103 This is war! 7 Temple run! (1/2)

I glanced behind me for the last time as I walked through the gateway. The men and women that had once stood against me now lie on the floor frothing at the mouth. Over the course of my time in this world I had seen many weird things, enough in fact to forget all that I had held as common sense in my previous life, and of all the powers that I held, this was the most frightening.

I remembered, when on the island that grandpa owned I had asked my father why he almost never used his conqueror's Haki. His answer resonated with me to this day.

He had said, ” Conqueror's Haki is the most wild of the three aspects of the self, it is the most uncontrollable. It is precisely for this reason that barely anyone ever awakens it. Even those who awaken it often don't master it.

Heck even I, have a minimalistic control over the damn thing. I might be head and shoulders over everyone of my generation with regards to the other two, but my mastery of Conqueror's Haki can be barely said to be at the level of old whitebeard.

This type of power is rare, feral and savage. It is almost assured that someone who overuses this type of Haki will at some point get so high on it that they consider themselves to be gods! You might be strong, brat, but know this no one is unbeatable!”

As I took in the sight behind me, his words could not help but enter my mind.

With a sigh I walked through the veil that divided the outer and the inner circle, this entire island confused me so much. I mean, after Tiamat had told me that the island lived, my mind was already blown. But after that I had noticed something.

There were no serpent tracks that existed within the outer circle, but as soon as I entered the inner circle, there they were. Staring challengingly at my face.

Somehow those snakes entered here but not there, and that confounded me.

Was Tiamat lying when he said the monstrous Yuda was asleep? How else would this be explained.

With a deep glance around me I gave up on trying to understand it. And with a renewed vigor ran through the empty streets heading towards the center of the island…

*******

Fawkes grimaced as he walked the corner. A part of him went out to his travelling companion, but another more rational bit wanted to do nothing but clock the fucker on his head and drag him through the pristine halls.

The man did not shut up!

Over the course of his stay on the island, Fawkes had already gotten an inkling to how talkative the man was, but only now did he realize that what he had seen was only the tip of the iceberg! Half the things he said didn't even make sense for god's sake!

Like what was a pachinko machine whose slots were filled with different colored and structured monsters? What was a tactical pencil, and what the fuck was a sensitive dildo?!

Fawkes was always the man on the crew that was the most calm, him and the captain seemed to have descended from icicles with the level of calm that they displayed, so for Fawkes to have snapped, especially at someone he knew was not a part of his crew startled Rein.

At first a flare of anger had shot through his stomach,' I mean it wasn't like I wanted to get into this situation!' he wanted to yell. But then he got a look at Fawkes' face and he shut up.

Though he covered it well, his façade had long begin to crack, his ever present grin had evaporated and his gentlemanly aura had disappeared.

Fawkes was genuinely shaken. True he had had a sad past, there had been many situations where he had been placed in danger. Heck Doflamingo had been more of a nerve wrecker than this island was, at least in its intimidation factor.

But that wasn't it, Fawkes had been involved, actively in all those situations. Though often his decision hadn't mattered, at least he had been allowed to make them. For a man that was raised on the concepts of Freedom, being kidnapped didn't sit well with him.

Being used as a tool, struck him with an uncomfortable feeling, and being strung up like some kind of piñata had him cursing mentally. This was the most mental stress that he had felt since the departure of his father!

To top it all off he had to babysit someone that he hadn't even known for too long, as he was the only source of 'hold it together we have a job to do' that he could find taxed him more than having to deal with Sorren ninja-ing into the ship's kitchens to steel food.

Rein took this all in, and for possibly one of the few times in his life felt tongue tied. His time on the ship had been quite taxing, if he was asked by someone about it, he would yell every synonym of 'Hell' all the while hastily backing away and praying to god, but it had begun to grow on him.

Especially as he was aware of the alternative, I mean, he would choose hell to solitude any day right?

Through his time on the ship, he had met so many unique people, where he was from, children ran through streets in joy or sat cooped up in a tower Repunzel style trying to learn all their parents threw their way.

Here, he had seen children be doctors, actually caring for patients with a level of professionalism that would have been lauded in anywhere but Drum.

Of them all however, the one that Rein had truly come to like had been the man in front of him. The invulnerable Fawkes!

The man always had a smile on his face, he had been the idol of a true and tested older brother! Never too overbearing, always kind.. Now that man, had been reduced to a fidgety figure. It wasn't a huge fall by any measure, but it was who it had happened to that truly metaphorically slapped Rein across the face and forced him to sober up.