Shining from the Top: The Power of the Hai Hai no Mi!

[Blushing z0ro]

SPOILER: Click to show

((Continued from here.))

The sound of steel on steel resounded through the air as Bastian dashed towards Leonard once more and their blades locked time and time again, for the young bandit leader attacked relentlessly countless dagger thrusts each aimed at the pirate captain's head and each expertly deflected with minimal effort by the swordsman. The "Young Lion" would not move one step despite the efforts of the young bandit, slash after slash, thrust after thrust, all were blocked, parried or deflected and the more the battle dragged on the more frustrated the face of the young bandit leader looked. Slowly, but surely, it downed on the younger man that maybe, just maybe, the wanted man he so brazenly challenged only minutes before may be out of his league.

With an angry grunt Bastian jumped back, creating some distance between him and the pirate once more. The Pirate captain remained motionless, no visible signs of exertion or fatigue showing, simply a piercing glare that seemed to look deep into the young bandit's soul, who was starting to breath more heavily as his sweat began to make his shaggy black hair stick to the side of his face. LeClerc could see that the twin-daggers user was trying to think of a better of plan of attack after realizing a full frontal assault would not work, so the pirate raised his voice once more. "Have you begun to understand yet?" Leo's cold voice resonated through the camp and into the bandit leader's mind, no emotions could be discerned in those words, not the anger that was so clear earlier, not even a sense of superior sufficiency one might expect from someone who clearly considered himself above the other. "What is it I'm supposed to be understanding exactly, Young Lion?" Replied Bastian, a short temper being betrayed by his aggravated tone, as he straightened himself and took a stance, both arms crossed and extended in front of him, one dagger in a straight grip, the other one in a reverse.

Leonard remained unmoving, holding his sword low in his right hand, not even guarding, only holding the blade at a slight angle so that the tip was just above the ground by his left foot. The pirate sighed before his spoke again. "Understanding that you cannot win." These simple words were all it took for Bastian to snap attack once again. The younger of the two opponents spun once then with a wide swing of his arms released to flying cuts through the air. These attacks were fast, but quite fast enough. Leonard swung his sword with all his might and released his own flying slash, the Zangetsuha, moments before the enemies own two blades of air would hit the "Young Lion". The clash of the opposite forces caused what almost sounded like a sonic boom, projecting the cutting power in all directions, splitting the ground and giving the pirate in black and grey and small cut on his left cheek. Across from the nodachi wielder, beyond the marks left on the ground, a smug look began to mix in with Bastian's anger. "I can't win eh? Yet you're the one bleeding right now!"

The pirate captain closed his eyes for a moment and sighed again. This boy was so lost in his own delusion of strength he refused to see the difference in power between the two; no, he simply could not see it. If he did that, that would mean having to accept his own weakness and doing such a thing would break his spirit. It was a feeling Leonard understood only too well. Only weeks earlier the young swordsman had been fighting someone he simply could not beat, a difference in power so great the young pirate could scarcely understand it. That unbeatable enemy broke the "Young Lion", the harsh realization that he was only a fly, a boy playing pirates and running after the backs of legends. That time was over now, that conceited boy who set out on the seas was gone, now Leonard LeClerc was the captain of the Shining Pirates, one of the most wanted man in North Blue, losing was not an option anymore, nor was mercy. Opening his eyes again the Pirate Captain looked straight into his opponent's eyes. Bastian simply felt paralyzed for a second, it wasn't fear the bandit felt when looking at the pirate, it was something different, yet even more simple. In the pirate's black eyes a sense of power and cold authority could be found, the determination to succeed and stand above others just emanating from him. Looking at those eyes, Bastian began to understand.

"Now you're starting to get it." Said the swordsman as the figure of the bandit seemed to getting smaller and smaller the more Leonard looked at him. "You do not understand what power really is. Simply because you were not as weak as everyone else on this small island in a gentle sea you lured yourself in the belief you were strong. Let me tell you this straight, you are weak. A big fish in a small pond if you will. Sure you can bully and push around the people of the island and your boys here but one step out into the world and you'll be devoured. Don't misunderstand me however, I do not claim to be strong either, I have seen truly strong people, I know me and my crew are nothing but small fries in comparison, but I won't let that keep me down. I will get stronger and help carry the dreams of my crew to their fruition. Until they have all come true, I refuse lose, I will not lose. Especially not to someone like you." That was all the "Young Lion" had to say to the bandit leader, thus the swordsman raised his blade to the side of his face, holding it with both hands to form a stance, finally ready to take this seriously.

Opposing the Pirate, Bastian the Rock Dragon Bandit leader had such an odd mix of feelings going through him he simply didn't know what to think or do anymore. I'm weak? Screw him! But I still can't beat him fairly. I need something to beat that sanctimonious prick. What does he know about power!? Power... the power of a devil. An simple idea formed in the dagger wielding bandit's mind and wide, almost psychotic looking, smile drew itself on the young man's face, bringing light back to his blue eyes. It was dangerous but damn the consequences, he would show this pirate bastard who the strong one really was here. "You talk big LeClerc, but can you run like you spit out nonsense?" The younger fighter said as his hands reached behind his back. What was his plan, Leonard wondered as he readied himself to counter the bandit's next attack. However it was not an attack, Bastian threw at the "Young Lion" but two small grey balls. The Black eyed samurai immediately send a slash running through the air in case they were explosives, but as the small beads were cut, a large cloud of acrid smoke expanded between him and the bandit. Damn it! He's running away! Thought Leo as he began to dash through the smoke in hope of catching a glimpse of the Rock Dragon Bandit leader before he vanished.

Emerging from the smoke, the nodachi wielding swordsman just had time to see the top of Bastian's head disappear down a steep slope as the young man jumped down. Not even giving it a second thought LeClerc jumped after him, not being able to see what was further down in the darkness of night. While the bandit was sliding down the very steep rocky slope quite expertly, the pirate ended up tumbling down uncontrollably rather than showing any kind of grace like the local man. in his tumble Leo was able to see Bastian somehow spin around while sliding down and throwing two more beads at the tumbling pursuer. From the corner of his eyes the "Young Lion" just managed to see these beads were red rather than grey, but in his current position he was unable to dodge or block, so the Pirate captain simply braced himself as the two red beads impacted the slope on either side of him. Loud explosion resonated and flames began to erupt from the side of the mountain, the force of the explosions projecting Leonard off the slope and into the air. Thanks to the light created by the flames of the explosion, the nodachi wielder managed to see Bastian, who had reached the bottom of the slope roughly 50 feet further below, enter a small shack that seemed to have been purposely constructed away from the rest of the camp.

Leonard, who was now airborne could do very little about his fall other than aiming himself towards the shack. Somehow it was always in those desperate times that the swordsman would recall lessons from his grandfather and teacher. "You carry the blood of Wano, you are a samurai. Above the lands and seas, under the moon and stars, whether the heavens or the earth, there is nothing we cannot cut. Remember that boy." Those words resonated through Leo's mind as he fell towards the shack. It was almost subconsciously that he began to repeat those words and ready his sword with two hands in mid air. Moments before he was about to impact the roof of the wooden mountain shack, the "Young Lion" swung his sword with his all his, he did not try to cut the air however, the image of the Colossus of the Holy Romanum Empire flashed in the swordsman's mind as he swung. No, he would not cut the air, he would displace it like a wave. The execution was clumsy and the mid air situation did not help, but the result was there. The blast of air, like a wave crashing on the shore impacted with the roof and the force slowed the falling pirate just enough so that he would not hurt himself too badly on impact.

Bursting through the roof that was already breaking due to the mass of air sung at it, Leonard crashed on the ground and rolled back to his feet as he quickly as he could. An angry "You persistent bastard!" Resonated through the broken down shed as a flash of silver arced through the air towards Leo's head. Barely blocking Bastian's dagger in time, due to the dizziness that resulted from the impact, the "Young Lion" just had time to see the Bandit leader was holding a larger spherical object in his right hand rather than a second dagger. Could it be a bigger bomb? If the power was proportional to the size this one, being the size of a grapefruit as opposed to the other cherry sized bombs would cause massive damage! However before LeClerc could react, Bastian jumped and rolled past the pirate and behind him towards the exit. In one fluid motion Leonard spun around and swung his sword at the bandit who just barely had time to block with his left handed dagger. When the pirate captain felt the impact of steel on steel he did not hesitate for a second and tackled the younger man with his shoulder and all the power he could put behind it. The impact pushed Bastian back several feet at which point he rolled on the ground and began to regain his balance as he began to frantically look around for the sphere the item he had been holding. Leo however had decided to let go of his weapon as he tackled the blue eyed bandit, this way he managed to grab whatever the younger man had been holding in his right hand before it might fall on the ground and explode.

As he began to stand up the "Young Lion" began to feel around what he had just stolen from the bandit and to his surprise it did not feel smooth like he expected, it was more rugged, some places of the surface seemed to be flaking and what he first assumed was fuse ended in something that felt like... a leaf? "DON'T TOUCH THAT! LET IT GO!" Shouted Bastian who sounded horrified. It was so dark, Leonard just couldn't make out what he was holding, but then, as if the heaven's themselves decided to intervene, the clouds began to part and the moon began to shine. The gentle glow of the moonlight illuminated the area where the two opponents were standing. Now Leo could see what he was holding, now all made sense. Why Bastian rushed for it, why he sounded so horrified when Leonard took it. LeClerc had never seen one of these fabled things in person, but three of his nakamas had eaten one and the "Young Lion" couldn't help but ask the two of them that could speak what these things looked like. There was no doubt in the young swordsman's mind, he was holding a legendary devil fruit in his hands.

It was a darkly coloured fruit, almost completely black with ashen grey touches. It had a single short crimson stalk protuberant from the fruit itself and only one leaf, very much resembling a grapefruit that has been burnt in a fire. The ebony skin of the fruit was covered in an intricate pattern of grey swirls, which appeared to be peeling off in places showing the bright inner flesh of the fruit. The center of the fruit was much more colourful than the outside however, an orange glow much like that of the embers in a coal fire which looked like it could burn whoever touches the inside. Yet it was not warm, the whole thing felt like a normal fruit but a strange feeling came over the "Young Lion". How do I become stronger? I've been asking myself that question for a while now. I thought hard work and training were the only right way to do it, simply gaining power by eating a cursed plant felt wrong somehow... but people are depending on me now. I don't have the luxury of taking the long noble path. I need power and I need it now.

As Leonard made his decision, the shaking voice of Bastian resonated again, a true sense of horror could be heard from it. "Don't eat it please! It... it... it's not for you! It's cursed! Yes! Yes! It's cursed! All my men have been getting sick since we got it! If you eat it it'll surely kill you! GIVE IT BACK DAMN IT!" Whether any of what Bastian said was true did not matter anymore, Leonard had already made his decision on this matter. "You've had this for a while yet you didn't eat it. It wasn't because of some curse, you were just too scared of the unknown that fruit represented. When you were pushed into a corner that fear disappeared, yet now it's even more present than ever right? Well I for one am not scared of what I don't know. I will experience all this world has to offer to the fullest! And I shall start with this!" As Leonard LeClerc began to bring up the fruit up to his mouth, the bandit leader screamed "STOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOP!!" atop his lung as if a child was seeing his favourite toy being broken or stolen. One big bite, a loud crunch that seemed to resonate through the entire mountain, or was it just an impression? Whoa... Leo had been warned but damn, these fruits do taste like hell. The swordsman couldn't really identify the taste but it somehow reminded him of rotten eggs and the cigarettes Hikaru always smoked. After chewing a couple more times, LeClerc swallowed the disgusting piece of cursed fruit and let the rest of the fruit fall to the ground. The "Young Lion" straightened himself and brought his arms close to his sides, bending his elbows so that his forearms were parallel to the ground the closed his fists. All sense of anger for what the young bandit leader had done to Hiroto was gone, all that was left was excitement about what was to follow. With a smile that seemed almost beastly Leo spoke once more. "Now, let's see what this thing can do."

[Dr.Ambs]

On top of the mountain in Shivre, there was nothing but chaos. Bandits ran across the pathways leading to shacks and tents. With the invasion of Leonard LeClerc and Corvun Drayel the bandits had been caught off guard. Who attacked at night? What crazy man dared to go against the night air and lurking wolves? Apparently these two men were crazier than the devil himself. They came looking for the purple haired girl that had been dragged to camp earlier that day. If anyone had thought for a moment that someone would be looking for her, there might have been a chance to leave her be. Yet this was the predicament they were in.

Standing in the middle of the sick house, Hiroto contemplated what she should do. There were two obvious choices; heal the sick or let them die. There were more options, of course such as trying to escape, trying to get back to Leonard, trying to help the two who came to rescue her. However as a medic, her first choice was to attend to the sick. Yet as a pirate, her first choice should be to her crew. After all, these bandits were not her crew and had treated her badly. After the session with Bastian the young medic was left with a deep gash on the back of her shoulder, a busted lip and nose, a small gash on her forehead and she was certain she had fractured a rib or two.

Yet she was still conflicted.

Since Hiroto had left her hometown, the young medic helped all she could. She lived to her oath as a doctor; help anyone who needed. Before her laid men that needed a medic, a skilled doctor who knew what was going on. Obviously she was considered for the job or else she wouldn't have been taken. The young pup could only look at the suffering men before heading to the door, opening it to see a man standing guard. As the man seemed to buck up to throw her back in, the purple haired woman raised her hand, "I need my bag. It has all my medical supplies." She barked to him, before closing the door and turning back to the men. What the hell am I doing?

Should the medic help these men? Should the medic just leave them? After all, these were the bandits that harmed the villagers of Shivre, these were the bandits that captured her, the bandits that were fighting Leonard and Corvun. These were people that she shouldn't even lift a finger for. Yet curiosity and good faith came to play. Perhaps it was her own selfish doing. Thinking hard, Hiroto could at least figure out what it was. What if the crew got infected by whatever they had? It was better to be prepared for the disease than have to figure the damn thing out when they contract the disease.

Glancing back when the door opened, blue eyes saw her bag fall to the ground before the door was slammed shut. It was only a few steps before the archer kneeled down, opening the bag to reveal that her gun and bow were still attached. Grinning a bit, the young pup could only chuckle to herself. How stupid to give the medic her weapons back. Opening the bag, she dug to the bottom, grabbing her notebook and pen before standing to turn to the sick men. Let's have a go at it shall we?

===============

At the gate, the lights flickered so lightly against the skin of the second in command. Crespin Alneph stood still, weapons in hand as he stared down the young man before him. Normally, Crespin would avoid fighting, it was something he never understood that was a way to solve problems. However the man before him had killed his comrades and was demanding the woman that was suppose to save even more of his men. The man before him seemed to be a silent fellow, not speaking much and getting to the point. It was something that Crespin admired but knew was dangerous. To keep silent meant that the man was thinking of ways to win. It meant that the man was scheming, was a tactician.

Pointing his spear at the young man, the larger man could only exhale, "You will not leave this battle alive!" He roared before rushing forward, his spear aimed for the heart of the young man. The faster that Crespin dealt with this man, the sooner he could get to Bastian and help him. It would be an easy fight and a quick end. At least, that's what he was hoping for.

[Nasakeshira]

    The raven inside Corvun stirred for a moment before rustling his feathers and laying down. He was speaking, but in a voice that his soul bound partner could not interpret. The raven when he spoke like this has often led him into a sort of trance. His focus was broken for a brief moment, as his eyes drooped and his body relaxed the raven inside him spewed off an inconceivable rant.

    "Caw! Tonight is a perfect night for an event such as this! I'm so excited! Caw caw! Wait if he dies do I do too? No matter! Perhaps the scene before us is a play for someone watching from the outside view of our world. Caw! The scene so eloquently crafted, beguiling all its viewers as two men stood on the stage and crafted a dialogue with grunts and an exchanging of blows, albeit a smaller stage than the one nearby it was still important. Kek! Kek! Caw! Whatever the result, a raven man's inner dilemma would finally be solved. The best result? The right choice? Perhaps these questions will cross his mind. Caw caw! This play that destiny has so woefully crafted in its sleepless insomnia has come at the perfect moment in the night! Caw! Hmm... one might find a soliloquy to end to it al- no! No! No! Overrated oft is the soliloquy on a cold night. Maybe his face will tell the tale of an inner monologue that only he can hear but we all can see. The weaver of fate and destiny is so fickle these days, caw! When will he wake? Ooh! The fight is starting! What path will my beloved Corvun walk? Will death be the solution he has so hard searched for in the dreams that haunt him in his eternal battle? Kek! Kek! Caw! Fight hard and find wisdom in your sword, my moronic soul." All Corvun understood was that a raven was thoroughly entertained in his rambling rants and cawing and laughing at the situation. 

    Crespin's roar before charging forward woke Corvun. A spear reached out to grasp his heart, but he would not let that happen. Stay inside his reach and make it difficult for him to use his spear. A warrior must go through multiple evolutions before perfecting his own swordplay and Corvun is in the midst of this right now. Gone were his previous conceptions instilled into him by his grandfather; a perfect defense that targeted the mistakes of his opponent, yes it was strong but against stronger men one must take initiative, and roll the dice.

    Lifting his blade up, he made a quick sidestep before diverting the tip of the spear with the flat of his sword. Momentum carried the two closer and with the way his blade was angled it wouldn't allow him to immediately retaliate instead he opted for a blow to the stomach with his knee. As always Corvun's relaxed face masked what was going on in his brain, constantly analyzing his opponent, and now that he was closer to his opponent he realized the height differnece wasn't that large.

    If his knee was strong enough to hurt his stomach he planned to create some distance not too much so his spear would be easy to wield but close enough so he could stab and slice with his rapier. After a brief intermission, the two warriors planned to go on the offensive against each other, a flurry of blows and narrow dodging. They were similar but not the same. Cold iron and hot iron, Corvun was the former and Crespin was the latter. The smallest stages sometimes have the longest scenes. 

[Blushing z0ro]

To the one staring blankly at the pirate, the one who believed himself strong, the one all the bandits called leader; the world itself seemed to crumble. What just happened? Only moments earlier he was confident this "Young Lion" was nothing more than a joke, some pirate whose reputation was just an exaggeration; after all, aren't all those stories about pirates overinflated accounts meant to scare children? They just had to be, for if they are not, then everything Bastian believed in was wrong. It would mean he wasn't actually strong and that he just risked his life and the lives of those who believed in him for nothing more than feeding his own ego. No... that couldn't be true... no. He would prove him wrong; prove him wrong about everything!

Leonard stared back at the bandit leader, not exactly sure on what course of action to take. The black haired swordsman had dropped his sword and was intent on trying to use whatever power this strange fruit had just given him. There was one small, minute even, the "Young Lion simply did not know what his newfound power might be. He did feel something as he tried to muster something from his body, like the feeling you get when you're trying to remember something and it is "on the tip of your tongue" only the feeling was throughout all his body this time. Like his power was right underneath his skin, ready to come forth, just not quite able to do it. From his past discussion with his crewmates Leo had gathered that using ones power was more or less just a matter of focus, but perhaps that was only the case for Zoan user? After all the only people the pirate captain could have talked about this process with were Kusatta and Hikaru, true Brandon had a Devil Fruit as well, one that was of a different nature than the two animal based ones, but having such a discussion about the nature of Paramecia with a penguin was a complicated matter to say the least.

Perhaps the few seconds LeClerc spent not moving as he tried to figure out the nature of his ability were an unconscious signal to the young leader of the Rock Dragon Bandits, perhaps it was just a response to the the shocking realization that the bandit was not as great as he believed or maybe even the blue-eyed simply decided to go out swinging. Whatever the case was, Bastian rushed at Leonard with new found vitality, closing the distance between the two in almost the blink of an eye. The "Young Lion" barely had time to move of the way of the swings of the daggers. Having dropped his weapon to grab hold of the fruits a minute before, Leo couldn't block or parry the bandit's attacks, thus forcing him to focus solely on dodging every blow. he just had to move past Bastian to get to his nodachi, otherwise the younger fighter would simply have to manage to land a few small attacks to remove any advantage the pirate had in term of natural power or talent. However moving around the barrage of blow would create the a large of opening for the dagger wielder to strike in. It was a risky bargain, on one hand the pirate captain could try and wait things out by continuing to dodge, perhaps he could even figure out his power as he did so, but those were some long odds, if he could just get his sword back he would be able to end things fast, but getting to his blade would have to be perfectly executed otherwise the Bandit Leader would carve the Pirate without a second's hesitation. The "Young Lion" had to chose now, it was do or die and the unrelenting assault of the Bastian gave no sign of slowing down.

What made Leonard take the decision to go for his blade rather than wait things out more? He didn't really know. Does anyone really know why they really make a certain choice in the heat of the moment? All that matter is that as Bastian pulled back for a split second to ready his next swing, the newly made Devil Fruit user dashed to the right in the hope to move around the bandit's left hand swing; however things didn't work out as planned. Was he a bit too slow? Or maybe he had slightly miscalculated the distance, there is no real way to know what Leo's mistake was; all that was sure is that a mistake was made and that it did not escape the eyes of the unrelenting Bandit Leader. The Pirate Captain was wide open, with no way to block, parry or dodge the incoming attack from the twin daggers. It seemed like it was the end, an end once and for all to the life and adventures of Leonard LeClerc, Captain of the Shining Pirates. Time seemed to stand still and the steel short blades came for his life, images of Leonard's friends, his family, his home, his dreams, his future that would now disappear flashed before his eyes that the young man slowly closed. I guess I gave it a good run. With that simple thought, the "Young Lion" was ready to let it end, he was confident Corvun would get Hiroto out somehow, the others would all be fine, it was too bad he wouldn't be able to carry on with them, but who knows, maybe he'd be able to watch over them all. Letting out a deep breath that was going to be his last, LeClerc's body completely relaxed as a sense of complete serenity came over him as the steel daggers went through his chest and carved it with a large X shape going from both the shoulders to the hips.

Leonard could feel the blades going through him, there was no doubt the attack went in easily.. perhaps too easily. The "Young Lion" remained standing there for a moment, eyes closed, expecting his body to give in and his life to end any second, but that moment started to last and Bastian had stopped his assault. Maybe the swordsman had simply died but wasn't aware of it yet, perhaps if he open his eyes he'd be greeted by the sight if his father waiting for him? Slowly Leonard LeClerc opened his eyes, however it was the not the face of his father waiting for him in the afterlife that greeted him, but the sight of the Rock Dragon Bandits' Leader looking a mix of shocked and terrified. Was the swordsman's wound so horrifying the very person who made it shocked? As Leo's vision began to focus again, the "Young Lion" began to realize something was off. A few tiny black particles floated in the air between the two men. These weren't there before, trying to find their source Leonard scanned his surrounding slowly, and as he finally looked down, somewhat apprehensive to his wounded body, the most shocking realization of the swordsman life greeted his sight.

There was no blood, not torn flesh. Where Bastian had slashed the swordsman's body, where there ought to be a deadly wound, there was only black. The black particles that floated in the air came right out of the "Young Lion's" body. What were these tiny particles? Sand? No. It was too fine, and who has ever heard of black, or maybe it was more dark grey, sand? As Leo moved his hand apprehensively to try and touch the "wound" the whole thing began to close up leaving only a handful of the particles in the young man's hand before his body was back to normal. Warm to the touch, seemingly hot enough to burn even though it didn't seem to burn Leo's hand, so fine it would get into the tiniest gaps. Ash, that's what came out of his body, not the ash of a burned tree or cigarette; but the ash that came of the earth itself, the one that came from volcanoes, that is what the "Young Lion's" new found power was.

"What... what are you?" The words escaped the mouth of young Bastian who once again was looked as young as he really was. the bandit leader seemingly kept going from fearless to terrified, unable to decide between his fight or flight instincts throughout this whole battle. Answering the question was difficult though, yet it amused Leo to do so. "Devil Fruits... those who eat one become cursed by the power of the Sea Devil, gaining superhuman power and losing the ability to swim.. or so the legend says. What is sure is that these fruits exists, each with a unique power belonging to one out of three categories." Bastian simply stood there listening to the pirate who seemingly looked in his direction but beyond the bandit as if he could see to the end of the world with his jet black eyes. "The first type that is most common, Paramecia, those who have obtained power that is described as Superhuman." The image of Brandon appeared in Leo's mind, the little penguin with the power to act like paper. "The second type, Zoan, those who have the power to turn into animals past and present and hybrid forms." The images of Kusatta and Hikaru formed in Leo's mind like Brandon's did seconds earlier, the Stegosaurus Chef and the Ant Inventor. "And finally, the third rarest and most powerful of all Devil fruits that command and turn the user into aspects of nature itself, Logia." Straightening himself and lifting his arms to his sides, LeClerc relaxed his body to try and replicate what he had just done, with complete focus, tiny black particles of ash began to flake of the extremities of the pirate and into the wind. "That last one is my power, the power of the Hai Hai no Mi."

Shaken by this revelation, Bastian involuntarily took a step back. Leonard looked right into the bandit's eyes and with newfound confidence in his brand new ability, a smile drew itself on the "Young Lion's" face. Ashes still dancing in the air between and around the two fighters LeClerc spoke the words that would mark the beginning of the last part of this battle. "Now... let's dance!"

[Dr.Ambs]

The flickering light of the fire made it a bit hard to read her own handwriting. For the past hour the small medic had over looked the some twenty men in the room. However her notes seemed a bit scattered. Some men were suffering headaches. Some had runny noses. Some had shakes. Some were delirious. However the one thing in common all the men had was a high fever. That made a bit of sense, with such cold temperatures, it would be easy to catch a common cold if one did not bundle up tight. Even the medic could tell she was starting to get cold from the amount of shaking she was producing.

"I can't believe they sent a child." A gruff voice broke the silence. Blue eyes looked up in her notes. In the darker corner, there sat a man. He was built large, his cheeks flushed a bit from a fever. A thick blanket draped over his broad shoulders. "This is medicine, not play." His voice broke again, before he rattled away with a wet cough. The man stood up, pressing his one hand on the wall as the other grasped the blanket around him.

Hiroto watched carefully, standing up as he did but kept herself with the fire between him. As the man entered the light, she could take in more of his subtle features. His own hard brown eyes bore into hers, wondering why she was here in the condition she was in. His own blonde hair was half up in a low ponytail while the rest cascaded down his shoulders. The man could only be in his late 30's early forties. She could catch the small scars that showed under his left eye, his right cheek and center forehead. This was a man that had seen and survived fights.

He was the last person Hiroto needed.

"What are you doing here." The man grunted back, taking in the purple hair and short frame.

"I don't know." the teenager concluded. It wasn't a lie, and it wasn't the truth. Hiroto didn't know why she was here. Well, she knew why. But she didn't know why she wasn't running back to Leonard, why she wasn't getting away to help him. "I guess I'm curious on what's wrong here." Her voice caught her off guard.

"Curious? Ey, haven't you heard the sayin' curiosity killed that cat? You'll get yourself killed. Why are you here, tell me the real reason. We all know Bastian brought you here, but why?" He argued back, his hand covering his mouth as he let out another fit of cough.

"Perhaps you should rest and not wonder why I'm here." The medic barked. "You're in no condition to argue, you need rest. That guy, your leader brought me here to fix your men. I don't even know what I'm doing, and even if I want to help after the treatment I've be dealt with."

"A medic? You? You're too damn young to be one."

"I am. I've studied medicine since I was old enough to talk. I have a crew that trust me to be their medic now."

"Then why are you here. We can handle our own selves. Bastian is letting his worry get the better of him!" The man barked, "We don't need outside help, be gone! You don't even know what's going on here."

"Then tell me!" Hiroto barked back, taking a step closer to the flame, "Tell me what's going on here, I've been thrown into this like opening the middle of a book and reading from there. I don't know the background of these people, I don't know history, I'm just thrown in the middle!"

The two were thrown into silence. They both knew. As a medic, as a doctor, a patient was everything. To diagnose someone meant knowing the history, prior treatment and what was considered 'normal'. In this mess Hiroto didn't know where these men had been before hand, she didn't know what they all shared. She didn't know the common link. Once she could find the common link, then figuring out what they had and what to do would be easy. It was always finding out what was wrong.

The man exhaled, coughing quietly as he sat down in front of the flame. "You want to know why this is all happening? Fine. Sit. I'll tell you. From one medic to another."

------------------------------------------------------------

With the first attack, Crespin knew and started to realize that this man was not a novice fighter. No, he was seasoned. Which meant that Crespin would have to think this through and make his own moves count. After all this was Corvun Drayel. This wasn't some back water hick. This was a warrior. The sound of steel clanging together as Corvun redirected his attack rang through the air before the knee collided into his stomach.

It took a few seconds for the man to man to get himself together before having to brace himself. It was like a deadly dance. If one missed the step, it could lead to life or death. If he were to miscalculate, it would be over. It was almost an adrenaline rush. Dangerous but still satisfying. Crespin backed away, before he braced his ground, bringing his spear above his head, starting to twirl. Sure the bladed part of the spear could be deadly, but getting hit by the pole was dangerous as well. A broken arm could take a man out of a duel. If Corvun didn't react fast enough, Crespin would take him out.

[Nasakeshira]

Wary of the spinning spear, Corvun had made the choice to intercept the spear over going for a hit to his lower body. He stepped in to engage by thrusting his sword tip towards Crespin's wrist. The raven's grand monologue continued somewhere in the depth of Corvun's mind, but his focus on the fight had rendered the confusing speech of the raven mute. Breaking the fourth wall and talking to the audience is all great and all, but one must know the time and place to do such things. The raven always chose the worst times, usually when his life was in danger.

If his thrust were to strike true, the red-haired warrior would take control of this entire fight. If it were to miss it could end with Corvun breaking an arm or the fight continuing. In the event that nothing serious had happened he would continue pressing the attack. Weaving in and out of attack range, attacking and parrying. A deadly dance illuminated by campfires and torches. They danced within the zones of the light, as if the shadows of death would surely consume them if they moved beyond the precipice of the flickering lights. In this dance of death, Corvun had again survived by jumping high over a heavy sweeping blow. Taking this opportunity, he went for an overhead attack. Thrusts naturally being harder to defend against from odd angles, he aimed straight for the top of his skull.

"Shit." Caw! Caw! Caw! I can hear him again. The damned raven was hopping in gleeful joy from one foot to another. "Of course you can hear me, idiot! You're in my domain. How did you think you got so high up? You transformed of course! Caw! You can't shut up something so easily when there's no off switch." The raven spoke from within himself, this time in a serious manner, "why don't you stop fooling around? Someone of this skill shouldn't even be a match for you. Don't tell me!" The raven sucked in air to prepare for his melodramatic psychoanalysis, "you feel bad after killing and harming so many of his friends!" He cawed pretty loudly as if laughing. "Caw! Caw! S-still tormented by the past? Or maybe those pesky little dreams you have every night? Or... or are they nightmares? Just get rid of this fool and move on with your life." Somewhere amongst the laughing it turned to anger and annoyance.

[Blushing z0ro]

The two men faced one another, staring, unmoving, the tiny black particles emanating from Leonard's body floating all around them. It was the "Young Lion" that made the first move, tensing his body the ash human thrust his right fist forward with all his might, intent on projecting the burning black particles towards the Bastian. However, despite the grand gesture and bold words, when the closed fist reached the end of it's path and Leo's arm was fully stretched out, nothing happened. No burst of the black dust, no cloud of ash or even any kind of unnatural event. The new Devil Fruit user couldn't help but let an awkward "Eh?" while looking at his own hand. Not only that but the pirate noticed his body stopped producing the ash altogether. It appeared using this power in any kind of efficient manner was quite a lot more difficult than anticipated. It seemed using the power was instinctual, Leonard inherently knew how to use his power and yet, actually controlling it seemed to be completely different. Just like someone would naturally know how to hold a sword and swing it around, as opposed to actually know how to use it.

Bastian didn't need any kind of other signal, obviously that pirate couldn't actually control that power yet! In the end maybe that fruit really was cursed, even by eating it and taking it's power the "Young Lion" would seal his fate. Closing the distance in an instant the bandit leader swung his daggers widely, aiming for LeClerc's neck with a two pronged attack. As for the swordsman-without-his-weapon-and-a-deficient-ability, it was only at the last second that he managed to notice and dodge the bandit's blades by jumping back. Despite avoiding the worse of the blows, one of the dagger nicked Leonard's right arm, not only that but it didn't just phase through an immaterial limb, but actually drew blood! Could it be the Hai Hai no Mi's ability was getting cancelled by something? Or was there something the new user was missing? Not really being in a situation that left him time to think and analyze the situation, Leo simply decided he would just have to fight the old fashioned way. Punches and kicks weren't his forte but it should be enough to last until he can maneuver to his nodachi... hopefully.

Bastian was a lot more bold with his attacks than he was before, no doubt the result of simply betting everything on this fight as opposed to his previous more careful attitude. This wasn't necessarily a bad thing though. It made the Bandit Leader's movement wider and more easy to read to certain extant. With the new gap in the enemy's moves Leonard should be able to out maneuver him long enough to get to his sword, even if he can't use his new powers. As the bandit opened his stance, ready to lunge forward for another attack, the pirate used this opportunity to rush in and by lifting his right leg, go for a straight kick to the opponent's chest. However once more the result was unexpected; naturally the "Young Lion" relaxed some of his muscles as his foot was about to impact so as to not hurt himself like he was taught, but as his foot reach Bastian's torso, rather than feeling the proper impact with the other man's chest, Leo's foot simply disintegrated into a cloud of ash. Luckily this actually made the attack all the more effective, the cloud of ash burst into the twin dagger user and blasted him several feet backwards.

This was an opportunity for Leonard to rush to his right and towards his sword. By the time Bastian got back up and began reducing the distance again, Leonard retrieved his blade and lifted it's grip up to the right side of his face in a ready stance. Now he was back in full force and that last little incident with kick gave him a better idea on how his ability worked. As the pale moonlight shown on the battlefield of the two men and the ephemeral glow of campfires barely glowed over the rocky side of the plateau above where the camp proper was, Leonard LeClerc was full of confidence about his battle.

[Dr.Ambs]

Three Weeks Earlier

He sat in his chair, looking at the loot they had been given. Well, taken really. Bastian looked over the vast glory, the diamonds and golden pieces, the goblets, emeralds and rubies. It was truly a fit for a king. Yes, Bastian would be this new king of this life. Hopefully King of this town.

Yet in his hands he held the strange fruit. Rolling it in his hands, the fruit almost appeared to be burnt. His men had come to him terrified of it. It was a Devil Fruit, a cursed fruit. However, how cursed could it be? He had heard rumors that this type of Devil Fruit were to give the user great and special abilities. How could this be a cursed fruit if it gave you power? The others disagreed with him. They told him to throw that fruit into the mountain, or even better, the ocean.

Perhaps it was curiosity that let him keep the fruit. Bastian didn't believe in curses. He didn't believe in the curse that this fruit could bring. What was the worst it could do? Taste bad?

"Bastian!" A panicked voiced called out, making their leader looking up to see Crespin. "Bastian, it's terrible." He spoke, getting closer, "Some of our men, they've fallen ill, something I haven't seen before. it's, all over the place. Some are coughing, some have a high fever, it's all over the place Bastian!"

Bastian stood up suddenly, his eyes widening at his news. His men sick? Suddenly? His eyes looked down to the fruit in his hands, was this really the curse of this fruit?

============================================

There was a small laugh, Hiroto holding her side. "Wait, they're all sick because of some fruit? No, that can't be." She spoke after getting her laugh under control. "They're so scared that their mind has convinced them they're sick. I've seen a couple of cases like this." She remarked to the man, before standing up.

"So what have you, what have you done in these cases?" The man asked, watching her pack up her things, before taking out her bow and arrows.

Hiroto glanced over to the former doctor, exhaling before she stood up, her bow in hand. "Give them a placebo. tell them you've found the cure. They'll cure right up after that." She spoke to him before glancing a bit outside. It seemed like everyone was too preoccupied by the ruckus Leonard and Corvun. It seemed like she would have a better luck escaping and finding them then. Her blue eyes glanced one more time at the men behind her, before taking off from the house.

She had to find Leonard and Corvun before things got way out of hand. She needed to let them know that these men had just thought themselves to sickness. Hiroto heard a loud crashing noise, causing her to stop in her tracks, before seeing Bastian, pushing himself up. Her blue eyes looked over, trying to find where Leonard was. "LEO?!" She screamed, not able to make trace of the man. "Leo where are you!" She shouted into the darkness.

If she couldn't find either, how was she suppose to face the others. What if Leonard or Corvun lost? What would have to say or do? The fear raced through her mind, frantically looking for the two men.

-------------------------------

Crespin regained his footing, before seeing the man throw himself up in the air. Before the man tried to attack his own head. What a good fighter. Crespin only pushed himself back, trying to avoid the fight. His eyes could see, however, that the man Corvun seemed to be lost inside, as if struggling internally.

"What's the matter boy, you can't fight when your head isn't in the game." Crespin spoke as he let his guard down for a few moments, the spear dropping down. If there was one thing he valued, it was a fair fight. If the man couldn't keep his focus, then there was no point in fighting him.

[Blushing z0ro]

Leonard rushed forward towards Damian, the light of the moon gleamed off the edge of the nodachi as it was swung at the Bandit Leader's head. The younger of the two opponents parried with his daggers, just in time, using the tiny opening the "Young Lion" had just created by attacking Bastian thrust his right hand blade at the other one's chest. However Leo quickly stepped back and deflected with his sword with a back hand downward swing to his right side. Immediately the pirate followed by a left hook to the leader's face; this was no swordsman's duel, it was a fight tooth and nail, no need for countenance or subtlety, not only that but LeClerc wanted to push his body, his new body. He would need to move and attack in every manner possible to understand his new power, and Bastian was just made the test subject for the powers of the Hai Hai no Mi.

The punch to the Bandit's face however didn't actually turn into a cloud of ash like the kick did earlier, but the hit landed all the same, Leonard could feel his tense muscles pushing against the skin of the other man and bones cracking, both his and the cheekbones of the receiving end. It felt somewhat confusing, what was it? What was the trigger to unleash the powers of the fruit, and how do you actually stop it once it started? Was it different to use it defensively than offensively? These questions went through the Ash-Human's mind as him and Bastian stepped away from one another, only to close in almost right after, blades clashing.

The sound of metal on metal resonated time and time again in the darkness as the two men fought. The Bandit Leader kept trying to get in closer, after all daggers gave him a much shorter range than the "Young Lion's" nodachi. However the Pirate Captain parried each attempt of his opponent. The longer the battle the less attention Leo would put into his every move, anticipating the possible reactions caused by the devil fruits, and yet; the more relaxed LeClerc got, the more free his mind was, the more control he seemed to get. It all started to feel natural. His body was one with an aspect of nature itself, every cell of his body wasn't only his cell, it was a minuscule speck of ash, a very piece of the burning earth itself. Perhaps, just perhaps, that feeling was the key?

It was with an absurd sense of confidence in his new theory Leonard decided to put it to the test. Clashing his sword with Bastian's daggers, the "Young Lion" pushed his opponent back as far as possible. However the pirate's movement had been too wide, and purposely so. Leo left himself massively open and the Rock Dragon Bandit saw this clear as day, then rushed at captain aiming for a death blow. Leo spun his sword as the blue eyed youth rushed at him, however it was not to parry or counter, the nodachi user sheathed his sword with utmost confidence as the daggers reached him.

Bastian seemed to slash through Leonard a dozen time as he dashed through. The two men now stood back to back. Normally such an attack should have left the Bandit leader the sole man standing, and yet it was not so. Leonard could not see his opponent's face at that moment but if he could have it would have been obvious the bandit had understood what had just happened. Maybe there had just been too little resistance, or perhaps the assault had left the bandit scorched slightly, whatever the case was, he knew; knew that he failed, knew that his attack had just passed through and unsubstantial body. The "Young Lion" smiled to himself, it had been one risky bet, but he felt he got the jist of how to use his abilities, now all that was left was some practice and imagination to put it to good use.

Neither of the two young men moved as the body of the Ash-man began to reform where the other had cut him a dozen times in a single wild attack. "You know, this has been both fun and instructive. I'd be almost tempted to let you go in fact, but I can't forget you hurt someone I care about, so for that, I'm going to kick your ass once and for all." Leonard did not turn around to face Bastian until after this declaration, as he turned he drew his sword back out lifted it once more, taking a stance that may look more like that of the batter in a game of baseball than that of a swordsman. It was time to try something again. The image a certain Holy Remunum Empire's Commander sprung into the "Young Lion's" mind as he adjusted his position to more closely match that of the warrior he fought a few weeks past. The Rock Dragon Bandit Leader spun on his feet and saw the readied stance of his enemy, but at that point he didn't know what to do or even what to expect. Then finally, Leonard LeClerc swung his sword, he did not aim to cut the air, he aimed to do like he did when he fell towards the place where the bandits had kept the fruit, he aimed to displace the air like a wave and blow away his opponent into the cliff side!

"Mangetsu-ryuu..." This move didn't have a name, it was the first time the swordsman actually added a move to his style, so far they had all been taken directly from his grandfather, granted this wasn't truly an original move as he copied it from someone else, but still; to make it his it would need a name, a name that came naturally as the blade move through the air. "TSUKINAMI!" Roared Leonard as the sword cleaved the air and pushed it into a wave moving straight at Bastian. The younger was hit dead center and pushed right into the cliff side next to a rope elevator used to move supplies up and down the cliff to the plateau above, where the camp proper lied.

Leo casually walked towards where Bastian was lying. "Got enough yet? Or do you need more of a lesson?" The clear victor said as he reached the loser. Seconds passed where nothing could be heard but the muffled noise of the ruckus above, Corvun and Hiroto must be causing quite a scene, thought the swordsman. "...t lose..." Half mumbled, half whispered Bastian. Lowering his gaze at the downed bandit leader the "Young Lion" asked "Did you just say something?" It was with an unexpected vigor and anger Bastian replied. "I SAID I CAN'T LOSE!" As he screamed at the Leonard, the blue-eyed bandit swung his dagger, but not at the still standing opponent, but at the rope elevator. Grabbing a piece of rope as he cut the other in one movement, Bastian began to sore up the cliff back towards the plateau where everyone else was. Despite being caught off guard LeClerc had managed to caught Bastian's left leg as he began to move upward.

The speed at which the two began to go up the cliff was astounding but the pirate had quite a loose grip onto the trouser leg of the bandit, so with a fierce kick of his free leg, the bandit leader forced Leonard to let go. As one continued to go up, one began to go down. Bastian must have been going much faster than Leo was on the way down, for before the pirate hit the ground he heard a familiar voice. "Leo where are you!!?" The sound of Hiroto's voice resonated throughout Leonard's body and soul, it felt like the ice cold chill of the North Blue seas. Was Bastian up already? Was he attacking her!?

What Leonard did as fell, what he did seconds before he hit the ground, wasn't any kind of deliberate action, it was instinct, pure and unaltered. The "Young Lion's" lower body turned into a whirling cloud of burning ash, and began to propel the rest of the body upwards. The side of the cliff seem to pass by the Ash-man in a matter of seconds. Then, there he was, all the way up, suspended in the air looking like the top half of a body floating in a cloud of black dust. Bastian was there, so were the other bandits, so was Hiroto. Some bandit must have said something as Bastian turned around to see Leonard, a look of horror placing itself on teh leader's face as he saw his enemy. Yet whatever was being said Leonard did not hear it, all there was to him at that moment was the singular idea of ending this once and for all. However deep in the recess of his mind a memory came up.

Back in Toroa, a younger Leonard played with his friends, the merry band of four children's leader, Renaud spoke. "Even when we grow up, I'm never anyone of you guys get hurt ever! Even if I have to punch a canon!!" The other children laughed, even Leo who then replied "That sounded so lame Renaud!" A third boy, Arno, that laughed the loudest simply added a "Laaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaame!" The only girl of the group, Maya, in her usual serious attitude had to just be a stick in the mud. "Punching a cannon would be completely useless, maybe a canonball, if it was flying at us, but then punching it would be even more stupid." Renaud got flustered and somewhat pissed off "Damn you guys! You just don't get it!!! You're all dummies!!!"

That simple memory brought a smile to Leo's face. I get it now, Renaud. Still acting more on instinct than anything, the "Young Lion" pulled back his right fist back, the clenched hand turning into a swirling mass of ash. Then he lunged his arm forward with a shout. "HOUKEN!!!" The "Cannon Fist". With that exclamation a swirling column of burning ash extending from the pirate's arm, hurled towards Bastian. By the time it reached the bandit it was as wide as he was tall, and engulfed him, pushing him off his feet and into a group of subordinate bandits, burning the whole lot fairly badly in the process. As the column reached the end of it path into the side of a wooden cabin, it blasted itself apart on impact, leaving the group of bandits including Bastian on the ground as the wood of the cabin began to ignite.

Leonard willed himself towards Hiroto, his entire body moving as a mass of ash, landing as nothing more and a plume of burning material in from of the young medic. As the body of the pirate captain reformed itself, his back turned towards his nakama, his voice resonated through the camp. "Didn't I say it already? Whenever you need me, whenever any of my crew needs it's captain, even if I have to go through an army, cross the Grand Line, fight Admirals of the Marine themselves; if you need me... I'LL BE RIGHT HERE!"

[Dr.Ambs]

She could see something, or someone, going over the edge. Had that been Leonard? "Leo?!" Her voice echoed, heading to the edge of the cliff, pushing her way through the rest of that bandits. At this point, they had been so concerned about their leader's fight that they didn't even notice the purple haired doctor running around freely. As she stepped by the cliff, Hiroto saw the pulley system start to move quickly up. However with the distance, she couldn't make out who was climbing up the mountain at such a high speed.

Yet when it was Bastian that showed his face, the young archer took a step back. "YOU!" He shouted as he saw the doctor pointing his sword towards her, "This is your fault!" He yelled before seeing the girl point an arrow at him. It was silent for a moment, the two at a stand off.

For a few moments, Hiroto was scared. If Bastian was here, did that mean Leonard lost? No. NO. "THIS is your fault Bastian! These men aren't sick! They just think they are because you believe in some petty curse that doesn't exist! You're a weak leader! Men who follow weak leaders are only doomed to become weak themselves! Unlike you my leader, my captain, is the strongest person I know!" She defended, bracing her footing as she aimed at the boy's chest. "I will not back down!" She growled.

However before Bastian could do anything a large column of... was that ash? The column of ash pushed Bastian and many of his men into a building, the place soon catching on fire. For a moment Hiroto didn't know what to think. It wasn't until her blue eyes looked over to see Leonard. Well, half of him anyways. She watched as he half floated until forming his body to her, she watched as he said the same words that he had said on the boat to her when she told him about her father being a marine.

It only caused her to laugh as she dropped her bow. "Idiot. Who said I was ever the damsel in distress?" She chuckled to him as she felt the pain return to her shoulder. Ah that was right, her whole ordeal earlier really had left her busted up more than she would like to have admitted. Placing her bow away, her hand reached to her shoulder. It was easy enough to feel the blood still oozing from the wound she had gained.

However her eyes looked to Leonard, smiling a bit, "At least you managed not to hurt yourself anymore than when we left the ship, I'll give you that one." She spoke before looking back to the rest of the bandits that stood still, some looking ready to attack. The archer only grinned, "I'd advise you all to back away and let us pass, I'm already wounded. An irritated, wounded medic who knows how to use a gun and bow is a very dangerous combination." The medic grinned sweetly before watching the few back away, lowering their weapons.

Her smile then turned to Leonard, although this one was a genuine smile of happiness. They know just needed to find Corvun and they could finally head back to the ship. Hiroto was surely done with this island and it's bandits.

[Blushing z0ro]

Hiroto's threat to the bandit made Leonard smile, not quite sure if she was serious or not, regardless it wasn't necessary anymore, these men were beaten and they knew it. The captain, back still turned to his crewmate lifted his arm in front of her as a sign that it was enough. "Hiroto, please go check on Bastian and the other injured, they won't cause anymore problems." The ash-man gazed at the various bandits surrounding them, whatever tenacity or ill-will they might still have had in them began to leave as they dropped their weapons.

By now Leonard had fully reformed, leaving no trace of ash on his body, still he remained still looking at all the downtrodden criminals. It was eventually one of the younger bandits, some kid no older than 16 with neck length dirty blond hair that spoke up, "Just go... please. We won't try and stop you." The kid didn't even look at Leo as he spoke, he simply stared blankly at the rocky ground in front of him, the grim specter of defeat over his face, the same one that hung over all the Rock Dragon Bandits.

It was strange, despite being the victor the "Young Lion" didn't feel satisfied, the way all these bandits simply gave up just didn't sit right by him. It was with an annoyed look in his black eyes and cold voice the pirate captain said "You guys really behave like children." This seem to garner some attention from some of the Rock Dragons who moved their eyes from the ground to black haired swordsman. "So what you lost, it's not then end of the world. You're still alive, you can rebuild, you can become stronger, don't just give up everything after one bump in the road." One voice cut into Leonard's, it was the same one of the boy who had told him to leave earlier. "Spoken like a true victor. Spoken like the strong." The second sentence sound extremely bitter to the ash-man's ears. The strong? Almost his life Leonard had despised the strong preying on the weak with for sole excuse being the strong, was that really what he had just done? No, that wasn't right.

Turning to face the young bandit, the "Young Lion" stepped up to him. "Are you saying you're weak? A weak kid lost in the world, unable to do anything for himself or by himself?" "What did you say!?" The young bandit raised himself up to look Leonard in the eyes, the kid was a few inches shorter than the pirate and his dirty blond hair framed his green eyed face. "I'm asking if you're weak, really weak, but that reaction says it all. You may not be very strong, but you're certainly not weak, none of you are. You've been beat and just decided to give up like a bunch of children, trying to content yourself with the idea that I was just too strong and that you could never have done anything about it, rather than using this as a lesson to get stronger."

Leonard's voice was getting louder as he spoke and the eyes of the kid in front of him seem to light up again, with anger but still, they showed some spirit now. "What the hell do you know about losing!?" The question took Leonard aback for a second, did that kid really think of the "Young Lion" has some unbeatable entity, that was almost funny. "What do I know about it? Are you serious? Do you think I've never been beat? I've lost more fights I can count, I can say with certainty I've lost more than I won. There are so many stronger people than me in this world, some who think themselves above everything," The image of a noble killing Leo's father popped in his mind "some who's strength you just can't understand," an image of his grandfather the master swordsman Zatoshi, "some who you can only dream to equal one day," the image of Whitebeard's proud back leading an entire army, "and some who are mountains meant to be climbed."  the image of the Holy Romanum Commander Marcus Rhodes was the last to cross the "Young Lion's" mind. "So what do I know about losing!? A hell of a lot more than you! I've been beaten, I've been almost killed, I've lost things dear to me, but never, and I mean never, have I given up! I've kept on fighting and I will keep on fighting and traveling through the seas!"

The look in the kid's green eyes had changed yet again, there was no anger left, just confusion and what might have been a tinge of awe. Leonard placed his sheathed sword over his shoulder as he often did and began to walk away. "If you want to stay here and wallow in you're mediocrity go right ahead, but know that there is a whole world beyond this hunk of rock, don't sell yourselves short, if you work for it you can achieve anything." Leonard began to walk away from the camp, having actually forgotten about his crew's doctor and the strange red haired man that accompanied him to that point. After a few steps the young bandit's voice called out to the ash-man again. "Where... where will you be heading next?" Now that was a question that brought a real smile to Leonard's lips, it was a decision he had made a long time ago but had yet to tell anyone, the decision that this was going to be the Shining Pirate's last stop in the cold northern seas. Turning his head sideways to look back on the green eyed kid the "Young Lion" said "To the seas of all miracles and perils, to the Grand Line."

[Dr.Ambs]

Blue eyes watched him for the time being. Leo was being rather nice, especially when she had seen hatred reeling from his eyes earlier that night. However, the medic didn't bother to go against the man at the time. Nodding her head, she started to hesitantly go to the pile that was Bastian. Yet before she could get too far, a sledge hammer stopped her in her tracks. Falling back on her rear, the archer looked up to see the man in the medical hut. "You!" She gasped out.

"The hell you think you're doing kid? Off with you!" He spoke, letting his hammer sling on his back. His large hand reached down to Hiroto picking her up by the front of her shirt before placing her back on her feet. "Look at ya, how are you suppose to heal other's when you're a walking train wreck yourself! Some medic you are!"

Confused for a moment, the purple haired woman looked at herself before realizing what he was saying. The poor girl did look a wreck. Blood covered the front of her shirt, her arm was soaked from her shoulder, and her whole body hurt. With all the adrenaline rushing through her system, it had been hard to realize how injured the teen was. From the confrontation of the bandits ambushing her to the interrogation Bastian put her through, the medic was ready for rest.

"There are injured men here, my captain gave me orders." She spoke, looking at the large man.

"Injured men? They're my men to deal with! Ya look after your own! Ya keep helping others before yourself and you'll be dead soon! Ya have to realize, your the medic." He explained, jabbing his finger in her chest, "Ya realize if your down, the whole crew is down!"

"I'm fine!" She scolded, bucking her chest up, "I can handle myself!"

"Handle your self!? A joke brat! Ya ain't no doctor yet!" He then proceeded to put his large hand on her shoulder and squeeze ever so lightly. However, that was more than enough to prove his point as Hiroto hit one knee, holding the injured shoulder. The man was silent for a time before kneeling next to her, holding out a small pack, "Take this kid. Take your crew back and get some rest. Forgive Bastian for his ignorance, he deserved to get beaten around a bit. But harmin' a lady is no excuse."

Hestiantly she took the pack from him, before standing up, wincing at her body starting to protest. She felt the man push her away, back to the track to Leo before she turned a bit, "Wait, your name. I never got it."

The man chuckled, "Name's Micheal." He said to her, before his eyes looked to Young Lion, "Listen boy, you're new to this aren't you? Ya may command your crew, but your medic keeps them together, literally. Keep your doctors alive and your crew will stay alive. That's what I've learned from the sea boy."

"Yeah no pressure on my end." She muttered under her breath before walking back over to the captain. There was no sense in helping men that didn't want it. Finally, standing by her captain she exhaled, "I'm ready to go home now.I think... I really need to get patched up."