"Great we're gonna have to wait another fifteen minutes for the boat." Yushiro grumbled, displeased by the delay though he knew there was still time to get to the island before the Bird Migration show starts. He was trying his best to be patient.
One of the guards approached them, aware that the sign displayed had taken a toll on Yushiro. With a crossed look, the man told them to wait patiently for the boat. From his attitude, Douma and the others could tell the man was having a rough day at work, but he didn't need to sound annoyed by their presence.
"The boat will be here in the next ten minutes. In the meantime, keep a distance from the shore." With another glare, the man walked away.
As the four of them observed the guard staring at the sea, another guard approached him urgently. "A group of teenagers are water-skiing by the lake again!"
"Dammit, again? What a bunch of measly kids!"
The four of them stood there watching the two guards run towards the end of the dock, leaving them there.
Now this was dangerous, with the lack of proper security just about anything can happen in this quiet part of Dice and Roll Valley. Douma and Chachamaru knew it was time to keep watch, the dock was the area where these bandits roamed around.
A boat arrived, the same model as the other empty ones lined up at the dock. A middle-aged man with wiry grey hair stopped the boat in front of them with a warm greeting.
"Lagoon Island is just right around the corner. Hop on in." The man gestured for them to get on the boat, counting the number of those lining up.
"Oh just the four of you? Alright." With one last check, the man hummed and started the engine.
Douma and Chachamaru exchanged glances with each other. Trust nobody, not even the friendliest of people, we have to get Shinobu and Yushiro off this boat no matter what. Even though the man hasn't displayed any form of strange behavior, Douma still kept watch on the state of things.
"Did Mr Oshiro get back to you or anything?" Chachamaru quietly asked Douma who shook his head in response to his question.
"Not yet just keep an eye on the driver and our surroundings."
"Alright when do we get those two off this boat?"
Thinking, Douma glanced at Shinobu and Yushiro who were sitting at their seats peacefully, admiring the vast sea.
"I know Mr Oshiro sent a group here but how are we going to explain to them what's going on? We'll be separated by then." Chachamaru remarked.
"Don't worry Chachamaru the other groups patrolling Dice and Roll Valley will keep them safe. We have other things to worry about and contemplating about this isn't going to solve anything." Douma added.
"Ugh I can't believe you're so calm about this! We came here to take our mind of off things not run around chasing some bad guys on the loose."
"Well you should've known Mr Oshiro would contact us while flipping through those pages, if something's convenient enough for his research he's going to give us a call no matter what." Hearing this stuck up response from Douma made Chachamaru a little agitated. The feline was dragged into this, but since it meant being able to unleash his fighting skills, Chachamaru didn't object to Mr Oshiro's request.
"Yeah whatever, as long as I get to kick some bad guy butt I'm all up for it." Chachamaru said leaning back on his seat.
Looking at the island the boat was approaching, Shinobu smiled and turned to Yushiro who was just as excited as she was. "That island is beautiful, even the sky compliments it." She said calmly.
"I can't wait to see those exotic birds!" Yushiro exclaimed.
Douma got up from his seat and walked towards the cabin of the ship while Chachamaru was keeping an eye on the other two.
The man driving the boat glimpsed at his passengers with a sinister look. He noticed Douma approaching and kept still.
Soon the boat sailed through the fog ahead, the very same fog Mr Oshiro was talking about. Douma stopped in his tracks glaring at the man who could feel the blonde's cold piercing gaze, his hands shivering now that one of his passengers was very much aware of his intentions. Something he did not expect.
When the man lashed out at Douma, a few men hiding underneath the crevices of the cabin jumped out with their knives and daggers pointing at him. Douma watched as the man stood there, creeping closer as they surrounded him.
Chachamaru on the other hand heard what was going on and sprang up from his seat which came off as a shock to Shinobu and Yushiro who were confused by the situation.
The both of them saw the large feline running over to the cabin where a commotion was happening. Staring at the unfamiliar figures circling Douma, the violette's heart sank when she realized this was a trap.
The group of men ran towards Douma as the driver forcefully turned the boat's wheel to the left on purpose to make it unstable. Douma quickly leaped up and kicked all five of the men at once, throwing them to the floor which knocked two of them unconscious.
Chachamaru grabbed the other three men and shoved them to the floor. He growled at them as they got up and attempted to slash him with their weapons. They were so determined to get rid of the team, that Chachamaru used their foolishness to his advantage; he taunted them, gesturing the men to come closer which they did and immediately swiped his claws at the group causing them to stumble back frantically.
"What's happening there?" Yushiro who was about to go over and check was pulled back by Shinobu. "Yushiro don't even think of going near those people." She warned him, Yushiro sighed and stayed in his spot.
"I have every right to know what's happening on this boat, it's foggy and our friends are clearly in danger!" He retorted.
"Which makes it a riskier move, more of those men could be around."
And it just so happens that Shinobu's sentiment was right, another boat sailed by as more men hopped on the boat. Most of them sprinted to the cabin while others took notice of Shinobu and Yushiro who were sitting there helplessly and began approaching them.
Douma's golden fans clashed with the bandits' knives and daggers. He pushed them away and created a pressurizing gust of wind that sent several of the bandits flying out of the boat and into the water. He then noticed a few of the bandits raising their knives at his two friends scrambling to get away from them in their seats.
Get away from them! Immediately, Douma ran to the area and slashed his fan at the bandits who fell back with cuts and bruises on their arms and shoulders.
"Douma what's going on who are these people?!" Shinobu's voice was laced with fear, Douma wondered when the group Mr Oshiro sent would arrive. This was getting out of hand with the number of bandits flocking to the boat.
Just before one of the bandits who was the driver of the boat managed to land a direct hit on Yushiro, Douma threw the man off the boat, Shinobu hiding behind him when they realized there were more bandits coming.
Mr Oshiro was right, the secluded island is further away from Dice and Roll Valley. There's not a single thing in sight. It must've been terrifying for those who were caught in this mess, being surrounded by nothing but the vast ocean without a clue as to where these people were taking them. Douma watched the boat that was now speeding towards them, he hoped this was good news or else he and Chachamaru would be here all day fighting these bandits.
As more bandits landed on the boat with Chachamaru throwing punches at the approaching figures that fell into the water, he and the others saw the familiar troops of Atlas sailing passed them. The shape of the speedboat standing out in the fog.
The troops hopped on the boat and fought off the rest of the bandits while Douma and Chachamaru joined in, keeping Shinobu and Yushiro at close proximity.
The current was getting stronger. Shinobu and Yushiro found it hard to maintain their balance on the wobbling boat. "I sure hope isn't some type of skit because I don't remember Dice and Roll Valley doing dangerous stuff like this." Yushiro mumbled.
Another one of Atlas' reinforcements arrived sailing closer to the boat the team was on.
Douma and Chachamaru quickly ran over to where the speedboat was and helped Shinobu and Yushiro get on the speedboat.
The man on the other boat who looked to be Chachamaru's trainer informed the feline and Douma about the boat's distance from the island and to keep alert for any oncoming boats.
By now, most of the bandits were no longer on the ship. The troops took care of the remaining bandits who fell into the water before they could even pick up their knives on the floor. The speedboat that Shinobu and Yushiro was on began moving away as the troops were instructed to return to shore and bring the two of them to safety.
As the speedboat sailed further away from the boat that Shinobu and Yushiro were just on, the violette felt worried for Douma, there was something he and Chachamaru knew about that she wasn't informed about. It was most likely serious since Atlas was involved. Now they were going to be separated for a while.
"Douma..." Shinobu called out to him with a quiver in her voice, the distant speedboat moving further with the waves.
"Don't worry guys we'll be back. There are important matters to settle." Douma reassured both Shinobu and Yushiro.
The both of them watched Douma and Chachamaru who were standing there observing the speedboat that was about to disappear from view. At least Shinobu and Yushiro were safe now.