146 Worry rampant amidst the rookie crew

Marco growled as he spat a small wad of blood from his mouth. He was furious!

Not only had he managed to catch his opponent off guard he had also pushed him to a point of abject desperation, and still the Vice Admiral had escaped.

Whatever the case, Marco had to admit, that a Vice Admiral suddenly bursting with all the powers that they possessed would startle even the most battle hardened member on his crew, save of course for the captain.

Still, he had managed to land a successful hit. One that had left his opponent badly wounded with a large gash on his neck. Were it not for his frigid abilities he would have n doubt bled to death.

With a slow sigh he straightened out perking up as he inhaled graciously. This was no time to be down on things, he had to give chase!

Instantly blue fire shot across his arms as they transformed into the deific wings that his devil fruit provided him. With a deep thud, he leapt off the ground flying furiously through the thicket of trees that surrounded him.

*******************

Sakazuki growled, as he gazed judgementally at his fallen comrade. Not only had he been defeated bringing shame to the organization that they were both a part of, he had also done it in a place that would bring an untold amount of damage to the 'Justice' of the world.

The only consolation that the magma human could think of was that he had taken revenge. A few meters behind him a charred body lay, smoking and sizzling in the air.

That was Thatch, and though he was alive, how long he could live for was anybody's guess. Sakazuki chuckled to himself slightly; all the stress that he had pent up had left his system.

As he shaved through the muddy forest floor, he could already see the forest begin to thin as they drew closer to the sandy shore. Fun aside, he had to hurry. He had been ordered to return, and though it pained him to admit it, in the instance at hand, it was a measly captain that was giving it.

Were it not for the naval codex that had been beaten into him by his instructor, chances are that he would have ignored the order consequences be damned he would have hunted every single low life that existed on this island torching anyone that provided even a smidgen of aid to them.

His colleague groaned on his shoulder as he winced unconsciously. The rapid movement had no doubt caused his wounds to flare up, and though he was not yet awake to face the pangs, even a slight bit of stimulus was enough to force his brain to wail in abject agony.

Sakazuki smiled slightly at this, in the academy he had been lorded over by this man. Now while he was wailing in pain, He Sakazuki was unhurt and had dealt with the most probable culprit to his condition. Borsolino had been one upped, and for a man as competitive as Sakazuki, just the thought of it caused a beautiful smile to bloom.

That single realization forced him to race forwards, small traces of smoke rising from where his feet met the mud and grass. Had he taken his time, he would have been able to sense Thatch twitch. He would have noticed as a conspicuous pineapple headed man appeared beside him, before glaring with such intensity that it would cause even Magellan to quail at its toxicity.

However, he did not, and thus though he made his way onto the beach, there was no way that the Navy would be able to survive in one piece that night.

********

Fawkes paced around the inn with some measure of anxiety, his crewmates looking at him with equal parts bemusement and worry. He had been like this ever since he had taken over for Thatch. At the beginning, he had only felt a little uncomfortable, but as time passed the ball of worry began to expand settling heavily in the pit of his stomach and causing for his brows to shift and curl.

"What is up with you?!" Rein asked, for what could possibly be the eighth time that night as he fidgeted nervously. Yet again, his question was doomed to be unanswered. The crew's first mate had remained mum all this while, only shooting Angella bouts of worried glances from time to time that she had begun to reciprocate.

Even Barts, the one on the crew that was the most sensitive to emotions had been left flummoxed as she gazed at them. She had even leaned in and whispered into Scipio's ears a few times, wondering if this was the norm for the crew that she had decided to join.

Finally, Fawkes stopped glancing over at Angella with a trace of finality in his eyes.

"Barts, marshal these guys here, and if any of the whitebeards ask be sure to inform them of the worry that we have. Angella, let's go." He said as he shot Barts a look before speeding out of the inn.

Over the course of the time that the crew had known her, Barts had proven to be a responsible crew mate, and in this juncture she was also the one that had the finest head on her shoulders. Fawkes could only leave it to her.

If it was in any other situation Fawkes would have let it be, Lorean could handle almost anything that was thrown his way after all. But now, his intuition told him to run to do as Thatch did and pursue his crewmate.

As the duo began to run through the town Angella finally spoke. Of the crew, she was the one that both Lorean and Fawkes listened to, "You aren't the only one. Maybe the new world is getting to us, and maybe we aren't ready for it but I've been feeling too." she confided as they ran.

And, though Fawkes was sure of his decisions before, now he was truly completely assured that his actions were the right ones.