70 A Looming threat.

With a deep breath I looked at the crew that stood before me, a dull stream of grim reality seemingly pressing down on them from every side.

Terrick looked carefully at the collapsed form of Angella who sat with her back to the mast cradling her knees as she muttered to herself deliriously. An eternity of torment and pain seemingly saturating her mind as she tried to hold it all together.

Sorren looked abnormally serious, his face akin to the expression he wore when he spoke about his mother's death. Fawkes stood to my left, a silent support, and the only thing stopping me from going completely crazy.

Scipio stood shell shocked at Sorren's side, his face gleaming with a sheen of sweat as he finally felt the eventuality that waited for him because of the profession he had chosen.

"Crew, Ohara has been compromised.." I began, recapping for the horrid bit of information that the news coo had provided for us. I sounded mechanical and much like what I imagined a soldier to sound like as he reported a grave and hopeless situation.

"Burned to the ground by the marines, for what? For harboring knowledge on the Ancient weapons..?" I began, my voice slowly ramping up as I allowed the rage and frustration that had boiled in my veins to seep into my tone.

"BULLSHIT! The world government probably felt like taking a piss on an island that hosted some form of knowledge that was not solely the drivel that the peddle everyday!" I snapped waving around the news paper, that held various downright false bits of information.

"We need to decide what to do, do we skip Ohara and go straight to another island, or do we land on the burnt heath to pay out homage..?" I asked. My eyes fallowing the thought process of each and every member of the crew.

I could see it. The steel in Sorren, the boiling wrath in Terrick, the undefined sense of terror in Scipio and now the reckless rage in Angella.

Her head had snapped up when I had begun my speech and her eyes now followed every move of my hand and mouth with a fanatic zeal.

No more could I see the barely concealed disdain for the crew in her eyes. Over the course of this short night she had seen the cruelties of the world and the morality of her crew. Yes, her crew. She was part of them, and would no longer deny, that though this rickety band of fools were pirates, they probably were the only ones left that cared for the person called Angella.

And just like that, a change began to occur. Much like it had for Terrick she too began to open up. Her despaired expression slowly melted away to be replaced with a harsh gleam of resolve.

She slowly got to her feet and walked towards me, standing to my right she slowly pulled at the sleeve of my shirt.

"You know," she began, her tone holding a undertone of grief as she collected her thoughts, a trail of tears running down her cheeks.

The world does not care for what I am. It does not care for who I love. It merely cares for its own glint of subservience. Only for itself, not for me, not for I .." She stopped, tears ran down her face as she saw the dawn of realization on all the crew member's face.

With a chocked sound of a sob her shoulders began to spasm uncontrollably as she saw, the dawn of forgiveness on all their faces as well.

"Captain…" she began, biting her lower lip as a trail of blood ran down her fist, as her nails dug into her palm. "Can I see my family for the last time…?" She squeaked out, before falling to her knees and bawling uncontrollably.

Snot and tears on her face as she looked closely at me. Her eyes piercing into my brains.

"Yes we will. We shall go to Ohara and erect the tomb stones for everyone that you can remember there.." I began, the whole crew nodding in agreement.

"Crew, get ready to face the challenge of a lifetime.." I announced as I walked back into the captain's quarters.

"Sorren, patch up Fawkes as good as you can. I hope that I am over thinking but, there is a chance, a decently good one that we will face one of if not all of the prospective Admirals.. First mate, if that happens I want you on the field at my back.." and with that I walked into the room.

"Aye aye captain.."

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Kuzan glowered at the wreck that was his ship as his subordinates scuttled around the island.

For the hundredth time he could not help but curse at the retreating form of Sakazuki who zipped away self righteously.

"God damn that man. Why did we have to sweep the island. Of course no one would have survived. ITs obvious! But noo!! The over productive git had to fucking go around blowing up every mound of earth so he could feel his unholy desire.

Fine you want to be productive, be productive. Why did you have to hit my ship by accident too??? Are you retarded.. Fucking blowhard.

I wish he died of idyllic dysentery..." Te ice man grumbled as he glowered at the ship on the horizon.

"And, why oh why are there no one but fucking petty officers on my ship??"