Ice shot out from where Kuzan's hand had touched the ground. All directions were instantly covered in ice that could freeze a man down to his bones.
Terris jumped away from the attack, using the ground beneath him to launch himself into the air, before it was frozen solid.
' Damn, that's scary. He almost got me with that.'
* SWIP!
" Ice Spear!" Kuzan jumped into the air and crossed his arms over his chest and fired out a single spear made of ice right into Terris' shoulder, impaling the man.
Terris grunted and quickly dislodged the ice spear from his shoulder and crushed it in his hands. " Clever bastard." Terris muttered. He landed on the ground and almost immediately, the ice below him shot upwards, like a giant ice spike.
Terris managed to roll out of the way, but not before being slightly nicked on the underside of his arm.
Terris landed on the ground, bent over one of his knees, and clutched the wound on the side of his torso.
" My, my, bending the knee already?" Kuzan asked the man.
Terris turned around, swinging his staff, like a mad man at Kuzan.
Kuzan grabbed the staff, and slowly ice started to freeze it over.
Seeing that the ice was creeping towards him quickly, Terris pulled on his staff, and managed to get it away from Kuzan before it was too late to be saved.
" Damn it." Terris cursed. ' This is going nowhere for me. I can't seem to get a read on this guy.' Terris muttered. ' This can't keep going like this. If I'm not careful... I might actually die. But... If I could get to that kid... Then maybe.'
"Pay attention!" Kuzan shouted. He jumped at Terris with his arms crossed and fired a flurry of ice at the man.
.......................
' What is happening? Did... Did I lose?'
[ Walking on the path of hatred.]
' I lost. He's just... He's too strong.'
" Are you scared? You should be."
" I've underestimated you boy."
" Do you really think three on one will do any good? Do you really think you have enough power to beat me?"
" You would have been one hell of a marine someday. But this is where your journey comes to an end."
' This can't be where it ends. I've still got so much left I want to do. So much to see. To accomplish. My dreams... I can't let them just die... Can I?'
.....................
Some time ago.
Markus was sitting alone staring at the moon, thinking to himself.
" Markus...." Markus called out to Markus as the boy sat alone atop of the many trees around the island.
Markus didn't hear the young woman calling out to him, he was too distracted by a thought that was bothering him.
" Hey, Markus!" Brago called out to Markus again, but this time he was much louder.
Markus, hearing the man shout at him, looked down the tree, at his friend.
" Finally, what are you doing up there man?" Brago asked.
There was a somber look on his face, one that he would not normally be seen wearing. Brago, with one jump, hopped up to the thick tree branch, Markus was sitting on and dropped down next to him.
" What's going on man? You missed out on dinner. You never miss dinner." Brago said to the man. His question was one of concern, and feeling appreciative Markus smiled at the man.
" I'm alright, man. Just doing some thinking."
" Oh? Since when do you think?" Brago asked the man. He snickered at Markus. His playful jokes were becoming more common at this point.
Brago just knew that Markus would respond with something smart of his own, but for whatever reason, he didn't.
This worried Markus. Never has Markus been so quiet and so dull that he didn't have some kind of response.
" Damn man... What's wrong? You're never this quiet."
" Sorry. Just doing some thinking." Markus replied.
" Yeah, you said that already. Thinking about what? if you want to share."
Markus turned his head and sighed. " I was thinking about dreams." Markus spoke.
" Dreams?"
" Yes. Dreams. We all have dreams. But not everyone has the chance or ability to achieve those dreams. So, why do we still chase them?" Markus asked.
" Uh.... I don't know man." Brago muttered. Brago couldn't figure out where Markus was going with his thoughts, but still he listened to him, knowing that it was always important to him. His dream. " Why do you think?"
" Because it's in our blood. Everyone is born with a dream. Some want to be rich, some want to be famous, and some want to find happiness. But despite that want, some people never find any of those things. Or they discover they can't live up to those dreams. And then there are those who have the chance ripped away from them unfairly. They die. And that means their dream should end forever, right?"
" I'd assume so, yeah. If you're not alive, then there's no way you can dream." Brago said to the man.
" Ah, but that's where you're wrong, Brago. Even when you die, dreams go on. Why is that? Because no matter how hard you try, people's dreams never die." Markus exclaimed. He finally had a smile on his face. " Everyday people die, and everyday people dream. So, if even death won't end the dream, what will?" Markus asked.
" I don't know... What?"
" The answer is simple, giving up. That's what ends the dream." Markus told the man. " When you give up, you yourself push your dreams away."
" Markus." Brago muttered. He patted the man on his shoulder and then pulled him towards him. " Dude, I have no idea what you're going on about."
" Brago, the guts to never give up. That is what it takes to achieve your dreams. To give up and accept defeat, is to relinquish your dreams." Markus explained to the man.
Brago sat there in silence for quite sometime. He had no idea what to say, or what to think. " Markus, you say the weirdest things sometimes my man. But if that's all it is, then why are you so out of it man?"
" Because I'm thinking about what would happen if I were ever put in the situation myself. Would I continue to dream if It meant I'd die? Or give up, and continue to live? Zephyr-Sensei told me something, a long time ago. He said that everyone feels fear, and that the best knows when to back down. But I can't imagine backing down. I've been thinking about it for years. But every time it comes up, where I think I should just let it go, I can't. It's a conundrum really." Markus told the man. " I have no idea what is right."
" Maybe..." Brago muttered. " Maybe it isn't about being right or wrong." Brago said to the man.
" Yeah? What do you think it's about?"
" Maybe, it's about doing what you want. Following your dream and fighting for it, until you reach it. That's the whole point of being free, right? Being able to decide what it is you want to do, and living life the way you want? I think as long as you keep to what makes you, you, then everything will be fine."
................
' Living life the way I choose. That's right. That's what I'm always preaching. Right?' Markus noted.
Markus took a deep breath and exhaled as the light started to return to his eyes.
' Everything inside of me, is not changing. To stay true to myself, I can't afford to give up. Because if I give up, then what will that say about the people who've supported me until now?!'
................
" Ugh!" Terris yelped in pain, as Kuzan drove another ice spear through his arm and chest.
" What's the matter? You're slowing down." Kuzan said to the man. " You know, this can be over. All you have to do is surrender." Kuzan stated. " Last chance."
Terris looked up at Kuzan, the anger on his face was apparent.
" I'm not finished yet." Terris told the man. He was bleeding from his head and chest.
Terris raised his staff, ready to re-engage, but as he went to take a step forward, Terris felt a sudden surge of haki, hit him and Kuzan.
" What was that haki, just now?" Terris muttered to himself.
" Hey, hey? Are you serious?"
Terris and Kuzan both turned their attention towards where the haki was coming from.
" Gah!" Markus gasped through the pain spreading across his body, but he continued to press himself up with all of his might.
" How....?" Terris whispered under his breath in shock. He was certain that Markus was unconscious, there was no way he should be able to move let alone get back to his feet.
Kuzan on the other hand was impressed. " Well, damn kid."
Markus stomped towards Terris, bleeding and stumbling around almost drunkenly. A series of flashes ran through his body. The pain of walking was just unbearable, it felt like he was walking on glass and rocks made of fire.
" Terris.... I will kill you myself." Markus told the man.
" I hate to break it to you kid, but you ain't in any condition to fight. Now, just sit down and let me handle this." Kuzan told Markus.
" Stay out of this Kuzan... I need. I need to do this. My justice is telling me to handle this.... If I don't beat him.... If I can't beat him! THEN I HAVE NO RIGHT TO CALL MYSELF A MARINE!"
" Poor Marine. Still not comfortable with the idea of dying?" Terris muttered.
Kuzan looked at Markus, glancing over his condition. ' He's winded, bleeding out of damn near every hole, and is still ready to swing away.' Kuzan sighed and shook his head. He understood perfectly well what Markus said. " It ain't my place to judge someone else's justice. Especially not my friends. If this is how you wanna die, then go ahead, but if you do die then I'm gonna kick your ass for it."
" Is this some kind of joke?!" Terris exclaimed. " You're gonna step aside and let the walking dead face me? What? So, that you have an excuse for when you lose?" Terris asked the man.
" Nah, I just don't got a place in judging someone on how they want to live their life is all." Kuzan told the man.
" Fine. I'll humor you. I'll send this kid off to death, then I'll deal with you." Terris said to Kuzan, completely brushing off Markus entirely.
" Sounds fine to me. If you can do it." Kuzan responded.
Terris was slightly agitated that Kuzan insinuated that he couldn't beat Markus, since he had done so, very handedly before. Terris raised his staff and pointed it at Markus. " This time... I'll send you to death myself."
" Death can have me, when death has earned me."
Terris was staring at Markus' face and took note of the concentration plastered on it. Even through the blood and dirt. ' His eyes are focused. More intense. I need to finish this fast. If I don't then he's definitely going to get me.' Terris remarked.
He steadied his stance, with his staff in hand, and exploded towards Markus. Terris was not wasting any time.
Markus breathed easily and watched as Terris moved towards him. But something was different. Markus' senses were going into overdrive. He could feel every inch of wind brushing over his skin, blowing through his hair, every drop of sweat and blood.
" Doom!
For just a moment, Markus' vision turned red and an outline of Terris appeared. He was gliding towards Markus. Markus could see and feel every movement Terris was going to make, when he couldn't before.
' I can see... I can see!'
Markus blinked a few times, and Terris was in front of him.
Markus dodged out of the way of Terris first attack, and then his next, and the one after that.
Terris swung at Markus in frustration, and Markus grabbed his staff and kicked him in him his stomach.
Terris skidded backwards and stared at Markus in disbelief.
" What?" Terris shouted. ' Did he just?' Terris was caught off guard by how easily Markus avoided his attacks. " Hmph." He picked his staff up and rushed Markus again.
And again, Markus moved in between his attacks like he had already seen them happen. Like he expected them.
' What is going on?' Markus asked himself. For whatever reason, he was seeing Terris' movements and attacks exactly seconds before they happened. And his own attacks.... They were doing more damage than before. They were different.
Even Kuzan noted that something quite extraordinary was happening to Markus right now.
' Huh? His haki... It's weird. Like it's stretched to its limits. Almost like... He's not even all there. It's just reacting instinctively. If this keeps up, he just might pull it off. How about that.'
Needless to say, Kuzan was quite impressed with Markus' performance, despite being so heavily injured.
Terris on the other hand, was getting more and more frustrated every moment that Markus evaded his attacks.
' What is going on? Why can't I hit him? He can't really have achieved it! Could he?' Terris asked himself.
Terris dove forward, with his staff raised.
In his rush to try and conserve energy, Terris made a mistake... A mistake in thinking that Markus was the same one he fought a little bit ago.
Terris thrusted his staff towards Markus, and in a moment, Markus slammed his palm into the tip of Terris' staff and his haki rushed into it, exploding the staff from the inside out, shattering it.
Terris' eyes widened in shock. He had been in possession of his staff for years, and in a single moment, Markus had completely crushed it.
' What is this guy? He was on death's door just a while ago. How did his haki increase so drastically?!'
Terris slammed his hand on the ground and the earth started to rumble and flow like it was liquid.
" Rock Pillar!" Suddenly that flowing liquid rushed towards Marku and then shot out of the ground hardening.
Markus blocked the attacked with his arms but was launched off of the ground by it.
Terris jumped into the air, after Markus, hardening his fists.
And when he tried to hit him, Markus dodged out of the way of Terris' attack before he had even thrown it.
' His observation. I've only seen a handful of men use it.' Terris said to himself. He recognized that there was only one way Markus could have possibly grown to be able to predict his moves. " In that case..."
Terris planted his both of his hands firmly on the ground.
" I will not be the only one to lose here. The Earth-earth fruit allows me to control the very ground beneath us. Rock, Lava, all of it." Terris grumbled.
[ Slow roosevelt- Silverback]
The ground beneath him started trembling violently and ripped itself apart.
" Volcanic eruption!" Terris slammed his hands down onto the ground, and the earth below him started glowing red, like a fire had been lit underneath the bed of rock. "Hmph!" Terris brought his hands to the sky and a massive flow of lava erupted from the ground beneath him. " Flowing Lava Flower!"
Terris flicked his hands downward and started directing the lava like it was a part of him.
Markus, jumped off of the ground to avoid the lava.
Markus raised his hand and by channeling his haki through it, he cut through the magma in front of him like a knife, dividing it in half and averting the flow away from him.
Markus dashed forward and slammed his fist into Terris', creating a shockwave that shook the island around them.
Black lightning showered the forest, the sound of thunder and lightning rang out loud and the clouds above turned dark, blacking out the entire sky, as if the entire island had suddenly been consumed by a thunderstorm.
" Where did this come from?!" Terris asked Markus. " How did you get so strong so quickly?"
Terris wanted to know so badly what it was that Markus had done to close the gap so quickly, but Markus didn't answer.
While his body was moving, his mind was completely numb to the world around him. It was just instinct and will power that kept his body upright and moving.
Terris, could feel it in his fist. Markus was beginning to overpower his own haki.
' He's overpowering my haki?! How?!' Terris was beginning to feel the pressure. There was a cracking sound coming from both Markus and Terris' fists. Their hands were breaking from the force of their collision, but neither of them could nor would backdown, not in a lifetime.
" Why?! Why won't you just die?!" Terris yelled. He slammed his foot on the ground and a spike pillar shot out of it, stabbing Markus in his stomach.
Markus was launched off of his feet, by the attack. He had blood dripping from his mouth from the attack.
Terris flung himself into the air, using the ground beneath him as a launch pad. He appeared directly in front of Markus and unleashed a barrage of powerful blows, hitting Markus all over his body. He hammered him with everything he had, before finally kicking him back down to the ground.
" Why won't you just die?!" Terris shouted once again. He dropped down on top of Markus' stomach, driving his knee straight into him.
The force of the impact shattered the ground beneath the two men, shaking the island.
Terris reached down and grabbed Markus by his ankle, lifted him over his head, and then slammed him back into the ground. He then kicked Markus away from him.
Markus skidded across the jagged and rocky ground, before coming to a halt.
Terris raised his fist and rocks started forming around it.
" Shattering Rock Fist!" Terris launched the massive fist at Markus.
Markus stood up from the ground and in an act of defiance, headbutted the giant fist of rock.
" HAAAAAGH!" He shouted as loud as he could as he pressed his head into the attack.
Terris watched as his attack was shattered in shock. His eyes growing so wide that they looked like they could pop out of his head at a moment's notice.
' How is this possible?! This whelp couldn't even stand before, and now he's fighting ne as an equal?!' " Huh?!" Terris was snatched from his thoughts, when Markus dashed towards him.
*Swip!
Markus appeared right in front of Terris and slammed his fist into the man's stomach.
" Guh!" Terris nearly toppled over when Markus hit him, but by his own force of will he stayed up. " Hagh!" Not wanting to be made a fool, Terris returned a punch of his own, nailing Markus right in his face. Terris hit him so hard that his head jerked backwards, with such a force it looked like he had broken his neck.
Markus jerked back and punched Terris in his face and Terris once again responded. The sickening sound of bones crunching from the force of their blows made even Kuzan, who was watching nearby, cringe.
After punching each other back and forth for thirty minutes straight, without rest, Markus and Terris were both bleeding badly from their wounds.
Markus was hurting, sure. But the sheer rush of adrenaline shooting through his veins dulled the pain enough to where he could still stand on his own two feet.
Terris on the other hand, was beginning to stagger, even fueled by rage and anger as he was, never in his life had anyone challenged him with the sheer willpower that Markus had.
Terris once more struck Markus square in his face, Making Markus choke up blood.
*Crunch!
There was another deathly sound of bones snaping coming from Markus' face.
"Hagh!" Markus shouted and slammed his fist into Terris' nose, spitting up a mouthful of blood while doing so. " Haaaaaagh! I've had enough!" Markus exclaimed.
" Not until you lie dead at my feet!"
Markus and Terris continued trading blows with one another, their fists of haki stained red with blood.
* Doom!
Markus once again had his vision filled with the blurry red images from before. And Terris seeing the red in his eyes, knew that Markus was once again using observation haki.
But it was too late, Terris was already in the middle of throwing his next punch, when Markus suddenly dodged it.
' Oh no?! I left my guard down!' Terri remarked. He watched as Markus closed the distance between them and was left powerless to stop him from landing his next attack.
" Raaaaaagh!" Markus slammed his fist into Terri's stomach and hit him so hard, he knocked Terris completely off of his feet. " Raaaaaaaaaagh! Now the Real Fight Begins!" Markus threw himself into Terris, using his entire being to hit the man with as much power as he could. " Black Star! KuroTekken! Crushing Elbow! Giga Impact!" Markus first hit Terris with a powerful blow to his stomach, using haki, soru and iron body, he then followed it up with another powerful fist to his gut, before slamming him in the jaw with a strong elbow, and finally finishing his assault off, by slamming his leg into Terris face.
The force of Markus' kick sent Terris flying high into the sky. Markus jumped into the air after him and slammed his fist into Terris' chin." Rising Star! Rising Sun!" Markus followed up his uppercut with a series of powerful kicks to Terris' chest and face. Hitting him repeatedly. " Galaxy! IMPACT!"
Terris' eyes flashed as Markus' black fist came hurtling towards him.
' This can't be! I can't lose! Not like this! I still haven't achieved my dreams! They can't.... They can't end like this!' Terris exclaimed.
In that moment, Terris had a memory of a time when he was younger play out in front of him.
......
"Hmph! You are strong kid... But there's one thing the strong should remember, there is always someone stronger than you. And more often than not, you'll find that the guy who is stronger, is the guy you're looking down on. That's right. The man right at your feet is the guy you should always be wary of!"
................
' Captain Rocks..... You were right.' In that moment, Terris had an epiphany. In all his time trying to rule, he had never paid attention to the guys right below him, and now one of those weaklings....
" HAAAAAAAGH!" With all of his might, Markus slammed his fist into Terris' chest, sending his haki shooting into the man, and launching a shockwave out of his back.
" Gaaaaaaah!" Terris' eyes went white from the painful impact. His entire world crumbling before him. But it wasn't over just yet.
Markus grabbed Terris, wrapping his arms around the man's body, and together they both went hurtling back down towards the ground. Markus started spinning with Terris in his arms.
Markus and Terris picked up so much speed, that they looked like a tornado.
" That's not good." Kuzan muttered.
He jumped away from the field, as Markus and Terris touched back down and watched the very floor exploded into a million pieces, as if a barrage of cannon balls had just crashed down.
Rock and Debris went flying everywhere. Smoke filled the air.
Kuzan landed on his feet a little away from the impact zone, and quickly rushed back over to check on Markus, as a fall like that would be quite devastating to just about anyone.
" Hey, Markus!" Kuzan shouted. He peered down into the crater, searching for any signs of movement. But when the smoke finally cleared, Markus and Terris were both knocked unconscious and Markus was laying on top of Terris, sprawled out with his back on the man's chest.
Kuzan quickly jumped down into the pit and placed his hand over Markus' chest to make sure he was still alive, and when he felt that thumping beat against his palm, Kuzan felt a wave of relief wash over him.
" Whew! Looks like I won't need to explain to Garp, why I let his kid die after all." Kuzan muttered. " Not bad, Markus... You are one scary kid."
The Winner of Cream Island- Kuzan, Goenma, Jinshi, and Markus vs Terris- The Island Smasher.
Markus!
..........................