"What the fuck is going on here?!" Markus seethed with rage seeing Shisu riddled with bullets and cuts slumped next to his Ascalon. Shisu seemed to come alive and perk up slightly hearing Markus. His own Conqueror's soon reached Markus with an almost soothing tone as he smiled at him.
"I'm old Markus. Don't be too sad." Shisu coughed blood and collapsed making Markus's mind go blank. He looked at Shisu and focused his Observation on his body and even looked a second into the future until his Haki was almost gone.
"-us! MARKUS!!" Markus turned his head to see a scared looking Harlen along with his frightened crew. Markus reeled in his Conqueror's and took a deep breath.
"Kill all the pirates." Markus walked towards Shisu completely ignoring Ascalon's Conqueror's surrounding him. Harlen gulped at Markus's fierce aura he had never seen before and looked back at his crewmates.
"You heard the Captain!" Harlen led the charge against the pirates while Markus completely ignored them and focused on Shisu. The few pirates that weren't being held back by Ascalon or knocked out by Markus charged the Celestial Pirates determined to claim Ascalon for their captain, not even noticing the danger.
Markus didn't even glance at Ascalon as he picked Shisu up and carried him away. He walked back to the village through the path he cleared out and started digging a grave next to his house. He gently wrapped Shisu in cloth and laid him in the grave before filling it. He took a large rock and cut it until it looked like a proper grave stone. Markus carved Shisu's name into it and sat in front of him.
Markus took out two cups and filled them with some Sake he found in Shisu's house. Markus never liked drinking but he drank the cup he filled and poured the other out over Shisu's grave. He closed his eyes and for the first time in either life he prayed. Prayed that some God took pity and accepted Shisu into eternal bliss.
"Captain?" Markus's eyes opened. He quickly wiped his face and turned to see a bloodied Harlen.
"Is everyone okay?" Harlen sighed and sat next to Markus and patted his back.
"Everyone's fine. Most were already knocked out by your Conqueror's though Malcolm gave me some trouble." Markus nodded slowly. Harlen looked at the gravestone. Here lies a great master and mentor, Shisu.
Simple but Harlen could feel the emotion behind it. He sighed softly and looked at the trembling Markus.
Anderson sat next to Markus on his right and wrapped an arm around him. Rebecca sat behind and hugged Markus. The rest of his crew gathered around and sat behind him patiently with Klark at the head with a look of sympathy.
Markus could feel them with his Haki but could only see Shisu's grave. He looked up at the sky and hummed softly. His crew were surprised not recognizing the rhythm.
{I don't own My Way, by Frank Sinatra, I just love this song: Author probably only time i'll do this}
"And now, the end is near, And so I face the final curtain…" Markus picked a song he remembered from his past life as his farewell, "My friend, I'll say it clear, I'll state my case, of which I'm certain
I've lived a life that's full, I traveled each and every highway, And more, much more than this, I did it my way…" Markus's crew hummed the tune not recognizing it but noting it was his final goodbye. "... few to mention, I did what I had to do, And saw it through without exemption,
I planned each charted course, Each careful step along the byway, And more, much more than this, I did it my wayy…" Markus felt something run across his face and looked up again to see clear skies. He took a deep breath and looked back to Shisu's grave, "Yes, there were times, I'm sure you knew, When I bit off more than I could chew, But through it all, when there was doubt, I ate it up and spit it out, I faced it all, and I stood tall, And did it my way
I've loved, I've laughed and cried, I've had my fill, my share of losing, And now, as tears subside, I find it all so amusing, To think I did all that, And may I say, not in a shy way, oh, no, not me, I did it my way
For what is a man, what has he got? If not himself, then he has naught, To say the things he truly feels, And not the words of one who kneels, The record shows I took the blows, And did it my way, Yes, it was my way…" Markus took a deep breath and wiped his face before slowly standing up.
"Gather all the pirate ships to be looted then sank. We have a banquet tonight then head out in the morning, I feel like having a big party." Harlen nodded and led Klark and his crew towards the pirate ships while Anderson and Rebecca headed to their own ship to start preparing for the banquet. Markus watched them separate and slowly made his way towards Ascalon.
He reached the pine tree where the swords Conqueror's faintly leaked to. It was weaker than when he first awakened it so he walked through it easily. The Haki got stronger the closer he got to the sword but he shrugged it off like it was nothing. Once he stood in front of the sword the aura leaking from it was just weaker than his Conqueror's currently was.
Releasing his own Haki he reached out and grabbed the sword. He could see every way the sword could kill him. Every way it could kill his crew. Every way it could kill something or someone. He took a deep breath and focused his Conqueror's on just the sword as he slowly pulled it out of the ground.
He raised the sword before all the Haki leaking in the area disappeared instantly. He took a deep breath relishing in the sword's power before a notification appeared.
[First to tame a graded blade! First to tame a Supreme Grade Blade! Ascalon has accepted the user, Markus, as its master! +250 Legacy Points!]
'Damn that's a lot of legacy points. I should upgrade some of my perks and skills.' After a quick search he upgraded his regeneration from Extreme to Superior for 100 points and opted to save the rest for later.
[Superior Recovery]
Increases HP recovery from 1:1 to 1:50! Increases SP and HK recovery from 1:1 to 1:25!]
With his natural recovery he could now heal even missing limbs given enough time. Taking Ascalon he walked back to Shisu's home to grab its scabbard before heading to where his crew were setting up the banquet.
Markus stayed out of the set up still feeling sad but his crew did their best to cheer him up. He gave a soft smile seeing his crew try so hard to support him while a few went to help Rebecca and Anderson with catching fish and cooking for the party.
In just a few minutes the group that went with Harlen and Klark returned to help set up. They quickly moved everything of value to the marine ship and his own Sailing Dragon before returning with food Rebecca and Anderson prepared.
Markus waited patiently for everyone to gather around him before raising his new sword into the air.
"EVERYONE!!" With his shout everyone's attention was now on their captain who continued with his speech, "Today we celebrate a brilliant, strong, and determined man that showed me this world wasn't just darkness! We gather today to remember a man that taught me everything I know about this world and true strength! Today we celebrate Shisu! The greatest teacher I've ever known so raise your mugs high and give him a proper goodbye!"
Everyone raised a different glass, mug, or cup filled with rum and sake before giving their condolences. With a loud unison shout of cheers the party began. Everyone started partying hard with a few people playing music, others playing games, and a few even started to gamble for fun.
Markus smiled at his crew before noticing Harlen walking up to him.
"Are you doing okay Captain?" Harlen sipped his rum and patted Markus on the back with some Armament. Markus easily shrugged it off with a sad laugh.
"Honestly? Not really. You know I was actually once captured by the marines." This caught Harlen, and Anderson who was nearby, off guard. "I had lost my village years ago to a pirate attack and trained for half a decade to get strong enough to hunt them down and make them pay. I hunted them down to a little island a few days from here when some Marines decided to capture me and take the pirates' treasure. Luckily I awakened my Haki and was able to escape their brig and swam all the way here."
Harlen watched Markus's smile grow and smiled back as he sat down next to him. Markus sat down and waved Anderson over, having noticed him eavesdropping.
"I had no idea what I wanted in life. No idea where I was going. At that point I was simply alive nothing more nothing less. Then I met Shisu. He was a strange old man but a kind one that offered to teach me more about Haki and even his own custom sword techniques. You know hahaha! Fun enough he actually tried to kill me a few times to unlock Conqueror's Haki not that I'm complaining about the results but even then I didn't hate or fear him. He taught me how to properly use my skills and even helped me find my own Ambition. He showed me that life was worth living. That I could do whatever I wanted if I tried hard enough. It's weird thinking the old man is gone now."
Markus started choking up but hid it well as Anderson and Harlen comforted him.
"When we first met I was ready to die. I actually prayed whoever was at my door that day would kill me." Markus was surprised and looked to Harlen. He noticed how depressed he was that day but didn't know it was that bad. Harlen, seeing Markus's surprise, gave a reassuring smile. "But you gave me a reason to live. You gave me an Ambition to look forward to. You gave me a reason to live. I might not know Shisu but it sounds like you two were similar. I'm sure we all would have loved to meet him."
Anderson sat down the opposite of Harlen and finished off a bottle of rum before starting, "I was bored honestly. Bored of life. I lived everyday the same way waking up, eating what I caught the day before, going to the sea to fish, then returning home and preparing my meals. I didn't have any prospects or ambition to see the world. But now? Now I want to see everything this world has to offer. I want to explore every ocean and see all the different fish. I finally want something out of life and that's because of you captain."
Markus smiled and laid back across the ground to see a smiling Rebecca eating a kabob. "I was trapped, alone, and scared. I thought I would die chained to that bar sleeping in my own filth never seeing the world. Now I get to cook for the future King of the World. How could I not be excited? You've shown us the world Captain and now we want to help you conquer it."
"You are our Shisu. The man that showed us Haki, the man that gave us Ambition. You gave us a reason to live in this shitty world Markus and we'll be there for you whenever you need us." Harlen finished for them before Markus jumped up.
"Alright alright! No more sad emotional humbo jumbo! I've cried enough today so LET'S PARTY!!!!" They all laughed and joined the rest of the crew in parting. Rebecca cleaned the former marines out in poker, Anderson easily dominated the fishing games, Harlen surprisingly outdrank everyone in drinking contests, and Markus joined the band in singing songs from his past life.
They partied for five days and nights stretching the entire island with a festive tone. They celebrated the coming of a new age, one led by Markus.
2000~ Words