…
…
*Scrub*
Teech could be seen on the deck of the Moby Dick, mopping the floor enthusiastically. He was using his chores as an opportunity to exercise himself. Sweat poured down his face as he rushed back and forth.
Shirtless, his scars were laid bare for everyone to see. A towel was draped over his shoulder as he would regularly use it to dry his sweaty face.
"Pops! Pirate Ship, port side! I believe it's the Ambush Pirates! Their captain has a bounty of 40,000,000 berries."
Teech heard this, halted and threw the mop down in frustration!
"Son of a… I JUST CLEANED THE FLOOR!!" He yelled, feeling wronged.
Pops who were nearby felt a twinge of amusement.
"If you're so upset about cleaning blood off the floor, then make sure to kill them on their ship, brat!" Jozu teased Teech.
Teech wanted to refute, but the sudden revelation made him go quiet.
"WAIT!! Why have we been letting them board the ship?! That just creates… more work… for me."
"…"
"Oh you Bastards!"
Teech's sudden outburst caused many of the crew to laugh, as it was becoming too easy to mess with him.
The young apprentice was a bit slow on the uptake. It had taken him years to finally realize that the crew had been playing defense the entire time! They were purposely creating more work for him!
Although he wanted to express more of his irritation, he couldn't help but feel excitement slowly building inside.
His gaze filled with anticipation, quickly looked over at Pops as if to ask something.
Feeling the burning gaze, Pops showed a small smile.
"Let's plunder them!" Pops declared.
They were finally going to go on the attack!
…
*Boom*
*Boom*
*Crack*
After chasing the pirate ship, they were able to successfully land a shot on the hull. Due to the ship not being made out of the best material, a giant hole was made, allowing water to fill the bottom.
Although it wasn't sinking, the ship's speed had been drastically reduced. Realizing they weren't going to be able to run away, the enemy pirates decided to stop and fight back!
Due to the Moby Dick's massive size… the ramps were dropped onto the smaller ship.
Leading the charge, Teech smiled in exhilaration.
When looking at his face, people would think he was excited about the fight. But, it was mostly because he could fight without having to worry about cleaning.
'No blood duty!'
Using the ramps drastic change in elevation to create a bunch of momentum.
Sprinting down at full speed he jumped at the nearest pirate and drop-kicked him.
*Bang*
With an audible thud, the man was sent flying into another person causing them to fall.
Following right behind him, two commanders, Jozu and Vista, clashed with nearby pirates who wanted to attack Teech. Pops ordered those two, to accompany Teech along with a dozen other lesser known members.
Targeting the nearest pirate, Teech unsheathed his cutlass and cut off his head before he could even react, shocking many of the enemy pirates!
Using this small window, he charged towards another nearby pirate who wielded a sword.
*Clang*
Barely blocking, he was knocked off balance. Quickly regaining his footing, he was embraced by Teech's onslaught.
Left, right, up, down! Teech's strikes were fluid, causing the pirate to helplessly block.
Finally, Teech grew impatient, putting more strength into a swing.
*Crack*
*Schww*
Teech's cutlass had broken through the man's sword and cut his chest.
Wide-eyed the pirate didn't have time to register the pain when Teech punched his face, sending him flying off the side of the ship.
*Splash*
Crashing in the seas below, Teech ignored it as he moved onto his next target.
A chubby man who anxiously held an axe. Seeing Teech's gaze lock onto him, he slightly flinched before gritting his teeth and charging.
"Ahhh!"
Screaming while charging, the chubby man lifted the axe high into the air.
Reacting quickly, Teech dashed towards the man.
*Schww*
The unfortunate pirate didn't even get to slash his axe, before Teech's cutlass had gutted him.
With brutal efficiency, Teech continued this pattern. After the tenth man fell, he heard heavy footsteps approaching from behind.
Turning around he was met with a hulking man, giving a vicious glare at Teech. The man who was most likely the Captain, was unarmed as he threw a punch at Teech.
Raising his eyebrow, Teech silently mocked the man as he simply sidestepped and slashed at his outstretched arm.
*Clang*
The mocking quickly turned into caution as cutlass had collided with the pirates arm but didn't go through. Instead, green scales had appeared on his arm, blocking Teech.
Creating distance, Teech watched as the green scales appeared all over the man's body. The pirates pupils developed slits, resembling that of a snake.
'Shit! Zoan Type Devil Fruit!'
"Jozu!" Yelling over to the commander.
Jozu, who had just finished beating a group of three, looked over as a flash of realization entered his eyes.
Charging over, diamonds started covering his body.
Seeing Jozu charge, Teech disengaged from the fight.
Trying to find another to fight, an approaching figure caught his attention out of the corner of his eye. A skinny and pale man with a red bandana, holding a knife. He was the Vice-Captain of the Ambush Pirates! The man attempted to do what they were named for, to ambush! Teech easily parried the knife and went for the attack.
Slashing at the man, Teech was surprised to find the man nimbly dodged. Chasing after him, Teech tried his best but couldn't quite catch him.
Seeing Teech struggling with the Vice-Captain, many of the Ambush Pirates cheered.
The man was fast, but that's all he had going for him. Backed into a corner the man smiled mockingly at Teech which irritated him a bit.
Charging forward, Teech saw the man reach behind his back and throw something at him.
"Ughh!"
The man had thrown sand into Teech's eyes, blinding him.
Quickly wiping his eyes, he took several steps back in order to create distance. Blinking several times he made out the blurry figure of the man, who still hadn't moved from his spot, and holding something in front of him.
"TEECH, WATCH OUT!!" Marco from above screamed.
"What?!"
*Bang*
Pain!!
Regaining his vision, Teech finally saw what was in the man's hand. A gun!
Slowly looking down, he saw a hole, leading into his stomach.
*Cough*
As Teech coughed, blood sprayed out from his mouth.
Shocked! Teech was shocked! How could he have been so careless?! He had gotten a little too prideful in his abilities!
Feeling his vision go a little blurry, Teech slightly stumbled. As he was about to fall, the prideful look on the Vice-Captain's face flashed into his mind.
Gritting his teeth, Teech caught himself. Rage flashed through his bloodshot eyes as he slowly walked towards the man.
Seeing him approach the man's smug smile disappeared into shock.
Stomping hard, the deck cracked ever so slightly as Teech's body seemed to disappear. His body blurred as he flashed in front of the man with his cutlass in hand.
'Fast!!'
*Splurt*
*Bang*
Teech had drove his cutlass through the man's gut, pinning him to the wall.
The man's face was filled with disbelief! Nearby crew members who were cheering for the Vice-Captain, were quickly silenced.
Teech grabbed the man's face and made him look into his bloodshot eyes. Fear crept into the heart of the Vice-Captain as he felt his death approaching.
While staring into his soul, Teech began speaking in a strained but hushed voice.
"What you did… was fucking cowardly!"
He paused for a second.
"Even if you're a pirate, it's disappointing to see that you rely on tricks to achieve your goals! With this weakness, your death was inevitable."
Grabbing his cutlass, Teech pulled leaving the man stumbling about, desperately holding his abdomen as if it would possibly preserve his life.
The Vice-Captain looked up to find Teech's foot approaching his chest at speeds he could barely process at the moment.
*Thud*
*Crash*
Teech sent him flying into the same wall he was pinned to, breaking it and making the wall come crashing down.
Nearby Ambush pirates watching the Vice-Captain's battle end in tragedy, went silent in shock. A young pirate had actually killed their Vice-Captain! A man that had a 25,000,000 berry bounty, second only to their Captain! The blow to their psyche was immense! If this is the power of a mere child, what was his captain like?
The Ambush Pirates had only heard stories of Whitebeard, but disregarded their credibility. This was their mistake!
His own haggard breathing was the only thing Teech could hear as he momentarily spaced out from pain! A slight twitch caused him to refocus. Looking at his surroundings he realized almost everyone had stopped.
The crews were silent, one horrified and the other worried.
Unbothered, he shook his cutlass to remove the blood.
While trying to get his breathing in control, he did something that shocked the onlookers. He reached into his own bullet wound!
Wincing slightly he pulled out a metal ball, before dropping it onto the deck.
*Thud*
His gaze hardened as he stared at the surrounding pirates. As he looked around, Teech's eyes settled on Jozu and Vista respectively.
Seeing his gaze, both seemed to receive a hidden message as they silently ordered all other Whitebeard pirates to leave the ship except for themselves. Walking in front of the rest of the pirates, Teech arrived at the center.
He began speaking slowly in a slightly pained expression. Due to the blood in his throat, the voice that came out was distorted and utterly creepy.
"If any of you are anything like your Vice-Captain, know that your death will not be an easy one!"
Staring into Teech's bloodshot eyes, the enemy pirates couldn't help but feel a shiver run down their spine. Even the burly, scaled captain hesitated before ordering his men to act.
Reluctantly 5 men charged forward. Teech moved into a position where only one could attack at a time.
The first pirate slashed down which Teech shifted his body out of the way while cutting him diagonally across his body.
The second one approached, but was quickly skewered by Teech's cutlass.
His muscles tensed slightly as he gradually lifted the body into the air, before ramming into a third person. Turning both unfortunate pirates into a kabob.
Pulling his cutlass free, he dodged another attacker and backhanded them, which sent them flying into a nearby group of Ambush Pirates.
The 5th pirate who watched the previous 4 become dispatched so easily, lost his will to fight as he dropped his sword.
*Clang Clang*
Walking toward him, the man shivered in fear while directing his gaze towards the ground, not daring to look Teech in the eyes.
Hearing his approaching footsteps, the man felt sweat run down his back. He closed his eyes.
Contrary to his expectations, Teech simply walked past him, ignoring his existence entirely. Teech refused to slay someone after he had given up. His ideals were foreign to this world as he acted less like a pirate and more like a warrior!
Killing a man who had given up fighting would not give them honor rather they would be victims. To most it was naive to leave an enemy alive, but that didn't matter to Teech; he, a man from a different world, didn't lower himself to such standards.
His cold gaze was laid upon the Captain, who was still in his scaled form. Seeing the challenging gaze, the Captain couldn't help but sneer! A brat had actually challenged him! How absurd!
Shoving his own crew out of the way he charged at Teech with ferocity, intending to kill the young pirate as quickly as possible. Getting close he threw his massive scaly fist.
As Teech dodged he could practically feel the displacement of air around the man's fist. It even gave a sense of foreboding, just thinking about what would happen if he were hit.
Sidestepping another strike, Teech slashed his cutlass, accurately hitting the man's chest.
*Ching*
Unsurprisingly, no damage was made as his cutlass was actually repelled by the scales of his Devil Fruit.
"Tch." Teech was irritated.
'Devil Fruits are so annoying to deal with! I can't wait to use Haki!'
The captain jumped high into the air, with an impressive show of agility for his size.
Teech's eyes widen as he hurriedly rolls out of the way.
*Crash*
The captain had dropped a knee at Teech's previous position, shattering the deck.
'That strength is unnatural! I believe it mostly is due to his Devil Fruit. I doubt it's mythical or ancient and he doesn't seem very proficient in using it.'
The captain punched again but this time a bit slower which confused Teech. The captain's speed wasn't slow, only a tiny bit behind Teech's. Combined with his overwhelming strength when compared to the young pirate, Teech was forced to constantly dodge.
Sidestepping once more he suddenly felt something was wrong!
The captain's arm didn't fully extend meaning it was faint! Opening his hand he uses his claws to slash at Teech!
'Shit!'
*Splurt*
"Ugh!!"
The captain's claws dug into Teech's shoulder as he pushed down, shredding it along with his upper torso.
The pain forced Teech to drop to knee, who attempted to stabilize himself with the cutlass.
Gritting his teeth, his eyes snapped open to see a fist approaching his jaw!
*Bang*
His eyes rolled back for a moment before coming back almost immediately. Although painful, his body felt unusually light.
It didn't take Teech long to realize why! It was because his body was sent flying into the air! Slowly gravity took hold of him once more as his figure fell towards the deck.
Like a meteor his bloody body slammed face first into the floor causing an involuntary grunt to leave Teech's lips.
Still holding his cutlass, Teech's body shook as he struggled with getting up.
Finally rising to full height, his eyes caught sight of the mocking smile on the captain's face.
Feeling something loose in his mouth, Teech spat to the side. A tooth! Specifically, a moaler! An irritated smile adorned Teech's face as he wiped blood from mouth.
"Damn bastard! Are you trying to ruin my smile?!"
'His scales are a natural counter to my fighting style. I'm going to have to try something else.'
It was a bitter pill to swallow, but Teech knew. His style was more focused on fluidity and finesse. He heavily incorporates the Gentle Style of swordsmanship which clearly shows as he struggles against this man. Very rarely does he use the Strong Style, making this battle more difficult than it should be.
But it didn't hurt to try, after all, warriors tend to learn quicker in life or death battles.
Taking a deep pained breath, Teech prepared himself once more.
The mocking smile never disappeared as he walked confidently towards Teech.
Slowly his walk turned into a jog as he viciously attacked Teech.
Leaping towards Teech he intended to stomp on his defiant face. Watching his falling body closely, Teech struck!
While still in the air Teech dropped his available shoulder and darted towards the back leg!
The captain's eyes widened as his body was thrown off balance, causing him to face plant into the deck.
Quickly trying to get up he is met with a knee to his jaw.
*Crack*
His head whipped sideways, giving way to a spinning world.
Teech had put his entire strength into that knee, intending to rattle his brain and knock him out. But alas, fate was against him.
The captain stood up quickly, rage adorning his being at the embarrassing display.
'A well placed strike to the jaw should knock out most people, at least back on Earth. Leave it to the One Piece world to defy that logic.'
The captain reached into his mouth and pulled out a front tooth!
"Oh…Hahaha! Paybacks a bitch, ain't it?" Teech showed a mocking smile.
The captain's anger got the best of him as he attacked in a frenzy. Seething, he no longer tried to play any tricks, fully intending to crush Teech with his strength.
'Good…'
Dodging a fist, Teech felt it graze his ear! Either the captain's attacks were getting faster or he was getting slower. Teech put all his money on the latter.
Flipping over the scaled beast, Teech slashed at his neck.
*Chink*
A slight crack appeared on his cutlass, which he ignored.
'Like steel…'
Landing he kicked the back of the captain's knee making him fall.
Backing up, Teech closed his eyes in contemplation.
Getting up he rushed at Teech.
Seeing him not react, Jozu was about to step forward when he was stopped by Vista.
Looking at him he saw that Vista was silently observing Teech with fascination!
'I can faintly hear it!'
The captain threw a punch when Teech struck, meeting the fist with his cutlass.
*Clang*
His cutlass chipped again!
'Fuck!'
Spinning under his arm, Teech delivers an upward elbow to the captain's chin.
Doing almost no damage, the captain punches Teech, making him stumble backwards. Ignoring the pain, Teech closed his eyes again!
Roaring the captain opened his arms to tackle Teech.
'Hear the rhythm of the steel. Only then will I be capable of cutting.'
Time seemed to slow to standstill for Teech. He felt the wind rustle his hair. The beating of his hearts was almost deafening!
His lungs seemed to draw in more oxygen than normal. Reminding of something similar he had seen in particular show about demons.
Yet, none of that mattered as he focused on this moment.
In almost unnatural speed, Teech raised his cutlass above his head with both hands.
Stomping on the ground, his figure blurred once more as he rushed towards the captain!
*Schwww*
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