began to cough some drops of blood that dropped on the grass, blackened by the night.

As his vision began to clear up, he noticed several ninjas with bamboo shoots coming towards the elegantly suited figure, one ninja stood without moving a muscle beside the so-called Director with a bamboo shoot. It was thin, slender yet sturdy looking, green of color and quite long, it was a staff more than a tree branch.

“Mr. Integer. Your first Rokushiki technique will be Shigan…and I do believe it will be your favorite.'' he said with a lavish tone, almost mocking to Neyruk's ears.

Rokushiki....Rokushiki... he had heard the name somewhere, he struggled to remember, both to know and also to focus on something to keep the pain away.

Then he remembered, the fighting techniques used by some high ranking marine officers, said to be extremely powerful if used correctly but they were hard, very hard to learn and even harder to control effectively. A flash then came on to him, this unit seemed to focus mainly on Rokushiki fighting moves.

The man had also mentioned Shigan... he struggled to remember, blood wouldn't stop flowing from his mouth but he wasn't coughing, it was a start. Shigan, the ultimate spear, the ability to pierce an enemy just through the use of one's finger. Textbook explanations without any practical use.

''You will learn to tear a man apart with nothing more than your hands…but first you will learn to do it with that piece of a tree, there.'' he heard the director say as another branch was hurled towards the struggling seaman. He finally managed to stand up and, with some difficulty grabbed the staff and stood in position, waiting for any indication or command coming from him, the man in charge.

“You first lesson. Learn to make that stave an extension of your body in combat. You will learn to pierce any boulder I with it should I ask you to. Only then shall you be ready to learn Shigan''. Right after he said those words, all ninjas gathered in a ring that left him and his opponent face to face.

''The staff, an extension of my body, what is he talking about?, does he want me to just go and pierce the ninja with the staff?'' he looked at the staff, no sharp ends, no way to stab the ninja. ''This is impossible, i haven't got the skills but he wants me to just go and do it NOW?!'' he looked at his rival, his whole body was completely relaxed, his eyes locked on him and waiting for any movement from him, another statue watching him in the night.

Neyruk grabbed the staff and charged towards the ninja who dodged the blow with a simple turn to the side and then, with a sweeping move, he hit Neyruk's legs and threw him yet again on the ground, all in a matter of almost a second.

He got up again and looked around, all faces were blank, no emotions expressed so he was unsure of what to expect of them. All he knew is that he had to defeat this ninja if he was ever going to learn Shigan... ''But at this rate....'', he thought ''it's going to take a millennia to strike a blow on him, let alone defeat him'' he charged yet again to be repelled with the same ease, this time, the ninja basically struck his face using the base of the staff as Neyruk charged, he simply extended an arm while lowering the body and flexing his knees, hitting Neyruk with astonishing strength in a somewhat comical fashion, not for Neyruk at least.

Neyruk then stood back a few steps to rethink his situation and from what he saw, it was not good... he looked again around the fighting ring, searching for something he could use as a secondary weapon, a rock maybe, another branch perhaps...anything that he could use but nothing.. all he saw was grass. It was as if everything but grass had been cleared out.

''I can't beat him...he's way too good, its skills outrank mine in all aspects and his shape is top notch...I'm just a rookie...Why me?''

He looked at the Director hatefully, his face was still expressionless, stiff and hard as a rock... ''A joke'', he told to himself bitterly ''You must be trying not to laugh yourself to death'', he had given him hope about joining a unit nobody had heard anything about, promised to learn the powerful art of Rokushiki IF he beat this ninja who was, as he saw, a powerhouse, someone he couldn't beat without any weapons nor resources... this seemed like a cruel joke as he was again defeated, this time by a dual combo, first a staff blow to the stomach and then a palm strike to the chin, forcing Neyruk to roll on the ground a few steps away from him.

He began to weep silently and bitterly, he had to do it...not only to prove the Director wrong but also because...on the slight chance he was telling the truth, he could become powerful enough to fulfill his dream, if he failed, it would be as if he had grasped the dream to then lose it, he stood up once again and grabbed his staff from the ground.

Suddenly he remembered the EXACT orders from the director ''Learn to make that staff an extension of your body'', he then felt a cold shiver go through his spine, he was asking him to use that staff masterly in only one night ''He's...insane'', he then looked at the director to the eyes, again...nothing... he saw no emotion.. nothing. However, he then thought, ''Might I be wrong? Does he want me to use the staff as if it were a spear? To channel my power through the staff as if it was my own finger''

Neyruk then chuckled bitterly, he knew nothing about Rokushiki, nor about this new unit, he wasn't even an accomplished fighter, and yet he had been called to form part of this unit. Did he want him to learn how to use the staff as if it were an extension of the body?, did he want him to use the staff as if it were the Shigan technique? Did he just want a cheap laugh out of a poor seaman recruit?

Right now, it didn't matter because while those thoughts raced through his head, Neyruk resigned himself to fate, he positioned himself, his staff horizontally, pointing at his ninja adversary and yelled ''Come at me, you bastard, I'm taking you down even if it takes all night!''. That seemed to cause a reaction as the ninja charged towards him, Neyruk tried to concentrate as he came closer but all he could think of was ''This is going to leave a mark''.[/i][/font]
[/size]

[BEX]

'Come at me, you bastard, I'm taking you down even if it takes all night!''

Those words pierced the night, reaching the ninja’s ears. All of them in fact moved their eyes from the unskilled youth whose round face had immediately dismissed him as a real threat—in the eyes of the ninja, the boy lacked what many called the eyes of a warrior—to the ninja who the statement had been directed towards. Of course ninja were beings of stealth and hardly responded to such thick headed challenges, but to have one made from one so inferior to one who seemed to understand the gap between them was unprecedented amongst their people; it was hard to imagine how these marine officers acted in certain situations. The lone man wielding a bamboo shoot in his hand narrowed his eyes, not with anger, but with a cold fire that might have frozen the furnaces of hell while at the same time had the magnitude to melt any glacier in the Drum Islands.

Like night itself the man moved forward, his body disappearing with each step into the shadows as his clothing offered optimum camouflage in such situations. Darkness folded around him, cradling him as it might its young and he acknowledged this gentle caress with a cougar’s grace of movement. His lithe form was only visible where the moonlight struck the island and even then he was only a blur zipping over a stretch of land. To him it was a leisured stroll, but to the common man his advance happened all too quickly to possibly have been called the charge of a human being. Driving his foot into the ground some ten or fifteen feet away from Neyruk, he vanished into the night—or so it appeared to the Director who watched keenly with interest in this entire fight; it had been some time since he’d seen an expression in response to a recruit’s statement.

Maybe that was because most recruits had enough sense not to say anything to anger them in the first place.

Soon, the tall man with folded arms regretted his momentary distraction of thought as suddenly the ninja who had slipped from reality for a few breathtaking seconds had suddenly reappeared crouched low, with the point of his staff aiming mercilessly for the underside of Neyruk’s chin.

Even the Director swallowed as he watched what may have been the final blow of the bout.

[miguelangel12345]

Before realizing, the ninja had disappeared. Neyruk could only regret his foolishness, ''damn my big mouth'' he whispered to himself, he knew it was too late to apologize so the only thing he could do was to give his best show to the Director.

But before he could even move a muscle, he saw the ninja crouched with his staff threatening the underside of his chin...

''Fast...too fast'', he felt the sweat coming from his brow, he noticed his speed, his feral nature and his eyes, cold and unforgiving. He knew that any move, if unnecessary could end up with him knocking him again.

Unfortunately , he was just tired of thinking, he had said a thing and intended to keep his word... even if it cost him more wounds.

Instinctively, he tried to kick the staff off his hand, which he did successfully but in vain as the ninja's grip was just too strong, as he kicked , Neyruk tried to swing his staff against the Ninja who managed to dodge it, even if it meant releasing Neyruk from his grip.

Neyruk then retreated some steps away from the ninja and charged yet again, he concentrated on his enemy as he again charged at inhuman speeds but now, as he focused he could see a faint blur of green moving faster and faster against him, Neyruk was now moving purely on instinct, although not too effectively, once Neyruk saw the blur closing on to him he swoop the floor with his staff in an effor to trip him, unfortunately, the ninja's reflexes were far sharper and jumped over the unexpected recruit, hitting him on the head as he landed.

Neyruk dizzied from the blow, but he was glad, he had seen him, barely, but he had. His mind began to wonder on his training back at the Illusia Kingdom Base, the countless hours hitting with his scythe, blow after blow, raise and fall, use the handle... concentrate..

He returned to the ring, he noticed the ninja, again stiff as a rock, he charged again towards the ninja but when his rival charged back, Neyruk stopped on his track and again saw the green blur moving, zig-zagging and advancing. This time, something unexpected that he himself didn't really do, his body appeared to have moved on its own and had done it effectively.

He dodged the ninja, he had tried to strike him with the handle but, somehow, Neyruk (or his body) dodged his blow by moving to the side when he noticed the blur coming towards him, Neyruk was now on his back, he tried to hit the back of his head with the point of the staff.. however, the ninja, far more experienced, ducked and swoop the floor, throwing Neyruk back on the soft grass.

He tried to strike at the ninja while he was on the floor, swinging the staff and aiming at his ribs, he managed to hit the ninja but at the cost of the ninja placing his staff against Neyruk's throat, immobilizing him with great strength.

''Ok, how am I getting out of this one?'' asked Neyruk as he gasped for air.[/i]

(Once, again, i'm sorry for taking a bit too long but by the time you replied it was 4:00am in Spain, time gap is really annoying me non-stop, just did some recalculations and it was at 2:45 am here in Spain)

[BEX]

SPOILER: Click to show

Hey, Miguel! Don’t worry about the time difference! Truthfully you’re keeping up just fine and if there is an issue I would definitely let you know before ever penalizing you. You’re doing great…I can really see how Neyruk is slowly changing as a person here.

Just when it seemed the bout was about to end in a devastating loss, the ninja scoffed at the slight nick he’d received on the cheek from the pinned marine’s most recent thrust. Relenting he raised the staff point from the young boy’s throat and roughly pulled him to the lad to his feet before expelling air before bowing in deference to the young man’s tenacity; these were honorable men and women and certainly believed in cultivating such things in others. Overhead, the first rays of dawn broke though the darkness of the night and all heads reared upward to view the beauty of the coming day—the island was really a natural wonder in most aspects.

Diamonds glittered from various places making the entire land appear made of the stars themselves. However great these sights were the task at hand remained priority and the change from wonderment to workmanlike determination was brief if at all noticeable to anyone other than an island native. Neyruk’s sparring partner turned back to the round faced boy and expressively held his staff out to the side—and dropped it.

The clattering noise of the bamboo against the ground echoed for a brief moment while all the ninja knowingly watched, fully aware of what was coming next. From the now deformed ring that had been circling Neyruk and old man shuffled forward with a slight limp to his gait, but even this seemed a sign of strength rather than any weakness caused from the carnages of battle. After a spell of time in which the only noises heard where Neyruk’s breathing and the scratching noise of the lame foot being dragged against the dirt, the two sparring partners were suddenly separated by the presence of the old man—a powerful one at that.

As with anything, awareness of others was part of attaining strength and the broad shouldered ninja who had spent a better portion of the night pressing young Integer in ways which most humans might not have believed possible bowed quickly and hurriedly in deference to his superior. Noting the show of respect with a wrinkle of disdain, the old man shifted his wizened gaze upon the recruit whom had managed to make an impression upon the audience that had been watching him.

“You have learned to use the spear…now it is time to your hand. The fearlessness to fight even when overwhelmed—that is what Shigan is. The body is only weak when the mind deems it be so. Master yourself and never let your body admit its own fragility…kehehehe…”

Believing to have said enough for the time being the old man nodded and started back towards his prestigious spot on the ground once more, waiting for the second round of the education of this young man to continue; many opinions had already arisen about his potential, but there were always skeptics as was the case with anything in the world.

“Begin!”

[miguelangel12345]

As Neyruk gasped for air, many thoughts came to his head but the one that took most of his strength was:
''How do I get him off me?''
His body hurt, his mind was blurring and somehow, his head ached, maybe from all the blows but he still wanted to go on.

Suddenly, against all expectations, against all he could have ever dreamed of, contradicting any expectation or hypothesis he might have had.... the ninja let him go.

Releasing him from the grip of his staff, Neyruk breathed for air, a wonderful sensation of relief at being able to breathe crossed his being for a few seconds, which were replaced just as quick by an unsettling feeling of confusion.... ''Why is he letting me go'', he expected the ninja to complain of his weakness, of the Director regretting hopelessly over the mistake of making a rookie try out for such a prestigious unit.

A sudden flash of light blinded him for a second and noticed that it was dawning in the island, Neyruk felt breathless yet again but now of shock of the wonder and beauty of the island. Diamonds around glittered all around the island, green grass covered it as if it were a beautiful laid rug. Around him, he saw grey rhinos with diamond horns eating peacefully, such a calm scene relaxed Neyruk for a second, until he noticed everyone around here, hundreds of ninjas dressed in black now contrasted strongly with the peaceful scenery laying in front of him.

His opponent, the ninja who had seemed so powerful, a force of nature on itself, suddenly offered his hand to the defeated recruit, he was distrustful at first but right now, he didn't care anymore and gave the ninja a trembling arm, whom, with astonishing strength, helped him rise up.

Neyruk slowly managed to keep himself standing and looked on his opponent's eyes, waiting for a new strike, a word or anything....except him dropping his staff to the ground.

He looked with surprise, first at the staff, then to the ninja,
''What is he doing? Is he surrendering?'' he couldn't understand, he had done absolutely nothing to win, he had been beaten like a ragged doll, no matter how many times he tried, he always fell. What was all this about? yet, even with all these questions, he couldn't help but smile to his opponent, trying to say without words to the ninja
''Nicely done''.

Then, from the ninjas, an old man appeared, he walked with a limp and went towards him. As Neyruk noticed his rival bow quickly, he felt he had to bow too, an instinct reaction, even if he felt real silly a few seconds after doing it... looking at the old, seemingly fragile man, Neyruk could only feel respect and serenity towards this sensei-like figure, who then spoke quietly yet with clarity.

You have learned to use the spear…now it is time to your hand. The fearlessness to fight even when overwhelmed—that is what Shigan is. The body is only weak when the mind deems it be so. Master yourself and never let your body admit its own fragility…kehehehe…”


''What? Was....that it?, My own strength of will? Was that the essence of Shigan?'' It couldn't be so simple, he wouldn't have called it fearlessness because he had been afraid...very afraid of failing, of being so close to reach a position where he could've become a beacon of justice to the world to then fail.

The body is only weak when the mind deems it be so... ''I understand, master'', I'll train the body without fear, I'll never stop until I reach my dream'' he told the old man but he then realized that he had stepped back on the ground.

“Begin!” he heard him yell.... ''What?'' thought Neyruk, ''NOT AGAIN!'' , he was panting, sweating, he still tasted blood and could hardly breath.

He then remembered two things... the feeling of resignation he had felt during the battle, if he had to go on then he would go on.

And most importantly, the words from the sensei.
'The fearlessness to fight even when overwhelmed—that is what Shigan is. The body is only weak when the mind deems it be so. Master yourself and never let your body admit its own fragility…''

The hand.. he had mastered the spear, what did he had to with the hand?... punch something?...someone? As he pondered these questions, somewhat comically, a punch came to the recruit's jaw without him realizing and throwing the exhausted recruit to the floor...again.

''Well, here we go again'' said Neyruk to himself ''Come to think of it... where's the director?''

[BEX]

The call had been made and the ninja who had already served as a most strict teacher prepared himself again, taking in a deep breath as a peace spread throughout his muscles and he could feel them relax within his being. For moment in time he was aware of every contraction that was made, of every time his heart pumped out another quart of blood, of every red blood cell that traveled to fuel that machine like being that now stared down at poor baby faced Neyruk. From the ninja’s eyes fire poured, the intense fire of competition spewing from his soul and into the atmosphere made the other ninja lean forward with increased interest.

In some ways this was a symbol of pride in the way that the young man had handled himself, however it also meant the level of pain was about to increase…exponentially. And increase it did as first one rocket like punch exploded from the ninja’s hip, cutting through air as if it held not matter as it barreled towards Neyruk’s chest…

Meanwhile the Director was on his way back to view Integer’s training, his steps careful over the uneven land, but he was in no hurry given the fact that he had certainly believed the lad to be too milk-hearted to be of any real consequence. In truth he was on his way back to see whether he could finally give the boy leave to head back to his base in the Illusia kingdom, but when he stepped over the mound that momentarily blocked his view down into the training pit his mouth dropped open in disbelief as it seemed that the lad was not only still standing—the training had actually advanced to the next stage!

Acrobatically the ninja had taken leave of his feet, skillfully flipping over the marine’s head while throwing a flurry of punches at the crown, neck, and eventually the back as he landed smoothly; the parrying strikes struck within seconds and as the dust settled the tenacious assault seemed over…At least that was until the both fists were fired into the rear of Neyruk Integer with enough force to break every bone the average adult male’s body. Cursing as he slid down the mound, the Director rushed forward to pronounce Neyruk dead. I wonder if peonies or marigolds are suitable at marine’s funeral? he thought.

[miguelangel12345]

''Damn....you'' whispered the young recruit as he put every neuron on his body to keep himself from falling. Suddenly, with only a few seconds of warning. Neyruk Integer had suffered the worst beating of his life, he felt..

Weak? Not weak....he was completely worn out, he had fought one of the hardest battles of his life a few moments ago and now, even being completely exhausted, was suffering a storm of lightening-quick punches, kicks and blows to the head.

And it wasn't a simply display of strength, no, each kick and punch felt like a cannonball thrown at him, not to mention how skillful they were, each blow had calculated to precision to cause the highest amount of pain to the body, and caused to a marine who wasn't used to feeling pain....well, one can only imagine the result after the dust settled off.

Neyruk had now become the statue, and not because he was concentrated or because he was striking a pose, it was pure strength of will that kept him from falling to the ground, his mind was completely empty and his body could barely maintain itself.

The ninja waited a few seconds after his attack, waiting for Neyruk to fall unconscious at any moment... but Neyruk wasn't done yet.

Suddenly, after the severe beating, his mind awoke, and at that moment, he felt an immense pain through his whole body, from his leg to his brain, every cell that made up Neyruk Integer yelled of pain and exhaustion, in fact, and the young recruit knew it well, he was so badly hurt that another blow could actually cause his mind to just slip away into unconsciousness.

''I....mustn't....faint...Must...punch him....'' he began to whisper aloud, suddenly he began to cough, and as he coughed, blood flowed off from his mouth which then fell into the now red grass on his feet.

He then kneeled down, his knees could barely stand anymore. Neyruk began to breathe heavily as he tried to rise up yet again... he began to stand up but his legs failed and he fell onto the ground...this time, he couldn't just rise up, his body was way too harmed.

''The...mind is....greater..than the body'' began to whisper like a mantra to keep the pain away, as he put every effort to stand up, he kept on repeating it. The ninja stood watching him with a small glimpse of pity in his eyes.

To everyone's surprise, he managed to barely stand up and began to walk with a limp to the ninja, he tried to raise his fist but he felt it to be way too heavy..

One step, another one...yet another...''Come on...Don't...fail me now''

Suddenly he was about to reach the ninja who then sprinted, became a blur of black and punched his stomach with such a strength that Neyruk's body just failed to go on.

As he lost consciousness.. he whispered of pain.

[BEX]

As Neyruk finally collapsed to the ground from sheer exhaustion, the Director felt a wave of relief flood into his spirit as he jogged over to make sure his charge was okay before shooting a glaring glance up towards the old man. Response was as satisfying as it always was when the strange the white haired man who had managed to make it to the fallen marine’s side before he had actually fallen simply shrugged under the glare of his master. Checking vital signs just to be sure, the lean man determined that his recruit was indeed still alive and immediately began to set to work making sure he stayed that way…the heart the young man possessed could certainly be twisted for his uses; someone that honorable could certainly be a valuable asset as long as they believed what they were doing was right.

“Alright, take him back to the camp…and I don’t want any of the women in the entourage that moves him there, understood?”

The latter part of that statement had been added since recently there had been trouble with recruits getting into roughhousing matches with the extraordinary female gender which appeared to grow stronger and stronger each time he saw them. It seemed too recent since he’d seen one of them transform from a gorgeous pear shaped queen to a slavering monster with enough power to tear the lungs clean out of a man’s chest. Ruffling his hair in irritation he began to wonder if things were really going to work out well… “Ah, well!” he chirped while shrugging his shoulders happily.

He was getting on Captain Natai’s good side and as poor a character as that sounded, he was certainly going to milk this exotic stay as long as needed to get what he wanted…all of what he wanted.

SPOILER: Click to show

You rp when you wake up in the camp and I'll take you from there. I think once we finish the fist training, Shigan would be appropriate for you.

[miguelangel12345]

It is said that light only comes after darkness, that the deepest darkness is only temporary for the brightest sun then to shine...but the sun had to leave too, it was a circle of light and darkness, knowledge and ignorance, Triumph and Disaster were the two great impostors of this age, one arrived followed by the other.

Just as Neyruk felt he had triumphed his first test, he had also felt the gripping hand of failure after the final punch from the ninja left him out cold, all he saw before fading into darkness was the figure of the old ninja master checking his vitals.

He began to hear, see, smell and feel the dreams of his life.. he saw the figure of vice-admiral Sakazuki, cloaked on a brown robe with a hood hiding a fiery visage while the sound of his voice echoed like thunder through space and time ''Justice above all'', ''Justice above all'' , ''Justice above all''... he then began to change, progressively but surely into a small naval base building that placed itself on the palm of Neyruk's hand, when he touched it, the base crumbled into sand which then began to swirl in a small whirlwind that grew larger and larger until it formed a giant tornado that absorbed the recruit, inside the tornado Neyruk floated and flew freely through it, he felt no wish of escaping even as the sand slashed and cut his body merciless... the sand suddenly disappeared and blood began to flow from his hands, falling on a pirate flag placed at his feet, Neyruk then fell to his knees and placing his hands in prayer, he began to see a light that pulled him up as screams of both horror and praise pierced his ears.

Suddenly, the recruit opened his eyes and found himself looking at an unknown roof, he took a moment to settle his eyesight and began to look at himself, his marine uniform completely spoiled of mud, grass and blood, a stench of sweat came from his body and drops of blood dripped from his face.

''Am I...back at base?'' was the first thing he thought, he had failed the test in the end so it was reasonable that he had been sent back to the Illuya Kingdom... However, as he began to look around the room, he immediately noticed he wasn't in any place he knew of, it seemed a simple tent, grass on the floor and a ray of light coming from the entrance of the tent lighted the whole room, the simple silk walls were gray and, the only remarkable feature was a small set of books piled up near the small mat where Neyruk laid, books regarding many different subjects, from detailed, yet mainly theoretical theories of Rokushiki to a small review of the CP9 unit. Upon the books there was a note saying ''Knowledge means power'', unsigned.

Neyruk began to slowly stretch, trying to disregard the sudden spasms of pain coursing through his body. Somehow, and very surprisingly, he didn't seem to be so badly wounded, he was indeed very hurt but he could still move and nothing so far seemed broken or twisted, he touched one of his ribs, it only stung but didn't seem broken.

He began to question where he was, and realized that so far, nothing had been told straight, all he knew was that he had been beaten to an inch of his life after having been dragged out from his base to an unknown island by ninjas a few days after having been interviewed by a so-called Director who had told him about some top-secret unit of which no-one knew nothing about.

''This all seems like a poorly written story by someone who has nothing better to do, why can't anyone just tell me what's going on here?'' he sighed.

He tried to stand up, albeit with some difficulty, he did and noticed the pile of books laid near his bed, he grabbed a few and looked at the titles:

- Rokushiki for Dummies.
- Pirates, revolutionaries and other vermin. Ethics of Justice Volume 1
- CP9 Unit: Volume only for allowed personnel
- The Grand Line and You---- To Arabasta and beyond
A note in this one-- Search Crysiland
- Anatomy for Combat. Lessons 1 to 30

He then sat again on his bed with ''CP9 unit'' and took a look, it was the thinnest, only about 20 pages long but it said a lot, it talked about a unit of government-approved assassins only sent for the most extreme missions, it was there during the Ohara bombing and many other missions he had never heard about, it ended with a present situation of the unit, how the former unit crew had defected after its by the Strawhat Pirates and their status as a now criminal crew led by former leader of the CP9 unit Rob Lucci and another note saying:

''You, Neyruk Integer, must be one of the replacements. Now you know why you are here, the purpose of the unit is to ensure stability and peace so work hard, don't let down the unit'' note again unsigned.

He put the book down and again pondered over the situation, he had been chosen to be part of this extremely elite unit even if he was a rookie....

''So that's why I was forced to learn Rokushiki'' for a moment he wondered about it all, CP9, Shigan, the rogue CP9, the Director now leading the unit, it was all too much to take in... was he up to the challenge? after the beating he had just suffered, he had a few doubts over his own power.

''The body is only weak when the mind deems it be so. Master yourself and never let your body admit its own fragility…kehehehe''

''Your destiny awaits you son''

Yes...he would do...Now he was going to impart justice, even if it was in secret, the world slept in peace because of people like the CP9, harsh but necessary. Now he understood the questions, the training, all became clear.

Suddenly, a few masked ninjas entered the tent to check on the sitting Neyruk, one of them brought some rice balls and water on a plate. The marine stood up, again with some difficulty and asked.

''When will we start?...sir'' he added, he knew his was a path of greatness, painful greatness...VERY painful greatness.

[BEX]

''When will we start?...sir''

The ninja looked to one another in bewilderment, wondering what had come over the lifeless body they had actually believed to be a corpse after some time. A few looked curiously at the books, but none said a word as they bowed respectfully leaving the enthusiastic spirit unanswered. It would not be until later in the afternoon that the flap’s of Neyruk’s tent would open revealing the broad shouldered figure of the towering Director stepping through in a magnificent silk shirt with pants rolled up to his knees and an easy going pair of toe looped sandals on. A cloudy face broke into a wide grin as he saw the open books along with the many notes he’d written the impressionable young recruit laid out on the floor.

“Obviously it was a good idea to let you know what you’ve been training for.” the man said as he slipped into the room and kicked off his sandals preferring a bare footed stay in the tent as he nodded his head to send the two loyal female attendants away. “So Neyruk Integer…do you still believe that you can surpass the likes of Rob Lucci and prove me to be a better man than Spandam?” he asked curiously.

Even since he’d first interviewed with the boy there had been a curiosity about the young that came from how innocent he looked. It was the same now as he peered into that completely unrestrained determination that seemed so pure it was fake, making it almost…uneasy to be around this sort of person. The willful are usually the most dangerous allies to draw to your side, but their loyalty is of the rarest kind, he told himself, but rather than saying anything further he simply sat cross legged before Neyruk noting the finished plate of rice balls. A shadow cast over his brow as he thought back on how he’d requested rice balls only a few days ago and had been told that they were none left until the next shipment came by marine delivery. It seemed that they were some people that liked to play pranks.

Setting the small matter aside the Director grabbed the book titled ‘CP9 Unit: Volume only for allowed personnel’ and quickly thumbed through the pages with impeccable nimbleness before pressing his index on a page to stop the fluttering. Holding his digit in place he tossed the book down on the ground before the recruit and staring up at him were the ‘Douriki’ ratings of each of the members of the previous Cipher Pol. The Director too looked, noting that such levels were unheard of before this point and it was why the group had been so successful before their demise at the hands of ‘Straw Hat’ Luffy.

“Douriki measures the level of superhuman ability. For people like me, I would probably only register about a 4 or a 5…and people like you…well you’re probably at 15-20 by now. Think about that Neyruk, a 20 going up against someone like Lucci who possessed a Douriki of over 5000. Does that sound like a fight to you?” he asked. He wanted his point to sink in, but more importantly he wanted to hear the boy’s thoughts once he’d heard that he was slowly creeping towards the heights of his human body.

[miguelangel12345]

Right after the ninjas left the plate of rice-balls on top of the bed, Neyruk Integer flashed towards them and ate them without even trying to taste them. Although a surpsingly strong and delicious flavor diffused through his mouth, he then grabbed the glass and gupled down the water.
Before realizing, the ninjas had left as sudden as they had appeared, that gave Neyruk some free time he used to look at the rest of the books given to him.

He first glanced Rokushiki for Dummies, learning with some degree of detail about each technique, of course, it was all theoretical knowledge with no practical guidelines, in the book there was another note that explained it all, he was going to have all the practice he wanted right in the island so nothing practical was in the book, it also said ''also, we don't want recruits trying techniques they are not prepared for''

As he was finishing reading a chapter dedicated to Tekkai, he noticed the broad shouldered director entering the tent, accompanied by two female ninja assistants, the recruit still felt somewhat distrustful over the shady figure , the only times they had met and talked it had been in the most absolute secrecy and with a clear feeling of intimidation and power towards Neyruk.. and the recruit knew it, he knew the suited man could squash him like an insect if he wanted to but, now, on the light of day and without any hood or demonic smiles, the Director almost had a fatherly look, but Neyruk still kept his guard, even if he was his superior he didn't trust him yet.

He rose from the bed, somehow, it nearly didn't hurt, maybe he had slept more than he thought or maybe the blows were designed to cause pain and not actual harm, he rose up and saluted the Director.

''Obviously it was a good idea to let you know what you’ve been training for'' so it had been him the one who had sent him the books and notes, that was somewhat clear and he imagned the director asking the ninja to leave it all in the tent as he slept.

''I appreciate the gesture sir'' he was used to speak to any superior with the respect they deserved but he had some questions he still wanted to ask him and, he thought, deserved a direct answer no letter could answer

“So Neyruk Integer…do you still believe that you can surpass the likes of Rob Lucci and prove me to be a better man than Spandam?

''Well, I think it will be hard, considering this was the most powerful CP9 member in history but i really don't want to surpass him, if I must defeat him, then I will train to do so but I think there are far more troublesome matters than to surpass a renegade agent, to defeat him if he becomes a serious threat, that'd be an important matter sir''

''Regarding Spandam, I don't know the man personally but I assure you, corruption and power-hunger are not things i'm too fond of...sir''

The director then grabbed the CP9 volume and showed him Rob Lucci's Douriki, 5000 units, that was big.

''Douriki measures the level of superhuman ability. For people like me, I would probably only register about a 4 or a 5…and people like you…well you’re probably at 15-20 by now. Think about that Neyruk, a 20 going up against someone like Lucci who possessed a Douriki of over 5000. Does that sound like a fight to you?”

Ok....that was BIG!...but really, did the director expect him to go and fight Lucci this moment?, he wasn't that foolish, there had to be a technique to analyze power levels so when we feel strong enough to face the rogue CP9, then we will do so but not now! He was however surprised that the man standing on front of him had such a low Douriki, perhaps it was a trick to test him.

''Sir...right now, we cannot face the CP9, but when the time comes, we will face them and defeat them. To be perfectly frank, I believe at this moment, I'm no match for any rogue CP9 agent, let alone the most powerful member of its history.

But unless i'm wrong, I suppose I won't be alone in these assignments and that there will be other 8 members to support each other, what I'm trying to say sir, is that we won't be alone against Lucci and it's CP9, if we train together and fight together, i'm sure we can make it through anything. Also, I myself knew the risk when I first joined the marines so i really don't see any difference between them and any other pirate, we'll just have to train a lot harder''

''Not to mention I have a pirate on my sight that I'd like to defeat and capture... stronger than Lucci, Strawhat Luffy, if we somehow manage to defeat the Strawhat pirates, then we will prove how superior we are to Lucci''

Neyruk then sighed, he had said it, now it was his turn to ask...

''If I may be so bold to ask sir, I'd like a question of my own...Why me? Why did you choose an inexperienced rookie over many other powerful applicants? IF...IF I MAY ASK OF COURSE!'' panicked Neyruk after realizing his boldness.

[BEX]

''If I may be so bold to ask sir, I'd like a question of my own...Why me? Why did you choose an inexperienced rookie over many other powerful applicants? IF...IF I MAY ASK OF COURSE!''

Shifting quietly beneath the burst of inspiration within the lad, the man thought quietly upon the insightful words of a man he had once believed a round faced baby wearing the navy and white as a mockery of it. Truth lay behind those eyes and in his heart, the courage of line existed; these things made the Director smile dangerous as he presumed that his guess about this particular officer had been spot on. Without answering the question put to him he rose to his full height, an impressive spectacle whether standing or seated and looked down upon his charge, a certain acknowledgement passing between the two men before he strode on easy gliding steps towards the entrance where his shoes lay. Skillfully slipping one foot into the lace-less footwear before doing the same to the other the Director was opening the flaps within breaths of Neyruk’s passionate questioning.

Somehow it would have seemed wrong to leave the lad on the edge like that…more importantly it may actually interrupt with training which could not be afforded. Half turning towards Officer Integer, the Director flashed a brilliant smile, part devil, part friend all in one slight gleam of the teeth,

“Neyruk, I chose you because of all the powerful applicants I saw…it was only you that possessed the tools that I needed to make a man out of a child.” he responded cryptically, yet somehow fittingly. Circumventing any further questioning from his recruit he added, “Your training will resume when the sun goes down. The ninja wish to begin teaching you the form of Shigan…you shall be one of the first to reach this stage…don’t be failure.”

With that the Director slipped out into the day. Immediately two figures fell in stride behind him as he jammed his hands into his pockets without visibly acknowledging either of them as he made his way to his tent once more; it had been a pleasurable chat indeed. Certainly he would have enjoyed Natai’s presence more, but that was simply lust speaking. Swaggering his way back into his desk he began sifting through papers as thoughts of Neyruk Integer, his righteous stallion, assured him of a future to come. Things were going according to plan and soon he would have his eight, in the end, that was all that mattered to him. As night would come, so would the ninja. Into Neyruk’s tent they would creep without so much as a sound and whether the boy was awake or not he would soon find himself facing a gag and blindfolds much like the first time he had been brought to Crysiland.